013: Are Leaders Born or Are They Made? With Major General (ret.) Craig B. Whelden

In this next Jam Session, I sit with Major General (ret.) Craig Whelden. General Whelden spent 30 years in the U.S. Army, followed by seven in the private sector, and another nine as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) with the U.S. Marine Corps.

He is also a motivational speaker on leadership and performance excellence, and an award-winning, best-selling author of Leadership: The Art of Inspiring People to Be Their Best.

Key Takeaways:

  • Put (metaphorical) “rocks in your rucksack” that represent both the good things you want to adopt but also the bad things you want to avoid
  • Prioritize the most important things in your life
  • Character is part nature and part nurture
  • The very best leaders can be found by combining innate skills with world-class training
  • During your darkest times, there’s often light at the end of the tunnel. You just can’t see it yet
  • True leadership is when you can demonstrate you care about everyone in such a way that it sticks with them…forever
  • Strive to reach an achievable rung on your career ladder. Once you arrive, everything after that is gravy

Leadership Resources:

About the host, Rob Fonte

Rob Fonte is the founder and President of Sarto Leadership Group, whose reputation has been built on being a transformational leader and inspirational coach with a passion for developing others. His twenty-year career spans across multiple disciplines including leading award-winning sales teams. Rob is an academically trained Executive Coach certified by The University of Texas and the International Coach Federation.