The Military Leader

In this episode of The Military Leader Podcast, I sit down with Cal Walters—Army Ranger, JAG officer, professor of leadership, and host of The Intentional Leader Podcast, ranked in the top 1.5% of shows worldwide.

We dive into Cal's journey from long commutes and solo reflection to launching a global leadership platform. You'll hear how a desire to grow (and a nudge from his wife) led to a podcast that’s now shaped over 125 conversations with leaders across the military, business, and academic worlds.

We cover:

✅ Why self-leadership is the foundation of leading others

✅ How to start something meaningful—even if fear is holding you back

✅ Building a leadership brand without letting ego get in the way

✅ What Cal learned from interviewing General McChrystal, General Petraeus, and Patrick Lencioni

✅ The role of military prosecutors and the emotional weight of justice

✅ The difference between being nice and being kind in leadership

✅ Practical insights on how to manage tension instead of trying to solve it

If you're a leader looking to live and lead with more intention, this conversation will challenge and encourage you.

🔗 Explore Cal's work: https://www.calwalters.me

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Leadership transitions can either build momentum—or break an organization. Juliet Funt shares how to get it right.

In this episode, Drew Steadman talks with bestselling author and organizational strategist Juliet Funt about two leadership challenges leaders everywhere face—whether they realize it or not.

First, they explore how modern work culture, endless taskers, and email overload are draining leaders' time, energy, and mission focus—and what we can do about it.

Then they dive into leadership transitions: those pivotal moments when one leader steps out and another steps in. Juliet shares powerful insights from her new research on military leadership handovers—and what it takes to step into a new role with clarity, humility, and intentionality.

If you’re leading through chaos or preparing for your next big move, this conversation is packed with practical lessons you can use right now.

Take Juliet's survey to support her research on leader transitions: https://wsaw.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6rl2oUbqccp8zxsFollow

Read Juliet's book, A Minute to Think

Check out The Military Leader Blog

Visit The Military Leader YouTube Channel

Get The Military Leader book on Amazon

Twenty years ago, you could get away with saying you're "just not a computer person." Leaders, even senior commanders, took pride in resisting the digital movement in the military and avoided any attempt to learn it or leverage it.

Today, the military's most prolific weapon system is Microsoft Office. We touch it more than any other system, and yet we have little to no instruction on how to maximize it.

Even a few years ago, powerful data tools were exquisite, expensive, and unavailable for leaders at the tactical level. That's no longer the case. Leaders at every level have access to programs and apps that can unlock unthinkable insight. New awareness and insight - potentially lifesaving insight - lies only on the other side of data.

We're going to talk about that in this episode, and how you can leverage data tools to augment your leadership and decision making.

And here are just a few of the questions that you could be answering if you brought some data tools into your unit:

• How efficient are we at processing evaluations, awards, legal packets, and so on?
• What maintenance actions should we focus on to reach the highest readiness rating?
• What is our budget spend rate and are we on track?
• As our vehicle crews train for gunnery, which training step is the most important and the best predictor for crew qualification?
• How many suicide ideations, DUIs, and drug offenses is normal for our unit?
• How much time do our leaders spend reacting to serious incidents and infractions like these?
• And here's one that I guarantee your higher headquarters cares about…how many sexual harassment and sexual assault offenders were we supposed to begin separation action on, but haven't?

All of these questions have been answered by units who pay attention to data and use the tools that are readily available. And the three guests today are pioneers of homegrown data innovation in military units.

Lieutenant Colonel Jon Bate commands 2-23 Infantry Battalion and uses his Stanford PhD experience to improve the unit systems and lethality of his battalion at Fort Carson, Colorado.

Lieutenant Colonel Erik Davis brings sixteen years of special operations experience and is an Army War College Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He’s also the author of the ‘Downrange Data’ Substack, where he shares his experiences using data to outmaneuver challenges in the field. 

