accelerate360/McClatchy Retail Network

My management style was shaped in two very different environments: leading soldiers as a wartime U.S. Army Transportation Corps officer and leading employees as a corporate transportation executive. The settings are worlds apart, but they share one: the mission is accomplished only through people.

In the military, leadership expands far beyond competency and decisiveness. It is largely demonstration. I learned early that you should never ask your soldiers to do something you cannot do—or at least cannot clearly show you are willing to do. Under wartime conditions, credibility isn’t a slogan; it’s earned in small moments: being present, sharing in discomfort, staying calm under pressure and stepping into hard work alongside your team when required. In that environment, alignment is high. Everyone is focused on the same outcome: living and winning.

Civilian transportation leadership requires the same personal credibility, but the mechanism of influence changes. In corporate operations, people carry different motivations, pressures outside of work and definitions of success. That gap is especially visible in frontline roles like drivers, where each day is a real-world tradeoff among safety, time constraints, customer expectations and life realities. Because not everyone automatically shares the same outcome, I’ve found that effective leadership depends on articulating the “why”—why safety procedures matter, why service standards matter and why change is necessary—then tying those decisions back to a shared goal.

The pace of change throughout my career also shaped the way I lead.

In the Army, I changed jobs each year, each time with larger scope and more complex responsibility. That forced a steady cycle of learning; new peers, new subordinates, new superiors and new operating realities. Those transitions taught me to listen and observe, assess quickly, then lead larger.

The civilian sector expanded that lesson in a different way. I now lead across a much wider age range, from people fresh out of school to those nearing retirement. That diversity is strength, but it defies a one-size-fits-all approach. Some people want direct coaching and frequent feedback. Others just want room to execute. My job is to keep contributions to the team consistent while tailoring communication and support to the individual.

And then there’s the corporate constant; change at scale.

I push for improvement you can measure through cleaner, faster, actionable KPIs. “New” isn’t automatically “better,” but improvement is not optional.

I’ve experienced eight major mergers and acquisitions. Each produced shifting goals and dramatic leadership changes, often swinging the organizational center of gravity between sales, finance and operations. In those transitions, complacency is quicksand. Change is demanded, and time is the enemy. My approach has been to fixate the team on what we can control: applying our transportation expertise to business execution.

Over time, those experiences have distilled into three values that guide how I manage.

First, my most important customers are my own employees. If you take care of your people, they will take care of your business. That means setting clear expectations, removing obstacles, protecting the team from unnecessary noise, providing tools and reinforcing habits that build productivity, creativity, and dependability. It also means paying attention to human signals—listening intently, watching how team members interact, and stepping in early when influence is needed.

Second, always seek improvement, including disciplined adoption of technology. Transportation is unforgiving to leaders who manage on yesterday’s assumptions. I push for improvement you can measure through cleaner, faster, actionable KPIs. “New” isn’t automatically “better,” but improvement is not optional.

Third, no leader ever became great without Audacity. A core belief I carried from military logistics is that a robust supply chain is a capability, something you deliberately build, stress-test, refine and defend. In business, we often build strong internal supply chains and treat them only as cost centers. I believe leaders should look for responsible ways to monetize those capabilities while protecting service commitments and culture.

One example is offering Supply Chain as a Service (SCaaS) to other industry participants, transforming internal logistics strengths into external value. This also keeps my team energized, and thinking.

How those values show up day to day is straightforward. My cadence starts with intent. I define department intent and clear team goals and objectives, and then align each team member with personal, intermediate goals that directly support the team objectives. This creates focus and shared accountability without turning leadership into micromanagement.

Because my team is fully remote, we keep the rhythm simple and consistent; a brief video touchpoint each morning to coordinate daily alignment, and a weekly 1:1 with each team member to coach, recalibrate priorities and connect as humans—not just as job titles.

Across both the Army and corporate transportation, my approach has been the same: coach and mentor, communicate relentlessly, and never stop improving.

The context changes, but the fundamentals do not. When you lead people well, the mission follows.