E43 - Guests: Reuben Keith Green, US Navy (Retired)

Leading 4 Life "Stories"

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My guest this week is Reuben Keith Green, a former US Navy surface warfare officer and the published author of "Black Officer, White Navy". As the book title suggests, Keith's life in the US Navy was a challenging one and, since leaving the Navy in 1997, he has devoted the majority of his time to trying to improve the situation that black members of the US Navy face on a routine basis.
This interview discusses Keith's personal journey at length, including the discrimination he faced throughout his time as an enlisted rank, and then subsequently as an officer. It is not a wholly negative story. As Keith makes very clear, he worked with many excellent white officers, and many of the key influencers in his life have been white. However, there are plenty of seriously challenging issues as well, and Keith does not hold back when it comes to describing the difficulties he faced and the lasting impact they have had on him.
This is a hard hitting story but one that absolutely must be told as Keith's experiences carry lessons for all leaders in the private sector as well as the military and wider public sector. Although Keith's focus is clearly within the US, the examples he quotes are regularly cited much more widely and that is why I think what Keith has to say is so important. His book was originally self-published but is now being republished in a much more mainstream way. It is already available in the US and will be available in the UK from June 2024 - I for one will certainly be reading it as, having spoken at such length with Keith, I am really interested to get to that next level of detail in his memoir.
You can find Keith here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/reuben-green-6aa9037b/
In this episode we cover the following topics (starting time in brackets):

• Keith's career journey (00.02.16)
• Early motivations (00.04.24)
• Advice to a school age Keith! (00.05.50)
• The challenge of being successful AND black (00.06.56)
• Role models (00.13.08)
• Dealing with attacks on social media (00.17.07)
• The good, the bad, and the ugly of leadership experiences! (00.25.15)
• Racial divides (00.30.07)
• Staying motivated! (00.38.46)
• Highs and lows; what Keith would have done differently (00.45.09)
• Most significant achievement (00.47.36)
• Career low point (00.51.51)
• Bouncing back from challenging situations (00.54.33)
• "Black Officer, White Navy" (01.00.31)
• De-stressing and relaxing (01.03.04)
• Perspectives on the US at present (01.05.54)
• Most memorable event (01.09.15)
• Moving from the enlisted ranks to the officer corps (01.11.28)
• Most difficult question (01.13.00)

Thank you for listening!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudsonBob
Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

Chapters

1. E43 - Guests: Reuben Keith Green, US Navy (Retired) (00:00:00)

2. Keith's career journey (00:02:16)

3. Early motivations (00:04:24)

4. Advice to a school age Keith! (00:05:50)

5. The challenge of being successful AND black! (00:06:56)

6. Role models (00:13:08)

7. Dealing with attacks on social media (00:17:07)

8. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of leadership experiences! (00:25:15)

9. Racial divides (00:30:07)

10. Staying motivated! (00:38:46)

11. Highs & lows; what Keith would have done differently (00:45:09)

12. Most significant achievement (00:47:36)

13. Career low point (00:51:51)

14. Bouncing back from challenging situations (00:54:33)

15. "Black Officer, White Navy" (01:00:31)

16. De-stressing and relaxing (01:03:04)

17. Perspectives on the US at present (01:05:54)

18. Most memorable event (01:09:15)

19. Moving from the enlisted ranks to the officer corps (01:11:28)

20. Most difficult question (01:13:00)