Major Brett Reichert is an Infantry officer and current PhD candidate at Cornell, where he is studying how technology and automation are reshaping warfare. As the Brigade Executive Officer, Brett revolutionized our Brigade's systems and processes, and managed to plan and execute the brigade's three week field exercise without using a single PowerPoint slide.

The days of avoiding computers and relying on gut instinct are over. You have the chance to be more aware of what's happening in your unit, within your organization, and in your environment. We owe it to our people and our service to do so, especially as our adversaries and competitors fight for every advantage over us.

Find this episode at The Military Leader.

Major General Leonard graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1992 and went on to become an F-16 and F-35 command pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours, to include 576 combat hours.

In his 31 year career, he commanded multiple fighter wings, served as a military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, and in his last assignment, he led the standup of the US military's newest combatant command, US Space Command.

It’s not often that you find a leader who can be both no nonsense and positive and reinforcing at the same time. But listen to the way Major General Leonard shares the stories and lessons from his career.

You can tell he’s totally committed to getting the job done. But you can also tell he cares about the people he leads. This is the kind of leader that we all hope to serve with, and need to learn from.

Take the Next Step

1. Put these lessons and insight into practice as you lead.
2. Pass this episode on to your team for their own development. If you find it valuable, they will, too.
3. Share this conversation on social media for the other leaders in your network who will appreciate it.

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Blog: www.themilitaryleader.com

Book: The Military Leader on Amazon

 "I was sitting on an aircraft with some of the finest Americans we've ever put in uniform, with enormous confidence in knowing that when this ramp drops, this group right here will figure it out."

I'm honored to share my conversation with fellow "Tomahawk" commander and respected Infantry leader, Colonel Teddy Kleisner. Throughout his career, Teddy Kleisner has inspired formations of Soldiers with his relatable leadership style and his pragmatic, history-centered approach to professional development and tough training. 

In this episode, Teddy discusses the experiences and lessons that shaped his early career, leading up to his command of 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, where he led the no-notice deployment in support of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Take the Next Step

1. Put these lessons and insight into practice as you lead.
2. Pass this episode on to your team for their own development. If you find it valuable, they will, too.
3. Share this conversation on social media for the other leaders in your network who will appreciate it.

Follow The Military Leader

Blog: www.themilitaryleader.com

Book: The Military Leader on Amazon

In this episode, we go behind the scenes to see how the Army selects its senior commanders and shapes talent for the future.

Colonel Bob O'Brien is the Director of the US Army's Command Assessment Program (CAP), which is the yearly selection crucible that Lieutenant Colonels, Colonels, and Sergeants Major must pass through to compete for command of the Army's battalions and brigades. Colonel O'Brien is an Infantry officer who has deployed multiple times and commanded at the O5 and O6 levels. He is a founding member of CAP, as well as an International Coaching Federation Certified Executive Coach.

We talk about the whiteboard origin story of the program, the scienced-based evaluation methods it incorporates, and the program's extensive effort to remove bias from the evaluators.

Colonel O'Brien also shares what leaders can do to prepare for their own assessment, so if you hope to attend CAP in the future, or if you are involved in any aspect of talent management for your team or company, then you definitely want to listen to the end.

You can connect with Bob O'Brien on LinkedIn. 

Follow the Army Command Assessment Program on LinkedIn and visit the website at https://talent.army.mil/cap/.

Find this and other episodes of The Military Leader Podcast at themilitaryleader.com/podcast/. 

"If you bring a cell phone to NTC, you'll be found and targeted."

In this episode, we get an inside look at how the Army's National Training Center creates tough, realistic training rotations to ensure that Soldiers and units are ready to win the first fight.

Guest

Major General Curt Taylor is the Commanding General of the National Training Center (NTC) and Fort Irwin, California. NTC is the Army's premier training center and one of the three installations solely dedicated to making the Army's units and leaders ready for the next fight.

