S4:E32 | LIVE — 🎙️From Cyber War Rooms to Boardrooms

Hi, I'm John Maxwell. When the top companies in the world are looking for trainers, speakers, and coaches, there's one name that stands above the rest, and that's Maxwell Leadership. Our certified team members have gotten proven results for companies all over the globe, and our reputation I'm proud to say, is second to none. Some of our members have risen to the top of their profession, including the one you're going to meet today. I proudly introduce you to my friend, Bob Fabien Zinga.

Welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast with your host, Coach BZ. If you need to develop into a better leader, this podcast is for you. If you want to achieve a greater level of success, this podcast is for you. His mentor, Dr. John C. Maxwell, said it best: everything rises and falls on leadership. We hope to inspire you today and provide you with an insight that has the potential to positively impact the trajectory of your life. Welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast.

Imagine gaining the leadership skills that could redefine your career. Join Coach BZ on the Leadership and Success Podcast, where each episode delivers practical insights from world-class speakers, military leaders, and industry experts. We dive deep into what matters most: building resilient teams, leading through uncertainty, and navigating complexity with clarity and confidence. Every conversation is crafted for aspiring leaders like you, who are ready to grow, lead, and make a lasting impact. Don't miss our powerful live sessions and recent highlights. Michelle Hayward on building diverse, high-performing technical teams. Anne Leslie on leading through global complexity and cybersecurity risk. Ron Carpenter AI exploring faith, resilience, and AI-powered leadership. Colonel Michelle G.I. Gardner-Ins on commanding influence from the battlefield to the boardroom. Chris Robinson on shifting from drift to drive in life and leadership. And Coach Enrique Acosta Gonzalez on mentorship, legacy, and heart-centered leadership. Ready to level up your leadership journey? Tune in on Spotify, Apple, Audible Podcasts, YouTube Live, and LinkedIn Live. Join the movement toward leadership excellence. Listen now and start transforming your success.

All right everyone, uh, welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast. I am your host, Coach Bizzy. Thank you so much for being with me today. And, uh, today is, uh, Tuesday, right? Uh, July the 15th. I mean, time goes by so quickly sometimes. And, uh, again, I am very, very, uh, grateful you are here. If you would please, uh, let me know where you are joining us from, uh, what city, uh, what region, what country. And also, if you would please type in your question in the comment as we go through the rest of the podcast. And as you get any insight or you are reminded of something you knew that might be useful to you today or this week, if you will please just jot it down. This way somebody else might be able to read it and they may be helped by that too. And if this podcast is adding value to you and you believe that someone else within your network might benefit from the content of what we share here daily, please make sure to tag them along and repost this event. I really do appreciate that. And what we're going to be talking about today is going to be based on the article I wrote about "From Cyberwar rooms to boardrooms, leadership principles to lead and inspire everywhere. And the main 3 quotes I'm going to be using for this article and podcast, the first one is by General Powell when he said, "Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them." And that is so true. And another quote that's important is by Dr. Maxwell. He says, "Leadership must always value people." Always. And that's all people, all of the time, in all situations. No shortcut, no rationalization, no exception. If I see you as valuable, I will serve you. So leadership is about service. And finally, from another one of my mentors, Ken Blanchard, when he says, "The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority, which also reminds me of the primary quote from Papa Maxwell when he says, "Leadership is influence, nothing less, nothing more." And I also would like for you to consider becoming a guest on this podcast. You don't have to be a senior leader. You don't have to have 20+ years of experience leading like I do. You could even be starting right now or on your way, but it's always good to crystallize your core value and what you are learning and what your leadership principles are going to be. Most importantly, talking about how you apply those principles and the results you are having. I think it is always a great idea to share as you go and as you learn. Just like, I believe it was episode 25, I believe, uh, one of my mentees, instant select, Franklin Ndefo. I'm so, so very, very, very proud of him. He reached out to me a few years ago. He was trying to become an IP officer like me, and first time around he went through, he wasn't selected. Then he didn't give up, he tried again, he still wasn't selected. And then he tried one more time And finally, he has been selected. He's going to become an IP officer this year. And I definitely have great hope for him and his career. But basically what I am saying is sometimes you succeed, but sometimes you learn, right? Failure is just another opportunity to learn. And as you are growing through that failure, it's important for you to understand these leadership principles that are gonna allow you to be more successful and being able to share them with others. Okay, so today then, what we are going to be talking about, whether you are leading on the deck plate like I did in the US Navy or in the data center like I've done in many of the Silicon Valley companies here, we will be exploring how to lead difficult personalities with grace and firmness, build resilience that outlasts chaos, influence without authority, and elevate others as you rise. Stay relevant in the AI era without losing your human edge. And I'm gonna use a couple of my AI agents to break it down for me. I will have Joe AI and Mary AI. They're gonna be talking for about 30 minutes or so. And again, While they are breaking down this subject, uh, please write down anything that resonates with you, or if you have any question for me, uh, please, uh, type it down and again tag someone, uh, who might benefit from this, uh, discussion. All right, Joe and Mary AI, you guys are next.

