327: A Conversation with Philip Mudd, Former CNN Correspondent and Counterterrorism Analyst

Summary: Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies! On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and previous Startup Junkie Michael Iseman sit down with Philip Mudd, a former CNN correspondent and counterterrorism analyst. During Philip’s extensive and accomplished career, he was a valuable asset to the FBI, CIA, and the American nation as a whole and received numerous CIA awards for his expertise and diligence. Philip is also the author of three distinguished publications and is a member of multiple prestigious associations. Throughout this episode, Philip shares insight on how to present information to your boss (in his case, President George W. Bush), how to successfully navigate chaos, and why you need to have a “call mom” sentence for any project.    Show Notes: (1:03) Introduction to Philip (1:58) From English Major to Senior Executive (4:29) Leadership Basics (8:34) Decision Advantage (16:08) Addressing Vulnerabilities (19:00) Navigating Crises (28:00) Taking Responsibility When Things Go Wrong (31:12) Hiring People More Experienced than You (39:24) Voicing your Opinion to a Worldwide Audience (44:44) Protecting Data (48:51) Cyberattacks during Times of War (55:14) Geopolitical Business Consequences (1:06:50) Advice to Younger Self   Links: Caleb Talley Jeff Amerine Michael Iseman Philip Mudd Startup Junkie    Quotes: “There’s a couple basics you have to think about. One's how to get people better. Mediocre mission, great people, you can win. Great mission, mediocre people, you can’t win.” - Philip Mudd, (4:51) “I’ll never forget it, the difference between presenting what you know and presenting what the decision maker needs to know based on determining what the decision is.” - Philip Mudd, (13:53) “We have a responsibility not only to customers, but to families. Let’s talk about how we ensure that today we work through this as opposed to man this is a rough day. Don’t do that. The workforce will tense up and tense means worse decision making.” - Philip Mudd, (24:27)  “I think you have to take a step back and say, ‘I am not the keeper of knowledge. I am the keeper of the questions.’ Questions result from judgment, experience, exposure, and perspective. So some people around the table might have knowledge that I don’t have.” - Philip Mudd, (31:31)