Today’s Combat Story is with our first Navy Vice Admiral, Mike LeFever, who spent 38 years in uniform supporting US National Security across the world. Rising from an Annapolis wrestler to a surface warfare officer, Mike was selected to command a strike group, would serve at the US Embassy in Pakistan as the head diplomatic officer (during the Bin Laden raid), and finished his military career as the Director of Strategic Operational Planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
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Mike has gone on to write a book about leading through crises titled End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis, and, since leaving service, has stayed very busy with roles as a CEO for a cyber and tech company; a senior advisor and mentor at the McChrystal Group; Performance Ambassador and Speaker for Liminal Collective and Arena Labs; works on the Cipher Brief with friend of the show Glenn Corn and more.
This is a really and insightful discussion with an incredibly senior, accomplished, yet thoroughly humble leader and I hope you enjoy his sense of humor, honest talk, and experiences at the highest levels of both global affairs and military strategy as much as I did.
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Find Mike LeFever Online:
https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu/mike-lefever/
End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis
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🎵 Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Show Notes:
00:00 Introduction00:44 Introduction to Combat Story and Host01:03 Meet Vice Admiral Mike Lefevre01:34 Career Highlights and Leadership Roles02:25 Personal Insights and Experiences02:53 Memorable Moments in Islamabad07:07 Significant Events and Challenges in Pakistan09:06 Reflections on Leadership and Service09:54 Unexpected Career Path and Surface Warfare15:04 Leading Earthquake Relief in Pakistan19:10 Building a Humanitarian Task Force24:14 Navigating Crisis and Leadership Lessons32:04 End Game: Strategic Planning and Execution35:07 Military Influence in Pakistan35:29 Anecdotes from Bab N Abad36:41 Building Relationships in Pakistan39:44 The Bin Laden Raid42:36 Post-Raid Reflections44:00 Geopolitical Challenges and Operations53:14 Leadership and Mentorship55:20 High-Performance Training57:44 Current Endeavors and Reflections01:02:02 Personal Reflections and Closing Thoughts
