APB Speaker & Former Navy SEAL Mike Hayes Featured on "Jocko" Podcast
05 Jul 2022
Mike Hayes, former Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO and Author of Never Enough, was a recent guest on the Jocko Podcast. The show, hosted by retired Navy SEAL and fellow APB speaker Jocko Willink, focuses on discipline and leadership in business, war, relationships and everyday life.
Hayes shared his life story, time as a Navy SEAL and leadership lessons he’s learned throughout his career. And what a career it has been. He is a 20-year veteran of the US Navy SEALs, served in two White House administrations and in senior executive roles in the private sector.
Hayes’ last job in the Navy was the Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO, which included 10 months as the Commander of a 2,000-person Special Operations Task Force in southeastern Afghanistan. A White House Fellow ('08/'09), he served two years as Director, Defense Policy and Strategy at the National Security Council. In the Bush Administration, Hayes was responsible for the START Treaty, where he produced a new proposed START Treaty and conducted negotiations with the Russians in Moscow. In the Obama administration, Hayes led the White House response to President Obama’s first major foreign policy showdown—the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia. Prior to the White House Fellowship, Hayes served as the Deputy Commander for all Special Operations in Anbar Province, Iraq.
Beyond his military and governmental service, Hayes is currently the Chief Digital Transformation Officer at VMware. He joined VMware in October 2020 and leads the company’s worldwide business operations and the acceleration of the company’s SaaS transition. Previously, he was SVP and Head of Strategic Operations at Cognizant Technology where he ran the $2B P&L for Financial Services. Hayes also served in Chief of Staff and COO roles at Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest and most successful hedge fund.
In Never Enough, Hayes helps readers apply high-stakes lessons about excellence, agility and meaning across their personal and professional lives.
Hayes holds an M.A. in Public Policy from Harvard’s J.F.K. School of Government and received his B.A. from Holy Cross College. His military decorations include the Bronze Star for valor in combat in Iraq, a Bronze Star for Afghanistan, and the Defense Superior Service Medal from the White House. Hayes’ work has been published by the RAND Corporation. He is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the board of directors of Immuta, a data governance company, and of the National Medal of Honor Museum, and a senior advisor to Inherent Group, an impact investment firm.