Please consider supporting this project on Supercast: Moments In Leadership Supercast    Want to support the project AND look cool at the gym or when you take your blouse off for a working party? Grab a cool tee shirt here from Mission Essential Gear, where every order supports this project AND donates back to Patrol Base Abbate  Relevant Resources  What is Moments in Leadership? Moments in Leadership is a podcast where you will hear firsthand about the careers of senior military leaders as they share their unique and individual experiences. Moments in Leadership will immer ..read more

This episode is a unique look into the mind of one of our service’s senior leaders days before a major hearing. Moreso than a typical CSPAN briefing of soundbites, the lister will be able to hear, in detail, plans to improve quality of life and lethality of Marines. The 20th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (SMMC), Carlos Ruiz, discusses the initiatives he plans to champion during his tenure as the SMMC and how Quality of Life improvement ultimately makes the Marine Corps a more lethal organization and force for the American public.    One of the most transformational questions as ..read more

This Ain’t the Boy Scouts – U.S. Army Major General Matthew D. Smith In this episode of Moments in Leadership, Army Major General Matthew D. Smith and host David B. Armstrong discuss the early parts of his life and career, concluding with his time holding battlespace in Afghanistan without a workup cycle to support that style of operation. His insights offer a different spice to the typical Moments in Leadership ranks as they take into account both National Guard and U.S. Army perspectives. Listeners will hear similarities across this discussion with other Moments in Leadership and will reinf ..read more

Sergeant Major Rivera enlisted in the Marine Corps in July 2000 and is currently assigned to the 3d Littoral Logistics Battalion. Extended show notes are coming - I'm just getting this episode out there for listening.  Email me if you have any questions before I post notes ..read more

In this episode of Moments in Leadership, host David B. Armstrong spends time with retired Marine Colonel Stephen Davis, a veteran of the post-Vietnam War Marine Corps, the Reconnaissance Community, Joint Special Operations, and multiple combat tours up to the Regimental Command level, where they spend time discussing various topics related to hard-won lessons from the front lines combined with a realist take on what command, leadership, and management means.   From Colonel Davis’ initial training operations and three courts martial in his first week of command, the conversation discusses ..read more

SPECIAL THANKS TO MATT MIRANDA AND JEREMY KOFSKY FOR EDITING AND SHOW NOTES SUPPORT In this episode of Moments in Leadership, retired Vice Admiral William (Bill) Merz and host David B. Armstrong discuss how life can take strange turns to making capable leaders, oftentimes through hard times and rough seas. VADM Merz has seen the depths of the ocean and the heights of a superiorly led organization. His insights are valuable to all those who don’t want to be crushed under the everlasting burdens of leadership and ownership.    Learning the ‘personality’ of an organization is similar to ..read more

HUGE THANKS TO JEREMY KOFSKY AND MIKE CIFUENTES FOR THEIR HELP PRODUCING THIS EPISODE. War is everchanging, but its nature is everlasting. Sergeant Major Troy Black, in one of his last speaking engagements as the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (and right before his selection as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC), uses this mantra to guide the way he views Marines and the Marine Corps. This episode provides a unique look into how the Marine Corps is and will be in the future.   This episode provides a glimpse into the conclave known only to former Sergeants Major of the ..read more

‘The Enemy Doesn’t Care About Your Status’ - Upholding the Standard from the Front to Push Subordinates Forward. This episode is a unique and extremely rare look into what mentorship in the Marine Corps looks like and how Marines address each other and the issues facing the Marine Corps; head on. Lt Gen Bellon and SgtMaj Ruiz are the Command Element for both Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces Southern Command. Lt Gen Bellon is an active and violent supporter of engagement via social media and driving innovation in the Marine Corps.  This episode, taped during a leadership mentor ses ..read more

This episode is a look towards the past and how the core of a good leader is timeless. Lt Gen Gregory Newbold, the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) commander of Operation Restore Hope and later on the Director of Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is a leader with an unwavering desire to be responsible to those he leads.   This episode provides a glimpse behind the curtain into a oft misunderstood, or even mysterious, selection process of being selected as a Marine Corps general and the gut wrenching decisions that must be made to ensure only the very very best are selected for that ..read more

In this episode of Moments in Leadership, host David B. Armstrong invites LtGen Dave Furness back to the show to discuss various topics related to leadership.   LtGen Furness covers the importance of leadership in making organizations successful and the difference in the interaction between the lieutenants and the captains. LtGen Furness emphasizes that leaders should be frequent in praising their subordinates and building goodwill, loyalty, and commitment. He believes that the best Marine organizations are those where the collective goes above and beyond what's required and that this is ..read more