From Navy Commander to CEO: What Military Service Taught Chris Miller About Leadership (E: 005)
What carries over when you move from military leadership into the CEO seat, and what do you have to learn differently?
Chris Miller's military service in the U.S. Navy shaped how he thinks about leadership, responsibility, discipline, and developing people. Today, as CEO of Guzman Energy, he applies many of those lessons while also recognizing that leading a business requires a different approach.
In this episode of the Leadership Capacity Show, Chris and I talk about what transferred from military service into business leadership, what he had to unlearn, why leaders can't save everyone, and what experience has taught him about building and trusting a high-performing team.
We also get into one of the strongest themes of our conversation: trust. Chris shares why trust is foundational to leadership, why shared standards matter, and why who you put on your team may be one of the most important decisions you make.
We discuss:
• What military service taught Chris about leadership
• The leadership belief he had to unlearn
• Why employees have to meet leaders halfway
• Moving from personally leading to developing other leaders
• What Chris looks for in executive-level talent
• Leading through gray areas and complex decisions
• Why mission matters when hiring
• How leaders earn—and lose—trust
• Why high-performing teams depend on shared standards
• What Chris would tell himself 15 years ago
Chris Miller is CEO of Guzman Energy, a wholesale power company serving cooperatives, municipalities, tribes, and commercial customers.
The Leadership Capacity Show explores how experienced leaders think, make decisions, develop people, and grow into what leadership asks of them next.
00:00 — Preview
00:37 — Meet Chris Miller: Navy Commander to CEO
01:21 — How the Navy Changed Chris's Life
03:04 — What the Military Teaches You About Leadership
05:03 — The Leadership Belief Chris Had to Unlearn
08:18 — Why People Have to Meet Leaders Halfway
10:11 — What Leadership Is Asking of Chris Now
12:34 — What Chris Looks for When Hiring Leaders
16:05 — The Mission Behind Guzman Energy
17:38 — What Chris Refuses to Compromise On
19:42 — Why You Won't Connect With Everyone You Lead
20:28 — Why Trust Is Essential to Leadership
22:14 — How High-Performing Teams Build Trust
24:14 — What Chris Would Tell Himself 15 Years Ago
Guzman Energy: https://www.guzmanenergy.com/
Chris Miller on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-miller-52b15950/
Grab the Leadership Book: https://www.hilaniellis.com/hilani-ellis-capacity-the-new-advantage
Follow along on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaniellis/