#34: LTG (Ret.) Bob Caslen (West Point Legend/USC President) — On Service, Character, & Failure

April 18, 2020 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Today, I am so privileged and honored to bring you insights from a true hero of mine, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Robert Caslen, who currently serves as the 29th President of the University of South Carolina. Go Gamecocks!

General Caslen served 43 years in the United States Army. His military career culminated in 2018 as the 59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Under his direction as Superintendent, West Point was recognized as the number one public college in the Nation by Forbes Magazine and the number one public college by U.S. News and World Report. Through the establishment of Centers of Excellence at West Point, General Caslen connected the operational Army with West Point research and intellectual capital. He refined West Point’s leadership program by making professional ethics a priority and essential part of leadership and character development. He worked tirelessly to expand the diversity of cadets and faculty alike, and he dramatically expanded West Point’s minority and women populations to reflect the demographics of the Army that West Point’s graduates help lead.

Working with the Director of Athletics, he revamped the athletic program, made it self-sustaining, and fielded 25 competitive intercollegiate teams. He created partnerships with the NCAA and Department of Defense to conduct research into preventing and treating concussions and traumatic brain injury that have led to significant improvements in prevention and care. He stood up the Army Cyber Institute to build expertise and Army leaders prepared for the new cyber fight. And, fulfilling a pledge he made soon after becoming Superintendent, he led a sweeping reversal of Army’s football program and developed a culture of excellence through winning with character, culminating in Army defeating Navy in 2016 for the first time in 14 years, and beating both Air Force and Navy in 2017 to win the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy for the first time in 21 years.

Before becoming the West Point Superintendent, General Caslen served as the Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, where he served as the senior military commander in Iraq after the drawdown of U.S. and allied forces in 2011. Caslen held several other notable positions including commanding general of Multi National Division-North during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Chief of Staff of both the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) and the 10th Mountain Division, where he also served as the Division’s Chief of Staff during Operation Enduring Freedom. He also has served in combat and overseas deployments in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Joint Task Force Bravo in Honduras, and Operation Uphold Democracy and the United Nations Mission in Haiti.

He is a graduate of West Point and he holds an MBA from Long Island University and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Kansas State University. He was also recognized with an honorary Doctorate from Long Island University. He is a member of the Kansas State Engineering College Hall of Fame, received a Life Time of Service Award from the American Red Cross, was recognized with the Honorary Rock of the Year Award for his efforts in diversity as the Superintendent of West Point.

He also received the 2018 Gerald R. Ford Legends Award for lifetime service, and was the 2019 recipient of the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award, joining the ranks of Tony Dungy, John Wooden, and Presidents Eisenhower, Reagan, Ford, and George H.W. Bush. Caslen also serves as the Special Advisor on Executive Leadership and Character Development at Higher Echelon. He is a nationally recognized authority on leader development and author of The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity, which is scheduled to be published in October 2020.

On this episode, we discuss [time marks for audio version]:

His favorite things about living in South Carolina [7:00]
His “Why” for Serving [9:30]
- “The greatest among you is the servant among you.”
- “People talk about legacy and wanting to see their name on a building as a legacy. I’d rather see my legacy as the people I had the ability to influence and to improve their life and give them great opportunities for hope in the future.”
How his view of service has changed over time [11:30]
What is means to be a caring leader [13:15]
- “Caring is not coddling them and babying them. It is developing them.”
Leadership as helping people achieve excellence [15:20]
- “Leadership is enabling people to live a life of excellence. To me, excellence is living to the upper level of your potential.”
- “When you make mistakes, that’s how you grow.”
Developing leaders [17:20]
- “Instead of leadership by attrition, I believe in leadership by development.”
The leader taking ownership over development of team [18:20]
- “When they succeed, the leader never takes credit. When they fail, the leader takes all responsibility. If I’m developing a subordinate and they don’t meet the standard, it’s my fault . . . I look internally and say how did I mess this up.”
- “Development is not just giving someone a job description.”
- “It takes mental and morale courage to sit down with someone, look them in the eye, and tell them they are not meeting the standard.”
Self-leadership [20:40]
- “The most effective leaders are leaders that lead from the front and share hardships.”
- “If you fail on character, you fail on leadership.”
- “Character is the internalization of values. . . Those values are a result of your upbringing . . . the people you hang around with . . . the books you read . . . what you read on the computer screen.”
- “What comes out of us is the true manifestation of what we’ve internalized.”
His morning routine [25:30]
His gym workouts and one way he recognizes excellence at the University of South Carolina [27:00]
Maintaining a calm, composed demeanor [29:00]
- “It’s easy to lose your temper, and it accomplishes nothing.”
- “As a leader, everyone starts to reflect the personality of the leader.”
Leadership advice for high stress, uncertain environments like COVID-19 [32:30]
- “The most important part about leadership in a crisis is to create and maintain hope because people in a crisis must have hope . . . The best way to get hope is to be a leader that they trust.”
- “You build trust through competence . . . character . . . caring . . . and communication.”
His decision-making framework [35:25]
How failure and adversity have shaped him [37:15]
Marriage advice and parenting advice [42:00]
His upcoming book, The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity [46:20]