Good morning, welcome to The Deep Dive. I am your host, Joe AI.

Good morning, I am your co-host, Mary AI. Please let us know where you are tuning in from. Drop your city, region, or country in the comments. Got a leadership question for Coach BZ? Drop it below. He'll answer live during the broadcast. Please like the event post, tag a colleague, junior officer, or teammate who could benefit from this conversation, and repost this event if it adds value to you. Back to you, Joe.

Today we're kicking off a journey, one that takes us across two very different worlds: military command and Silicon Valley innovation. Yet at the heart of both lies one constant: Leadership: Real, Resilient, People-First Leadership. In this episode, we're unpacking key takeaways from a remarkable article written by none other than Commander Bob Fabien Zinga, a cybersecurity executive and U.S. Navy information warfare commander. The article is titled "From Cyber War Rooms to Board Rooms: Leadership Principles to Lead and Inspire Everywhere." It's not just a title; It's a truth that reflects the cross-sector leadership journey Bob has walked, and today, it becomes your shortcut to insight, inspiration, and action. Our mission in this deep dive is simple: to unearth the leadership principles that apply universally. Whether you're a junior officer preparing to command in the Navy, or a senior security engineer in the tech world, ready to transition from individual contributor to team leader. No matter your field, if you want to lead with clarity, confidence, and conviction, this episode was made for you. What makes Zinga's insights so valuable is the rare vantage point from which he speaks. He's lived the intensity of secure military war rooms. He's led teams where failure wasn't an option, where operational clarity could save lives. And yet, he's also thrived in the boardrooms and sprint rooms of fast-moving startups and tech giants in Silicon Valley. He's served as an executive at major institutions, overseeing complex cybersecurity strategies while building people-first cultures. It's that blend of structured military precision and adaptable startup agility that gives his leadership philosophy such weight. And that's exactly what came through during his masterclass at RSA Conference 2025, one of the world's premier gatherings of cybersecurity and risk leaders. In a live fireside chat with Trustero CISO George Totev, Zinga laid out leadership lessons that went far beyond security. The session became a launchpad for deeper reflection on what it truly takes to lead in today's volatile world, where AI is evolving rapidly, risk landscapes are shifting daily, and the future of work is being reshaped in real time. The article you'll hear referenced today grew out of that RSA conversation, but it stands on its own as a rich, Principled Guide to Modern Leadership. Now, if you've followed Zinga's journey before, you'll know he often weaves in wisdom from his personal board of mentors. People like Dr. John C. Maxwell, who taught him that leadership must always value people. If I see you as valuable, I'll serve you. That idea, serving because we value, isn't just a feel-good quote. It's a defining ethos of servant leadership. Which Bob models both in uniform and in the boardroom. So today's episode is not about titles. It's not about positional power. It's about what Zinga calls earned leadership, the kind that's built through service, trust, clarity, humility, and proactive initiative, the kind that's needed more than ever in 2025 and beyond. So let's unpack that first idea, the foundation of it all: clarity of mission. Why Zinga calls it non-negotiable, and how not understanding it can cause even the most well-intentioned teams to secure the wrong thing. Let's dive in.

