Most leadership conversations center on the person out front. The one giving the orders. The one standing on the stage.

I’ve always been fascinated by another side of leadership. The people who make the mission possible long before anyone sees the result.

In this conversation, Rear Admiral James McNeal and I talk about a career spent supporting complex missions across the Navy. Logistics rarely grabs headlines, yet every operation depends on it. Ships move, teams deploy, and missions succeed because thousands of details line up exactly when they need to.

James shares what decades of service taught him about responsibility, preparation, and the discipline required to lead in roles where success often goes unnoticed. We talk about the mindset of reservists, the trust required across teams, and the kind of leadership that holds an entire system together.

Former Under Secretary of the Navy Vic Minella shares his remarkable 38-year journey from enlisted sailor in rural Mississippi to the Department of the Navy's second-highest civilian position. We discuss how 9/11 rewired his approach to leadership and personal responsibility just three months into his naval intelligence career, what it was like managing dual Pentagon roles during a presidential transition, and the moment he found out about his promotion while sick in bed. Vic offers hard-earned lessons on self-care, delegation, staying in your lane, and why showing up every day with energy and a willingness to contribute is the real recipe for advancement. He closes with a powerful message: take the oath seriously, don't be afraid to make that first step, and find a way to contribute no matter what your job is.

As always, thank you to the supporters on Supercast who help keep Moments in Leadership ad-free and sustainable.

GUEST BIO LINKS

Vic Minella on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-minella/

FOLLOW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SUPPORT

Join the Moments in Leadership Supercast community

https://mil.supercast.com/

Apple Podcasts

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moments-in-leadership/id1547856712

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/1hQl53NzCiJwlWS9xQZFw9

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@MomentsinLeadership

Official Website

https://www.momentsinleadership.com

Lieutenant Colonel retired C. Scott “Sonny” Duncan joins me for one of the more thought-provoking conversations I have hosted on Moments in Leadership. Sonny’s path is anything but typical. He enlisted in the Navy, earned an ROTC scholarship, commissioned as a Naval Officer, transitioned into the Marine Corps, became an F/A 18 pilot, graduated from Top Gun, instructed at NAWDC, and was slated to command an F35 squadron before the COVID mandate brought his career to a crossroads.

We cover how he learned to lead through fear, how aviation culture built his approach to performance and accountability, why he and his wife made a values based decision during the mandate, and how he now serves at the senior executive level inside the Department of the Navy. There are hard moments in this episode, and there are leadership lessons that apply across every community.

As always, thank you to the supporters on Supercast who help keep Moments in Leadership ad free and sustainable.

GUEST BIO LINKS
SES Bio, C. Scott “Sonny” Duncan
https://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/About/Senior-Executives/Biographies/Duncan,%20C.%20Scott.pdf

FOLLOW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SUPPORT
Join the Moments in Leadership Supercast community
https://momentsinleadership.supercast.com

Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moments-in-leadership/id1553443301

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/4x3tDCrWkRikPrKShKeXGf

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@MomentsinLeadership

Official Website
https://www.momentsinleadership.com