Be Like BG Palenske - Ep 613

Send us Fan MailPeaches and Trent sit down with retired Brigadier General Tom Palenske, and this one turns into a masterclass on leadership without all the fake corporate nonsense.Palenske walks through one of the wildest career arcs we have had on the podcast: Goodyear factory kid from Topeka, Army National Guard helicopter door gunner, warrant officer, Huey and Black Hawk pilot, Air Force officer, MH-53 pilot, CV-22 squadron commander, wing commander, deployed special operations leader, and eventually a brigadier general who still sounds like a normal human being.He talks about what it was like flying the lead MH-53 during the rescue of then-Lieutenant Colonel Dave Goldfein after he was shot down over Serbia, why the MH-53 was the ugliest-coolest helicopter ever built, and why the CV-22 gets more hate than it deserves. He also tells stories about combat, fear, missiles, A-10s, fast ropes, and why sometimes the only plan is to press forward because the mission still needs doing.The conversation also gets into the stuff officers especially need to hear: rank and competence are not the same thing, people do not work for you, leadership means removing obstacles, accountability does not require cruelty, and your job is to help people reach their potential.Palenske also talks about suicide prevention, why airmen need more than one identity, how fellowship builds resiliency better than another useless CBT, why commanders should get out of their offices and talk to people, and why real connection matters more than another policy memo.The episode wraps with his unexpected run for office in Kansas, his view of politics, his love for his wife Jaron and their family, and the one leadership lesson that keeps coming back: be good, take care of people, and leave a positive impact.Links:- OnesReady.com- OperatorTrainingSummit.com- palenske4kansas.comChapters:00:00 - Intro and Ones Ready01:05 - Be Like Tom01:34 - ATACLETE and Partner Discounts02:39 - Operator Training Summit Updates05:55 - Retired Brigadier General Palenske Joins07:34 - Why Airmen Loved Working With Him08:27 - Rank and Competence Are Not the Same09:20 - Enlisted, Officer, and Not Getting Weird10:46 - Eight General Officer Counselings11:53 - The Best Part of Being a General13:25 - From Topeka to the Army National Guard16:33 - Becoming a Helicopter Pilot18:16 - Joining the Air Force19:00 - AFSOC, MH-53s, and Combat Deployments20:20 - Goldfein Rescue and the Distinguished Flying Cross21:21 - CV-22s, Command, and Becoming a General23:02 - Goldfein Did Not Know Who Rescued Him26:02 - Missiles, Serbia, and Launching Without Perfect Comms29:15 - The A-10 Debrief29:53 - MH-53 Hovering and Fast Rope Abuse31:26 - Why the MH-53 Was Ugly but Awesome31:51 - In Defense of the CV-2233:13 - The CV-22 Combat Story36:28 - Mental Health Evacuations and Epic Fury38:16 - Are Young Airmen Really the Problem?39:48 - Training, Fear, and Combat Stress42:12 - Stress Inoculation Matters43:39 - Leadership Before Mental Health Referrals45:19 - Retiring Into Civilian Life46:05 - Running for Office in Kansas49:23 - Politics, Factions, and Doing the Work49:59 - Food Trucks, Slip-n-Slides, and Wing Culture52:18 - Walking Around and Talking to Airmen52:50 - Suicide Prevention Through Connection55:38 - Let Weird People Find Their People56:38 - Accountability With Compassion58:56 - Failing Without Being Defined by Failure01:00:49 - The One-Mistake Air Force Problem01:01:30 - The Four DUI Joke01:05:09 - Taking Care of Airmen01:05:46 - What Actually Matters When You Die01:07:04 - Jaron, Family, and Eating Indoors01:08:26 - Pelenske for Kansas01:10:16 - Why Can’t We Just Be Good?01:10:57 - Final WrapSupport the showJoin this channel to get access to perks: HEREBuzzsprout Subscription page:  HERERegister for our Operator Training Summit:  OperatorTrainingSummit.comFind an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.comCollabs:Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code:  ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code):  ATACLeteDanger Close Apparel - Promo Code:  ONESREADYDFND Apparel...