Rocio Bauer’s profile over at WashingtonExec is worth your time if you’re thinking about what leadership looks like when you’re serving the Army through technology. The through-line matters: mission first, but delivered by people who understand both the operational context and the pace of change in how we field capability.
I see this in every search we run for program leaders and technical executives supporting the services. The best ones don’t treat the uniform as a customer—they treat it as the mission owner. That shift in posture changes how you staff, how you prioritize, and how you show up when a program hits friction. It’s also the difference between a résumé that checks boxes and a track record that gets you presented for a retained role.
If you’re a cleared senior leader in defense tech, ask yourself whether your narrative reflects that orientation. Hiring authorities can tell within two minutes of a conversation whether you’ve internalized it or you’re still thinking like a vendor.