Episode Summary

In this episode, we discuss:

• How NTC adapts its training rotations to account for the evolving character of war
• What lessons to take away from the conflicts in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabach, and Gaza
• How NTC uses cell phone data to locate units during rotation
• Why it is important for commanders to develop an instinct for opportunity and then act decisively to seize it
• How leaders can succumb to information overload and how to avoid "paralysis by analysis"
• What rotational units will experience in the environment of contested logistics
• The unseen benefits of serving at the National Training Center

 Take the Next Step

1. Put these lessons and insight into practice as you lead.
2. Pass this episode on to your team for their own development. If you find it valuable, they will, too.
3. Share this conversation on social media for the other leaders in your network who will appreciate it.

NTC YouTube Channels

https://youtube.com/@tactalks-operationsgroupntc?si=J5k48Xei7bP09mF4

https://youtube.com/@ntcupdate?si=DBZAqGcvceTyh3yM

Follow The Military Leader

Episode: www.themilitaryleader.com/podcast/taylor-ntc

Blog: www.themilitaryleader.com

Book: The Military Leader on Amazon

Major General Taylor's Biography

BG Curt Taylor graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in May 1994 and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Armor branch.  Over the last twenty-five years, he has served in various command and staff positions in Armored, Cavalry, and Infantry formations up through brigade combat team.  His combat service includes two tours in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq.

In 2010, MG Taylor commanded 3-66 AR in Grafenwoehr, GE and deployed with it to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.  Following battalion command, he served as the Brigade Senior Trainer at the JMRC in Hohenfels, GE.  Following senior service college, he served as the Director of the Commander's Initiatives Group at Fort Leavenworth focused on the development of innovative approaches to talent management and leader development across the Army.  In that capacity, he also served as the director of Strategic Assessment for the CSA 39 Transition Team in 2015.

From 2015 to 2017, MG Taylor commanded 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Carson, Colorado which transformed during his command into a Reconnaissance and Security Brigade Combat Team and executed a series of exercises to demonstrate the ability of a Brigade Combat Team to perform the traditional roles of operational cavalry on the 21st Century battlefield.

Following Brigade Command, MG Taylor served as the Chief of Staff of Fort Riley Kansas and the 1st Infantry Division where he oversaw the deployment of multiple combat brigades to Europe and execution of a large-scale Warfighter exercise.

From June 2019 to April 2021, MG Taylor commanded the Army’s newest combat brigade, the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade consisting of specially-selected and uniquely trained combat advisors oriented on the INDOPACOM area of operations. 

In April 2021, MG Taylor assumed command of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin. 

MG Taylor has two Masters Degrees in Security Studies.

The Army is radically changing its personnel and talent management systems and Major General JP McGee, head of the Army Talent Management Task Force, is in charge of making it happen.

From AIM 2.0 and the Battalion Command Assessment Program...to brevet promotions and direct commissioning, MG McGee gives an inside look at the major personnel and talent initiatives coming to the US Army. 

Stay connected to talent.army.mil for the latest on Army Talent Management.

Michael Bungay Stanier is an author, speaker, and innovative thinker in the world of coaching and leadership. His most popular book, The Coaching Habit, is a Wall Street Journal Bestseller and presents a powerful framework for helping leaders make meaningful connections by becoming more coachlike. 

In this conversation, he highlights how easy it is for leaders to jump straight into advice-giving and why this is a destructive habit to fall into. Michael encourages leaders to stay curious just a little bit longer and jump to advice-giving just a little more slowly.

Books by Michael Bungay Stanier:

The Coaching Habit

The Advice Trap

Do More Great Work

Links to references mentioned in the show:

Box of Crayons

David Marquet’s Turn The Ship Around!

The Habit Share App

Follow the Military on Twitter: @mil_LEADER

Like the Military Leader on Facebook: @MilitaryLeader

Want to hear a specific topic covered in the podcast? Leave a suggestion in the form of a rating and review on iTunes. 

