David Komar, The CEO Culture Coach - Surviving 9/11 at The Pentagon, Why Most CEOs Don't Have a Clear Vision of The Culture They Want, and Why Great Leadership Equals a Great Culture

David Komar is our third podcast guest who survived 9/11. Born to immigrant parents who lived the American Dream, David wanted to give back to his country by serving in the military for 31 years. We talk about being at the Pentagon on 9/11, his first leadership/culture lesson at 16 years old working for a regional department store, how 90% of CEOs do not have a clear vision of what culture they want their company to have, and how the best companies help their employees be better human beings after their workday is done.

Please enjoy my conversation with David!

David Komar (linkedin.com/in/davekomar ) grew up in central New York State and graduated with a BA in Business and Economics from Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania. He was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps as a Second Lieutenant in the Army. He served over 31 years on active duty in a variety of positions and retired at the end of 2018 as a Brigadier General. Komar’s career enabled him to travel and live all over the US as well as across the world. He is a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. He led the Army’s capability development enterprise that planned and prioritized the Army’s annual $25 billion modernization program. As the Director of Army Business Operations, he led the Army’s business initiatives program, process improvement program, and organizational performance management programs. These programs provided billions of dollars in savings annually across the Army.

Komar was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Fellow and a
graduate of the Executive Development Program at the Kenan-Flagler Business School
at the University of North Carolina. He also earned Master’s Degrees in National
Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Military Operational Arts
and Science from the Air University and in Management from Webster University.
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General Komar is currently the president of EDA Inc. (Company Website ) which is a top-of-the-house executive development service and technology company. He has recently written "Conquer Your Culture" (available late February 2024). It is a “how to” book for CEOs and other senior leaders on how to build an exceptional and enduring company culture.