Leadership Lessons From Admiral Michelle Howard, The Highest Ranking Woman In Naval History
July 3, 2014 Leave a comment
Kathryn DillForbes Staff
LEADERSHIP 7/01/2014 @ 1:19PM 16,721 views
Leadership Lessons From Admiral Michelle Howard, The Highest Ranking Woman In Naval History
Admiral Michelle Howard knows what it means to lead the charge.
This morning, in a ceremony at the Women In Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, Howard became the first woman in the U.S. Navy’s 236-year history to be promoted to four-star admiral and Vice Chief of Naval Operations, the second highest position in the Navy.
While today’s proceedings make history, Howard is no stranger to firsts. In 1999 she became the first African American woman to command a Naval ship, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore. Howard was also the first African American woman in any branch of the military to reach three stars. In the past she’s been deployed to Indonesia for tsunami relief efforts, participated in Maritime security operations in the North Arabian Gulf, and served as commander of a Counter-Piracy Taskforce where–three days into the job–she spearheaded the rescue of Captain Phillips from Somali pirates.
A native of Colorado, Howard, 54, is an enthusiastic trout fisher (“I really am from Colorado!”) whose mother first taught her to cast off. She had been married to husband Wayne Cowles for one year when Operation Desert Storm began and both were deployed (Cowles, now retired, was a U.S. Marine.)
On the eve of her promotion, the highest ranking woman in Naval history spoke with Forbes about innovative teams, how to help employees stay committed, and what she’s learned from a caffeine habit.
If you want to innovate, first take a hard look at yourself–and be flexible about making changes.
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