[May 06, 2015] Our Drill Sergeants in Basic Combat Training took sadistic pleasure in screaming at us raw recruits … at least it seemed that way. After a long march or any similar difficult task they would say to us, “time for a gut check.” In other words, they wanted to know if we had the intestinal fortitude… Read More »
[April 8, 2015] The best piece of simple advice I ever received as a junior military officer was that the reality about leadership is that it’s all about people. Senior leaders know that empathy helps us create and maintain bonds of trust; acting as the lubricant that keeps relationships on track. “You can easily judge the character of… Read More »
[March 11, 2015] One of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted characteristic of a senior leader is forgiveness. Rarely talked about and while practiced by many, unevenly applied. Leaders who practice forgiveness will benefit everyone in their organization and simultaneously retain the best worker talent and improve performance. People make mistakes – some unintentional and some by choice –… Read More »
[February 22, 2015] One of the challenges many organizations have is providing virtual leadership over long-distances, especially among its most senior personnel and staffs. Organizations often have personnel and equipment scattered geographically; sometime across the globe. Senior personnel don’t always have the leadership experience and are not adept at working in complex, changing, and geographically diverse environments. The… Read More »
[February 10, 2015] One of the special advantages senior leaders have is cheerleading for their organization. Yes, being a senior leader also means you must be a cheerleader; someone who aggressively promotes their people, organization, and mission at the appropriate times. This is what great leaders do … and those who do not cheerlead should have their loyalty… Read More »
[January 20, 2015] Most children quickly earn a place in their family by learning to “tell the truth,” usually the result of stern lessons from a parent. This is often the first step to responsible adulthood. It’s no surprise then that when they are adults and occupy leadership positions they are aware of the advantages to maintaining their… Read More »
[January 13, 2015] Leaders fulfill their responsibility by possessing a special readiness to learn. Such learning readiness refers to the likelihood a leader will seek both knowledge and a change in behavior. While there are many factors that influence a senior leader’s readiness to learn, it is incumbent upon that the leader overcome any obstacle and promote advantages… Read More »
[December 20, 2014] Historically, the most important factor of senior leadership is getting results. This is why, today at least, it is vital to have a senior leader who has a good moral foundation and can thus be trusted to do the right thing. Furthermore, the best senior leaders will never believe the end justifies the means to… Read More »
[December 14, 2014] The world’s greatest senior leaders have one thing in common. Each has been able to rally people to a great cause and lead them to achieve something that no one else was able to do. In one word, these leaders were inspirational. Due to the recognition of the high value of inspirational leadership, it has… Read More »
[December 12, 2014] Christopher is a team leader with a well-known oil extraction firm in downtown Houston. But he had a problem retarding his ability to produce high quality designs because his company would not allow him the required computer software – he succeeded anyway. Breaking stupid rules is sometimes necessary to get things done. The firm had… Read More »