The Leadership Playbook: A Fireside Chat on Leadership in the Military as well as College Football's Biggest Stage

📍 Location: Miami University, Oxford, OH

🔗 Conference Website: International Leadership Conference

Miami University hosted its first-ever International Leadership Conference, designed to empower students to address complex, real-world challenges alongside influential leaders. The focus: human-centered leadership—leading with empathy, purpose, and a commitment to creating a better future. Through experiential case studies and direct collaboration with current leaders, students engaged in timely problem-solving and learned by doing.

Keynote Highlights: A Career of Service

The opening keynote by Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark traced an unexpected path: he began at the U.S. Air Force Academy as a football recruit, a start that grew into a distinguished 38-year military career. He didn’t plan nearly four decades of service. Instead, he faced the decision to continue serving at least 15 separate times—and chose service each time. The lesson: service isn’t a single commitment; it’s a choice you return to again and again.

Leading Beyond the Oath

Clark drew a powerful contrast between military and civilian leadership. In the military, an oath and mission create a clear, shared purpose. Outside that context, leaders must work intentionally to build alignment. Without a formal oath, clarity of purpose and consistent communication become the binding forces that unite a team.

Balance vs. Harmony

Rather than striving for a perfect “work-life balance,” Clark framed leadership and life as a pursuit of harmony. Doing things together—integrating personal and professional spheres where appropriate—can create a more sustainable rhythm than constantly splitting “family time” and “work time.” Harmony emphasizes coherence over competition for time.

The Making of a Leader

When evaluating leaders (and himself as a leader), Clark looks for three essentials:

  • Humility — Acknowledging you don’t have all the answers and staying open to learning.
  • Approachability — Creating psychological safety so people bring ideas, risks, and concerns forward.
  • Credibility — Aligning words and actions consistently to earn trust.

Purpose and Focus

Clark didn’t enlist to climb ranks—he enlisted to serve. That grounding purpose became his focus throughout his career. His counsel to students and emerging leaders: keep sight of why you lead. When purpose is clear, decisions simplify, resilience strengthens, and outcomes improve.

Pull-Quote Highlights

Service isn’t a single commitment; it’s a choice you return to again and again.

Outside an oath-driven environment, leaders must intentionally create shared purpose.

Aim for harmony, not perfect balance—build a coherent rhythm that integrates what matters.

Humility, approachability, and credibility are the bedrock of trusted leadership.

Stay anchored to purpose—promotion follows impact, not the other way around.