When Charmaine Spence Rochester describes herself as the only civilian in a “military family,” you sense a reverence for the two words and the verbal energy that they radiate as a pair. “From what I’ve learned of the military, good leadership means taking care of your people,” explains Spence Rochester during a traditional interview that seeks to expose a guest’s emergence as a business leader. Along the way, Spence shares no anecdotes of board room intrigue, but instead turns our attention to her family when she explains how parenting and sacrifice have yielded lessons that few board rooms have ever taught. For some, this may seem like “convenient cover” for a finance leader who put her career on hold to meet the demands of her growing family and a career-building military spouse. However, leadership pundits and professors may want to listen more closely to what Spence Rochester has to say about parenting, leadership, and the military. When it comes to caring for people and their development, industry still has a ways to go. –Jack Sweeney   

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