DAN GAYLIN: Jeff, you have quite the career path—you've served as a full Colonel in the Air Force and held senior leadership roles at FEMA, the CDC, and the Census Bureau before you came to us at NORC. Can you speak to your core management and leadership principles based on your journey so far?

JEFF BRYANT: When I joined the Air Force, I transitioned from being a civilian to a second lieutenant overnight, leading a team of 13 at the age of 24. This early experience taught me invaluable lessons about leadership, particularly in crisis situations. One of the most important principles I learned is “mission first, people always.” This simple phrase, coined by one of my Wing Commanders, has guided me through various roles. It means making decisions that advance the mission and benefit the team.

To effectively implement this, it's crucial to “push the noise to the side”—filtering but not ignoring distractions such as media, stakeholders, and external pressures. When making decisions, I ask two questions, “Is this going to advance the mission and is this in the best interests of our staff?” During my time in the military, at FEMA, and the CDC, we faced significant challenges that required clear, mission-focused decisions. By keeping the mission and team at the forefront, we navigated these complexities successfully.

DAN: Mission first, people always, I really like that phrase. I've heard you say it before, and it resonates with me. I've been thinking about a similar concept that I've come to call “service leadership.” This term aligns closely with “servant leadership,” a popular concept. While I find it useful, I prefer “service leadership” because it emphasizes that we are all in service to the organization and its mission, as well as to each other.

In places like NORC it's crucial that we look out for one another and the collective. This ensures that we are truly serving the mission. Service leadership embodies respect, kindness, understanding people's needs, and providing the resources necessary for everyone to succeed. It's about empowering our team and fostering a supportive environment where everyone can contribute effectively to the mission.

JEFF: I think service leadership matches well with “mission first, people always.” I would even offer that it’s a great construct for us at work, at home and in our communities as well.

DAN: How did you adapt your leadership style when transitioning from military roles to civilian roles, both within and outside the government?

JEFF: I think we should be continuously adapting our leadership approach. As senior leaders, we expect our top leaders to match our speed, but for more junior leaders and others in our organization, we need to adjust to their pace. The biggest change I had to make was in my communication style. In the military, communication is very direct—there’s not a lot of suggesting and collaborating. This direct style is effective and accepted in that culture.

When I moved to FEMA, it was similar but softer. Transitioning to Health and Human Services, Commerce, and then NORC required a different approach. At the CDC, I realized I had to radically change my communication style. People either didn’t understand me or thought I had an ego. I shifted from being very direct to a more amiable and considerate style, involving more suggesting, asking, coordinating, and collaborating. This self-awareness prompted me to make significant changes to better connect with our teams.

DAN: That’s really interesting, and it shows how adapting your approach to the context is so important. At NORC we strive to be respectful and considerate in our communication, emphasizing kindness and sensitivity. However, we also recognize that there can be too much of a good thing. Sometimes too much “niceness” might be perceived as not taking problems seriously enough. Finding the right balance in effective communication can be tricky, and I think responsible leaders are constantly working at this.

DAN: Jeff, I’ve heard you say to me, “I need to understand intent from you.” Tell me more about that—what do you mean when you talk about intent?

JEFF: Understanding senior leader intent is critical. I learned this in the military and carried it forward easily. People in more junior positions are capable of amazing things, so we often don't need to tell them how to do something. We just need to ensure they're focused on the right thing. For example, in the military, if deployed forces understand the intent—like conducting humanitarian operations to help the State Department nation-build—they don't have to ask about every detail. They can make decisions aligned with that intent, making everything faster and empowering them. Intent is a multiplier; if I understand your intent, then I can align my decisions with it, and don’t have to come back and ask about many of the details.

Interestingly, this concept of intent can be traced back to Napoleon. He fought battles across large geographies without the advantage of modern communication tools like satellites or cell phones. Napoleon made sure his field officers understood the desired outcomes of the battles they were sent to fight. In the absence of frequent communication, those officers guided their tactical plans based on his intent. This empowered them to act decisively, even when direct orders couldn’t be given.

DAN: I know that you are a student of history, so I love the Napoleon reference. It’s also really helpful to hear you expand on the concept of intent. When a senior leader clearly communicates desired outcomes or objectives together with strategic insights on how to get there you avoid micromanaging, empower your team, and demonstrate your trust and confidence in their capabilities. Is that consistent with what you are saying?

JEFF: I completely agree. The other part of that is making sure they're resourced to execute your intent.

This is just the beginning of our conversation on leadership. In part two, I share insights from Jeff on where he finds his leadership inspiration, what he's reading, and how he navigates organizational change.