199: What the US Navy Can Teach us about Executive Leadership

Have you ever considered the role that discipline, trust, and storytelling play in shaping truly innovative leaders? In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show, I'm honored to welcome Miles Garrett, a veteran leader, author, and former Executive Officer of the nuclear-powered submarine USS Cheyenne. Drawing from his extensive 25-year career spanning both the United States Marine Corps and the Navy, Miles shares powerful insights into leadership, innovation, and the critical role storytelling plays in high-stakes environments. Miles takes us behind the scenes to explore why consistent conversations around leadership are not just beneficial but necessary. He shares his own experience in the military, where peer-to-peer conversations shape organizational culture and instill vital traits like intrinsic motivation, professional trust, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. But what happens when these conversations aren't happening? Miles highlights how ignoring leadership fundamentals can quickly undermine organizational morale and effectiveness, whether in the military or in business. Our discussion also covers the fascinating connection between risk-taking, innovation, and storytelling. Miles vividly recounts historical examples, illustrating why leaders must balance boldness with accountability to inspire genuine breakthroughs. He argues convincingly that innovation thrives when leaders foster trust, enabling their teams to share ideas without fear confidently. Throughout the conversation, Miles challenges conventional perceptions of leadership, pushing us to reconsider what truly drives people internally versus externally. He offers practical strategies for cultivating intrinsic motivation, building professional trust, and pursuing excellence in any organization. Join us for this thought-provoking episode and explore how timeless principles from military leadership can fuel innovation in your own organization. Could a stronger focus on trust, motivation, and storytelling unlock new possibilities for your team? Tune in and share your thoughts.  

Om Podcasten

Did you ever wonder how an innovation got to its finish line? How innovators saw the future, made a product, and created change – in our world and in their companies? I did. Innovation Storytellers invites changemakers to describe how they created their innovation and just as important – THE STORIES – that made us fall in love with them. Come learn how great innovations need great stories to make them move around the world and how to become a better storyteller in the process. I’m Susan Lindner, the Innovation Storyteller. But I wasn’t always. I’ve been a wannabe revolutionary, an epidemiologist at the CDC and an AIDS educator in the brothels of Thailand helping to turn former sex workers into entrepreneurs. Trained as an anthropologist and the Founder of Emerging Media, I’ve spent the last twenty years working with innovators from 60+ countries. Ranging from cutting edge startups to Fortune 100 companies like GE, Corning, Citi, Olayan, and nine foreign governments, helping their leaders to tell their stories and teaching them how to become incredible advocates for their innovations. Great innovation stories make change possible. They let us step into a future we can’t see yet. I started this podcast to shine a light on our generation of great innovators, to learn how they brought their innovation to life and the stories they told to bring them to the world.