Nov 17, 2022 | 2 min read

Care in Leadership with General James Mukoyama

By: Patrick Emmons

Care in Leadership with General James Mukoyama

With a decorated thirty-year career in the U.S. Army behind him, General James Mukoyama’s retirement is one of passionate advocacy and aid for veterans. In the organizations he leads, Military Outreach USA and Enabled Enterprises, as well as other faith-based acts of service, General Mukoyama believes in leading by example and with care while maintaining balance in your life.

In this episode, General Mukoyama highlights two critical efforts of Military Outreach USA: reducing veteran suicide rates and equipping veterans exiting homelessness with much-needed supplies. He outlines how the organization approaches its work and provides a crucial explanation of "moral injury." General Mukoyama shares advice on leadership across industries, including four essential pillars of fitness and the importance of communicating expectations.

  • (01:46) – Military Outreach USA
  • (18:14) – Growing up Japanese-American in Chicago
  • (25:38) – Journey to Major General
  • (28:00) – Surviving Agent Orange
  • (33:03) – Methods in leadership
  • (39:10) – Testifying before Congress
  • (43:14) – Caring for your subordinates
  • (44:44) – Maintaining a healthy balance
  • (48:29) – “Coming Home” Veterans Retreats
  • (50:03) – Get involved

About Our Guest

Major General James H. Mukoyama, Jr. is the President and Executive Director of Military Outreach USA, Partner and Director at Enabled Enterprises, and served in the U.S. Army from 1964-1995. In 1989, he became the first Asian-American in the history of the United States to command an army. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in the teaching of social studies at the University of Illinois.

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About Patrick Emmons

If you can’t appreciate a good sports analogy, movie quote, or military reference, you may not want to work with him, but if you value honesty, integrity, and commitment to improvement, Patrick can certainly help take your business or your career to the next level. “Good enough,” is simply not in his vernacular. Pat’s passion is for relentlessly pushing himself and others to achieve full potential. Patrick Emmons is a graduate of St. Norbert College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. Patrick co-founded Adage Technologies in 2001 and in 2015, founded DragonSpears as a spin-off dedicated to developing custom applications that improve speed, compliance and scalability of clients’ internal and customer-facing workflow processes. When he is not learning about new technology, running a better business, or becoming a stronger leader, he can be found coaching his kids’ (FIVE of them) baseball and lacrosse teams and praising his ever-so-patient wife for all her support.

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