Let's begin with what Commander BZ calls the first and most critical principle in leadership: clarity of mission. Not a suggestion, not a best practice. In Bob's words, it's absolutely non-negotiable. Whether you're operating in a high-stakes Navy operation or leading a tech security team, this principle remains the same. If you don't know the mission, if your team doesn't deeply understand what they're actually there to accomplish, you might work extremely hard and still fail. And Zinga's warning here is direct: if you don't know the mission, you're going to secure the wrong thing. Simple on the surface, but deceptively difficult in practice, especially in today's volatile, fast-moving environments where roles, risks, and responsibilities constantly shift. Leaders often skip past foundational alignment and jump straight into execution. That's when the real trouble begins. During his RSA 2025 fireside chat with George Todev, this point took on even greater urgency. George put it perfectly: when you're unclear on the mission, you don't just waste time and money, you suffer a double whammy. You not only misallocate resources, you often make things worse. You may actually create new risks, blind spots that didn't exist before, because you're focused on the wrong targets. Let's make that real. Imagine a cybersecurity team meticulously hardening infrastructure, but doing so on low-priority servers, all while the organization's true digital crown jewels remain exposed. The result? A false sense of security, misdirected effort, and a bigger vulnerability than before. That's not just inefficient, that's dangerous. Zinga's point is this: clarity of mission is more than alignment. It's survival. When your team knows the why behind the what, energy flows in the right direction. Every role, every action, every dollar spent reinforces the same goal. Clarity becomes the compass, the North Star that orients the entire unit, even in moments of crisis or change. So here's the coaching moment. If you're listening right now, pause and ask yourself, what exactly are we trying to protect or achieve in my team or organization? Why does that matter to the bigger picture? Who ultimately benefits from the success of our mission? And is that clearly understood by every person on the team or just assumed? Zinga emphasizes that defining the mission once is not enough. A leader's job isn't simply to issue the vision, it's to continually re-anchor the team to it. Clarity must be refreshed and re-articulated over time, especially as priorities shift or new threats emerge. The mission may evolve, but the commitment to clarity must not waver. Because as Zinga has seen in both combat and corporate chaos, When people lose sight of the mission, even the most talented teams start drifting. And when teams drift, leadership isn't just challenged; it's questioned.

So, you've got the mission, you've clarified the "why," anchored the team, and aligned your resources. But here's the inevitable question: what happens when things go sideways? Because they will. Whether it's a cyberattack, a shift in the market, a leadership vacuum, or something as complex as a global crisis, disruption is no longer an exception; it's the norm. And this is where resilience moves from a buzzword to a battlefield imperative. And for BZ, this isn't theoretical. Drawing on years of Navy experience and his time navigating uncertainty in Silicon Valley startups, Bob offers a powerful reframe of resilience. Not as recovery, but as readiness. You see, most people define resilience as the ability to bounce back after failure or adversity. That's part of it, of course. But Bob teaches that real resilience isn't something you discover after the storm; it's something you build long before the clouds even form. It's not reactive; it's proactive. It's preparation in the quiet moments that allows you to stand firm when the noise hits. He calls it Readiness cultivated in the calm—a phrase that echoes military strategy, yes, but also applies directly to high-stakes leadership in business, tech, and beyond. And it all comes back to this: anticipation. As Bob often quotes one of his mentors, Tony Robbins, "Anticipation is the ultimate power." Great leaders don't just react better; they see further, They don't need a crystal ball, but they do ask better questions earlier. They look at what's coming, not with fear, but with clarity. Of course, that raises attention. If you try to plan for everything, aren't you just going to get stuck in analysis paralysis? Especially with enormous existential threats on the horizon, like the so-called quantum apocalypse, a future where quantum computing could render our current encryption systems useless. "So how does a leader balance foresight with decisive action?" Bob's answer is refreshingly grounded. "Resilience isn't about predicting every possibility. It's about preparing for strategic inevitabilities. Take the quantum threat. The issue isn't whether it happens tomorrow. The leadership challenge is this: are we investing in quantum-resilient cryptography today? Are we retraining our security teams or rethinking our infrastructure migration plans?" before the tipping point arrives. Bob reminds us that leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions early and building systems, people, and mindsets capable of absorbing disruption without collapse. Here's the trap: if you wait until the breach, the pivot, the PR nightmare, it's already too late. Resilience isn't tested in the war room. It's earned in preparation. So let's bring this home with a few coaching prompts for you listening right now: What's the most fragile part of your current team or operation? Where are you most exposed? What steps—concrete, measurable steps—can you take now to fortify those weaknesses? Who in your organization can be empowered today—trained, trusted, and tested—to before the next real-time challenge hits? Zinga's Navy experience taught him this truth repeatedly: "You don't rise to the occasion; you fall to the level of your training." Which is why he urges every aspiring leader to build bench strength early. Equip the next leader, cross-train the critical roles, run tabletop exercises, scenario plans, war games if you must. But don't assume that resilience will simply emerge when needed, because it won't. And this mindset of preparedness flows directly into something Bob talks about often: optimistic resolve. Borrowing from General Colin Powell, BZ loves this idea that optimism is a force multiplier. Because here's the truth: no matter how airtight your strategy, your team is still made of people. And people need hope. In times of crisis, it's not just about the checklist or the command structure. "It's about the leader's energy." BZ has seen firsthand that when a leader remains steady, confident, and forward-looking, morale goes up, panic goes down, and momentum reawakens. You can't fake that. It's built in the leader long before the pressure hits. And when setbacks inevitably arrive? Coach BZ reminds us of a quote from Les Brown, one of his longtime mentors: "When life knocks you down, try to land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up." In Bob's journey, whether dealing with surprise inspections at sea, a failed product launch, or a team shake-up during a startup pivot, he always came back to this truth: setbacks are not the enemy; they are the training grounds of real leadership. The key is whether you've cultivated the capacity to rise before you fall.