This episode features passionate world changer and good friend of nearly twenty years, Noble Gibbens. Noble is a West Point graduate, successful entrepreneur, speaker, personal mentor, and business coach who learns, lives, and breathes leader development.

As the energetic son of an emergency room doctor, Noble Gibbens developed an insatiable love of learning partly because his parents bribed him with ice cream to take copious notes in church. Years later as an Infantry Lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division, he sought professional advice everywhere he could, including from senior leaders that lieutenants typically try to avoid. Following the Army, Noble threw his energy and passion into multiple businesses and has built a coaching network that is hundreds strong.

In this conversation, Noble talks about the mentors, authors, and resources that shaped him into the leader he is today, then makes a strong case for questioning those very leader development inputs in favor of finding one's own set of leadership beliefs and authentic voice. Then he hits home by challenging leaders to recognize that the areas they are most comfortable in are exactly the areas in which they are least willing to learn.

If you want to stay in your comfort zone, skip this episode.

Watch our conversation on video at the episode show page!

Join the Facebook mentorship group we discuss in this episode,
The 360 Movement Personal Growth Tribe

And you should definitely check out EQ for Entrepreneurs EQ for Entrepreneurs at EQforEntrepreneurs.com and on Facebook, Instagram, & YouTube

In May 2007, Colonel Greg Gadson found himself face-up on a Baghdad street, having been blown out of his vehicle by a powerful roadside bomb. He was bleeding profusely from both legs, which he eventually lost. As a battalion commander, that day he was returning from a memorial service for two Soldiers from a sister unit who lost their lives...and now Colonel Gadson's Soldiers were trying desperately to save his.

Retired Colonel Greg Gadson played football at West Point before becoming a Field Artillery Officer in 1989. He saw every major conflict until that fateful day in 2007, when he lost both his legs to an Improvised Explosive Device. In the years following his injury, he recovered and continued to serve, eventually becoming the Garrison Commander at Fort Belvoir and retiring in 2015.

In this interview, he shares details of the IED attack and how his unit's pre-deployment training directly saved his life. COL Gadson also describes his decade-long partnership with the New York Giants and how he came to hold two Super Bowl Rings as a double amputee.

Colonel Gadson is a powerful presence and an inspiration to be around. Please enjoy the conversation and lead well!

In August of 2012, Army Captain (Ret) Florent Groberg found himself face to face with an enemy suicide bomber. He didn't have time to think, he simply moved towards the threat. Then in 2015, he found himself standing on a stage with President Barack Obama, receiving the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. 

In this extensive interview, Captain Groberg recounts the details of the fatal attack on his dismounted patrol in Asadabad, Afghanistan, then shares his lessons on life and leadership.

You can watch his Medal of Honor ceremony here: https://youtu.be/wHoOZEfUwwI 

And be sure to grab a copy of his book, 8 Seconds of Courage

Before he departed Fort Irwin to become the current Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division, Major General Jeffrey Broadwater and I sat down in his office to chat about leadership, combat, the National Training Center, and how to personally manage the highs and lows of command. 

As a company commander in 2007, I was fortunate to be attached to 3-7 Cavalry as then LTC Broadwater led the squadron in counterinsurgency operations in the Adamiyah area of Baghdad, Iraq. As a clear indicator of his leadership approach, MG Broadwater treated us like one of his own organic companies. He was inclusive, empowering, and led from a coaching mindset…a characteristic that continues today and that you can get a true sense of in this chat.   MG Broadwater is an Armor Officer and proud graduate of the University of Kentucky, has served in the 82nd Airborne, the 1st Infantry Division, the 3rd Infantry Division, commanded 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team at Fort Riley, and served as the Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division.    Notably though, are his three assignments to the National Training Center. Through 70 rotations as an Observer/Coach/Trainer and as a rotational unit, MG Broadwater has more time in the Fort Irwin desert than just about anyone. As a LTC, he coached Armored and Infantry Battalions then led the Brigade O/C team. As a COL, he commanded Operations Group, mentoring brigade commanders and shaping the conduct of NTC rotations. And most recently, he served as the Commanding General of NTC and Fort Irwin, responsible for the Fort Irwin tenant units and every echelon of support for NTC rotations.   I hope you enjoy this episode and visit www.themilitaryleader.com and subscribe to receive updates about future episodes, as well as tons of leader development content.
Thanks for listening and lead well!

Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and renown author Dave Grossman essentially created the field of killology. His books On Killing and On Combat have made an entire generation of military, law enforcement, and first responders more ready for the stressful, sometimes violent situations they face. Long after his active duty career, Dave has continued to teach the stress-response techniques outlined in his books, traveling to hundreds of bases, posts, and precincts over the years.

In this episode, you discover what happens in the body during combat. Visual distortion, auditory exclusion, memory distortion, vasoconstriction, and loss of bladder control are all physiological effects that Soldiers and law enforcement personnel experience in extreme stress but rarely prepare for. Dave Grossman's books and instruction prepare combatants and protectors for the challenge of face-to-face violent stress and infuse confidence in those who have never experienced it before.

If you have a team who might face violent stress one day, they need to hear this conversation.

Personally, I can tell you that reading On Killing and On Combat made me more prepared for my own combat experience. I invite you to do the same. 

Read more about Dave Grossman's work at Killology Research Group and check out his books On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society and On Combat, The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace.

Remember, the view expressed here do not represent the Department of Defense or the US Government in any way.

Thanks for listening and lead well.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a leader who is more dedicated to the profession of arms than LTC Matt Hardman. His recent experience as Battalion Task Force and then Brigade Trainer at the National Training Center has made him one of the most tactically competent leaders in our Army today. He has a high standard for what it takes to make a unit ready for war and demands commitment.

Still, he recognizes that it's not all about the mission. People matter. And in this conversation, you'll see that LTC Hardman genuinely cares about "the man behind the rank." I met Matt over VTC almost two years ago and finally in person at my own NTC rotation, where I put into practice the pile of lessons he shared with me prior to battalion command. I hope you enjoy this chat with a friend and leader who I credit with much of my own development. 

If you're not on The Military Leader email list yet, be sure to visit www.themilitaryleader.com to sign up.

If you would like to show your support for The Military Leader Podcast, please leave a rating and comment in iTunes.   The views expressed in this podcast do not officially represent the views of the US military or the United States Government. The music for The Military Leader Podcast was composed by Iliya Ryakhovskiy, who made a custom piece for the podcast.   Thanks for listening and lead well!

People who have worked with CSM Schroeder know he is a Soldier’s Soldier. His 34 years in the Army spanned from his Germany days as an Electronics Mechanic to Command Sergeant Major of US Army Forces Command, a 4-star level command of over 750,000 Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Component Soldiers.    In this chat, CSM Schroeder shares the story from the beginning of his career, where he survived UCMJ then reenlisted to become an Infantryman. Through varying leadership positions at multiple echelons, CSM Schroeder grew into the iconic NCO leader that the Army is designed to grow. He is passionate about reclaiming the role of the NCO and advises that NCOs should leverage the authority and responsibility inherent in their rank.    Though he retired last year, his transition to civilian life hasn’t stopped him from continuing to influence the Army. He stays tightly connected to his Army network and is putting to paper his well-developed thoughts on Army leadership, which will likely find their way to bookshelves before long. Regardless of whether you are an officer or an NCO, Infantryman or cook, CSM Schroeder’s insight will make you a better leader.   If you would like to show your support for The Military Leader Podcast, please leave a rating and comment in iTunes. Thank you so much for the very kind ratings and comments that many of you have left. I'm flattered to know that the podcast is making an impact!   The views expressed in this podcast do not officially represent the views of the US military or the United States Government.   The music for The Military Leader Podcast was composed by Iliya Ryakhovskiy, who made a custom piece for the podcast.   Thanks for listening and lead well!

