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The Leadership Podcast

The Leadership Podcast

We Study Leaders

May 26, 2021

TLP256: Don’t Wait

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Bo Brabo is the Founder of Hail Media Group & The Brabo Center of Excellence. He is a retired U.S. Army Chief of HR Operations and served in the White House as the Presidential Communications Officer under President Bush and President Obama. He shares his thoughts on uphill challenges for leaders, and why it’s hard to break through the next phase in one’s career.

Key Takeaways

[4:55] A lot of HR representatives are not making it to the executive seat. Bo explains why.

[8:45] If you’re an HR representative, Bo urges you to go into organizational development. You have got to understand what makes your business hum.

[9:10] HR professionals have to take their own personal development into their own hands.

[10:00] If you can speak the CFO’s language, your relationship with the CFO would drastically change.

[13:45] Bo talks about his experience as an HR professional at the White House.

[17:15] When the President shows up to speak, he needs to be ready to go without fail. The only way you can do this in a timely manner is by empowering your people to make good decisions.

[21:35] Bo explains why people come up short when it comes to leading others.

[26:50] The best leaders have a battle rhythm to their routine. They keep doing that one thing that will make them successful, no matter how challenging or defeating the day prior was.

[29:25] Bo shares some of the common traits of a good battle rhythm.

[33:10] It’s one thing to have values in your organization. It’s another thing to really break down what those behaviors look like.

[38:15] Bo discusses the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and why it’s such a great place.

[42:10] Bo shares why building his expertise around business, and the multiple ways it works, has helped him excel as a person and a leader.

[43:00] Listener challenge: Don’t wait for someone to offer you professional development. 


The Leadership Podcast is sponsored by W.S. Darley & Company.  

Founded in 1908, Darley remains a family owned and operated business, providing the highest quality equipment solutions to our country’s warfighters and firefighters.  

Learn more at darley.com and darleydefense.com


Quotable Quotes

“Yes, you are confident, great. You might have the ability to be a great leader, but you’ve got to fill in the team behind you to actually support all the things you don’t know how to do.” Share on X "The theme that came out of season one of our podcast was battle rhythm. Our guests had, even when they had downtimes and they weren’t getting what they wanted to achieve, what brought them out of it was a battle rhythm.” Share on X “A successful battle rhythm. All the leaders had physical fitness in their life, they’re up early, they’re getting after it not just five days a week, but seven days a week. They have mentors/coaches that are helping them.” Share on X “Don’t wait for someone to offer you professional development or wait for your company to back you in an endeavor.” Share on X

Resources Mentioned

  • Sponsored by: Pass-life.com. Coupon Code: Duty.
  • Connect with Bo: Robertbrado.com & Bo on LinkedIn

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: human resources, leadership, military

TLP255: Love ‘em or Lose ‘em
TLP257: The CEO Test

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  • TLP025: Never Fly Solo — Why You Need a Wingman
  • TLP405: Stress Inoculation With Eric Kapitulik
  • TLP118: What’s Been on Our Mind: Decision-Making & Networking
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