27th U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper: Power, Leadership, and Life-or-Death Decisions
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What was it like getting the call to become Secretary of Defense?
What was it like getting the phone call to become the Secretary of Defense?
I was always about public service, serving my country, the military, national security. So to kind of get that call from the president and says, I want you to be my Secretary of Defense. Yeah, it's one of those moments you don't forget.
Mark Esper is a disciplined, experienced, and strategic national security leader who served as the 27th United States Secretary of Defense. Drawing from decades of military service, policy leadership, and global defense strategy, he has led the Pentagon through complex geopolitical challenges while shaping modern military readiness, innovation, and national security priorities.
The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. You've got to work hard. You've got to go hard because we're saving people in the long run. We'll be far more successful in the mission and bring far more people home if we train as hard and as realistic as we possibly can, you know, in peacetime.
What makes a good leader under high pressure situations?
To me, leadership always begins with integrity. But when you run big organizations like the Department of Defense, which is, what, 2.8 million people, so much of it then has to be conveyed in other ways.
One of the hardest moments of your career and where you had to make tough decisions, and how do you handle it?
You know, I had a number of those situations arise, but to me, and I say this to CEOs today,
How did Mark Esper's upbringing shape his leadership style?
My name is Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast, and I'm here to change the way you see your life in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the red life, ditch the blue pill, take the red pill, join me in Wonderland and change your life. Hello and welcome back to another episode. I'm sat here today with former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, very excited for this show. I've always been fascinated by the military and the core guiding principles of leadership and correct execution. And as you probably know, there's not much room for error in some of those situations. And that's just like business. So here we go. Very excited for today's episode. Welcome to the show.
Thanks, Rudy. Great to be with you.
So I want to start from the top. And this is always hard with people that have these crazy lives, right? But can you try and summarize what you've been up to the last couple of decades and your life achievements?
We'll go back a few decades. I grew up south of Pittsburgh, a small coal mining town. And at age 18 left and went to West Point. And I spent four years at West Point graduating in 1986. I commissioned as an infantry officer and then went through all the various schools and programs, parachute airborne training, ranger training, pathfinder training. Found myself in the 101st Airborne Division as my first assignment as a platoon leader. Worked my way through the ranks there. I went to the 1990-1991 Gulf War and came back after eight months. And then from there, I transitioned to an overseas assignment in Italy. And my wife and I spent three years there. I came back home, went to school at Harvard, graduated with a master's in public administration, and was assigned to the Pentagon as an army fellow.
At that point, I was 10 years into my career, and I decided I wanted to spend more time with my family. Focused on that. And and so I left the service. I joined the reserves and then at the same time began a series of jobs on Capitol Hill, working in the House and Senate. I did a two year stint as a deputy assistant secretary of defense. And then after I left Capitol Hill in the mid 2000s or so, I went to work at a couple of associations like Aerospace Industries Association and the Chamber of Commerce. I eventually found myself in corporate America working for the Raytheon company. And then in 2017, I was asked to become Secretary of the Army. And I served as Secretary of the Army for two and a half years or so, and then was picked by the president to become Secretary of Defense.
What core values are essential for effective leadership?
I was confirmed with 90 votes and did that for about 18 months.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What was it like getting the call to become Secretary of Defense?
0:00–1:14
2
How did Mark Esper's upbringing shape his leadership style?
1:14–3:42
3
What core values are essential for effective leadership?
3:42–6:38
4
How does military training influence business leadership?
6:38–8:33
5
What challenges does a leader face in high-pressure situations?
8:33–11:53
6
How can leaders maintain integrity in a political environment?
11:53–15:36
7
What role does accountability play in leadership?
15:36–19:09
8
What advice does Mark Esper have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
19:09–29:39
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Living The Red Life
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