Why Listen:
The top two reasons to listen to today’s episode are:
1. Mindset - Bobby’s book, The Gift of Struggle, shares stories of adversity he has faced in his personal and professional life and how each of those struggles was a gift to him, his family, and his team. There is a great lesson for every listener in this.
2. Leadership - Bobby built his team to over 300 employees with nearly 9,000 contractors worldwide. He is humble and direct in sharing the mistakes he has made along the way to this incredible feat.
If you enjoy today’s episode, be sure to check out:
BTU #328 - Struggle is What Gives Us Value (Micah Fink - Heroes & Horses) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-328-struggle-is-what-gives-us-value-micah-fink-heroes-horses?rq=fink
BTU #99 - Jacob Martinez: Army Sergeant to President of USA's 592nd Fastest Growing Company - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-99-jacob-martinez-army-sergeant-to-president-of-usas-592nd-fastest-growing-company?rq=jacob%20martinez
Beyond the Uniform has over 350 podcast episodes and 20 videos with America’s top Veterans, including Jocko Willink, the former CEO of Pepsi, NFL players and more. They are all for free at BeyondTheUniform.org. If you benefit from Beyond the Uniform and would like to help get this in front of more members of the military community, please consider donating at BeyondTheUniform.org/donate. You can also text SUPPORTBTU to 33777 and we will send you additional information. Our cost of production is $300 per month, we are an all-volunteer team, and we could use your financial support. That is at BeyondTheUniform.org/donate or by texting SUPPORTBTU to 33777.
About Bobby:
Bobby Herrera is the author of The Gift of Struggle, a book about leadership and the life-changing lessons we learn through our struggles. He is also the co-founder and president of Populus Group, a staffing & recruiting company with over 300 / 9k employees. Bobby founded Populus Group nearly 18 years ago. He served in the Army in Field Artillery for over seven years. With a passion for building strong culture and communities through trust and storytelling, his leadership style is about empowerment, connections, and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Bobby grew up in a big family with parents who immigrated to America without much. While this is not an uncommon story, the leadership style and company culture that it inspired is. The belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to succeed is at the core of Bobby’s philosophy in business and in life.
Everyone has struggles and business leaders are no exception. Bobby’s passion is helping others understand how their individual struggles can help them connect with their communities and inspire other is what will ultimately transform their leadership style.
Bobby is a proud Army veteran and currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and three children.
A preview of 6 new podcasts and three new webinars coming your way in March. Also, if you're not yet on our Newsletter list, text 33777 with BTU to join, or subscribe at BeyondTheUniform.org
Why Listen:
Although Brian lost both of his legs while serving in Army, he didn’t let that deter him from finding a mission where he could continue to make a difference in the world. Brian ran for and is now a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida’s 18th District. In this interview we avoid politics and focus on what it’s like to work IN politics, as well as why Veterans may want to consider this as a career path.
For listeners who enjoy this episode, be sure to check out:
BTU #70 - Emily Cherniack: How New Politics is helping veterans of both parties run for office - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-70-emily-cherniak-how-new-politics-is-helping-veterans-of-both-parties-run-for-office?rq=emily%20cher
BTU #250 - Navy Veteran to Congressional Candidate (Josh Welle) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-250-navy-veteran-to-congressional-candidate-josh-welle?rq=josh%20welle
BTU #316 - Navy to Nebraska State Government (Jason Jackson) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-316-navy-to-nebraska-state-government-jason-jackson?rq=josh%20welle
BTU #66 - Sean Barney: Purple Heart recipient to Congressional Candidate - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-66-sean-barney-purple-heart-recipient-to-congressional-candidate?rq=barney
About Brian
Brian Mast is a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida’s 18th District. After high school, he followed in his father’s footsteps, enlisting in the U.S. Army where he served for over 12 years as a member of the elite Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as a bomb disposal expert. While serving, the very last IED Brian found resulted in sustained catastrophic injuries, which included the loss of both of his legs. Following retirement from the Army, Brian continued his work in counter terrorism and national defense as an Explosive Specialist under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He also volunteered to serve alongside the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to show support for the freedom Israel represents throughout the Middle East and the world.
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Why Listen:
There is so much to appreciate about today’s interview. First of all: diplomacy. This is the first interview I’ve done around diplomacy, and I started off in the deep end of the pool, to say the least. Gary went from Air Force Officer to the US Ambassador to Oman. He had an incredible career in which he was involved in monumental work around the world. However, what I appreciate most about Gary is the humility and specificity he brings to this interview. It’s not just about why Veterans may enjoy a career in the foreign service (and, by the way, Gary makes a pretty solid argument for this). It’s the texture he brings to the conversation, of finding his own career path, starting over again in foreign service after earning his MBA and working in the corporate world, of being diligent in learning a new craft and working his way up… after having done just that in both the military and the corporate world. It was a privilege to be able to learn from Gary, and I hope you enjoy this candid and enlightening conversation.
