From Combat Zones to Bestseller Lists: Leadership Lessons with Atlas Aultman
What do pirates, military special ops, and best-selling books have in common? Leadership. This week, I’m joined by someone I love, disagree with sometimes, and deeply respect. Atlas Aultman—former Special Operations Commander, White House military lead, bestselling author of many books, including the Rule of Three, and host of Targeted, a podcast uncovering the secrets of visible success. In this episode, Atlas opens up about the high-stakes lessons that shaped his leadership philosophy—from combat deployments to the TEDx stage. We explore how pirate leadership, trust cycles, and his personal journey of purpose led him to focus exclusively on podcasting. You’ll hear about his kids’ book empire, his military notebooks, and how we drag each other into media bubbles we don't normally inhabit - and why.
Live Like a Leader with John Bates · Atlas Aultman, John Bates
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Show Notes
What You’ll Learn:
- Why the “Rule of Three” is a leadership game changer
- The origin and impact of Atlas’ TEDx talk: Start with Who
- What pirate leadership teaches us about trust and motivation
- Why success leaves clues—and how to collect them
- The mindset shift from chasing opportunities to choosing legacy
Leadership Gold:
“Every leader I’ve admired kept it simple: People. Time. Money.” The Rule of 3.
Resources & Links:
- Download Atlas’ "Best-Selling Book" Process
- Watch his TEDx Talk: Start with Who
- Connect with Atlas on his podcast: Targeted
- And, follow him on LinkedIn for more great insights.
🎁 BONUS: Atlas is offering you his $500 bestseller publishing process for free, courtesy of my request on your behalf! Head to leaders-kit.com/lll to grab it.
Subscribe & Review:
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John Bates provides 1:1 Executive Communications Coaching, both in-person and online. He also gets 92+ Net Promoter Scores for his large and small group leadership development trainings at organizations like Johnson & Johnson, NASA, Google, Intuit, Boston Scientific, and many more. Find more at https://executivespeakingsuccess.com.
Sign up for his weekly micro-trainings for free at https://johnbates.com/mini-trainings and create a great leadership communications habit that makes you the kind of leader who inspires trust, loyalty, and connection.