Leadership and Love with MGySgt Scott Stalker

Master Gunnery Sergeant Scott Stalker joins the show again to discuss the topic of leadership. In his first appearance back in 2020, he shared his thoughts on “The Future of War.” This time, he shares what he has learned about leadership during his nearly three decades as a member of the United States Marine Corps.

In this episode, MGySgt Stalker and host Don MacPherson talk about developing culture, the importance of values, giving and receiving feedback, dealing with failure, motivating and inspiring a team, sacrifice for the good of the team, onboarding new leadership, building trust, and leading in battle. They end the conversation with a discussion about mental health and why “Love” can be the most important leadership trait.

Master Gunnery Sergeant Stalker is Command Senior Enlisted Leader of US Space Command in Colorado Springs. For nearly 30 years, he has served in the United States Marine Corps. His combat & contingency deployments include Operation Restore Hope in Somalia; Deny Flight/Provide Promise in Bosnia-Herzegovina; Silver Wake, conducting a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation in Albania, Guardian Retrieval in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; a Unit Deployment Program, Okinawa, Japan; and Operation Iraqi Freedom I, II, V, VII & VIII. MGySgt Stalker accepted garrison assignments that include Joint Intelligence Center Pacific, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, and the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff J2. Prior to accepting his current position, MGySgt Stalker served as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and United States Cyber Command.

“When you truly love your people, you're willing to advise and counsel them. And when they're not doing well, give them the advice that they need. But if you don't necessarily care about them or love them, you may not put the weight of the effort into certain things. And so, when you love your organization, when you love your team, when you believe fully in what you do, you tend to be all in as a leader.” MGySgt Scott Stalker, describing why he believes “Love” is the most important of the 14 Marine Corps leadership traits.

Sponsor Highlight - Inspire Software is sponsoring this week’s episode of 12 Geniuses. Inspire Software’s solutions have been created to develop leaders, enhance culture and drive business results. Learn more at inspiresoftware.com.

Leadership and Love with MGySgt Scott Stalker

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