From Military Service to Civilian Leadership: How Navy Discipline Translates to Business Results
The transition from military service to civilian leadership is one of the most underestimated challenges veterans face. It’s not about losing discipline – it’s about translating it. John Franklin Wiley served aboard nuclear submarines, where leadership under pressure wasn’t optional. After the Navy, John applied those same principles to build companies, lead nonprofits, and navigate private equity deals worth tens of millions. In this talk, he shares what military leadership actually looks like in the boardroom, the jobsite, and the small business – and why the skills veterans carry are exactly what today’s organizations need.
Your audience will walk away with:
• Three military leadership principles that directly translate to business
• Why “command and control” isn’t what you think it is
• How to leverage veteran discipline without losing civilian buy-in
Ideal for veteran groups, civic organizations, Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, and any audience that values disciplined leadership.
No charge, no honorarium, no mileage costs. This guest speaker is free for in-person presentations in Phoenix and virtual presentations nationwide.
John Wiley, CEPA
CEO, Private Equity Strategist, Navy Veteran, Author, John Franklin Wiley
Business SpeakerJohn Franklin Wiley was on the streets at 15, aboard a nuclear submarine by 20, and building a national nonprofit...
View Speaker ProfileMore Free Presentations by John Wiley, CEPA
What’s Your Business Actually Worth? The Honest Conversation Owners Aren’t Having
Most business owners have a number in their head – what they think their company is worth. Most of them are wrong. Not because they’re bad at business,...
You’re Not Broken – You’re Blocked: Rediscovering What Was Never Lost
The self-help industry has spent decades telling you something is wrong with you – that you need to be fixed, healed, or optimized before you can live the...
Intuition as Strategy: Why Your Best Decisions Won’t Come from a Spreadsheet
We live in a world obsessed with data, metrics, and analysis. But the most consequential decisions – the ones that change a career, a company, or a life...
Second Acts: Why Your Most Important Chapter Might Be the One You Haven’t Written Yet
After decades of building, leading, and sometimes losing – what comes next? For many people over 50, the answer feels unclear. The career is winding down. The identity...
The Art of the Pivot: How to Rebuild When the Plan Falls Apart
Every life has a moment where the plan stops working. A career ends. A business fails. A health crisis hits. What separates the people who stay stuck from...
From Condemned Hospital to National Nonprofit: Leadership When the Odds Are Absurd
In 2009, John Franklin Wiley walked into a 150,000-square-foot abandoned hospital with no funding, no staff, and a vision that made everyone nervous. Within a few years, it...
The Founder Trap: When You Become the Lid on Your Own Company
You started it. You grew it. Now it can’t grow because of you. It’s not a failure – it’s a pattern that hits the best founders. John Franklin...
Streets to Submarines to the C-Suite: What Four Decades of Unlikely Turns Taught Me About Resilience
By 15, John Franklin Wiley was on the streets. By 20, he was aboard a nuclear submarine. He went on to become a top income earner, a pastor,...
Why 80% of Businesses Listed for Sale Never Sell – And What Smart Owners Do Differently
Eight out of ten businesses that go to market never close a deal. Not because the businesses are bad but because the owners weren't ready. Drawing on his...
Free Speakers Phoenix is a pro bono speakers bureau. Since 2017, our speakers have given free presentations to Rotary clubs, libraries, schools, and community groups across the Phoenix area. Learn more about how it works.