ISF Podcast28 Tammi 2025

S32 Ep3: Rear Admiral Brian Luther - Leadership in the Face of Chaos: Preparing your team for the unexpected

Today, Steve is speaking with Rear Admiral Brian Luther. After more than 30 years in the US Navy and at the Pentagon, Brian is now president and CEO of the insurance firm Navy Mutual. Brian talks about what he learned about leadership in his time commanding an aircraft carrier in the Navy and how he has translated his skills into working in the private sector. He and Steve also discuss how leaders can move from a tactical mindset into a logistical one, and prepare your team for worst case scenarios.

Key Takeaways:

There might be differences between generations or people of different cultures, but fundamentally most people want the same things, and basic respect goes a long way.
As a leader, don’t get bogged down in tactics. Remember to think about the logistics, so there is a plan B if something goes awry.
Technology can be an immensely useful tool, but don’t get overly dependent on it.

Tune in to hear more about:

The three stages of leadership (7:46)
Conducting business in volatile regions (12:28)
How a tabletop drill can reveal important weaknesses in your organization’s crisis response (18:48)

Standout Quotes:

“You have to very clearly articulate to the people what you want done. And if it's very specific, you say, ‘I want this done,’ and if it's generic, you say, ‘I want this outcome,’ right? You can't say I want a general outcome when you have something specific in mind, because they're going to go off and do it whatever way you want. But if you're very clear, ‘I want this done this way,’ or ‘I just want this outcome,’ and you decide, delegate, disappear, you'd be amazed at what people can do.” - Brian Luther
“If you go there and give them an opportunity to see you as just who you are, and learn them just as they are, you find that there's more in common than people would give credit for. So I would always say, before you go internationally, take some time to learn where you're going and respect the culture that you're going to be operating in.” - Brian Luther
“There are tremendous benefits associated with technology, but any strength pushed too far is a weakness [...]. Don't be overreliant on something, and you put all your eggs in that one basket and you lose it, and then you don't have a second or a third option. You should be asking yourself, ‘What if I lose this, what if they figure out a way to foil that?’ Because, remember, we put something out there, and in a strategic competition, there's move-countermove all the time. […] So use it as a tool, but don't be totally dependent on it that if someone takes that tool away from you, your whole organization collapses.” - Brian Luther

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