#51: President Bob Caslen & Dr. Mike Matthews — On Grit and the Character Edge
Today, I am so privileged and honored to bring you insights from two great leadership minds, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Robert Caslen, who currently serves as the 29th President of the University of South Carolina, and Dr. Mike Matthews, Professor of Engineering Psychology at the United States Military Academy. President Caslen and Dr. Matthews bring over 80 years of combined experience to their brand new book, The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity.
This was such a fun conversation for me. The amount of collective wisdom and knowledge between these two men is amazing. We talk about their book, how someone can develop character and recover from setbacks, the difference between resume and eulogy virtues, the first servant leader President Caslen encountered, positive psychology, my results from the Values-in-Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS), the work Dr. Matthews did with Angela Duckworth on grit, Coach Popovich, and the amazing example of 1LT Daniel Hyde.
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.
Dr. Mike Matthews is currently Professor of Engineering Psychology at the United States Military Academy. He served as President of the American Psychological Association's Society for Military Psychology from 2007 to 2008 and is a Templeton Foundation Senior Positive Psychology Fellow. From 2014 to 2015, he served as a Fellow for the U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Strategic Studies Group.
Collectively, his research interests center on Soldier performance in combat and other dangerous contexts. He has authored over 250 scientific papers, is the co-editor of Leadership in Dangerous Situations: A Handbook for Armed Forces, Emergency Services, and First Responders, the Oxford Handbook of Military Psychology (Oxford University Press, 2012), and (in collaboration with co-editors David E. Rohall and Morten G. Ender) Inclusion in the American Military: A Force for Diversity, published by Lexington Books (2017). He is a co-author of The Millennial Generation and National Defense: Attitudes of Future Military and Civilian Leaders (Palgrave Pivot, 2013), and co-editor of Human Performance Optimization: The Science and Ethics of Enhancing Human Capabilities (Oxford University Press, 2019).
Dr. Matthews is the author of the highly acclaimed Head Strong: How Psychology is Revolutionizing War (Oxford University Press, revised and expanded edition, April 2020), which explores the vital role of psychological science in 21st century war.
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