Navigating Storms With Naval Academy Grit

Leadership isn't just about titles or positions - it's about making a positive impact on those around you. In this episode of the Academy Insider podcast, we explore the essence of effective leadership with Carl Sharperson, a Naval Academy graduate, Marine aviator, and executive coach.

Carl's journey from Virginia to the Naval Academy, through his military career, and into the corporate world offers a wealth of insights on leadership, diversity, and personal growth. He shares how his upbringing and experiences at the Academy shaped his leadership philosophy, emphasizing the importance of taking care of your people and building genuine relationships.

Key Leadership Lessons

Throughout the conversation, Carl highlights several crucial leadership principles:

• Embrace feedback: Learn to receive and act on constructive criticism
• Build authentic relationships: Network with purpose and sincerity
• Define success on your own terms: For Carl, it's developing "healthy, happy, productive grandkids"
• Weather storms with resilience: Face adversity head-on and look for the lessons

The Value of a Service Academy Education

Carl passionately advocates for the unique benefits of attending a service academy, particularly the Naval Academy. He emphasizes how this experience:

• Brings together diverse, talented individuals with a shared mission
• Fosters discipline, structure, and continuous learning
• Provides unparalleled leadership opportunities

Whether you're a current or aspiring military leader, a business professional, or simply someone interested in personal growth, this episode offers valuable insights on leadership, resilience, and the enduring impact of a service academy education.

The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families.

Grant Vermeer your host is the person who started it all. He is the founder of Academy Insider and the host of The Academy Insider podcast. He was a recruited athlete which brought him to Annapolis where he was a four year member of the varsity basketball team. He was a cyber operations major and commissioned into the Cryptologic Warfare Community. He was stationed at Fort Meade and supported the Subsurface Direct Support mission.

He separated from the Navy in 2023 and now owns The Vermeer Group, a residential real estate company that specializes in serving the United States Naval Academy community with nationwide consulting and connection.

We are here to be your guide through the USNA experience.

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