Stories of Selling Human Stories of Selling Human Leadership Beyond Rank: Human Connection in the Military - Enrique Acosta, CEO, Author, Podcast Host - Sell By Being Human

Episode 143

full
Published on:

9th Jul 2025

Leadership Beyond Rank: Human Connection in the Military - Enrique Acosta, CEO, Author, Podcast Host

Summary:

Have you ever wondered if or how human connection happens in the military? For someone that's never been in the military like myself, I've often thought the military is about a chain of command and an order structure. That's it. You follow orders or else. Human connection and order seem to be opposing forces. But today's guest says that's not always the case. People get sold on staying or leaving the military by the people they report to.

Today I interviewed Enrique Acosta Gonzalez, a leadership expert and former Navy veteran. We discuss the importance of human connection in leadership, the transition from military to civilian leadership, and the significance of building trust and relationships. Enrique shares his experiences in the military, the impact of different leadership styles of his commanding officers, and how authenticity plays a crucial role in effective leadership. We touch on the concept of 'selling by being human' in the military and in his current practice of coaching his clients. This is for you if you've ever wondered how these skills show up in any of these places!

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction to Leadership and Human Connection

02:56 The Military's Human Element in Leadership

06:06 Building Trust and Relationships in Leadership

09:07 The Impact of Leadership Styles

11:59 Lessons from Military Leadership Experiences

15:05 Transitioning from Military to Civilian Leadership

20:07 The Importance of Authenticity in Leadership

24:00: Selling by Being Human in his current role

26:54 Nurturing Relationships for Long-Term Success

31:59 Working with Strong-Willed Leaders

36:44 Final Thoughts on Leadership and Legacy

Connect with Enrique:

Connect with Us!

Show artwork for Sell By Being Human

About the Podcast

Sell By Being Human
We all want to be heard, seen, and understood. This podcast shares stories of how all humans sell just by being great humans.
I believe that all people want to be heard, seen, and understood. But how do we get people to hear, see, and understand us effectively? Salespeople train themselves on techniques to do this but there are people doing it well without the word sales showing up anywhere in their job title or job description. This podcast is designed to help us hone our human skills, understand subtle similarities between non-sales people and salespeople, and show how we can learn from both groups the next time we need to create change and sell by being human.

You will learn from people throughout all walks of life. Nurses, coaches, janitors, event planners, HR executives, and architects. Just to name a few. We'll contrast them with trained sales people to show similarities and differences. There's an art to human connection and sales. We all do it differently and we can all learn from our every day human interactions.

Please contact me and let me know who you see in your life selling by being human! I want to shine a light on them.

alex.smith@docebo.com
@asmith202
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexcsmith/

About your host

Profile picture for Alex Smith

Alex Smith

tezt