Connect with President Caslen on his website or follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter

Below is President’s Caslen’s upcoming book and another book he recommended on marriage:

The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity

By Jr., Robert L. Caslen, Matthews, Michael D.

His Needs, Her Needs: Building a Marriage That Lasts

By Harley, Willard F. Jr.

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#33: Q&A with Joel "Thor" Neeb (CEO + Cancer Survivor) — Our Survivor's Obligation

April 08, 2020 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

I’m really excited to bring you an inspiring interview with Joel “Thor” Neeb. Thor is the CEO of Afterburner Inc., a global consulting firm, and the bestselling co-author with Chris Stricklin of Survivor’s Obligation, which was recently named a 2020 Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist.

As a former F-15 pilot, Thor has flown over 2,500 missions. He provided escort for the President, protected our nation's borders, and was named the Top Instructor Pilot at the Air Force Flight Training Headquarters, training thousands of pilots for the United States and 25 allied countries around the world. He was the tactical leader of 300 of the most senior combat pilots in the Air Force and he oversaw the execution of a $150M/year flight program.

In 2010, Thor was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and given about a 15% chance to live. Instead of giving up, Thor decided to give back. He started a youth outreach program in San Antonio that has grown to help more than 15,000 at-risk kids. Their efforts have been featured on every news channel for 100 miles and one national media outlet. In 2012, he was selected out of 62,000 people to receive the Air Education and Training Command National Public Service Award. Thor completed the New Zealand Ironman Triathlon in March of 2015 to commemorate the five-year anniversary of his Stage IV cancer diagnosis and to raise awareness for the rare and deadly cancer that he battled. Thor has also competed in American Ninja Warrior.

For most of 2015, Thor led a team of Afterburner consultants that was embedded in Silicon Valley with one of the top-five largest software companies in the world. While there, Thor supported the successful completion of more than 50 projects created from the CEO’s key strategic objectives.

As Afterburner’s CEO, Thor currently leads a team of more than 70 former fighter pilots, Navy SEALs, and other Special Forces members. For the past two decades, Afterburner has shown corporations around the world how to utilize the same techniques that created leaders and developed elite teams in the high-stakes environment of combat. Over those 20 years, the Afterburner client roster has included 85% of the Fortune 50 Companies and 11 NFL teams. They have offices in Atlanta, Australia, and Brazil.

Thor received his Bachelor’s Degree at the Air Force Academy and is a summa cum laude graduate of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. He also sits on the board of several national organizations and is the co-founder of a military support corporation.

In this interview, we discuss:

His battle with cancer
The meaning of “survivor’s obligation”
How he lives his life differently after surviving cancer
Practical ways all of us can live a more intentional life
The concept of post-traumatic growth
His top advice for transitioning veterans,
His top marriage and parenting advice.

Connect with Thor on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Afterburner at Afterburner.com and by following their LinkedIn page.

Thor recommended the following books during this interview:

Man's Search for Meaning

By Frankl, Viktor E.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

By Covey, Stephen R.

