Meet David Sledge of David Sledge Leadership Group

Hi David, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and I came from a traditional, southern, loving family. My house was full of love and support. We weren’t rich, but we had everything we needed, thanks to my mom and dad. Immediately after graduating high school, I joined the United States Navy, and I’ve been traveling the world since the day I left my hometown. I began my career at sea on Navy ships, learning how to be a Sailor. After a few years, I was sent to training in Great Lakes, Illinois to learn to be a Gunner’s Mate, which is the Navy’s experts on guns and missile systems and their maintenance and upkeep.

My job was to maintain all classes of firearms and weapon systems needed to protect Navy personnel, ships, and bases.

The themes that remained constant throughout my career were professionalism, expertise, training, and a commitment to always getting the most out of myself and my Sailors.

After a few years and a few jobs, I realized that my real passion was training and developing Sailors into the Navy’s future leaders.

After a thirty three year career, twenty two duty stations, sixteen moves, and leading thousands of Sailors, I retired from the U.S. Navy this past June.

I am currently working on turning what I am passionate about in life into my next career, Which happens to be providing leadership and mentorship to the next generation of leaders.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My professional life has been fairly smooth, but Navy life can be challenging for families. The constant relocating, changing schools, and overseas moves can be difficult for families, especially families with small children. Military orders can be unpredictable at times. You just have to be able to make the best of each assignment. My approach was always to give my best effort, regardless of where the Navy sent me.

I’m thankful to my supportive wife and kids for their patience and support throughout the many moves. My wife was the four Star Admiral of our family and I, we would not have been successful without her tireless efforts.

Military life has unique challenges, but we were able to persevere as a family.

As you know, we’re big fans of David Sledge Leadership Group. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I’m passionate about leadership. I’m building what will eventually become a leadership academy. I hope to be able to influence and help shape the next generation of civilian and military leaders. My business will consist of books on leadership, training, and team building manuals, and speaking engagements at organizations needing help with building and fostering a positive team and work environment.

I think coaches and mentors are important and play a critical role in the development of young people’s character, sense of self-worth, and vision for their future.

I’m convinced that thriving societies benefit from committed and trained leaders who are focused on making things better.

I want to contribute to finding and developing those leaders in as many ways as possible.