Some organizations are so vast, so large, and so dynamic that it is often almost impossible to comprehend the scale and complexity; making leadership the most important factor in performance.

General(R) Peter Chiarelli served as the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army, an organization of over 1.1 million employees and a budget of $240 billion dollars. General Chiarelli is one of our nation's most innovative leaders; always challenging the way the Army operated. He transitioned the Army from Vietnam, through the Cold War and into the modern Army of today.

General Chiarelli and Host Fran Racioppi discuss the General’s career, his days as a professor at West Point, how he led the medical industry in changing the way we view post traumatic stress, how COVID has set the example for collaboration and teamwork, the importance of wearables in tracking our health, the lessons of the war in Iraq, and what type of leaders we need in our nation today. 

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.

Highlights:

-GEN Chiarelli recounts his early days in the Army in the post-Vietnam era and how not getting into law school changed his life.

-GEN Chiarelli explains how the West Point Department of Social Sciences forces leaders to think differently about challenges which leads to innovation. 

-Traumatic brain injury was relatively unstudied prior to the war in Iraq; GEN Chiarelli questioned the doctors and forced them to think differently about how the Army treated these cases.

-GEN Chiarelli breaks down the stigma behind post traumatic stress, and how he has led the medical industry in dropping the word “disorder” from the diagnosis. 

-Fran and GEN Chiarelli discuss the importance of wearables in the reduction of Veteran suicide; including Nightware, a product replacing the use of prescription drugs. 

-The COVID vaccine development is used as an example of how teamwork in medical research can advance medical innovation and save lives.

-GEN Chiarelli explains how he prepared the 1st Cavalry Division, the US Army’s heaviest division, to fight in Baghdad and how his leaders adapted to learn about basic services and providing essential training to the Iraqi defense forces.

-Fran and GEN Chiarelli examine the lessons of the war in Iraq, the importance of a whole-of-government approach to conflict and the impact of General Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf.

Quotes:

-”I came in for four and it ended up being 40.”

-“That’s the essence of team building, to not be in the transmit mode all the time. You never learn anything when you’re talking.”

-”How can you go up to a woman who has been violently sexually assaulted…and say she has a disorder because of that.”

-“I’m a big fan of wearables. I think they are going to be particularly useful in the military population who is tired of being given a bag of pills.” 

-“Leadership is about listening.”

-”I always tell young leaders, remember what really upset you.”

-”We did not fight these wars with a whole-of-government approach.”

-“We need to break some of the molds that have guided us in the past.”

GEN Chiarelli’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:

-Make my bed to complete one task

-Dedicate 60 minutes to read something outside of my comfort zone

-Determine what my team needs from me to achieve their mission

This episode is brought to you by 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.