#76: Zebrina Warner & Jason Roncoroni — Transformational Leaders in Uncertain Times

November 09, 2021 by Cal Walters in Servant Leadership, Leadership

I’m honored to welcome Jason Roncoroni and Zebrina Warner to the show! It was wonderful to learn from these two great leadership minds.

They founded The ZeroSix Group with the belief that veteran leaders provide a crucial role in the corporate world and have the wisdom and experience to not only survive, but thrive, in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments. As the veteran population is decreasing as a percentage of the total workforce, they are on a mission to bridge the gap by creating a program of engagement of accoladed leaders and adaptable processes to inspire corporate professionals to succeed and win in the VUCA world. This is the collaboration between civilian and military leaders. Their new book, The Leader's Choice: Bridging the Leadership Gap in an Uncertain World and Winning, gives more details on their mission.

As a former battalion commander and combat veteran, Jason believes that the military experience is part of a larger journey to prepare leaders for a more impactful and meaningful life beyond the military. He has more than 25 years’ experience building, managing, and developing high performance teams, including negotiating policy measures with international partners at NATO Headquarters in Belgium.

The Leader's Choice: Bridging the Leadership Gap in an Uncertain World and Winning

By Roncoroni, Jason, Warner, Zebrina

Jason is also a Certified Professional Coach, master practitioner for the Energy Leadership Index assessment, and founder of Ordinary Hero Coaching helping military professionals bridge the civil-military cultural gap.

Zebrina has spent nearly two decades designing impactful and transformative educational experiences for senior executives in the defense sector for the Department of Defense, U.S. military services, and the private sector. As a civilian with no relationship with the military prior to her tenure at an education and research non-profit, the Institute for Defense and Business, she developed a close understanding and appreciation of military leadership and how the military invests in their greatest weapon and asset, their people. After spending her career educating the government and military about business and innovation, she saw value in flipping the script to bring the best in military to the nonmilitary world.

Zebrina continues to serve on the leadership team at the Institute for Defense and Business, developing new programs in the organization’s portfolio. She is also a board member of Nourish International, a non-profit focused on building the next generation of social impact leaders.

On this episode, we discuss:

The disappearance of the military veteran
Leading in a world marked by VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity)
How we can bring the best of the military experience to the private sector
Defensive Pessimism, Collective Efficacy, and Self Actualization
How leaders can create commitment, not just compliance
The difference between leadership and management
Keys to building a team and a sense of shared identity
Focusing on strengths, not just weaknesses
Transformational leaders
Dealing with setbacks

Listen to some of our most popular episodes here!

Help us grow by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

Help us close the gap in leadership instruction by partnering with us financially at Patreon

Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn

#75: Horst Schulze — Building a Ritz-Carlton Culture of Excellence

October 24, 2021 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Servant Leadership

A legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Schulze's teachings and vision have reshaped the concepts of service and hospitality across industries.

Mr. Schulze's professional life began more than 65 years ago as a server's assistant in a German resort town. Throughout the years he worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company in 1983. There Mr. Schulze created the operating and service standards that have become world famous.

During his tenure at The Ritz Carlton, Mr. Schulze served as President and COO responsible for the $2 billion operations worldwide. It was under his leadership that The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company became the first service-based company to be awarded the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award — twice.

In 1991, Mr. Schulze was recognized as "corporate hotelier of the world" by HOTELS magazine. In 1995, he was awarded the Ishikawa Medal for his personal contributions to the quality movement. In 1999, Johnson & Wales University gave him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management.

Most recently, Mr. Schulze has been honored as a “Leader in Luxury” by Travel Agent magazine and its sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor.

After leaving The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, Mr. Schulze went on to found The Capella Hotel Group. This luxury hotel company managed some of the most elite properties worldwide, and gave Mr. Schulze the opportunity to further define the luxury hotel industry, receiving countless awards and recognitions.

Today, Mr. Schulze serves on various boards and acts as a consultant across industries. In his book, Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise, he captures a lifetime of wisdom on life and leadership.

Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise

By Schulze, Horst

On this episode, we discuss:

his incredible story growing up in a small village in Germany
what excellence really means and what it doesn’t
how he built a culture of excellence at the Ritz-Carlton
how to serve others but also hold them to high standards
the importance of what he chose to measure at the Ritz-Carlton
how his life was forever changed by a health scare

You can connect with Mr. Schulze on his website - HorstSchulze.com. His book, Excellence Wins, is available wherever books can be purchased. Additional leadership content can be purchased and viewed at NeedToLead.com where the content can be licensed for a larger audience.

Listen to some of our most popular episodes here!

Help us grow by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

Help us close the gap in leadership instruction by partnering with us financially at Patreon

Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn

#74: Dana Pittard — Fitness. Mental Health, & Taking Risks as a Leader

October 12, 2021 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

A former general officer in the U.S. Army, Dana Pittard earned the Hero Award for Suicide Prevention from the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation in 2017. The following year, Dana Pittard became one of Savoy Magazine's Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America for his leadership in the defense industry as vice president at Allison Defense.

Alongside leading Allison Defense into five straight years of increasing revenue and growth since joining the company in 2015, Dana Pittard took an executive financial management course at the Wharton School of Business and a corporate executive leadership course at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Previously, he attended Harvard University as a senior fellow for a year. He earned a master's degree from the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), and a bachelor's from the United States Military Academy.

He has recently held interviews across national major news networks and is a regular contributor on CNN, Fox News, PBS, CBS, ABC and NPR on race relations, diversity and inclusion, military issues, Middle East policy, ISIS, and veteran’s issues. Pittard has been published and interviewed in the Washington Post, New York Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy Magazine, Military Times, Task & Purpose, Politico, Insider, and many other news outlets.