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#31: Medical Leaders in Crisis (COVID-19) with Dr. Tom Hustead & Dr. Scott Steele

March 29, 2020 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

I’m excited to bring you a rapid-release, bonus episode for medical leaders on the front lines battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Kevin Kniery (the co-host of two podcasts—Behind the Knife and Audible Bleeding) and I team up to interview two proven medical leaders with a combined 6 deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Dr. Tom Hustead and Dr. Scott Steele.

As a vascular surgery fellow in New York City, Dr. Kevin Kniery is observing first hand how medical leaders on the front lines are battling this pandemic. On this episode, Dr. Kniery describes how his hospital is transforming to prepare for the worst and how leaders are responding to address new problems everyday. Dr. Kniery received his undergraduate degree from West Point (we were classmates and he is one of my best friends to this day) and his MD and MPH from Tulane University.

Dr. Tom Hustead graduated from West Point in the top 3% of his class and received his medical degree from Case Western University School of Medicine. As a retired Army Colonel, highlights from his distinguished career include deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, being awarded Flight Surgeon of the Year for his service in combat, Outstanding Faculty of the Year for his medical teaching, and board selection as Department Chair for a family medicine residency department. As a result of his appointment by the Army Surgeon General to be the “face of military medicine” to recruit and share the Army Medicine story, Dr. Hustead recognized a need and developed a passion for teaching physicians across the country to be effectively engaged leaders. In his final appointment in the military, Dr. Hustead was the commander/CEO of a NATO military medical facility at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium. Dr. Hustead currently practices as a family physician at Hardin Memorial Health and serves as Medical Director for their employed medical group. Dr. Hustead also co-founded The Referent Group, which provides leadership training, coaching, and resources for healthcare leaders. With an emphasis on servant leadership, Dr. Hustead’s core conviction is that effective leadership is never about the leader, but is focused in creating a culture where those being led can flourish

Dr. Scott Steele is the Chair of Colorectal Surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. As a graduate of West Point, he was an active duty Army officer, serving as the Chief of Colorectal Surgery at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, WA. He has served 4 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, being awarded the Combat Medical Badge amongst others. His contributions to the medical literature include over 140 peer-reviewed articles, 60 invited reviews and book chapters, 12 national practice parameters, guest editor for 5 volumes dedicated to colorectal disease, and currently is an editor on 4 textbooks in colorectal surgery.

We recorded this interview on March 28, 2020, a time when our nation’s entire medical ecosystem is mobilizing for war against the COVID-19 pandemic. While many Americans are working from home to blunt the spread of the virus, healthcare clinicians and administrators are working around the clock to prepare for the coming tsunami of patients. The scope and the scale of the coming ﬁght is unprecedented in the healthcare community.

Whether the US can successfully “ﬂatten the curve” or not, this pandemic will stretch US healthcare capabilities—and its workers—to the limit. Strong leadership will be needed at every level to address the physical and psychological stresses our healthcare professionals will experience in the coming weeks. I hope that the insights and proven leadership principles offered by Dr. Hustead and Dr. Steele can provide healthcare leaders clarity in this prolonged and all-consuming fight to beat COVID-19.

If you are interested in learning more about the great work being done by Dr. Hustead and his team at The Referent Group, you can visit their website at thereferentgroup.com or send them an email. Below is a short video about the great work they do:

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#32: Q&A with Dr. Ryan Gottfredson — 4 Critical Mindsets for Success

March 25, 2020 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Is your way of thinking the best way to think?

This is a question Dr. Ryan Gottfredson asks in his brand new book, Success Mindsets, currently available in audio and E-book format and scheduled to be released in print form on May 5, 2020. While many have focused narrowly on different mindsets, Dr. Gottfredson pioneered a widespread study and synthesis of all critical mindsets for achieving success.

On this podcast episode, we explore 4 specific mindsets each person can cultivate to achieve greater success:

a growth mindset;
an open mindset;
a promotion mindset; and
an outward mindset.

