I must admit that when I sat down to listen to Tim Kennedy present “LEADERSHIP: Becoming The Sheepdog,” during this week’s Warrior Expo West, I was somewhat skeptical. The title evoked my disdain for the worn out Sheepdog trope. But what I got out of the presentation was something altogether different.
My only previous exposure to Tim Kennedy was a few glimpses of him on a TV series and he was understandably, oh so serious. Turns out, that’s not him at all. He is exactly who I should have thought he was, an SF NCO.
He was jovial throughout the presentation and even warned us up front that he would drop the odd curse word. I’m told there was some pearl clutching over his language, but he spoke to the audience as peers, and I’d say he held back a bit. I’ve heard much worse during my service. If the point of attending the speech was to meet the military customer, it served its purpose. This is how many service members talk, and look at life, particularly in our Special Operations Forces.
His message was simple, don’t quit. But Tim Kennedy can at times be quite self-deprecating, sharing both the highs and the lows in his life. It works.
I don’t want to steal his thunder by retelling his stories. The presentation offered example after example of never quit and never succumb to weakness, if you want to be great.
I enjoyed Tim’s presentation and if you get a chance to hear him speak, or just meet him in person, take it. It’s worth it.