Let's talk about something every leader today must master: leading through change. Whether you're commanding a division aboard a Navy ship or managing a product migration in a tech startup, one thing is certain: change is the new constant. And few people embody the ability to lead through change like Bob Fabien Zinga. What makes Bob's leadership journey so compelling is that it isn't bound by a single industry or leadership model. He's led in two of the most radically different environments imaginable. The highly structured hierarchical world of US Navy command and the fast-paced, often chaotic world of Silicon Valley startups. And yet what Bob discovered and what this section unpacks is that the leadership principles required to succeed in both arenas aren't just compatible, they're universal. Let's rewind a bit. When Bob transitioned from his Navy role into cybersecurity executive positions at Pivotal Software, Truvantis, and Direkly, he wasn't walking into a rigid chain of command. He was walking into ambiguity, into agile sprints, into 10x product thinking, venture capital expectations, and a culture where influence, not authority, ruled the day. And yet, as Bob will tell you, the core principles he honed in the Navy still applied, perhaps even more so. Because when everything feels like it's changing by the hour, people don't need a hero. They need a leader who can bring calm, clarity, and connection. Let's explore that further. In the military, change often comes in the form of orders, crises, or new operational demands. You may be told to pivot overnight. A mission changes, a new theater of operation opens. You adjust, and quickly. It's not easy, but the framework exists. In tech, however, change is a lifestyle. Markets shift, funding dries up, competitors out-innovate you. One API change can force an entire platform overhaul. In startups especially, what worked last quarter might be obsolete next week. Zinga understood that real leadership in these situations doesn't come from clinging to a plan. It comes from leading with principles, not prescriptions. And he learned that if you want your team to move fast, you can't just issue directives. You have to align hearts, not just hands. That means connecting people to the why, not just the what. It means communicating constantly, inviting dissenting views, and championing psychological safety so the best ideas, not just the loudest ones, win. Bob talks about how at Directly, a customer service automation startup, he worked with brilliant engineers and AI developers from all over the world. These weren't people who responded to rank or title. They responded to vision, clarity, and respect. He had to relearn what influence looked like in this environment, and he embraced it. But let's be honest, change isn't just strategic. It's deeply human. People resist change not because they're lazy or incapable, They resist change because it introduces uncertainty, fear, and vulnerability. Bob often says that in moments of transformation, the mission doesn't just need to be clarified, it needs to be constantly re-anchored. Here's where his military training became a secret weapon. In high-pressure environments, leaders are trained to overcommunicate, to scan for gaps in morale, and to model the behavior they want to see, especially during turbulence. When the water gets choppy, the crew watches the captain. And when the business outlook turns uncertain, the team watches their leaders closely. Zinga's approach: stay steady, stay visible, stay humble, and remind people what isn't changing—the mission, the values, the standard of excellence. So how do you apply this if you're listening today? If you're a naval junior officer, maybe you're facing a sudden reassignment, new commanding officer, or a shift in your team's scope. Ask yourself, am I clearly communicating the new mission context? Have I acknowledged the emotional impact of this change on my team, not just the operational one? Am I modeling adaptability and curiosity or rigidity and frustration? Or maybe you're a senior engineer in Silicon Valley suddenly tasked with leading a team after your company pivots to AI infrastructure. Ask, am I leading with transparency and trust? Are my team members empowered to share what's not working? Am I connecting each person's role to the greater mission even as that mission evolves? Because here's something Bob says that sticks: "In times of change, the most dangerous phrase a leader can say is, 'That's not my job.'" Leadership during change demands versatility, not rigidity. It demands collaboration over command. It means leaning into people's potential, even when processes are still catching up. And when leaders do this well, something powerful happens. People become more agile, not less. They become bolder. Not more cautious. One of Bob's longtime mentors, Robin Sharma, put it this way: Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end. Zinga lived that. In every turbulent chapter of his career, from classified mission briefs to 90-day startup pivots, he saw firsthand that leading through change is not about being perfect. It's about being present, principled, and people-focused. So here's your call to action for this segment. What's one mindset shift you can make to lead better through change this quarter? What's one conversation you've been avoiding that could bring clarity to your team? And how will you keep people anchored not to the old process, but to the purpose? Because that's where leadership happens in the messy middle, in the tension between where you were and where you're going.

