In 2004, Becky Halstead made history. She became the first female graduate from West Point to be promoted to Brigadier General in the US Army. Another first for the military record books included her command at the strategic level in Iraq, from 2005 to 2006, leading 20,000 soldiers and 5,000 civilians. That was a first not only for the Army, but also for the United States military. She culminated her military career, 2006 to 2008, as the Chief of Ordnance for the U.S. Army (first woman to do so), responsible for the technical training and leader development of soldiers and officers serving in maintenance, munitions, explosives and armament skill sets.
After she retired from the Army, Becky founded her own company, Steadfast Leadership. She also wrote a book, “24/7: The First Person You Must Lead is You,” which melds her own experiences with tried-and-true leadership principles, and makes for an interesting account of history during her tenure in the military.
Today, Becky travels the world delivering inspirational and motivational speaking, along with developing corporate and academic leadership training. We first met her at Gunsite Academy last year, shortly after she had been named to the prestigious corporate board of Ruger Firearms.
Not only is Becky an excellent mentor and leadership role model, she also is an excellent marksman. She shot the only perfect score on the marksmanship test, using a Ruger Security-380.
When she asked us what she could do to support us, we asked her to answer our “Gal Gab” questions. We think you’ll be as fascinated by her answers as we were, and maybe, come away inspired and motivated to take on a new challenge – or two.
Describe a typical day in your work life.
As you know, in 2008, after 27 years in the US Army, I retired from military service. So, the description of a typical day in my work life has drastically changed.
It was an honor and privilege to serve our nation. What I enjoyed most about the military was our people, our team and our mission. I led my teams with a laser focus – with a “go-to-war mentality” and with an attitude of “people first, mission always.” My subject matter expertise was supply chain; I was a multifunctional logistician. I thrived on processes and having my teams be combat multipliers. I wanted each of us to have the attitudes of “be part of the solution, not the problem” and “don’t worry about who gets the credit” because “success is a team sport.”
I retired because I was having challenges with my health and I wanted to get well so I could continue to contribute to society. I was only 49-years old. Of course, I had been wearing Army boots since I was 18, when I entered the United States Military Academy in 1977, so I had no pre-conceived notion about what my next career would look like. I determined rather quickly, however, that my passion and purpose was centered around people and leader development.
So, in 2010, I established Steadfast Leadership. I began speaking on leadership (mostly for T-shirts and coffee cups while I attempted to figure out my path) to any organization who was interested – churches, schools, small businesses, etc. As I was five months into this new work environment, an opportunity presented itself – speaking to 300 women in New York City who were leaders in the C-Suites of their companies. The connection came from a West Point classmate (never underestimate the power of your friendships, relationships and contacts). That one event snowballed into hundreds, and my speaking now expands internationally, and I have a best-selling Harvard Business Case Study, and I authored my own book on leadership (“24/7: The First Person You Must Lead is You”).
My Army life had been very structured, very disciplined and very demanding – routine daily life started with physical training every morning and then every minute of the day was packed, and there was rarely an evening that I did not work into the late hours. We spent weeks in the field training and practicing all our skills should we be called to combat. I thought my days were long in peacetime until I deployed to combat. That is when I realized the value of all the years of hard work. There are no weekends. The enemy gets a vote.
In my new life and career, it is 180 degrees the opposite. I have almost no structure, which demands even more discipline. The majority of my workload is speaking in the corporate sector (which requires a lot of travel and coordination), but I am also blessed to be a board member on a family-owned company (Standard Process, an organic, whole food supplements company in Wisconsin) and of course, a director on the Ruger board. When I am not at a scheduled event, I am preparing in some capacity for upcoming events.
The Ruger board has been an incredible learning journey and experience. There are so many parallels to those things that I enjoyed in the military: people, products, quality, team, mission! Being my first public board experience, I find myself in constant study of the industry.
I said yes to the opportunity because I have carried a firearm my entire life. I grew up in a small country town in upstate New York and many of us knew how to fire, and many of my friends then and now love to hunt. We understood the importance of being responsible and safe. For me, joining the Ruger board has been both professionally and personally purposeful and rewarding. It has reignited my desire to be part of the solution, especially with regard to protecting our Second Amendment rights. It has also brought back a sense of mission and team for me. The intellectual rigor of board preparation motivates me to learn more, listen harder and make an impact. Our products and our people are the best in the industry. Ruger is a family. Being on the board has opened my eyes to the challenges we face as an industry and has strengthened my convictions.
#1 piece of advice you would give other females who want to break into the industry?
Do it! Unlike some industries, I find this industry to be welcoming to women – the environment is one in which confidence is respected, competence is expected, and passion is strongly admired.
What motivates you?
Engaging with people, solving difficult problems, gaining knowledge, helping others – especially anonymously – taking a great nature photo, being healthy, learning new technology … to name a few.
Most unexpected thing you’ve learned, while working in this industry?
The scope and layers of the industry – from clothing lines and accessories, to hunting, shooting and sports, variety of firearms and the network of agencies involved.
Favorite product in the outdoor or shooting market right now?
After spending three days at Gunsite with some very passionate (and sharpshooting) women, my newest favorite firearm is my Ruger Security-380. I would be remiss to not mention the 1911, however, as the .45 caliber was my favorite firearm that I carried in the military.
Let’s have some fun … what weapon would you use to battle a giant?
I’m 5-feet 1-inch tall. Physically, most everyone is a giant to me. My first choice to defeat a giant would be my character – using my mind and heart to influence all situations. Perhaps that is why I love the Ruger mission statement so much. We are a company dedicated to “providing innovative and reliable firearms for the responsible citizen.” Character is the cornerstone of responsibility.
Learn more about Becky Halstead and Steadfast Leadership at her website.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
