Maverick Author
COLONEL JOE DEAATONA
West Point Graduate, 30-Year Decorated Army Officer, Leadership Expert, Speaker
"You must be present to be heard. You must be heard to be effective. You must be effective to accomplish the mission."
About Joe DeAntona
Colonel (Retired) Joe DeAntona is one of the most potent leader development experts in the world today. Unmatched in passion and intuition, he leaves a wake of greatness in those under his tutelage.
From a modest upbringing in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Joe went on to play Division 1 College Football at his eventual alma mater, the United States Military Academy at West Point. Endlessly driven, he later achieved three Master's degrees in the fields of Strategic Studies and Human Factors Psychology.
Upon commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in Army Air Defense Artillery, Joe began an illustrious career of service to the Nation that spanned more than three decades. He spent a sizable portion of his service time overseas on assignment and leading troops during operational deployments like Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom, among others. When stationed in the United States, one of his passions was teaching at the university level, where he instructed for a total of seven years.
West Point, recognizing Joe's penchant for developing others, brought him back for a record three tours to work with cadets across the entire spectrum of growth. He served, separately, as an assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, as the Brigade Tactical Officer (Dean of Student Affairs), and as the Deputy Athletic Director for the United States Corps of Cadets.
Chapter: "The Leadership Secret Weapon"
"Effective leaders position themselves at the decisive point—the critical juncture where their presence will most impact mission success."
In his transformative chapter for Maverick Leadership, Colonel Joe DeAntona reveals two battle-tested principles that separate effective leaders from everyone else. Through gripping combat stories and radical transparency, Joe exposes the leadership secret weapon that enables teams to accomplish the mission even when you're not in the room.
Joe opens with a critical moment: incoming SCUD missiles traveling at supersonic speed toward his battery position in Desert Storm. In that moment, Joe had to answer the question every leader must answer: Where do I need to be right now? Not where it's comfortable. Not where it's expected. But where my presence will most impact mission success. That's the decisive point—and identifying it became Joe's leadership signature across three decades of command.
But being at the decisive point is only half the equation. Joe learned that truly effective leaders don't just show up at critical moments—they lead with such radical transparency that their teams know exactly what the leader would do even when the leader isn't there. When Joe took command of 500 soldiers, he didn't write another generic "Commander's Vision" statement. Instead, he wrote a brutally honest letter called "Commander's Thoughts, Beliefs & Ideas" that told his troops exactly who he was, how he thought, and what mattered to him—including statements like "Don't BS me" and "I want problem solvers, not folks who just stir the pot."
"Organizations and teams perform at their highest level when they understand their leader—including vulnerabilities and shortfalls."
Through his signature frameworks—"The Decisive Point Principle" and "The Transparency Principle"—Joe provides actionable principles that maverick leaders use to transform their leadership. The chapter takes readers through three combat scenarios demonstrating how leadership scales from walking between decisive points (battery command) to driving (battalion command) to flying across six countries (brigade command).
Joe's challenge is clear: Stop being a mythical leader who's always absent when it matters most. Position yourself at the decisive point. Lead with radical transparency. Your people will trust you, follow you, and accomplish the mission—even when you're not in the room.
What You'll Learn
The Decisive Point Principle: How to identify where your presence will most impact mission success—whether that's a critical client meeting, a product launch, or a crisis moment—and how this principle scales from leading 5 people to leading 5,000
From Walking to Flying: Joe's three combat scenarios reveal how leadership positioning evolves as your organization grows, and the strategic planning required at each level
The Transparency Framework: Why generic vision statements fail and how Joe's "Commander's Thoughts, Beliefs & Ideas" approach creates authentic leadership that empowers teams to make decisions with confidence
The Complete Leadership Letter: Joe shares his actual memorandum—the one he gave to 500 soldiers going into combat—providing a template leaders can adapt, including principles on honesty, accountability, autonomy, and welcoming bad news
Proactive vs. Reactive Leadership: How to plan where you need to be while remaining flexible when unforeseen events demand your presence—a balance Joe mastered across three Middle East deployments
Three Transformative Takeaways:
1. Leaders Must Position Themselves at the Decisive Point—Not Where It's Comfortable, But Where It Matters
You can't be everywhere all the time. Effective leaders develop a sense for where critical actions must occur and position themselves there. During Desert Storm, Joe realized the decisive point wasn't the command post—it was the reload operation where soldiers in full chemical gear had to reload missiles in pitch darkness between SCUD attacks. Missing that decisive point could mean mission failure. Maverick leaders identify where their presence facilitates success and plant themselves there.
2. Transparency Creates Trust That Enables Teams to Execute When You're Not Present
Generic leadership statements don't build trust—radical honesty does. When Joe told his troops "I'm very straightforward. You'll know where I stand and where you stand," he wasn't being nice. He was being effective. The soldiers read his letter and used it to evaluate whether his walk matched his talk. In combat, when communications went down and soldiers couldn't reach their commander, they could answer "What would DeAntona do?" because they understood his values and decision-making process.
3. Leadership Principles Scale—But Only If You Adapt Your Approach
What worked commanding 100 soldiers didn't work commanding battalions across six countries. Joe walked between decisive points at battery level. He drove at battalion level. He flew at brigade level. But the principle remained constant: understand your battlespace, identify where you matter most, position yourself accordingly. As your organization grows, your approach must evolve while staying true to core principles.
Joe’s Impact
As President and CEO of "The DeAntona Group: Coaching Leaders and Inspiring Results" LLC, Joe focuses on three lines of operation: Diligent Plans, a consulting and training company optimizing business performance; serving as Vice President and Business Development Executive for Raytheon Company's land and air defense systems; and serving on the Board of Advisors for Youth Impact Program, empowering at-risk youth through education, leadership development, and football.
Joe's military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star Medal. He received the Association of the United States Army's Omar Bradley Award for Leadership. He instructed at the university level for seven years and participated in the US Army War College's Eisenhower College Series Program.
Colonel DeAntona is married to the former Lisa Lawson of St. Charles, Missouri. They have two children, Bonnie, a Major in the US Army, and Joseph IV. Joe and Lisa are blessed with eight grandchildren.
Connect with Joe DeAntona
LinkedIn: Joe DeAntona
