Intentional Leader with Cal Walters

The definition of hope is "to expect with confidence," but what do you do when you've lost confidence in everything? When you've watched your dreams go up in smoke? When you feel isolated from those you love and you start to question the God you've built your life around? How do you find confidence when all the things you had confidence in lay shattered all around you? Blindness became Major Scotty Smiley's journey of supreme testing. As he lay helpless in the hospital, he resented the theft of his dreams—becoming a CEO, a Delta Force operator, or a four-star general. With his wife Tiffany's love and the support of his family and friends, Scotty's response became God's transforming moment. Scotty Smiley is from from Pasco, a small city in Washington State. After high school he attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. After four great years, he graduated and moved to Fort Benning, Georgia and attended Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School. Soon after he moved to Fort Lewis, Washington where he led a 45 man Platoon. In 2005 while leading his Platoon in Mosul, Iraq, Scotty found himself in front of a suicide car bomb. After the man blew himself up, shrapnel blew through Scotty's eyes leaving him blinded and temporarily paralyzed, he woke up in Walter Reed Army Medical Center a week later. Though questioning his faith, Scotty made a decision to forgive and rebuild his life and continue to serve in the Army, becoming the first blind active-duty officer in military history. The Army Times named Scotty "Soldier of the Year" in 2007 and in 2008 he won an ESPY as the world's Best Outdoor Athlete. After receiving a Master of Business Administration from Duke University, Scotty taught the core course in leadership at West Point and then commanded the Warrior Transition Unit at West Point's Keller Army Medical Center. Scotty is a recipient of the Army's prestigious MacArthur Leadership Award and holds an honorary PhD from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY. In 2010, Scotty received a Father of the Year award in New York and in 2011 received the Christopher Award for all he has given and continues to give. Since then, Scotty attended the Maneuver Captain Career Course in Fort Benning, Georgia, and then moved to Spokane, Washington where he held a position with the Gonzaga University ROTC Department, teaching and mentoring America's future leaders. After many years of service, Scotty retired from the military in 2015. Over his military career Major (Retired) Smiley received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart; Combat Infantry Badge, Ranger Tab, Airborne Wings and Combat Diver Qualification Badge. He currently works with the capital markets department at Drexel Hamilton out of New York as an investment banker for corporations and banks around the world. With a passion for using his story to build hope in this world, Scotty authored Hope Unseen in 2010 and now travels all over the country speaking and sharing his message of perseverance, courage and hope. He is an avid adventurer and has completed the Coeur d'Alene Iron Man, climbed Mt Rainer, gone skydiving, surfing and is always looking for his next chance to try something new. Scotty is married to his high school sweetheart, Tiffany and the couple lives in Spokane and are the proud parents of three wonderful children. For show notes, visit calwalters.me.

Trudy Bourgeois is one of America's leading experts on transformational leadership and a highly regarded leader in the field of leadership and diversity and inclusion. An expert at developing managers and leaders on how to unleash the greatest potential of every employee, Bourgeois is a highly sought-out resource. She is the founder and CEO of the Center for Workforce Excellence and has been leading the organization for nearly two decades. Dollars and Sense Magazine honored Bourgeois as one of the "Best and Brightest Women Leaders". In her various roles as author, speaker, teacher and researcher, Bourgeois continues to utilize her superb management and interpersonal skills. Known as the "truth teller", Bourgeois has a rare ability to tackle very difficult subjects such as race and bias without triggering negative emotions. She operates from a principle that "everyone has something to learn" on the journey to accepting each other across differences and building workplaces that are truly inclusive. Trudy has authored four leadership books, HER CORNER OFFICE: A Guide to Help Women Find a Place and a Voice in Corporate America and Her Corner Office (2nd Edition) and THE HYBRID LEADER: Blending the Best of Male and Female Leadership Styles, and has just released her latest book entitled, EQUALITY: Courageous Conversations About Women, Men, and Race To Spark a Diversity and Inclusion Breakthrough available now. She has also written numerous articles and white papers, and she contributes regularly to educational materials for corporations, associations and trade groups. She is a frequent Huffington Post blogger. Trudy serves on a CEO Roundtable Board in Europe in the Consumer Package Goods industry as an advisor to drive gender equality over the next decade in conjunction with the nonprofit group- LEAD. Trudy is also on the board of advisors of two nonprofit organizations - Women of Color in Pharma and Conscious Capitalism. These organizations are focused on closing the gender and representation gaps. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Conscious Capitalism. Trudy has served as an advisor to the creation of multiple studies produced by CTI including the "Being Black in Corporate America: An Intersectional Exploration" research study. She is the consultant of record to design the 2020 Executive Leadership Council's Game Changer Conference and advancing Black leaders initiative. In 2016 The Network of Executive Women honored Bourgeois for her tireless efforts in advancing women's leadership in the consumer goods, retail and service industries. She will be married to her husband (Mike) for 40 years this year and is the mother of Adam and MaryEllen. The family embraced Ryan Brence as their son in law in 2017. MaryEllen and Ryan blessed the family on March 8 with the birth of Grace Elizabeth Brence. Trudy resides in Prosper Texas. During this conversation, we discuss what life was like for her as an elementary school student in Alabama during school integration, how she overcomes self-doubt, the importance of affirmations, how she started the Center for Workforce Excellence, coaching, leadership, how to create a diverse and inclusive team, and much more.

