Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer - There Are No Warm-Up Targets in Combat

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer shares how failure, realism in training, and ruthless self-assessment shaped his leadership journey and what the Army must do now to prepare for tomorrow. In this powerful and wide-ranging conversation, Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer joins Moments in Leadership to talk about what it truly takes to lead in today’s military—and why the journey never ends. From his early days as a driven, overconfident PFC to becoming the Army’s senior enlisted leader, SMA Weimer reflects candidly on his own formative moments, including failure during pre-scuba and the lessons that followed. He offers real talk on leadership, humility, building trust with junior leaders, and why “empathy isn’t soft—it’s tactical.”

We dive deep into what makes leadership in special operations uniquely difficult, the myth of the “gold-plated lesson,” and the difference between mission command and micromanagement. You’ll hear his take on complacency, the pitfalls of artificial readiness, and what leaders can do—right now—to reclaim white space, raise standards, and forge the kind of disciplined, lethal teams the future demands.

This is a must-listen episode for anyone serious about servant leadership, readiness, and building winning teams.

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Resources:
"Combat Doesn’t Care: How Ready Are You?" By 17th Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael R. Weimer