About Ambassador Gary Grappo
Gary Grappo is a Distinguishe Fellow at the University of Denver and the CEO & Founder of Equilibrium International Consulting. He served as the United States Ambassador to Oman from 2006 to 2009, and previously Grappo was Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor of the United States Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He served in the US Air Force for over 8 years, and holds a BS in Mathematics from the United States Air Force Academy, an MS in Geodesy and Survey Engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Why Listen:
Donna is one of the earliest adopters of LinkedIn, and has written two books about LinkedIn profiles, including, LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Hummers. She is graciously providing her course FOR FREE to Veterans, which includes one-on-one feedback from her on your profile… please, please, please take her up on this. Donna is a goldine of information about practical ways to improve your LinkedIn profile and you will leave this interview with simple steps to take today to overhaul your LinkedIn profile.
About Donna:
Donna is the author of the books, LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies and LinkedIn Makeover: Professional Secrets to a POWERFUL LinkedIn Profile. She is the Founder & Owner of Vision Board Media, which she has run for over 10 years and helped countless individuals improve their LinkedIn profile.
Why Listen:
There are two reasons to listen to this interview. First of all, Khemit created a platform to help people discover their values and create a life of alignment with one’s values. I really enjoyed his approach to this, and found it both novel and effective. Second of all, Khemit’s story illustrates how he has built a career that is in alignment with his purpose in life. He left Apple to pursue a career better suited to his unique aspirations. This led him to living in Lisbon. Regardless of your career pursuits, you’ll benefit from hearing Khemit’s unique story.
About Khemit:
Khemit is the founder of The Character Arc. He is a US Air Force veteran, former Mandarin Chinese linguist & intelligence analyst, and a founding member of the New Product Security team at Apple, Inc. in both China and the US.
He holds an MBA in International Marketing from The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California.
He is also a writer, fitness & martial arts enthusiast, and unabashed fiction buff.
Why Listen:
In previous episodes, several of our guests have talked about Tuck’s Next Step program - which is an accelerated way for military Veterans (and elite athletes) to go deep on learning business skills without having to spend two years getting an MBA. While we do talk about the Next Step program in this interview, we spend the bulk of our time talking about takeaways relevant to any military Veteran, such as: why it’s just as valuable to DISPROVE an potential career path as it is to find the right career path. We talk about why Next Step pairs elite athletes with Veterans for their curriculum and how much these two groups have in common - I honestly had never put this together, and when Margaux explained it it made incredible sense. We talk about the skills that will make Veterans successful in the civilian workforce, we talk about patience and flexibility, and all sorts of other tips that you’ll be able to put to use right away. If you like this episode, be sure to check out: BTU #180 - Career Advice from Andy Chan - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-180-andy-chan-career-advice?rq=andy%20chan BTU #222 - Career Transition Advice from 16 Years of Recruiting (George Randle) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-222-career-transition-advice-from-16-years-of-recruiting-george-randle?rq=george%20randle BTU #239 - Career Advice #2 with George Randle - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-239-career-advice-2-with-george-randle?rq=george%20randle
About Margaux:
Marguax is the Associate Director for Transition to Business Programs at Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth. She holds a B.A. from Colgate University and an M.S. in Sports Management at Columbia University.
Why Listen:
We received a positive response to Episode #320 - Emotional Intelligence (Kerri Meyer), and wanted to go deeper on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. Today’s guest - Dr. Jean Greaves, wrote the best selling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and created TalentSmart - an assessment taken by over 1.5M individuals, and which also provides products and services used by 75% of all Fortune 500 companies. To say that she is an expert on Emotional Intelligence would be a gross understatement. For this episode we assume that you have listened to episode #320, which provides a primer on Emotional Intelligence - so if you have not yet listened to that episode - fix yourself. If you have, then strap in for a deep dive on emotional intelligence, which is an absolutely ESSENTIAL skill set to hone for every professional, but - as we’ll talk about today - especially for military Veterans.
About Dr. Jean Greaves
Dr. Jean Greaves is the CEO of TalenttSmart, the premier provider of emotional intelligence training products and services, used by over 75% of all Fortune 500 companies. She is the best selling author of the book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and is also a presenter and executive coach in the emotional intelligence, assessments and training & coaching industries. She is skilled in Executive Development, Coaching, and Psychological Assessment. She holds a Ph.D. focused in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from California School of Professional Psychology and a B.A. from Stanford University. Serve as Board Chair for Survivors of Torture International.
Three announcements:
1 - I'll be launching a new podcast next year. As part of this, I'll be leading an online men's group. If you're interested in checking it out or learning more you can find details @https://www.worknprogress.co
2 - Jocko & Leif interview on Monday!!!! Last episode of the year and it's a good one.
3 - 4 new events for January. Check them out and claim your spot @ https://beyondtheuniform.org/events