A guide to a legacy of leadership

Retired Army Lt. Col. Oakland McCulloch did not come from a family with a strong military background. But he made a career out of it, starting at West Point and then serving for 23 years as a combat arms officer. He received 31 military service awards, including the Bronze Star.

“I knew that’s what I wanted to do — be a leader in the military,” he says. “I always told myself I got to do things no one else who came from where I came from got to do. That’s why I made it a career, besides I loved what I got to do.”

McCulloch is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and the author of the 2021 book, “Your Leadership Legacy: Becoming the Leader You Were Meant to Be.” He shares his story and more as this week’s special guest on The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast.

In the new episode, McCulloch highlights principles that will benefit today’s leaders and inspire the leaders of tomorrow, in any profession and at any level of leadership. He will help you become the leader you were meant to be – a servant leader.

McCulloch spoke about the privilege it is to be a leader.

“It is not about the title you get or the privileges you get or that you get better pay of the other things that come with being a leader,” he explains. “If that is why you want to be a leader, please go do something else cause you are not going to be a good one. It’s all about how you empower and treat the people you have the privilege to lead. And it is a privilege to be a leader.”

When it comes to The American Legion at the local level, post officers are often in leadership positions for the first time. McCulloch offers some tips:

• Engage with the members at your post. “One of the things I always tried to do was to talk to the people in my organization and people in charge of The American Legions can do this as well: figure out what they want. What do they want it to look like?

• Involve multiple people in decision making. “Then when you come up with a solution or a decision, its no longer Col. McCullough’s decision, it’s our decision. We all had a say in it. That starts to build trust and it puts their skin in the game.”

Also, co-hosts Stacy Pearsall and Joe Worley discuss:

• How the Navy made WAVES on this date in 1942.

• A Chinese comedian who got in trouble with the Beijing government.

• A Bravo Zulu for an American Legion post for its support of a sheriff’s department.

Check out this week’s episode, which is among more than 260 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.