#61: General (Ret.) Joseph Votel — On Confidence, Habits, and Culture

<p class="" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">It’s truly an honor to bring <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-votel-53166529/"><strong>General (Ret.) Joseph Votel</strong></a> on the Intentional Leader podcast for episode 61. On this episode, he gives us a masterclass on personal management and organizational leadership.</p> <p class="">General Votel currently serves as President and CEO of <a href="https://www.bens.org/"><strong>Business Executives for National Security</strong></a> (BENS) – a national, nonprofit composed of senior business and industry executives who volunteer their time and expertise to assist the U.S. national security community.</p> <p class="" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">He retired in 2019 after 39 years of military service. His last assignment was as the commander of <a title="United States Central Command" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Central_Command">United States Central Command</a> (CENTCOM) from March 2016 to March 2019. As CENTCOM commander, Votel oversaw the United States' continued War on Terrorism in the Middle East, particularly the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve's fight against the <a title= "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_in_Iraq_and_the_Levant">Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant</a> terror organization, which rose to prominence in 2014. General Votel officially retired on March 28, 2019, five days after the decisive <a title= "Battle of Baghuz Fawqani" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baghuz_Fawqani">Battle of Baghuz Fawqani</a>, which saw the territorial collapse of the Islamic State in Syria. Before that, he served as commander of the <a title="United States Special Operations Command" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Special_Operations_Command">United States Special Operations Command</a> (SOCOM).</p> <p class="">Votel's initial assignments were to the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany, where he served as a rifle platoon leader, executive office