Lt. Colonel Kevin Sweeney is a nationally respected and recognized expert on leadership, the value of being a great teammate, and performance under pressure. He has been a requested guest on over 450 radio stations in the United States and Canada appearing on talk radio where he has inspired audiences with his unique insights into leadership, teamwork, and putting yourself into position to have superior performance under pressure. Distinguished Pilot
Kevin Sweeney is the only person to have ever successfully landed a Air Force KC-135 (Boeing 707) four-engine jet after two of the engines were ripped off the airplane in mid-air. And he did it at night - on a combat mission - while loaded to the maximum capacity of the plane.
Expert on Pressure Cooker Confidence
Kevin is an authority and recognized expert on taking the daily pressures we all face and applying those pressures to enhance our productivity, turning those pressures into calm confidence, Kevin spent 23 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard where he attained the rank of Lt. Colonel. He flew combat missions in both Viet Nam and Desert Storm. His incredible flight, where he successfully recovered the severely crippled aircraft, has been featured in a Reader's Digest article titled "Bring Them Home" and a featured segment on the A&E channel titled "Wings Over the Gulf." Kevin's experience is also the subject of Air Force training tapes in use today.
Distinguished Flying Cross
During his military career he was decorated with multiple medals including the Air Achievement Medal, multiple Air Medals and the United States Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, a medal awarded to fewer than 1% of pilots. But Kevin is not just a leader of great teams, he truly understands teams. Read Kevin's "untold story" of that Distinguished Flying Cross ...
Originally, the three officer crew members --- the pilot, copilot and navigator --- were going to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross. The enlisted member of the crew (the sergeant, the boom operator) was going to receive an Air Medal. It's a great medal. I have multiple Air Medals. But it is not the DFC. I objected, I explained that we were all going to receive the same medal. It was a team that landed the crippled airplane. Everyone had to do their job or we would not have made it.
I had been told by the Air Force that only officers got the DFC. I knew that was incorrect, since two boom operators in my squadron from the Viet Nam days had received the DFC. It took a year. And I had to personally visit with a four star general to get it done. But all four team mates received the Distinguished Flying Cross on the same day.
If you are a team, act like a team!!
Successful Corporate Executive
He has been a successful business executive for a Fortune 50 company in both sales and operations. While in sales, he successfully exceeded his business objectives every year and was frequently in the top 5% of sales people in the firm. While in operations, he successfully accomplished his business objectives every year.
His sales territories included new accounts, intermediate accounts, and large multi-national accounts in industries such as health care, banking, finance, construction, transportation, distribution, manufacturing, IT services, state and local government, retail and education. His operations experience includes banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, media, and retail.
Education
He has received a Bachelor in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics degrees both from Washburn University while on a basketball scholarship where he was Captain of the team and an all-conference and all-district athlete. He has also received an MBA from the University of North Dakota.
