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What separates someone who has a leadership title from someone people genuinely want to follow?

In this episode, I am joined by Mark J. O’Loughlin, a retired Marine Corps Sergeant Major whose 30-year career includes infantry leadership, drill instructor duty, deployments to Desert Storm and Iraq, and senior roles supporting wounded Marines. Mark shares lessons from his new book, Validated Leadership, built around five practical leadership rules designed for real life—not just theory.

We discuss why organizations often promote top performers into leadership roles without preparing them to lead, what behaviors help teams succeed, and how empathy, accountability, and difficult conversations shape stronger leaders.

Whether you're leading a team, a family, or stepping into a new leadership role, this conversation delivers practical takeaways you can apply immediately.

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome and Mission Plus Thanks
2:34 From Iowa Farm to Sergeant Major
5:46 Helping Veterans Through Psych Armor Work
7:19 Building Leadership Rules into A Book
9:40 The Moment He Started Writing
13:00 Rule One: Care About People
15:20 Learn More About Mark and Validated Leadership 
17:11 Financial Counseling and Hard Truths
20:55 One Practical Tip for New Authors
22:19 Final Takeaways and Sign Off

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