“How do we think smarter, not harder?” - MG Dustin Schultz

Episode Summary:

This week hear from Major General Dustin "Dusty" Schultz as she shares insights into transformational leadership, drawing from her extensive experience in the U.S. Army. Dusty emphasizes the importance of thinking smarter, not harder, and approaching problems in new and innovative ways. Dusty and Ted discuss turning knowledge into wisdom through practical application, the value of non-linear solutions, and the importance of accountability and dialogue in a high-tech world. She provides valuable tools for becoming an expert in transformation and leading high-performing teams. She delves into the necessity of thinking outside the box, building effective communication narratives, and leading with integrity. Get actionable tips on the speed of trust and transformational leadership today!

About MG Dustin Schultz:

Major General Dusty Shultz is an accomplished senior executive and respected operations management leader in Cyber, Intelligence and Space in the U.S. Army, with strong expertise in crisis oversight. Throughout her service, Dusty’s leadership was consistently sought after to solve complex, challenging strategic organizational alignment problems with strong business acumen, integrating her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Scrum Master and PMP skills into her leadership and management strategies. She creates cohesive and collaborative partnerships within and outside of an organization, integral to her creation of an enterprise vision, strategy and tactics. A driver of change, Dusty draws on a superb record of success in Army operations and intelligence leadership roles and masterful interpersonal and communication skills to build resilient, high-performing teams whose actions are directed by a strong sense of values and ethical behavior.

Currently assigned as Director of Intelligence at U.S. Southern Command, she leads 600 intelligence professionals in support of a 4-star Combatant Command Headquarters, delivering operational intelligence support and all-source analysis for global operations focused on contesting malign state actor operations, activities and investments in Latin America. She joined the Council on Foreign Relations in 2024.

 Dusty served in a number of high-profile positions throughout her career. Standout roles include Army Director of Strategic Operations, Chief of Operations for the Army Reserve and Theater Intelligence Brigade Commander, overseeing massive organizational transformations in the last 2 roles. She excelled as an adaptive crisis response leader and disaster management specialist as Commanding General, 1st Mission Support Command in Puerto Rico, with back-to-back response leadership for Hurricanes Irma and Maria. She led initial response operations across multiple strategic areas, successfully activating an unprecedented 2500+ Army Reserve soldiers. Her fluent Spanish language skills and outstanding engagement with other services, local government and the community allowed her to have immediate impact. Known for her ability to work through chaos to redefine problems, craft transforming executable solutions, build and coach high-performing teams, collaborate to create the necessary relationships to implement change, Dusty can deliver the leadership and management experience to realize the strategic vision. She looks forward to taking her expertise to the private sector to challenging new roles..

Holding a B.A. in Political Science from Texas Tech, an M.A. in Strategic Policy from the National War College, an M.A. in Strategic Intelligence from American Military University, Dusty is a certified PMP, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Scrum Master.

In this episode:

• 3:30 Looking at problems in a new and unique way.
• 4:50 Turning knowledge into wisdom through application.
• 5:50 The tools to become an expert in transformation.
• 7:40 Thinking outside of the box to solve problems.
• 8:20 Building a narrative for effective communication.
• 9:50 The power of trust in leadership.
• 10:40 Leading with integrity.
• 11:15 Understanding the speed of trust.
• 12:30 Embracing Dyslexia: A Unique Problem-Solving Superpower
• 15:00 Finding balance through accountability.
• 17:10 The importance of dialogue and communication in a high-tech world.
• 21:00 Takeaways.
   

Today’s Action Items:

1. Be transparent.
2. Be competent.
3. Be energetic.

Get a free PDF of today’s action items! Podcast Action Items - Grace Strategic Services (grace4success.com)

Recommended Reading:

• The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey

Connect with MG Dustin Schultz:

• http://www.linkedin.com/in/dustin-anne-shultz

Connect with Ted Davis:

• Website - Grace Strategic Services (grace4success.com)
• LinkedIn - Ted Davis
• Facebook - Ted Davis
• Instagram - @tedavisgrace

Podcast management and production by Jazzy at Premier Podcast Promotions