Mike Hayes was the guest on episode 350 of The Shawn Ryan Show on Oct. 22, in a long-form conversation that covered his SEAL command, the Captain Phillips rescue, Operation Red Wings and his years on the National Security Council.
The episode, Mike Hayes — The Navy SEAL in Obama’s Situation Room During the Captain Phillips Rescue, puts Hayes’ account of decision-making under pressure in front of one of the largest podcast audiences in the country. From the White House Situation Room, Hayes led the U.S. government’s response to the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama, the first major foreign policy crisis of the Obama presidency.
The conversation draws on Hayes’ career across military command, national security and corporate operations. He commanded a 2,000-person special operations task force in Afghanistan, served as director for defense policy and strategy at the NSC under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and later led worldwide operations at VMware through its $69 billion sale to Broadcom. He is now a managing director at Insight Partners, a firm with more than 800 software companies in its portfolio.
Hayes is the author of Never Enough: A Navy SEAL Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning and Mission Driven: The Path to a Life of Purpose. He donates all author and speaking profits to the 1162 Foundation, which he founded to pay off mortgages for Gold Star families. The foundation has paid off 12 homes to date.
Mike Hayes is exclusively represented by Stellant Group for speaking engagements including keynotes, fireside chats and panel discussions with leadership teams thinking through decision-making under pressure, organizational resilience and leading through crisis. For our consulting or advisory offerings, please reach out for a custom proposal.