Dana Pittard has also become known for his writing on military subjects. He coauthored a highly acclaimed book titled “Hunting the Caliphate - America’s War on ISIS” in 2019. He was a contributing author to the book, “By Their Deeds Alone - America’s Combat Commanders on the Art of War.” He also wrote articles such as “The Armor Task Force in Mountainous Terrain,””13th Century Mongol Operational Art,” and “Genghis Khan & 13th Century Airland Battle.”

Hunting the Caliphate: America's War on ISIS and the Dawn of the Strike Cell

By Pittard, Dana J.H., Bryant, Wes J.

He fought in Iraq and was awarded four Bronze Stars, one for valor, along with many other decorations, and was deployed in Kosovo. Pittard served as a military aide to President Bill Clinton, carrying the so-called nuclear football, the briefcase that contains codes for launching a nuclear attack, and he was a winner of the Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award.

On this episode we cover a wide range of topics, including:

Some of the largest influences on him growing up
How West Point most shaped him
Where he was on 9/11 and his reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11
How he stays so physically fit
His typical fitness regime
His efforts to impact the suicide epidemic in the military
His own journey with mental health and how that has shaped his approach as a leader
Transitioning from the military into the private sector
His views on changing the culture of an organization and managing risk as a leader

Connect with Dana on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn

Listen to some of our most popular episodes here!

Help us grow by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

Help us close the gap in leadership instruction by partnering with us financially at Patreon

Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn

#73: Taylor Justice — On Building and Scaling a High Impact Business

September 27, 2021 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

This episode is brought to you by HigherEchelon, Inc. HigherEchelon is a leadership development & organizational performance consulting firm providing human capital and technology services to optimize performance. HigherEchelon can help prepare your organization to meet the rapidly changing, complex and often ambiguous requirements of today’s world by developing Resilient and Adaptive leaders, modernizing and enhancing processes, and implementing transformational technology solutions. Visit HigherEchelon.com to connect with the amazing team at Higher Echelon and learn more about how they can help you and your team. Check out this great interview of HigherEchelon’s President, Dr. Joe Ross, on the Beyond the Uniform podcast.

Taylor Justice is the Co-Founder and President of Unite Us, Unite Us standardizes how health and social care providers communicate and track outcomes together. They align all stakeholders from healthcare, government, and the community around a shared goal to improve health. Their proven infrastructure provides both a person-centered care coordination platform and a hands-on community engagement process; they work hand-in-hand with communities to ensure services are seamlessly delivered to the people who need them most. In March 2021, Unite Us raised its largest funding to date, a $150 million Series C round, to value the technology company at more than $1.6 billion.

Taylor began his entrepreneurial journey shortly after he left the military in 2007. He is often evangelizing the need for collaboration technology within most industries. Taylor holds academic allegiance to West Point and Columbia (MBA). He enjoys the company of innovative thinkers and witty minds, has an abnormal obsession with documentaries, and loves reading the histories of successful leaders. Taylor lives in New York City with his wife Meghan.

On this episode, we cover a lot of ground, including:

How he decided to start United Us
The importance of finding the right personality in a Co-Founder
What makes a successful entrepreneur
How entrepreneurs underestimate the amount of time and work it takes to build a successful business
How to find the right team members
The top principles of Unite Us and how they use these principles for hiring
Some of the biggest mistakes he has made in his entrepreneurial journey
How he has been able to raise money for Unite Us (including the early days)
What Unite Us is doing to standardizes how health and social care providers communicate
The keys to a successful investor pitch

Join us for our first LIVE event on Tuesday, September 28 at 7:30 pm ET with Major General (Ret.) Dana Pittard.

Listen to some of our most popular episodes here!

Help us grow by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

Help us close the gap in leadership instruction by partnering with us financially at Patreon

Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn

#72: Carey Nieuwhof — How to Avoid Burnout and Be At Your Best

September 14, 2021 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership

Carey Nieuwhof is a best-selling author, leadership expert, podcaster, attorney and non-profit leader. As the host of the top-rated Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast and curator of one of the most widely-read leadership blogs, Carey is uniquely positioned to help leaders thrive in all areas of their life. His content is accessed over 1.5 million times a month.

Carey's 20+ years in leadership are heavily focused on teamwork, leadership in change and personal growth. In his keynotes, he explores the challenges and provides solutions for leaders at all levels of an organization.

His books include Didn't See It Coming: Overcoming the Seven Greatest Challenges That No One Expects But Everyone Experiences, Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations That Will Help Your Church Grow, Leading Change Without Losing It and Parenting Beyond Your Capacity, co-authored with Reggie Joiner.

His newest book, At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy & Priorities Working in Your Favor, releases September 2021.

Carey and his wife Toni live north of Toronto, Ontario and have two grown sons. In his spare time, you'll catch him barbecuing on his Big Green Egg, cycling or boating.

On this episode, we cover a lot of ground, including:

Carey’s story of burnout while leading the fastest growing church in his denomination
Common signs you might be on the edge of burnout
The connection between your identity and burnout
What Carey calls the stress spiral and the thrive cycle
His “Why” for spending so much time investing in leaders
His new book, At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, & Priorities Working in Your Favor
Figuring out your green, yellow, and red zones for optimal energy management
Why the issue for most of us is not taking more time off

To learn more about Carey’s new book and get access to the At Your Best Masterclass, visit AtYourBestToday.com.

Didn't See It Coming: Overcoming the Seven Greatest Challenges That No One Expects and Everyone Experiences

By Nieuwhof, Carey

At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor

By Nieuwhof, Carey