General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands, five of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan. Following retirement from the military and a unanimous confirmation vote in the Senate, he served as Director of the CIA. General Petraeus graduated with distinction from the West Point, and, get this, he is the only person in Army history to be the top graduate of both the demanding U.S. Army Ranger School and the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College. He also earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs. General Petraeus was named one of America's 25 Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report, a runner-up for Time magazine's Person of the Year, the Daily Telegraph man of the year, a Time 100 selectee, Princeton University's Madison Medalist, and one of Foreign Policy magazine's top 100 public intellectuals in three different years. General Petraeus hasn't slowed down in retirement. He now serves as a Partner and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute. He is also a member of the boards of directors of Optiv and FirstStream, a venture investor in more than 15 startups, and engaged in a variety of academic endeavors. On this episode, General Petraeus was very kind to let me explore what life was like for him growing up and how his parents shaped him. We also discuss how he met his wife, what it's like to be a grandparent, his time at West Point, Ranger School, his impressions of President Bush, President Obama, and President-elect Biden, the role of mentors in his life, and much more. For show notes, visit https://www.calwalters.me/

Today, I'm super pumped to bring you an interview on goal setting I did with the first person to ever introduce me to the concept of high performance at West Point, Dr. Joe Ross (Retired, US Army). Joe has a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Walden University and a Masters of Education in Psychology and Athletic Counseling from Springfield College. Dr. Ross is also a 1995 West Point graduate, where he was a three-year letter winner and co-captain of the 1994 Army Football team. As an Infantry Officer, Joe led 144 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division and deployed to Kosovo in 2001. The Secretary of the Army commended Joe's unit for capturing two insurgents on the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) top ten most wanted list and bringing the Serbian and Albanian leadership together to start a dialogue of reconciliation. Joe also managed all logistics for over 1,000 personnel, directed human resources for over 4,000 personnel, and helped write the Soldier's Creed. In 2009, Joe joined the Army Football coaching staff as the Special Teams and Fullback Coach, where he helped lead Army Football to the 2010 Armed Forces Bowl victory. At West Point, Joe also served as the Director of the Military Enhancement Program and was asked to collaborate on a Presidential committee to review and design procedures for wounded warriors in transition. Joe is now the President and Co-Founder of HigherEchelon, Inc., an Organizational Performance consulting firm with offerings in leadership, technology, and engineering to both public and private sector clients. Joe has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, college and professional sports teams, top tier Universities, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense. Joe led the creation of Higher Echelon's flagship program, The Resilient and Adaptable Leader ©.

Today, I'm really excited to share my conversation with Josh Bowen, Founder of 3x5 Leadership, an incredible platform for leadership development. As you will see during our conversation, Josh is genuinely passionate about making people and organizations better through leader development. His website has had over 330,000 visits and impacts over 8,000 leaders on a consistent basis. Josh is a graduate of West Point and earned his Masters in Organizational Psychology and Leadership from Columbia University. He is member of the 2020 DoD Reads Board of Advisors and a co-host of the DoDReads podcast. He's also a husband, father, and active duty Army Officer. On this episode we discuss his passion for leadership development, how 3x5 Leadership started from humble beginnings, his process for reflection and capturing lessons, some of his crucible leadership moments, feedback, his favorite books and much more. For show notes, go to calwalters.me, where you will find links to the books he mentions and the 3x5 leadership material we discuss during this episode.

