Admiral Vern Clark Part 2: Retired Chief of Naval Operations of the United States Navy | How Strategic Vision Moves the Team Forward

Admiral Vernon Eugene Clark is a retired admiral who served as the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) of the United States Navy. He retired on July 22, 2005, making his tenure of five years the second-longest serving CNO behind Arleigh Burke. Admiral Clark has received numerous military decorations for his service, including four awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, three Navy Distinguished Medals, and three awards of the Legion of Merit. Since his retirement, he has been honored with the Eisenhower Award from the Business Executives of North America, the Distinguished Sea Service Award from the Naval Order of the United States, and the Distinguished Service Medal of the Military Order of the World Wars.

Admiral Clark earned his undergraduate degree from Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri, and has an MBA from the University of Arkansas. He has since received Honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of Toledo, Old Dominion University, Northwest University, and Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Admiral Vern Clark continues to share the wisdom gleaned over a long and distinguished Naval career and dives into leadership conundrums, including the attrition rate in the US Navy when he took over as Sea Chief and what he did to solve that problem. He defines what alignment means to him and why he made it one of the central themes of his leadership. Admiral Vern also shines a spotlight on leadership, his belief in having vision as a leader, and how that belief guided him in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11.

“It's been said before that I bring a little bit of passion to the game.” - Admiral Vern Clark

“Alignment is really about communication.” - Admiral Vern Clark

“More is caught than taught.” - Admiral Vern Clark

This Week on The Wow Factor:

• The five principles on which Admiral Vern founded his leadership
• The importance of culture in a large organization
• The importance of getting buy-in from the sailors and how Admiral Vern brought his Master Chiefs on board with his plans
• Admiral Vern’s goals of equipping and empowering the whole team
• How Admiral Vern and his team solved the problem of attrition
• Where Admiral Vern was when the tragic events of 9/11 occurred and his immediate response to deploy loaded aircraft carriers and destroyers to strategic positions
• When Admiral Vern first met President Bush at his inauguration and the promise he made him
• The story of Admiral Vern’s relationship with Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
• The importance of listening as a leader
• Why Admiral Vern feels that the Lord was watching over him throughout his career

Admiral Vern Clark’s Word of Wisdom:

Having a strategic communications plan that moves you forward as a team or organization is vital.

Connect with Admiral Vern Clark:

• Any questions for Admiral Clark can be sent to brad@thewowfactorpodcast.com

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