EP35 Never Apologize for Having High Standards with BG (R) Rebecca S. Halstead ’81, Founder and CEO of STEADFAST Leadership

This episode features an interview with General Rebecca S. Halstead  ‘81, Founder and CEO of STEADFAST Leadership, a leading consultancy company she founded after serving for 27 years in the Army. She retired from the military as a Brigadier General. Becky specializes in inspirational and motivational speaking, developing leader training programs, leader coaching and mentoring. Becky has provided hundreds of keynote speeches and leadership training to the corporate and academic sectors at both national and international engagements.  General Halstead entered West Point in 1977 with just the second class of women, and was the first person from her hometown to graduate from the academy. She was also the first female graduate of West Point (‘81) to be promoted to General Officer in 2004. General Halstead served and commanded in combat as the first female Commanding General at the strategic level of leadership in Iraq. In 2007 she received the National Women’s History Project award for “Generations of Women Moving History Forward”. In this episode of the WPAOG Network Podcast, General Halstead talks about how she enjoys being a leader and why she sees herself as a role model for both men and women. Becky explains how her time at West Point and in the military provided her with many important skills and experiences that are transferable to the work she does today advising businesses on how to be better. She also gives insight on some of her proudest moments in the military and why it is important to be an honest, open, and direct mentor to help others succeed in the military and life thereafter.  ----------- Episode Timestamps (01:45) Becky’s Background (03:00) Deciding to attend West Point (05:05) Experiences at the academy (06:15) Mentorship (10:30) Significant achievements (13:38) Early promotions (15:49) Being a Role Model and Leader (18:10) Becky’s proudest achievement (26:15) Valuable lessons learned (30:00) About STEADFAST Leadership (31:10) Remaining active in the West Point community (38:05) Transitioning leadership (41:05) Becky’s book  ----------- Links Rebecca S Halstead’s LinkedIn Ian Faison’s LinkedIn Ian Faison’s Twitter West Point Association of Graduates We’d love your feedback—take a minute to complete our short podcast survey and help us make future episodes even better!