In today's episode, The Mentors Radio Host Dan Hesse talks with Robert (Bob) McDonald, former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, remarkable former Chairman, President and CEO of The Proctor & Gamble Company, and a U.S. Army Veteran who served with distinction in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Few have been trained in leadership at an elite military academy such as West Point and then applied and evolved their leadership skills throughout their careers across the “grand slam” of organization structures: Military, government, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), and the private sector as has today’s guest mentor, Robert A. (Bob) McDonald. Bob was nominated by President Obama to serve as the eighth Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) where he led the VA and its roughly 400,000 employees on an ambitious transformational journey to become a world-class service provider and the No. 1 customer-service agency in the Federal government to give Veterans consistent, high-quality experiences. Before joining the VA, Bob was Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of one of the world’s largest companies, Procter & Gamble (P&G). During his tenure, P&G was widely recognized for its leader development prowess, with Chief Executive Magazine naming P&G the best company for developing leader talent. Bob graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1975 and he earned his MBA from the University of Utah in 1978. An Army Veteran, Bob served with the 82nd Airborne Division. He completed Jungle, Arctic, and Desert Warfare Training, and he earned the Ranger tab, Expert Infantryman Badge, and Senior Parachutist Wings. He received the Meritorious Service Medal upon leaving military service, and Bob currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the West Point Association of Graduates.

SHOW NOTES:

ROBERT A. (BOB) McDONALD:

BIO & WEBSITE: https://www.robertmcdonald.com/meet-bob/

ARTICLES:

Still Leading, Harvard Business School

Case Study: Improving Access at VA, Harvard Business School

Improving Access at VA (Update), Harvard Business School