All of this resilience, clarity of mission, leading through change. It really culminates in a core leadership principle that Bob Fabien Zinga emphasizes time and time again: initiative. And for Bob, that lesson didn't come from a textbook. It came from what the Navy calls a "sea daddy." For those unfamiliar with the term, it's military slang for a trusted senior mentor, someone who's been through the battles, made the mistakes, and is willing to pass down real, unfiltered wisdom. Bob recalls one moment when his sea daddy pulled him aside and said, "there are three kinds of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who are aware of what's happening, and those who are left wondering what the heck just happened." That stuck with him, and it shaped how he shows up as a leader to this day. Because here's the truth: you don't need a fancy title to lead. You don't need to wait for permission. Leadership starts wherever you are, with whatever sphere of influence you have right now, Yes, stepping up can feel risky. Yes, imposter syndrome is real. But Bob loves to remind rising leaders of something his mentor, Jack Canfield, once said: "Everything you want is on the other side of fear." So, the real question is, what are you waiting for?

Which brings us to what might be the very heart of all great leadership: people. It all boils down to that, doesn't it? Not strategy, not technology, not even mission clarity, important as those are. At the end of the day, real leadership is about serving people, building trust, and creating influence. For Bob Fabien Zinga, this has never been theoretical. His leadership journey through the US Navy, through elite cybersecurity teams, through Silicon Valley startups has always come back to one thing: how you treat people, especially those you are entrusted to lead. Zinga often quotes Admiral James Stavridis, who once said, "No one of us is as smart as all of us thinking together." That single line reveals an entire leadership philosophy. Teams consistently outperform individuals, period. And the leader's job? To unlock that collective genius. But how do you do that? How do you unlock brilliance in others? How do you lead well across industries where knowledge, not hierarchy, determines influence? Bob's answer: trust, service, empathy, influence. It starts with something as simple and as rare as genuine care. He often returns to the timeless wisdom of his mentor, Dr. John C. Maxwell: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Zinga learned this truth the hard way. When he first transitioned from the U.S. Navy to Pivotal Software, an enterprise tech company later acquired by VMware, he expected his military accomplishments to carry weight. After all, he was a decorated commander. But in Silicon Valley, things are different. Rank doesn't matter. Influence must be earned. So instead of giving orders, Zinga began asking powerful questions. What's blocking you today? Where am I getting in your way? How can I help you succeed? This marked a complete pivot in his leadership operating system, from authority to empowerment, from command and control to coaching and collaboration. It was a shift that yielded results. Trust grew, creativity expanded, people started leaning in. General Colin Powell put it bluntly, leadership is all about people. It's about motivating people to get the job done. That truth held in war rooms and boardrooms alike. And as Zinga's experience proved, when people feel seen, supported, and valued, they'll do more than comply—they'll commit. One of Bob's most influential mentors, Captain Joel Rothschild, taught him the concept of leading with an open hand, with a mindset of abundance rather than control. It's a way of saying, we, you know, we win together. When one of us grows, we all rise. And let's be clear, this isn't about being soft. This is about tapping into human potential, unleashing that discretionary effort, the kind of extra drive that only comes when people feel respected and empowered. So what does this people-first leadership look like in practical daily action? Bob offers a clear blueprint. 