Today, I'm very excited to share a special conversation I had with my pastor, Chris Atwell. Chris Atwell is the Lead Pastor of Vision and Instruction at Portico Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, which he planted in 2004. Chris is also an area leader in Acts 29's U.S. North Atlantic Network. He serves as the Dean of Students at Grimké Seminary. Chris is married to Jenn, and they have three daughters. This is my first time sitting down with a pastor or religious leader on this show, but it was really special for me. No matter what your faith background, I hope you'll enjoy this conversation about a faith that has really had a big impact on my life and worldview. Chris gets quite vulnerable with us and shares his battle with cancer, how he dealt with suffering, his perspective on leadership in the non-profit space, and his views on peacemaking—something that is always relevant but certainly relevant right now in the US. For show notes, visit calwalters.me

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. For show notes, visit https://www.calwalters.me/

Cheryl A. Bachelder, former CEO of Popeyes, shares her insights on servant leadership and turnaround strategies in the restaurant industry. She reflects on her family's influence, emphasizing the importance of values and faith in leadership. Cheryl discusses her transformative time at Popeyes, highlighting a franchise-focused approach that led to significant growth and success. She also dives into practical hiring practices, the essence of relationships, and her vision for legacy, encouraging everyone to dare to serve in their own lives.

Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to providing organizations with ideas, products and services that improve teamwork, clarity and employee engagement. Lencioni's passion for organizations and teams is reflected in his writing, speaking and executive consulting. He is the author of 11 best-selling books, which have sold over 6 million copies and been translated more than 30 languages. His capstone book, The Advantage, is the pre-eminent source on organizational health. After sixteen years in print, his classic book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, remains a weekly fixture on national best-seller lists. Released in 2016, The Ideal Team Player is a much-anticipated follow-up to his team book and also a Wall Street Journal best-seller. The wide-spread appeal of Lencioni's leadership models have yielded a diverse base of speaking and consulting clients, including a mix of Fortune 500 companies, professional sports organizations, the military, non-profits, schools and churches. Pat addresses thousands of leaders each year at world-class organizations and national conferences. Consistently the top rated keynote speaker at major events, Pat shares his insights and inspires his audiences through his accessibility, humor and story-telling. The Wall Street Journal said he is "one of the most in-demand business speakers." Named in Fortune magazine as one of the 'ten new gurus you should know,' Pat and his work have been featured in USA TODAY, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Harvard Business Review, to name a few. Prior to founding his firm, he worked as a corporate executive for Sybase, Oracle and Bain & Company. Pat lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and four sons. Pat is really excited about a brand new concept he and his team are launching this week called the 6 Types of Working Genius. This is an incredible tool that helps you and I identify what we are really good at and those parts of work that make us most frustrated. Pat had me take the assessment and we discuss my results and his results. We also dive into the organizational health movement, how to create what he calls "vulnerability-based trust" on your team, why the right kind of conflict on a team is a sign of health, and much more. Show notes at www.calwalters.me.

Justin Whitmel Earley is a father of four sons, a mergers & acquisitions lawyer, a husband to Lauren and citizen of Richmond, VA. All the while, he's trying to figure out how to live a life of love in an age of chaos. By that he just means that while his whole life he has wanted to live for an outward purpose, he has also struggled his whole life with his own tendency towards inward disorder, and the habits of a culture that seem to exacerbate those tendencies. ​ The Common Rule is born out of his own struggle with that. He is a former non-profit worker in China who suffered an anxiety collapse in the middle of becoming a father and a lawyer. At the time he was living with a lot of hopes and dreams about what he could do, but his day to day life was absolute chaos. It was in his crash that he realized that his hopes and dreams were not enough - he needed a reformation of everyday habits. He needed a set of guardrails that could save him from myself, and keep him pointed at his vision. It was in the wake of that dark phase of life that friends and family helped him get on a healthy routine of daily and weekly rhythms which not only saved his life, but unexpectedly introduced him to a whole new way of life. The Common Rule is a version of those daily and weekly practices. ​His effort now is to offer the hope and joy that he's found to the epidemic of anxiety, depression and overwork of so many well-intentioned people. It is a communal way of forming your life in the love of God & neighbor, amidst a culture beset by individualism and consumerism. ​Whether you're an office worker trying to figure out how to make it, a stay-at-home parent trying to figure out how to stay sane, a church trying to figure out how to be missional in America, or an organization wanting to reform its work culture, Justin has something to say to you. He would love to share with you the way the most ordinary habits of love can create extraordinary lives of light