[February 11, 2014] Some people say that this television reality show has nothing to do with leadership … I disagree. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past several years, one of the most popular shows on television lately has been “Duck Dynasty.” It’s a series that portrays the lives of the Robertson’s out of… Read More »
[February 10, 2014] Winston Churchill was clearly one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. The best biography on Churchill is by William Manchester in his 3-part series The Last Lion: Winston Spenser Churchill1. In the many readingson Churchill, we see talents early on in his life. Our interest here is his most outstanding traits that set… Read More »
[February 09, 2014] Most people in leadership positions will tell you that staying in good physical shape has some obvious benefits other than health: clarity of thinking, stamina, and will power. Furthermore, it demonstrates the leader’s discipline and ability to balance many aspects of one’s life. This is all true, of course. I propose that staying physically fit… Read More »
[February 08, 2014] Back on November 05, 2013, I wrote on this blog about how the senior leadership of Korean Air demonstrated their core values with exceptional customer service. Their mission remains “excellence in flight” and I will confirm that their customer service remains top-of-the-line. Their leadership insists on only the best for all their passengers. Having just… Read More »
[February 08, 2014] Leader feedback on performance, attitude, and foresight is essential regardless of the maturity or position of a leader. This feedback should ideally be from their immediate supervisor, their peers, those that work for them, and other stakeholders. The US Army uses what they call MSAF360 (Multi-Source Assessment and Feedback). The system is good in providing… Read More »
[February 07, 2014] I wrote here a couple of times about the media reporting on a “culture of toxic leadership in the military.” The media, always unable to resist a fad, has expectedly published other articles. The latest is the Army Times (not an official publication of the US Army). We all respect the independence of the media,… Read More »
[February 06, 2014] “Just do something,” is a common catchphrase we hear frequently from leaders. I think a better quote would be, “Just do something, anything at all.” Some people believe that any action is seen as better than no action, irrespective of whether the action is beneficial or damaging. Frankly, this is not leadership. It’s a sign… Read More »
[February 05, 2014] Senior executive leaders possess the highest levels of loyalty to their organization and to those who work for them. Leadership requires loyalty but senior leadership demands an intensity of commitment not seen in other leaders. It is difficult to imagine a great leader who is not intensely loyal to their organization and followers. We often… Read More »
[February 04, 2014] A couple of days ago, I wrote about two Washington Post articles by reporter Craig Whitlock who claims the U.S. military has a “culture of toxic military leaders.” The focus of that blog post was that leadership demands that toxic leadership not be hidden and should be resolved without partiality. I also pointed out that… Read More »
[February 03, 2014] The book by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was exceptional but it took a while for me to read (600 pages). This put me a little behind in making recommendations. Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker (2011) Returning from a deployment in Iraq in 2011, I ran across this… Read More »