1, mentor and multiply. Don't just manage, mentor. Pour your time into developing those under your leadership. Not because it benefits you directly, but because their success becomes your legacy. Zinga is known for encouraging his mentees to surpass him. 2, identify sunset and sunrise skills. Some skills are phasing out, others are emerging. Zinga advocates for cross-training, pairing legacy system experts with junior AI engineers. This not only builds resilience but bridges generational knowledge gaps. 3, invest personally. Advocate for your team's promotions. Find budget for meaningful learning experiences. Celebrate wins publicly and sincerely. When people feel truly seen, loyalty follows. 4, handle difficult personalities with dignity. Don't sideline the challenging ones. Lead them, understand them, earn their trust. Difficult people often become your most loyal once they feel understood. Bob puts this into practice through quiet, one-on-one respect-based conversations. As Brian Tracy reminds us, become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily even if you had no title or position. That's the leadership goal. Influence, not authority. Service, not ego. People-first leadership isn't just nice, it's strategic. It's what drives loyalty, discretionary effort, and breakthrough innovation. It's what inspires teams to rise in adversity, to keep moving forward when every logical reason says they shouldn't. Robin Sharma captures this beautifully: "Every pro was once an amateur. Every expert was once a beginner." It's a reminder to see the potential in everyone, to lead with the belief that your people, no matter their title, can become more. Now, let's pause and reflect. In a world rapidly shifting toward AI and automation, what remains uniquely human? The answer, according to that RSA 2025 masterclass, is simple yet profound: leadership. Not just technical leadership, not just organizational planning, but the deeply human ability to influence, inspire, and elevate others. Why is leadership the most critical skill in the AI era? Because AI cannot replicate trust. It cannot embody empathy. It cannot care. Yes, AI can write code. It can process data faster than any human. But it can't sit with a struggling teammate and inspire them to keep going. It can't earn loyalty. It can't turn setbacks into growth moments through coaching, compassion, and belief. Leadership is the differentiator. So here's your challenge. Reflect on your career path. Your technical expertise might land you the next opportunity, the next raise, the next project lead role. But your lasting influence, your impact on the culture, your ability to move hearts, to spark momentum, to elevate others, that's what defines your leadership legacy. And here's the empowering truth. Leadership is a skill. It's not reserved for the chosen few. It's cultivated. It's built in the quiet, unseen moments, in how you choose to listen, how you choose to show up, how you choose to lead even when no one's watching. Zinga often says, "Every challenge is a leadership exam in disguise." Will you pass the next one? The world needs leaders who put people first. And in a future driven by machines, it's the human heart that will make all the difference. Stay tuned. In the final section, we'll pull everything together and leave you with some coaching prompts to activate your leadership journey this week.

