John Crone: A leader among leaders

John Crone believes being a leader is all about character, competence and treating people properly. He lives by two quotes from the late retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, with whom he had the pleasure of spending time during Operation Desert Storm.

First: “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”

And: “Leadership is about people. Effective leadership is about building relationships.”

Both quotes are perfect summations of what Crone models his leadership style after. As the new product director of PEO EIS’s Army Human Resource Systems (AHRS), Crone’s leadership will be on display every day.

Before joining AHRS, Crone served as deputy product manager at PEO Missiles and Space (MS); deputy associate director of PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (IEW&S); deputy product manager for the Distributed Common Ground System – Army (DCGS-A), PEO IEW&S; deputy product manager for Rapid Equipping Force (REF), U.S. Army G-3/5/7 (Pentagon Staff); and program manager for The Wexford Group International/CACI.

Crone is today’s #PEOEISTeammateTuesday.

What’s your family’s military background?

My father served in the Army during WWII, and my wife Kelly’s grandfather (Maurice Hunt) served in the Navy in WWII. Maurice participated in the landing at Normandy. My older brother Fletcher served in the Marine Corps for 20 years. Being 10 years older than me, I always looked up to Fletcher. He’s why I joined the Marine Corps myself, and he’s a big part of who I am today. Fletcher passed away suddenly in 2020, and I miss him dearly. Personally, I served 20 years on active duty. Since retiring from the Marine Corps, I’ve spent 18 years supporting the Army.

What does leadership mean to you?

I believe as a leader, one of the most important responsibilities is to mentor and develop future leaders. I’ve done that by leading, supervising and mentoring others throughout my career. Many of those are now in leadership positions themselves in both the Army and Marine Corps, like O-6-level deputy program managers, division chiefs and directors.

Can you share a recent career accomplishment?

Over the past 18 months, I led the effort for the product office for the Presidential Drawdowns (PD) when called upon to provide 24 radars across several iterations of PDs. This required extensive collaboration across multiple stakeholders. We were ultimately able to provide all radars and training to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We also acquired a total of $550 million for new replacement radar systems and to fill critical Unfunded Requirements (UFRs).

What are you most proud of in your career?

Throughout my career, I’ve often joined new organizations without any background in the area and had to establish a team and relationships to accomplish critical missions. For instance, when I was first assigned to the Rapid Equipping Force (Army G-3/5/7), I was tasked with building the entire acquisition team and processes for supporting the Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG). I developed the organizational structure, initial Program Objective Memorandum (POM) submission and internal acquisition process for AWG. Ensuring a depth and breadth of diverse backgrounds, both operationally and technically, I built the team that supported the AWG mission. I was initially the only acquisition professional onsite acting on acquisitions across all commodity areas. Our acquisition team was instrumental in helping the AWG reach Initial Operating Capability (IOC) 12 months ahead of schedule. I also led the procurement of over $100 million of equipment in the first year, as well as established a multiyear Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to support deployed personnel with the latest technology and training. 

Who do you credit for supporting you most?

My wife, Kelly, is my foundation. We’ve been married for 30 years, and she’s been by my side supporting me for most of my career in the Marine Corps and my entire 18 years supporting the Army. Her first experience with the military was when she met me; she had no idea about military life before then. When we first got married, she immediately experienced the long-distance separation military spouses often deal with, since she lived in Pennsylvania, and I was stationed in Hawaii. A few months later, I received orders to the East Coast, and we were able to obtain on-post housing together. Being a strong, independent woman, Kelly fit right into military life. She’s been my rock and foundation through many deployments and schools I’ve attended and has always pushed me, even when I doubted myself.