Episode

Nuclear Submarines and a $22B Merger Shaped a CEO (Deltek's, Bob Hughes)

Podcast
Lead the Team (Top 2% of Podcasts)
Published
Mar 15, 2026
Duration seconds
2824
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
http://www.benfanning.com/theceosessions/the-standard-great-leaders-live-by-ceo-deltek-bob-hughes
Audio
https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/5ba5a3d4-e3be-4f4c-889c-2f4b0b83d833.mp3
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Markdown
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Summary

Details Define You. Bob Hughes, President & CEO of Deltek, learned that in moments when the stakes were highest.. on a nuclear submarine… in the middle of a $22B merger… and during a ransomware attack. He was inspired early in his career when a leader told him: “The devil’s in the details… but so is salvation.” I particularly appreciated his insight: “Operational discipline scales trust.” We’ve all seen the opposite play out too. One meeting starts late. One deadline gets missed. One “good enough” decision slips through. Trust doesn’t explode. It erodes....gradually. Bob’s team didn’t lose trust in those massive moments because he refused to let the small things slide when they mattered most. That’s what I keep thinking about: When leaders lose trust its rarely the big thing; it's because of the details long before. 👉 What do you think the "details" say about leadership? ----- Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning Speaking and Training inquires Subscribe to my Youtube channel LinkedIn Instagram Twitter