Forging Leaders Beyond the Stars: A Personal Dispatch from Next Generation GEOINT

Walking into the auditorium on the morning of September 15, 2026, I could feel a palpable hum of anticipation throughout the room. The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation had gathered an eclectic crowd for its "Next Generation GEOINT: Forging Leaders" event. Seated around me were university students, early-career imagery analysts, and seasoned defense contractors. We were all there for the same purpose, eager to hear from two undisputed heavyweights in naval intelligence and defense leadership: retired Rear Admiral Mike Studeman and retired Vice Admiral Bob Sharp.

Between the two speakers sat nearly seven decades of service at the highest echelons of national security. Studeman spent more than thirty-five years leading thousands of intelligence professionals across the Office of Naval Intelligence, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and U.S. Southern Command, in addition to penning his book, Might of the Chain: Forging Leaders of Iron Integrity. Sharp served thirty-four years in naval intelligence and information warfare before directing the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from 2019 to 2022. Today, he heads B SHARP Global Solutions, helping leaders navigate complex missions.

As our moderator, Sarah, took the stage and introduced them, a lighthearted energy swept through the hall. When she mentioned the NGA, Sharp cheerfully quipped, "Best intelligence agency!" to immediate laughter. That warmth set the tone for the entire session. These were senior flag officers who had navigated geopolitical flashpoints and crises, yet they spoke to us with genuine humility and grounded humanity.

Starting Before the Title

Sarah launched the conversation by addressing the core demographic in the room. Many attendees were just beginning their professional journeys and lacked supervisory titles. She asked how junior personnel can tangibly exercise leadership right where they are.

Studeman leaned in with a warm, reassuring smile. He explained that everyone serves simultaneously as a leader and a follower, regardless of rank or desk location.

"You've been practicing leadership when you may not have known that you were," Studeman shared. "When you're actually exerting good influence, you are being a leader of a sort. You may not have had a title, but it didn't matter."

He urged us to take confidence in the path that brought us through the door. Referencing Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist, Studeman reminded us that when you pursue something with authentic passion, the world conspires to help you reach it. Senior leaders, he noted, naturally want to lift up young professionals who show energy, curiosity, and commitment.

Sharp nodded in wholehearted agreement. He thanked everyone for investing their valuable time, reminding us that deciding to show up and learn is itself an act of leadership. He offered three simple habits to cultivate early in our careers: spend deliberate time thinking about leadership, reading about leadership, and writing about leadership.

"Thinking about leadership can just be being observant," Sharp explained. He encouraged us to watch our superiors through two practical filters. First, observe their actions and decide whether they represent good or bad leadership. Emulate the good and consciously discard the bad. The second filter is even more critical: determine whether an admired trait genuinely aligns with who you are.

"You see a leader that you really admire, and you think, 'I would love to be like that, but that's just not me,'" Sharp noted. "That second filter will allow you to grow your authentic leadership style over time."

The Unbreakable Currency of Trust

Listening to them, I could tell that authenticity was the golden thread tying their careers together. Studeman warned that teams can instantly sense an artificial persona. If you attempt to copy someone else's posture without internalizing it, credibility evaporates.

"Trust is the underlying, most important thing," Studeman stressed, observing how fractures across modern society stem from broken trust. "Without trust, you can't unite, you can't actually work together, and people are very suspicious and they're fearful, and things fragment."

Sharp built on that concept by revisiting the timeless guidance of General Colin Powell: tell decision-makers what you know, tell them what you do not know, tell them what you think, and always distinguish between the three. Sharp personally adds a fourth mandate: tell them what to do next.

To illustrate how trust functions under operational pressure, Sharp recalled his tenure leading the Joint Intelligence Center at U.S. Central Command under General Jim Mattis. When Sharp asked for guidance to pass along to his analysts, Mattis laid out his expectations with trademark candor. He counted on their analytical tradecraft, instincts, and deep expertise to help navigate high-stakes ambiguity. Mattis welcomed vigorous debate and remained completely receptive whenever analysts revised their judgments with solid rationale. That dynamic, Sharp reflected, highlighted the true benchmark of professional credibility: earning a seat where senior leaders actively seek your counsel before making consequential decisions.