Dr. Gottfredson is a mental success coach and cutting-edge leadership consultant, author, trainer, and researcher. He helps improve organizations, leaders, teams, and employees by improving their mindsets.

In addition, Ryan is a leadership and management professor at California State University-Fullerton (CSUF). Dr. Gottfredson did his undergraduate work at Brigham Young University, and he holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources from Indiana University.

To supplement the insights gained from Success Mindsets, Dr. Gottfredson provides a free mindset assessment to help you examine the way you think, and he provides tools for improving your current mindsets, such as the Digital Mindset Coach.

Dr. Gottfredson also works with organizations to develop their leaders and improve their collective mindsets and culture. He has worked with top leadership teams at CVS Health (top 130 leaders), Deutsche Telekom (500+ of their top 2,000 leaders), and dozens of other organizations.

As a respected authority and researcher on topics related to leadership, management, and organizational behavior, Ryan has been featured in Harvard Business Review and has published over 15 articles across a variety of journals including: Journal of Management, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Business Horizons, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, and Journal of Leadership Studies. His research has been cited over 2,000 times since 2014.

As we explore each of these 4 success mindsets—growth, open, promotion, and outward—reflect on which ones you think you have cultivated more than others. Sometimes thinking about the way you think is hard to do—it’s called metacognition—but as you will hear Ryan say, everything starts with our mindset.

Connect with Dr. Gottfredson on LinkedIn and find his work on ryangottfredson.com.

During this episode, Dr. Gottfredson recommended The Five-Minute Journal:

The Five Minute Journal: A Happier You in 5 Minutes a Day | Original Creator of The Five Minute Journal - Simple Daily Guided Format - Increase Gratitude & Happiness, Life Planner, Gratitude List

By Intelligent Change

Dr. Gottfredson also recommended the following books during this episode:

Bonds that Make Us Free: Healing Our Relationships, Coming to Ourselves

By C. Terry Warner

Principles: Life and Work

By Dalio, Ray

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

By Catmull, Ed, Wallace, Amy

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#30: Q&A with Doug Crandall — Integrity, Authenticity, and Referent Power

March 12, 2020 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Doug Crandall is a graduate of West Point and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has led multiple units in the Army, and spent time in operations at Amazon. For five years, Doug taught leadership, advanced leadership, and leading organizations through change at West Point, where he won the Excellence in Teaching Award and exceeded the academy average in every area of teaching feedback during each semester that he taught. In this interview, you’ll see why Doug was such an effective teacher at West Point. He’s very approachable and an incredibly gifted story teller. His stories and personal examples have a way of sticking with you.

He’s the co-author of four books: Permission to Speak Freely, Say Anything, Leadership Lessons from West Point, and Hope Unseen, which is the inspiring story of Scotty Smiley, the US Army’s first blind active-duty officer. Three of Doug’s books were Amazon Top New Releases, and his books have sold more than 60,000 copies worldwide and continue to gain momentum in Europe and Asia. Doug has also published articles in the International Journal of Servant-Leadership and written case studies for both Stanford and Harvard business schools.

Hope Unseen: The Story of the U.S. Army's First Blind Active-Duty Officer

By Smiley, Cap. Scotty

He was a Founding Partner of the “Blue Rudder” Leadership Development Company, where he delivered high impact leadership development programs throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. He currently works at The Referent Group, a company in the healthcare leadership coaching industry, with another one of my good friends and mentors, Dr. Tom Hustead. Doug lives in Washington State and is passionate about his family and his faith. You’ll hear him talk about many of the leadership and life lessons he pulls from everyday life like coaching girls basketball.

A special thank you to my friend Lance Dietz for helping me craft some questions for Doug.

I really think you’re going to enjoy learning from Doug. Despite all Doug has accomplished, I’m impressed by his humility and authenticity. He’s also an incredible story teller. We discuss integrity, the struggle between being competent as a leader and authentic, his biggest lessons after years of teaching and coaching leadership, how to create a culture where people can speak freely, and many other powerful topics.

Below are books we discuss during the interview (note: these are Amazon affiliate links so I receive a small percentage for each purchase made through these links):