Episode 338 Leading Through Uncertainty with Trenton Miguez (Part 1)

Episode 338 Leading Through Uncertainty with Trenton Miguez (Part 1) John talks with Trenton Miguez, a former Military Intelligence Officer and Intelligence Educator with EverydaySpy. Trenton explains how military training taught him to think and make decisions under pressure, the decision-making cycles and how becoming aware of the way you naturally make decisions can help you change the parts of that process that are not serving you, and much more! About Trenton Miguez Trenton Miguez is a former Military Intelligence Officer who provides organizations and leaders with practical intelligence education to solve real-world challenges across business, security, leadership, and decision-making. Drawing on more than a decade of operational and instructional experience, he equips public and private sector clients with intelligence-based frameworks that improve performance in complex, high-stakes environments. As the lead developer for the Army’s Military Intelligence Officer Leader Course and the Information Collection Planner Course, Trenton built the core training programs used to prepare the Army’s newest intelligence officers. His curriculum design emphasized operational realism, human behavior, and measurable performance outcomes, producing mission-ready intelligence professionals capable of sound judgment in ambiguous conditions. Trenton brings intelligence tradecraft into the business world, helping corporate leaders, sales teams, security organizations, and government partners sharpen decision-making, reduce risk, and lead through uncertainty. His work focuses on the intersection of sales, trust, security, leadership, and human behavior in competitive environments, enabling organizations to protect reputation, drive revenue, uncover vulnerabilities early, and make confident strategic choices when the stakes are high. Listen to this episode to learn more: [00:00] - Intro [00:40] - Trenton’s bio & backstory [02:04] - Joining the military and how he found his way into intelligence [07:47] - How military training teaches people to make decisions under pressure [10:08] - Scenarios that test leadership, communication, and decision-making [13:14] - The solicitation of feedback [14:40] - How military skills can be useful in everyday civilian life [17:00] - How long he served in the military [18:00] - Process of leaving the military [19:14] - Possibility of ex-military personnel being called back into service [22:03] - #1 lesson he learned in military intelligence [27:16] - Importance of understanding your own decision-making cycle [28:55] - How Trenton uses these intelligence skills as an entrepreneur [30:33] - Having long-term clients instead of constantly finding new customers [35:00] - Business is about relationships [39:03] - Leadership that puts people first [41:41] - How caring for employees and customers can help your business [43:44] - Designing the Intelligence Training Program NOTABLE QUOTES: “When you understand someone else’s perspective, you have so much tangible leverage that you can use to determine a variety of different outcomes that work for you and work for them.” “When you realize your own decisions are, in fact, a cycle, you can change that cycle. You can add things to it, or you can subtract things that actually aren’t serving you.” “When there’s a message that is communicated in one direction, there’s a heard acknowledgement and confirmation from the other person before any action is taken.” “If you only see someone as a potential dollar sign, they see right through that. You become the stereotypical used car salesman, even though you don’t sell cars. That’s what you become to the other person.” “If you think you’re for everybody, you’re actually for nobody.” “If you’ll be quiet, people’ll tell you exactly what they want and, most of the time, what they need. You just need to shut up and listen, and they’ll tell you.” “Whenever you take care of your people, your people start taking care of you.” “What’s normal, what’s average to you, is magic to other people.” USEFUL LINKS: Explore Spy School: https://everydayspy.com/ Find your Spy Superpower: https://yt.everydayspy.com/45cuYfY Listen to the podcast:    / @everydayspypodcast   Learn from a CIA Spy:    / @andrew-bustamante   CONNECT WITH JOHN Website - https://iamjohnhulen.com LinkedIn -   / johnhulen   Instagram -   / johnhulen   Facebook -   / johnhulen   X - https://x.com/johnhulen YouTube -    / @iamjohnhulen   EPISODE CREDITS Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/