Studeman added that trust is cemented by stepping out from behind briefing slides. By sitting elbow-to-elbow with military operators at the planning table, intelligence professionals build empathy and shared ownership of the mission.

Everyday Habits and Humility

When Sarah shifted the discussion to the daily disciplines that anchor high performers, the conversation turned deeply personal.

Studeman reflected on his childhood, recalling how his mother required him to keep a journal starting at nine years old during a family road trip to Key West. At the time, he dreaded the yellow legal pad. Yet that discipline evolved into a lifelong cornerstone for intellectual clarity. Writing allowed him to slow down, organize his thoughts, and catch flawed assumptions before making major operational decisions.

Sharp connected his foundational outlook to his upbringing as the oldest of four boys. He recounted moving into a new neighborhood where the neighbors initially greeted the boisterous family with cold hostility. When he complained to his mother, she gave him advice that stayed with him forever: keep smiling, stay kind, and let people grow tired of being mean. Within months, those same neighbors invited the boys over to swim.

"You get to choose your attitude," Sharp told us. "It's infectious, positive or negative. Be very deliberate about your attitude."

Sharp also advocated for rigorous daily reflection. High-performing teams consistently analyze their missteps alongside their successes. He shared that on deployments, he made it a personal habit to pray for patience and kindness each morning, and to ask forgiveness each night for moments where he fell short.

Leading Through Change and Empowering Every Voice

Turning toward organizational leadership, Sharp detailed the heavy responsibility of steering NGA during the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. When panic erupted and employees demanded rigid instructions, he resisted top-down dictates. Instead, he pledged to communicate clear objectives and trust the agency's 15,000 personnel to solve operational hurdles together.

That level of trust requires genuine inclusion. Sharp spoke passionately about welcoming diverse perspectives, cautioning that silence often hides brilliant solutions. He referenced the movie Big, describing the famous scene where Tom Hanks simply raises his hand in a stuffy corporate meeting to say he does not understand a bad toy concept.

"Don't limit yourself in how you contribute to an organization based off of what you think your duties are assigned," Sharp urged. Junior team members must feel empowered to voice fresh ideas, because solving complex intelligence challenges demands every vantage point.

Studeman echoed this warning against unnecessary structural reorganizations. Leaders often shuffle org charts because it looks like progress, yet structural chaos can inflict immense emotional strain on personnel without improving mission outcomes. Genuine change happens through clear process, honest communication, and unwavering care for the workforce.

Embracing Criticism to Strengthen the Soul

During the audience question period, Vivianne Stoy, a student from George Mason University, asked both leaders how they handle criticism and channel it into growth.

Studeman drew hearty chuckles by pointing to his childhood with two quick-witted sisters who regularly kept his ego in check. He recalled his older sister singing Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" whenever he took himself too seriously. On a deeper note, he cautioned us against confusing constructive feedback with harmful hostility.

"Don't beat yourself up to the point where you minimize the strength and the confidence that you should have," Studeman said. "Distinguishing the signal from the noise is really important for your own psychological health and well-being."

Sharp agreed, noting that leaders must evaluate criticism honestly without becoming defensive. Growth comes from asking how feedback can make you more decisive, attentive, and kind.

As the session wrapped up and thunderous applause swept the auditorium, I looked around at the energized faces of my fellow attendees. We had arrived expecting a standard lecture on strategic defense priorities. We left with an inspiring blueprint for character, service, and the everyday courage required to lead.

My biggest takeaway from this keynote on Forging Leaders is to act like a leader, long before you receive the title. Choose positivity for the trajectory of your day and treat everyone as if they have brilliant contributions to bring to the table. Through consistency, you’ll start earning a reputation as a trusted leader. Leaders and aspiring leaders left this keynote feeling refreshed and influenced for continued greatness.