In this episode of Commander's Intent, retired Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot Derek Oaks explores how the Golden Rule—treating others the way you want to be treated—creates stronger leaders and more powerful teams.

Derek explains why this timeless principle drives trust, loyalty, accountability, and high performance inside organizations—from the military to the business world.

If you want to build a culture where people have each other’s backs, perform at their best, and stay committed to the mission, this episode will show you why the Golden Rule is one of the most powerful leadership principles you can apply.

In this episode of Commander's Intent, retired Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot Derek Oaks explores the true meaning of integrity in leadership—and why it becomes most important when the pressure is highest.

Through powerful real-life stories—from wartime courage to high-stakes decisions in aviation—Derek reveals how integrity shapes trust, culture, and decision-making inside organizations.

If you want to become a leader people truly trust, this episode will challenge you to ask one critical question: Do you act with integrity when no one is watching?

In this episode, retired Air Force Colonel Derek Oaks, special operations veteran Dan Laguna shares raw, unforgettable stories of leadership under fire.

From choosing between saving a wounded soldier or a dying child in Iraq… to landing in the middle of an active firefight to recover his fallen brother… this episode explores what it truly means to make impossible decisions when lives are on the line.

Dan opens up about combat leadership, moral courage, faith, brotherhood, and the weight of command. The conversation goes beyond the battlefield, drawing powerful parallels to business, family, and everyday leadership — where tough calls still carry real consequences.

This episode is about clarity in chaos, commitment to mission, and living with the decisions you make when there is no perfect answer — only responsibility.

For more on Dan Laguna’s career and work:

• Daniel Laguna bio at STARS: https://stars.ambulance.org/stars/daniel-laguna/
• Daniel Laguna profile at Global Medical Response: https://www.globalmedicalresponse.com/people/military/meet-our-veterans/daniel-dan-laguna 

And don’t miss Dan’s book, You Have to Live with It: Hard Decisions in Special Operations — a deep dive into the leadership decisions that define us:
https://www.amazon.com/You-Have-Live-Hard-Operations/dp/1449081231

This episode is about making tough calls with purpose, leading with your values intact, and living with the decisions that shape the people you lead — even when there’s no perfect answer. 

In this episode, retired Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot Derek Oaks tackles one of the toughest leadership realities: What do you do when your boss makes a bad decision — and you still have to execute?

Through a powerful combat story from Afghanistan, Derek shares a high-stakes mission where a flawed tactical call led to a missed opportunity to eliminate a high-value target. Instead of staying stuck in frustration or blaming the ground commander, he unpacks the deeper leadership lesson: you may not control the plan, but you are still responsible for your performance.

This episode dives into how to maintain clarity under pressure, prepare for worst-case scenarios, adjust quickly when things fall apart, and stay focused on mission success — even when you disagree with leadership. Derek challenges listeners to stop fixating on what others did wrong and start owning their role in the outcome.

If you’ve ever had to support a decision you didn’t agree with, felt stuck executing a flawed strategy, or struggled to stay motivated under imperfect leadership, this episode will sharpen your mindset and strengthen your leadership edge.

In this episode, Derek Oaks sits down with retired Air Force General Jim Slife to answer a critical leadership question: Who actually owns risk? 

From young pilots who believe they’re bulletproof to senior leaders managing global operations, this episode explores how understanding risk evolves with responsibility. General Slife shares powerful lessons from his 35-year career, including the lasting impact of Operation Gothic Serpent—better known as the Battle of Mogadishu—and introduces what he calls the Mogadishu Test: 

If this goes wrong tomorrow, would we still believe it was worth doing today?

Key themes include:

• Why risk must be owned at the right level
• The difference between high risk and unnecessary risk
• How leaders balance requirements, resources, and risk
• Why culture determines how risk is actually managed
• The importance of clear intent and decentralized execution
• How risk changes over time—and why timing matters

This episode isn’t about avoiding risk. It’s about understanding it, communicating it, and making disciplined decisions that align with mission, purpose, and long-term outcomes.
 
If you lead people, manage resources, or make high-stakes decisions—this conversation will change how you think about risk forever.

In this episode of Commander’s Intent, retired Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot Derek Oaks and Rob Powell explore a powerful question: Can Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People actually make you a better strategist?

Drawing from military leadership, business strategy, and real-world examples, they break down each habit—from Be Proactive to Sharpen the Saw—and reframe it through a strategic lens. This episode dives into decision-making under pressure, defining your end state, prioritizing what truly matters, building win-win outcomes, listening to the market, creating synergy through aligned diversity, and continuously improving your organization.

If you want to think more clearly, lead more effectively, and build strategy with purpose instead of reaction, this conversation connects timeless leadership principles to modern strategic execution.

In this episode of Commander’s Intent, retired Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot Derek Oaks breaks down a hard leadership truth: plans rarely survive first contact—but planning is still essential.

Drawing from real combat missions and life-or-death decisions, Derek explains why mental rehearsal, preparation, and clarity of intent matter more than a perfect plan. From military operations to business, relationships, and everyday leadership, this episode shows how planning builds alignment, reduces risk, and sharpens decision-making when chaos hits.

If you’ve ever wondered whether planning is worth the effort when life never goes as expected, this episode answers that question—clearly and decisively.

In this episode of Commander’s Intent, retired Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot Derek Oaks and co-host Rob Powell break down how leaders should think about risk—and why fear-based decision-making quietly destroys momentum, trust, and mission success.

Drawing from military aviation, combat operations, business leadership, and everyday life, they explain why risk can never be reduced to zero, why safety alone cannot be the goal, and how great leaders learn to balance likelihood, impact, and purpose when making critical decisions. From flying low-level combat missions to business delays that push risk onto customers and teams, this conversation challenges the idea that avoiding risk makes leaders safer.

This episode is about clarity over caution, mission over comfort, and learning how to mitigate risk without freezing, deferring, or shifting responsibility onto others. If you lead people, make decisions under pressure, or feel stuck between fear and action—this episode is for you.

Hesitation isn’t harmless—it’s expensive.

In this episode of Commander’s Intent, retired Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot Derek Oaks breaks down how decision hesitancy is quietly killing momentum, confidence, and results in today’s organizations. Backed by real-world data and battlefield-tested leadership lessons, Derek explains why leaders freeze, how micromanagement and information overload fuel indecision, and why waiting often causes more damage than a wrong call.

He shares practical strategies to overcome analysis paralysis, empower teams, set decision deadlines, and build confidence through action. The key takeaway: leadership isn’t about perfect decisions—it’s about timely ones that move you forward.

In this episode of Commander’s Intent, retired Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot Derek Oaks challenges a question many people secretly ask: Why even bother setting goals when most people quit anyway? Derek and co-host Rob break down why goals fail, why vision matters more than resolutions, and how leaders use goals as stepping stones, not finish lines. Through real-world leadership lessons, personal stories, and military insight, this episode reframes goal-setting as a tool for growth, clarity, and disciplined action even when you don’t hit every target.