E4 - Guests: Interview with General David Petraeus US Army (Retd)

This episode I was very privileged to be able to host General David Petraeus US Army (Retired) as my very first guest on the podcast.  <br/><br/>It is the first of what will be many interviews in the future and, in every case, I will seek to get the best leadership thoughts, tips and advice from those that are generous enough to give me their time for an interview.<br/><br/>Even a cursory glance at General Petraeus’ career history will reveal what an amazing life he has had and why his views on leadership are so relevant to anyone with an interest in leadership issues. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1974, General Petraeus served for 37 years in the US Army, rising to 4* rank and completed 6 consecutive commands as a general officer, five of which were on combat operations, including command of the Surge in Iraq, command of US Central Command, and command of all coalition forces in Afghanistan.<br/><br/>He subsequently served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 2011/12 and is now very active in business as a Partner at KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute.<br/><br/>General Petraeus' academic credentials are also incredibly impressive.  He is the only person in US Army history to be the top graduate of both the US Army Ranger School and the year-long Command and General Staff College.  He has a PhD in international relations and academics from Princeton University and, from the 1980s to the present day he has been actively involved in senior roles with a range of prestigious academic institutions.<br/><br/>Over the years, he has been named as one of America's 25 Best Leaders, a runner up for Time Magazine's Person of the Year, the Daily Telegraph Man of the Year and numerous other accolades.<br/><br/>For more on his background and current activities please see:https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpetraeus/https://www.kkr.com/our-firm/leadership/david-h-petraeus<br/>General Petraeus’ new book “Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine”, co-authored with Andrew Roberts is published in October and is available for pre-order on Amazon at this link.<br/>In the interview we cover a wide range of issues including (starting time in brackets):<br/><br/>Adjustments to his leadership style across the course of his career (2:18).His early motivation to join the Army, and a model for strategic leadership (13:58).The leadership traits that he values the most (29:13).His reflections on what he might have done differently across his career (35:48).His most important achievements and reflections on his legacy (39:04).The influence his father had on him (47:46).The advice he would provide his younger self (56:00).His reflections on the state of the world as it is now (1:05:02).What next for Ukraine and how does it might end (1:10:48).The most difficult question he has ever been asked (1:19:50).<br/>It is a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion and I very much hope you enjoy it! <br/><br/>Thank you for listening!<br/><br/>LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/<br/><br/>Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudsonBob<br/><br/>Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/