Every once in a while in your career, you'll work for a leader whose nature simply inspires motivation and action. Colonel Eric Lopez is one of those leaders. He is passionate, candid, and committed to building the team. You can't help but get fired up when you listen to him speak, which you'll really sense in this interview.

Colonel Lopez just took command of the 3rd Recruiting Brigade and took a moment to share his thoughts on vision, leadership, and turning America's best citizens into Soldiers.

Lead well!

If you would like to show your support for The Military Leader Podcast, please leave a rating and comment in iTunes. Thank you so much for the very kind ratings and comments that many of you have left. I'm flattered to know that the podcast is making an impact!   The views expressed in this podcast do not officially represent the views of the US military or the United States Government.   The music for The Military Leader Podcast was composed by Iliya Ryakhovskiy, who made a custom piece for the podcast.

Of the many talented mentors I've had throughout my career, BG Marty Schweitzer has had the most formative influence in shaping the leader I am today. As my battalion commander in the 82nd Airborne Division, "Coach" personally invested in our development and taught us how to fight. He took us to our first combat deployment, showed us how to aggressively pursue the enemy, and exemplified the direct, honest leadership that so many Soldiers and leaders admire.

In this chat, BG Schweitzer shares the heart of the leadership approach that made him so successful and dishes out a ton of lessons for leaders of all ranks. He talks mentorship, risk, combat, candid self-assessment, and family sacrifice. This is no-frills, thick skin leadership advice that will inspire you to raise the bar on your own leadership.

Thanks for listening and "Get After It!"

If you would like to show your support for The Military Leader Podcast, please leave a rating and comment in iTunes. Thank you so much for the very kind ratings and comments that many of you have left. I'm flattered to know that the podcast is making an impact!   The views expressed in this podcast do not officially represent the views of the US military or the United States Government.   The music for The Military Leader Podcast was composed by Iliya Ryakhovskiy, who made a custom piece for the podcast.

Army Lieutenant Colonel Adisa King joins The Military Leader Podcast for a conversation about the leadership lessons he took from West Point football, how he fires up his Squadron formation at 1-32 Cavalry at Fort Campbell, KY, and the most important lessons he's taken from mentors over the course of his career.

Adisa is a passionate leader who brings positive energy wherever he goes. He's the kind of leader every organization needs more of.

If you would like to show your support for The Military Leader Podcast, please leave a rating and comment in iTunes. Thank you so much for the very kind ratings and comments that many of you have left. I'm flattered to know that the podcast is making an impact!   The views expressed in this podcast do not officially represent the views of the US military or the United States Government.   The music for The Military Leader Podcast was composed by Iliya Ryakhovskiy, who made a custom piece for the podcast.

Brigadier General Ross Coffman, Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division, joins The Military Leader Podcast to discuss the state of Army leaders after 16 years of war, how the National Training Center stretches brigade combat teams toward readiness, and why the best way to take care of Soldiers is to train them for combat.

As commander of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, BG Coffman launched the Ready First Podcast to flatten the leader development across the brigade and give the leaders an entirely new medium through which to engage and grow. Then in 2016, he served as Commander of the Operations Group at the National Training Center, overseeing the premier training experience for brigade combat teams across the Army.

Grab a notebook and get ready for an episode packed with lessons. Thanks for listening and lead well!

If you would like to show your support for The Military Leader Podcast, please leave a rating and comment in iTunes. Thank you so much for the very kind ratings and comments that many of you have left. I'm flattered to know that the podcast is making an impact!   The views expressed in this podcast do not officially represent the views of the US military or the United States Government.   The music for The Military Leader Podcast was composed by Iliya Ryakhovskiy, who made a custom piece for the podcast.