As we celebrate our nation’s independence, we’re reminded of public service and leadership lessons through change. Federal Training Academy is honored to share time with Major General (Ret.) and current Senior Executive at the Department of Homeland Security Jimmie Jaye Wells.
As this episode airs in the days leading up to July 4th, our nation’s Independence Day, we focus on 3 key themes:
⭐️ Leadership through 3 significant career transitions
- Professional athlete as a Washington Redskin/Commander
- Military service
- Civilian public service
⭐️ Leadership lessons from a Matriarch’s Century
⭐️ Celebration of independence and recognizing “freedom is not free” as we support America’s Gold Star Families
If you’re looking to support America’s Gold Star Families, with the mission to provide honor, hope, and healing to those grieving any military loss through active duty service in the United States Armed Forces, please consider purchasing this faith-based leadership book sharing insights from 100 years of change. 100% of proceeds are donated to America’s Gold Star Families.
A Matriarch’s Century – Leader Lessons of Godliness, Sacrifice, Love and Service in a Century of Tumultuous Transformation: 
Since our video series only allows for a snippet of time together, we gladly share Jimmie Jaye Wells’ ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS below from our time together outside of the recording.
⭐️ Who remembers the days watching Joe Theismann and hearing the glories of Jack Kent Cooke’s team? Many of us are native Washingtonians, so we do! We discussed lessons from his time as a professional National Football League player for the Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders).
- Persevere toward your goal/dream.
- Consider 4 levels of trust.
- Trust yourself.
- Trust your teammates.
- Trust your coaches to share the right skills and techniques.
- Trust your external collaborators, such as agents, team owner Jack Kent Cook, and officials providing credibility and authenticity.
- Have confidence one-on-one as well as in large crowds of 70K+ people, and publicly represent yourself and your organization well.
- Audaces fortuna juvat.” Remember: “Fortune favors the bold.”
⭐️ He chose to transition into military service earning an officer position and promotions leading to Major General as Chief of Staff of Forces Command Headquarters at one of the largest military bases in the world, Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. He, along with other Generals and SESers, managed 820,000+ people across the continental US Army. We are big fans of Jimmie Jaye Wells for his service to our nation.
- Rank can be a crutch. Positional leadership and a commanding leadership approach are not lasting leadership styles.
- Humble servant leadership is the key with a “mission first – people always” approach.
- Inspire action.
- Accountability is vital.
- Encourage others to use their knowledge, skills, abilities, and preferences to solve wicked, complex problems.
- Stay positive, and don’t dwell in the negative. E.g., avoid sitting in the break room complaining and commiserating about the heat, rain, dust, or enemy.
- Consider all dimensions.
- What’s the mission? What are the tasks? What’s the strategy? Use Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How questions to engage and guide others.
⭐️ After retiring from the US military, he continued his public service as a senior executive at the Department of Homeland Security, where he currently serves in Honolulu, Hawaii and manages the Pacific region of the Transportation Security Administration.
- Many civilian Feds face adversity every day in the execution of their assigned duties. Strong leaders act as a buffer while ensuring all dimensions (physical, spiritual, mental, intellectual, and social) of their staff are healthy and well-balanced.
- Be values-driven. His core values are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage (emotionally and not just physically).
Jimmie Jaye Wells has more than 40 years of public service. We’re honored to celebrate our nation’s independence and learn from him in this episode of 15 Minutes with Federal Training Academy. Thank you for joining us.
⭐️ Please visit FederalTrainingAcademy.com for our services and free resources section.
