Steve Sigloch

For Steve Sigloch, leadership did not end when he took off the uniform.

After more than two decades serving in the United States Army, Sigloch returned to Houston carrying with him something that cannot be packed into a résumé: years of experience leading people, making difficult decisions, adapting to changing circumstances and understanding the responsibility that comes with being entrusted with others.

Today, those lessons continue to shape how he approaches leadership, business and service to the Houston community.

Sigloch served more than 21 years of active federal service in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer, ultimately retiring as a lieutenant colonel. His military career included multiple deployments to Kosovo and Iraq and earned him the Bronze Star Medal.

But perhaps one of the most telling chapters of Sigloch’s military career was not simply where he served. It was the responsibility he was repeatedly given to develop other people.

Leadership Is About People

During his time with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Los Angeles District, Sigloch served as deputy commander and helped lead initiatives involving personnel, training, facilities, technology and organizational readiness.

When he left that assignment in 2012, he moved into a role with an entirely different kind of mission: developing the Army’s future leaders.

Sigloch became professor of military science at the University of Memphis, overseeing the Army ROTC program and helping prepare cadets for careers as commissioned officers. At the time, his Los Angeles District commander specifically highlighted Sigloch’s ability to mentor, coach and teach young leaders.

That transition says something important about leadership.

Rank can give someone authority. Experience can give someone knowledge. But developing other leaders requires something more.

It requires the willingness to invest in people.

That philosophy continues to appear throughout Sigloch’s life after military service.

Bringing Military Leadership Home to Houston

After retiring from the Army, Sigloch and his family returned to Houston.

He eventually became president of Grocery Services Inc., an organization that works with the State of Texas to provide access to food through the federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. In that role, Sigloch has been responsible for areas including business development, organizational strategy, information services and operations.

On paper, moving from military leadership into business might appear to be a dramatic shift.

In practice, many of the fundamentals remain remarkably similar.

Organizations need direction.

Teams need communication.

Problems need solutions.

People need leaders who can remain focused when circumstances change.

And leaders have to recognize that success rarely belongs to one person.

That people-first philosophy could also be seen during Sigloch’s Army career. While serving with the Los Angeles District, he helped lead initiatives designed to improve training, facilities and employee programs while also working to reduce organizational overhead.

It is the kind of leadership that often operates quietly: improve the organization, develop the people around you and leave the place stronger than you found it.

Service After Service

One of the more interesting things about veterans like Sigloch is that military retirement does not necessarily mean the end of service.

Sometimes it simply changes form.

In addition to his business leadership, Sigloch serves as co-vice chairman of Christian New Creation, a Houston-area organization whose work includes supporting men transitioning from incarceration and helping them rebuild their lives.

There is a common thread running through these chapters of his life.

Soldiers.

Cadets.

Employees.

Community members.

In each environment, leadership ultimately comes back to people.

Titles change. Organizations change. Missions change.

The responsibility to lead well does not.

What a Veteran Leader Brings to Houston

Houston is home to an enormous collection of leaders whose stories rarely fit neatly into a single job title.

Some have built companies.

Some have built nonprofits.

Some have served in uniform.

And some, like Steve Sigloch, have carried lessons from one chapter of leadership directly into the next.

Sigloch also brings a substantial academic foundation to that experience. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Construction Science from Texas A&M University, a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri at Rolla and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.

But education, military decorations and executive titles tell only part of the story.

The more lasting measure of leadership may be what happens to the people and organizations entrusted to someone along the way.

For Steve Sigloch, more than 21 years in the Army created one chapter of service.

Houston became the next.

And his story is a reminder that veterans do not simply bring their military experience home with them.

They bring leadership, perspective, resilience and an understanding that some of the most important work a leader can do is prepare other people to succeed.

That is a form of service that can continue long after the uniform is put away.