Leadership Begins With YOU

As you are building your career, what does leadership mean to you? Is it the standard you set for those who are leading an organization, or is it the standard you are setting for yourself every day – 24/7? We live in a society absorbed by celebrity and a craving to point the finger at who is at fault. Yet, no one else will be at fault when we step into the shoes of a leader and understand that whatever it is, it begins with you. That finger should be pointing back at you. I had the privilege of talking with Ret. Brigadier General Rebecca (Becky) Halstead who proved to be the epitome of what great leaders aspire to. She is steadfast in her pursuit of the best within herself and of helping to bring the best out of those whom she leads. Get inspired to set your personal standard to become the leader others want to follow by listening to this uplifting and motivational podcast. You can reach Becky’s website here: www.BeckyHalstead.com.

Becky Halstead, retired brigadier general, US Army, is a 1981 graduate of the United States Military Academy. Becky achieved a historic milestone as the first female graduate of West Point to be promoted to general officer. As the senior commanding general for logistics in Iraq, she was the first female in US history to command in combat at the strategic level. In Iraq she was responsible for leading over two hundred multidisciplinary units (twenty thousand military and five thousand civilians), providing supply, maintenance, transportation and distribution support to over 250,000 personnel serving in Iraq. The culmination of Becky’s career came in 2006 when she became the first female chief of ordnance and commanding general of the Army’s Ordnance Center and Schools (equivalent to president of a university). Becky honorably served with the US Army and retired as a general officer in 2008. Becky has over fifteen years of executive-level leadership experience, developing and training high-performing, complex, and diverse units capable of strategic planning and execution. She has a record of leading change, building successful teams in demanding environments (Afghanistan and Iraq), and creating innovative systems and programs to solve complex problems. In addition to an experienced leader and logistician, Becky is known as a highly effective communicator. She founded her own leader consultancy company, STEADFAST Leadership, with the intent of extending lessons learned in the military to the civilian world. She specializes in inspirational speaking, consulting, and advising, and serves as a member of multiple military, corporate, and nonprofit boards of advisers. Becky was a recipient of the 2007 National Women’s History Project award for “Generations of Women Moving History Forward.” She also served as a commissioner on the President’s Military Leadership Diversity Commission from 2009 to 2010. Becky’s STEADFAST Leadership model was the subject of a 2011 Harvard Business School Leadership Case Study.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Inspirational. Entertaining. A moving experience.
By Pen Name on December 8, 2013
Format: Paperback
Becky Halstead personifies the true meaning of leadership in her first book on this important subject.

I laughed out loud — sighed and became teary-eyed — with her accounts of leadership experiences, both on and off the battlefield.

She is a true inspiration to anyone who wants to be a leader — in their own homes, their offices, their schools, their corporate communities or volunteer organizations.

Learn from Becky how to lead yourself first and then to lead others. You will love her stories and treasure this book.

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