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As anyone who has ever crossed the stage at a college commencement knows, success is not built on ambition alone. It takes the right combination of character and commitment to something greater than oneself.
For the Spring 2025 graduates of the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), Lieutenant General Tony Hale embodies that same commitment to excellence and leadership that has inspired students to fulfill their dreams. His lifelong dedication to service — to his country, to the people he leads, and to the values that guide him — makes him a powerful voice for a new class of graduates stepping into their own callings.
“My philosophy as a leader is standards, discipline, and accountability,” Hale explains.
“The Army has a standard for everything, whether it’s height, weight, or weapons qualification,” he explains. “Discipline is the backbone of any good organization. And, as leaders, we have to hold people accountable.”
Hale intends to elaborate on this and more when he delivers the keynote address at the UAGC Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony on June 1.
A Career of Service
Hale has worn the uniform since 1988, dedicating 37 years of his life to service, leadership, and national defense and rising through the ranks to become the U.S. Army’s 48th Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, G-2. A decorated career intelligence officer, he has led critical operations across Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and played a central role in shaping the Army’s intelligence and security infrastructure.
Throughout his tenure, he’s had an opportunity to experience the world in ways few others have – traveling to 76 countries but never forgetting his North Carolina roots. Hale has been married to his wife, Stacey, for 32 years. They grew up only eight miles apart but attended two different high schools and didn’t meet until college.
From commanding elite intelligence units to advising the nation’s top military leaders, Hale has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to duty, and his dedication to empowering generations under his command makes him a powerful voice for future college graduates.
Read on to learn more about his 12 principles of leadership.
12 Principles of Leadership
Hale’s commitment to “standards, discipline, and accountability” make up one-fourth of his 12 principles of leadership. These core tenets reinforce the belief that leaders must lead by example – whether in the armed forces, as part of an organization, or even in a classroom group.
Foundational Tenets
- Standards – Clear expectations and values.
- Discipline – Maintaining focus, order, and consistency.
- Accountability – Holding oneself and others responsible.
Core Leadership Elements
- Leadership – Leaders set the tone.
- Teamwork – Success depends on collective effort, not just individual excellence.
- People – Investing in an organization’s most important resource yields dividends.
Three As for Leaders:
- Available – Be present and engaged, not behind closed doors.
- Accessible – Be available and encourage open communication.
- Approachable – Create a culture where people feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns.
Three Cs for Organizations:
- Communicate – Share information across all levels.
- Coordinate – Ensure alignment across teams.
- Collaborate – Work together to achieve shared goals.
5 Questions with Lt. Gen. Hale
Throughout the course of Hale’s conversation with UAGC, he further discussed his approach to leadership, the value of being authentic, and the most important things that graduates can take away from his commencement speech.
UAGC: Do you have a career motto?
Hale: “People first. Mission always. We must take care of our people, but it's all about accomplishing our mission. I always say if you take care of your people, you won't have to worry about accomplishing the mission because they will not want to disappoint you. Family's important, but the military is kind of like a family. We have experiences that we can gravitate to with each other. We have each other's back and we're always there for each other.“
UAGC: What do you think defines a great leader?
Hale: “Authenticity and being authentic. I also think that a great leader has tremendous integrity. They do the right thing all the time, even when nobody's looking. And having the courage to make the hard decisions. You may upset organizations or people, but leaders are supposed to be the person in the organization that's looking over the next ridgeline to lead the organization to a higher level. You always want to leave an organization better than you found it, and to do that, you have to have a vision of where the organization needs to go.”
UAGC: What’s a weakness you’ve identified and have worked to overcome?
Hale: “I see my greatest strength is being an authentic leader, but I submit that my greatest weakness is that I like to see the best in people all the time and sometimes overlook their flaws. People can take advantage of that, and when I say ‘overlook’ it’s because I want to see the best in them. If something happens one time, I can overlook it. But if it happens again and again – I turn to the three-strike rule. I want to see the best in you, but three strikes, and you’re out.”
UAGC: What do you think you would say you're most proud of in your career and maybe the greatest lesson you learned?
Hale: “My proudest moment occurred when I was a Lieutenant Colonel. I took command of the 519th MI battalion in February 2009. In the summer of 2010, we deployed to Afghanistan, and I took 450 Intel soldiers to Afghanistan to support the 101st Airborne Division. I brought 450 soldiers home back to Fort Bragg. Watching those soldiers march on the field after a year-long deployment and then releasing them, to see their family members and seeing the kids run out on the parade field and knowing that I brought everybody home. Did I train them like nobody's business before we deployed? Absolutely. I had soldiers saying, ‘Sir, why are we training so hard? We've done this a dozen times?’ But when we got back, I can't count the number of people that came up and said, ‘Sir, now I know why we prepared so hard’ because everybody came home. I've done a lot, but commanding that battalion, taking them to combat, bringing everybody home, that's my proudest moment.”
UAGC: What did you learn from your travels?
Hale: “My wife and I lived in Germany for five years, so we were able to do a lot of personal travel in Europe, where you can get in a car and drive to another country within three hours. She's been a department of the U.S. Army civilian for 25 years and has traveled to about 49 countries. I've been around the world -- Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya. All of it really helped me open my eyes to the world, to different cultures, different experiences. You have to be open to those.”
UAGC: What do you think graduates can learn from this story? Your story about perseverance, leadership, commitments, what do you think they would really glean from your experience?
Hale: “I would say, first you can do anything you put your mind to, and if you work hard, you can accomplish your goals. Strength is in the relationships you have, and sometimes those relationships can last decades. You always want to leave things better than you found them. The way I use it in the military, I say ‘you need to continue to improve your foxhole every day.’ The greatest challenge may be in front of you, not to say that you haven't had some challenges in life already, but take those experiences so you can meet future challenges. Surround yourself with good people. Be a lifelong learner. As a three-star general in the United States Army, I learn something every day. It could be about my job. It could be about the world we live in. It could be about an operation we're getting ready for. I continue to learn something every day. The world is full of opportunities. Go out there and seize that opportunity.”
The University of Arizona Global Campus Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony will be held on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Click here for more information.
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The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. The use of military-affiliated images does not imply endorsement of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).