So now we really want to hand it over to you, the listener, the aspiring leader, the seasoned professional, because here's the truth. Leadership isn't a destination. It's a journey. It's not something you check off your list, polish like a metal, and display. It's a lifelong process of becoming. And Bob Fabien Zinga, through his work, his article, and this podcast episode, reminds us of this beautifully. Zinga's final section of the article, one he titles "Think on These Things," isn't religious in tone, but it does draw on ancient wisdom—values that have guided ethical and transformative leadership for generations. Whether you see these verses as spiritual anchors or simply as enduring truths, they offer leadership insights that are practical, human-centered, and timeless. Let's walk through 6 of them now, each with a powerful insight and coaching prompt to carry forward. Resilience. Proverbs 24:16, ESV. For though the righteous fall 7 times, they rise again. Leadership insight: Falling is not failing, especially in leadership. Setbacks are inevitable, but what separates transformational leaders is the refusal to stay down. Your response to adversity models what's possible for your team. Humility. Philippians 2:3 . Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit; rather, in humility, value others above yourselves. Leadership. Insight. True leaders place purpose above ego. When you uplift others and acknowledge their contributions, you build a culture of trust and inclusion, where influence thrives beyond authority. Servant Leadership. Matthew 23:11 . The greatest among you will be your servant. Leadership Insight: Great leaders don't seek to be served; they serve first. Influence is built not by demands but by presence, sacrifice, and consistent advocacy for your people. Perseverance. Galatians 6:9 . Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Leadership Insight: Burnout is real, but so is the payoff of long-term integrity. Leaders who endure, especially when the mission gets hard, earn respect and multiply impact far beyond the immediate result.

Vision and Stewardship. Proverbs 29:18, KJV: Where there is no vision, the people perish. Leadership Insight: Clarity of mission is not a luxury; it's leadership oxygen. Without vision, teams drift, morale fades, and misalignment erodes progress. Great leaders relentlessly cast and recast vision so everyone sees where they're headed and why. Courage and Strength. Joshua 1:9 : Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged. Leadership insight: Courage isn't the absence of fear; it's the choice to keep moving forward with faith despite it. Leaders must model steadiness under pressure so others can draw strength from their calm resolve. These insights, whether from battlefields, boardrooms, or ancient texts, echo a truth that spans centuries. Leadership is not about being perfect; it's about being principled, about rising again and again, about choosing service over status. About listening before speaking, and about inspiring others to grow, not through control, but through care. As Coach BZ would say, leadership that lasts isn't built on power. It's built on presence, resilience, and people-first impact. So as we wrap up today's episode of the Leadership and Success Podcast with Coach BZ, we invite you to reflect. What spoke to you today? Which leadership insight will you carry into tomorrow? And speaking of tomorrow, join us again right here for the next episode in this powerful leadership series. Until then, keep growing, keep leading, and as always, this is Mary AI. Stay resilient.

This Joe AI. Goodbye for now.

All right, thank you so much, uh, Mary and Joe AI, and, um, I want to make sure you guys out there can hear me well. If you can add a comment on LinkedIn or YouTube Live, I appreciate that. So this, uh, lesson today I think is pretty important, right? And how to lead from cyber war room to the boardroom, whether you are in the military or in Silicon Valley, high-tech. Leadership is leadership, and people need leaders desperately, especially now in the age of AI. Now, tomorrow, I am very excited. I'm going to have a Navy veteran like myself, Terrell Jones, is going to be speaking to us live right here on LinkedIn. And this is going to happen tomorrow. If you live in California, I believe we're meeting at Yeah, 8 AM California time. So he's in Houston, Texas, so 10 AM Central, so 11 AM on the East Coast. So I highly recommend that you join us live if you can, and if you have any question for Terence, you can go ahead and ask him the question live. We are going to be talking about quite— if a few things. So, uh, we're going to be exploring our military leadership principle translating to sustainable business success. We are also going to be talking about solving global water scarcity with resilience, tech, and partnership. That's the work that Terence has been doing since he left the military, and then listen from 25+ years in sales, strategy, and clean infrastructure development. So So do not miss it tomorrow morning at 8 AM California time. Terence will be my guest on the Leadership Success Podcast. All right, until next time, have a wonderful day. And please make sure to write down a couple of insights you got from this episode. What are you learning? And most importantly, what are you going to put into practice? Today or this week. Uh, thanks again for being here with me. See you tomorrow.

Thank you for listening to the Leadership and Success Podcast with your host, Coach BZ. If you like what you heard, please subscribe to our channels and come back for more wisdom nuggets on how you may develop into a better leader and achieve greater levels of success. Leadership is the most critical skill The world will always need leaders to lead others, deploy the next disruptive technology, or execute a business strategy. You may as well decide on counting yourself among the 21st century leaders. See you right here next time on the Leadership and Success Podcast.