Episode Notes:
In this episode, Dr. Richard Schneider – Retired U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Rear Admiral, Retired Commanding General of the Vermont State Militia, and President Emeritus of Norwich University – candidly reflects on the lessons he has learned from an illustrious career in the military and academia. Dr. Schneider’s legacy is nothing short of legendary, and his wisdom is priceless. This interview offers countless stories, insights, soundbites, and golden nuggets of information that will make you want to listen with a notebook open and a pen in hand.
All the better, this interview encompasses everything that Dr. Schneider and Norwich University stand for – a commitment to excellence in the face of adversity. The call was dropped, his phone was dying, dogs were barking, and phones were ringing, but with an authentic Norwich-inspired “I will try” attitude, this finalized interview was jam-packed with wisdom and actionable advice on how to optimize your life, lead an organization, and transform the world.
The topics of values, service, and leadership are deeply explored, as well as Dr. Schneider’s secret to longevity, advice from a former Army Chief of Staff, a story of a janitor who put a man on the moon, and more!
Topics:
[3:45] The role of guiding values in organizational success
[6:25] Captain Alden Partridge’s mission to train citizen soldiers
[11:37] The janitor who put a man on the moon
[14:40] Advice from former Army Chief of Staff, General Gordon R. Sullivan
[23:30] Leaders must communicate with transparency
[44:02] “It was all about service my whole life, helping others”
[56:00] Experience with Transcendental Meditation
[1:06:40] Dr. Schneider’s advice to optimize your health, happiness, and performance
The Legacy of Dr. Richard Schneider
Dr. Richard Schneider has built a legacy worthy of admiration by blending two core passions for helping and teaching others. Between distinguished careers in the military and academia, Dr. Schneider has worn many different hats. So many, in fact, that his resume looks more like a PhD thesis than a cover letter. Before retiring from the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve as a Rear Admiral, Dr. Schneider oversaw all Coast Guard Reserve operations between the Rocky Mountains and the coast of Israel. For 28 years up until May of 2020, Dr. Schneider served as the President of Norwich University, the oldest private military college in the United States. As such, he also assumed the role of Commanding General of the Vermont State Militia.
While these positions highlight the success and prestige of his career, his experiences extend far beyond these titles. While in the Coast Guard, he served eight years of active duty, including a tour of Vietnam as a gunnery officer. Later, he attended Wesleyan University and the University of Delaware for his masters and PhD, before working as a Vice-President at Drexel University in Philadelphia. This is merely a condensed summary of his story, but for more information, it is highly encouraged to explore some fantastic resources on Dr. Schneider, his story, and his legacy.
- Norwich University’s Farewell to President Schneider
- “Underway” the story of President Schneider
- Rear Admiral Richard Schneider – U.S. Coast Guard
Guiding Values: The Foundation of Every Success
Personal integrity. Service. Preparation. These are just of few of the guiding values that have played important roles in Dr. Schneider’s life, both personally and professionally. In his time at Norwich, Dr. Schneider scoured the writing of Norwich founder Captain Alden Partridge, extracted the guiding principles of the institution, and communicated them directly and clearly across the community.
Perhaps the most influential takeaway for many graduates, the guiding values serve as a framework for all decision-making that occurs within the organization. By establishing a clear set of guiding values, entire organizations can be aligned to collectively operate with the intention of fulfilling the overarching mission. Expanding on the importance of values, Dr. Schneider remarked how the communication and exemplification of guiding values “gave followers confidence, because they knew that the values would remain unchanged.”
Service: A Mission to Save Others
“For me, it was all about service my whole life, helping others. That’s why I wanted to join the Coast Guard, to save people that were in trouble.” Dr. Schneider adopted the values of his grandfather, a World War II veteran, and grew up inspired to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard with a mission of helping other people. And that is exactly what he did.
Along the way to becoming a distinguished service member, Dr. Schneider inspired generations of others to do the same. At Norwich, the intention was to uphold Captain Alden Partridge’s vision of training citizen soldiers, people who are capable of 1) Building the economy (at times of peace), and 2) Leading troops (when the republic is threatened).
Obviously, Dr. Schneider’s military competence and experience is worthy of its own episode (or more), but he is quick to point out that service is not limited to those in uniform. Everyone has the ability to serve the greater good of their organization, country, and the world. In fact, he shared that he deeply admires frontline healthcare workers (an acknowledgement that came to light with the Coronavirus pandemic) and school teachers in underprivileged communities.
Leadership Through Planning and Empowerment
Known for having many go-to phrases, Dr. Schneider shared some golden nuggets of leadership wisdom that have guided him throughout the years. First, when talking about his commitment to planning everything and anything, he says, “Success is 10% planning and 90% execution.” While 10% may not seem like much, it is an absolutely necessary prerequisite to execution. A similar notion was shared to him by former Army Chief of Staff and Norwich graduate (’59), General Gordon R. Sullivan. In this interview, Dr. Schneider recalls General Sullivan reminding him that “hope is not a plan.” This idea is actually the core concept of one of General Sullivan’s books, “Hope is Not a Method.” The takeaway message: Planning must be carefully considered and meticulously executed.
Another important concept in leadership, which ties back into values and personal integrity, is the importance of transparency as a leader. He believes that if you are unable to effectively communicate your vision with passion, it is unreasonable to expect that people will be empowered to support the mission. Furthermore, transparency is critical, because people need to understand exactly why decisions are made. As a leader, a cloak of ambiguity can often do more harm than good, hindering your potential to deliver on your mission.
Optimizing Your Life: Secrets to Longevity, Happiness, and Making an Impact
For those who aren’t familiar with Dr. Schneider, he is nearly 75 years old but has the mental acuity of a fresh PhD graduate, the enthusiasm for life of a young child, and the vitality of an elite soldier. Whatever he has been doing, it has been working. For someone as devoted to planning, strategy, and learning as himself, you may think that he has the art of human optimization down to a science, perhaps as intricate as the Newtonian physics that he intended to teach in the Coast Guard.
Rather, the formula is simple, and he serves as an excellent case study of its merits. Here are the three things he has done to defy aging and sustain high performance:
- Consistently sleep 8 hours per night
- Make family a priority
- Follow his passions
Physical health all starts with sleep. And with the exception to some tough nights and stressful times, Dr. Schneider consistently got 8 hours of sleep per night. No matter how busy you are or how many titles you may have, sleep must be a priority to enable high performance. Secondly, he notes that if your house isn’t in order, you can’t expect anything else to be. Committing time to family, friends, and faith are important to achieving happiness. Finally, true success is driven by passion. “If you don’t like what you’re doing, get out!”
Listen to this episode to hear more from Dr. Schneider and be inspired to optimize your life, lead your organization, and transform the world. Any questions or comments? I’d love to hear from you!
