Episode 31: Case Study in Leadership: Major General William Hickman
On this episode, we look at the extraordinary life of a man who has found great success as a career military man. Major General William Hickman spent 36 years serving his country. Born and raised in Maury County, Gen. Hickman attended local schools before attending Vanderbilt University. As an ROTC student there, upon graduation, he was commissioned into the army as a 2nd lieutenant in 1983. Over the next three decades, he rose through the ranks holding various field and staff commands including company, battalion, and brigade commands with the 101st Airborne Division. Between 2003-2008, Gen. Hickman served three tours of duty in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Serving in over 30 countries, he joined the Central Command Staff as military assistant to General David Patraeus. He became commanding general of the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, Deputy Commander for the U.S. Army in the Middle East, and finally, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Plans and Policy, NATO’s Allied Command Transformation. Retiring from the military in 2019 as a major general, Gen. Hickman is now senior advisor at Compass Executives Group, assisting businesses in crisis management, strategic planning and decision-making, coaching and leader development, and supply chain management. Tom Price and Dr. Barry Gidcomb lead the discussion.