EP9: Ted Studdard - From the Battlefield to the Boardroom

"Leadership 101: You trust people, you empower people. They'll make mistakes, but as long as it's not illegal, immoral, or unethical you stand by them. And you take the opportunity and you teach them." When you want to learn anything about leadership, you need to find someone who walks the walk behind all the talk, and today's guest, Colonel Ted Studdard, United States Marine Corps (Ret) is a prime example of that walk! Ted served our nation for 25 years as a Marine, rising through the ranks, including a stint in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combat tours, and enough experiences to be an authority when it comes to being a great leader. "The courage of doing the right thing even if it is not personally or professionally beneficial, is the true mark of a leader, and a human being." Ted exudes humility, grace, and honor as he discusses his time in the military and his transition to civilian life. He acknowledges that he may have had a bit of a head start over others making that transition, but he still faced challenges along the way, and it is why he shares much of his time speaking to a variety of corporations and veterans groups about easing into that transition, and how to be a successful manager, especially in the corporate world. "Sometimes a step back in [professional] responsibility can lead to a great leap forward. But taking that step back in responsibility requires a degree of humility along the way." In this episode, we discuss the 3 most important things veterans can do once they leave the service. We talk about how to learn and incorporate leadership skills into everyday life, and how to be able to earn the respect that leading a successful team requires. Ted shares a few stories that drive home his core values, and how his high school sports success set the stage for being the motivated guy that he is. We share a few laughs with the Hit Your Mark segment, and all in all, a great episode to learn from an extraordinary leader. Tune in now! "The courage of doing the right thing even if it is not personally or professionally beneficial, is the true mark of a leader, and a human being." "I realized I needed to focus whatever job search I had on values and match those values and organization with my personal and family values." Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 0:56 Ted Studdard's Military Beginnings - 5:00 Leadership Influences - 9:20 The Rise to Leadership - 15:30 Current Work with Home Depot - 27:38 Leadership Principles - 30:56 New Book: Depot to Depot - 37:06 Transitioning Out of the Military - 40:12 "Hit Your Mark" - 46:27 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 57:46 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you're looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email [email protected] and I'll get you going right away. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!