Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our podcast! Today, we have a distinguished guest with us, Lt. Gen. James C. "Jim" Slife, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at Headquarters U.S. Air Force. Lt. Gen. Slife is an exemplary leader with a remarkable background. Born near Detroit and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas, he began his military career through the ROTC program at Auburn University.
Lt. Gen. Slife's expertise lies in special operations aviation, where he has showcased unparalleled dedication and professionalism. He has held significant positions, including Commander at the Air Force Special Operations Command stationed in Florida. His leadership and strategic vision have made a lasting impact on the organization.
0:00 - Intro
0:33 - Who is Lt Gen Slife?
4:13 - Chief Corey Olson’s Retirement
6:50 - The person who made this interview possible
7:50 - “What are your views on command teams, and how does that affect your relationship with Chief Olson?”
12:20 - “Tell us the story of leaving your uniform behind - and how your team saved the day”
19:06 - “What’s your favorite book?”
22:45 - “What is your proudest Air Force moment?”
26:58 - The first job of a leader is to create more leaders
27:44 - Lessons learned from a year at Microsoft
31:20 - Purpose
33:00 - Don’t define yourself by rank or position
34:13 - What is the definition of success?
39:25 - “I don’t remember the missions - I remember the people”
40:38 - The most horrendous night of flying
42:30 - Reflecting on 9/11
45:46 - What we internally fight for during combat
46:50 - 3 Types of Invisible Wounds
48:28 - Neurocognitive Injury (1)
49:22 - Psychological Injury (2)
50:30 - Moral Injury (3)
53:20 - A different take on work life balance
55:43 - A different take on Integrity
59:40 - The 2030 Airman
01:01:55 - What I love about Lt Gen Slife
