Category Archives: Information

[September 22, 2018]  The other day I was talking with two recently-retired enlisted soldiers who had each served almost 10 combat tours; in Iraq and Afghanistan.  That’s a lot of combat time by any measure.  But what caught me by surprise was that they considered themselves just ordinary soldiers.  To me, they are the epitome of selfless service.… Read More »

[September 21, 2018]  A good friend of mine, a logistics Army Colonel, had a military signature block that read, “The answer is yes, what’s your request?”  I found it appropriate that this officer put the needs of soldiers above all else. In 2006, we were preparing for the now famous troop “surge” in Iraq.  Construction was fast and… Read More »

[September 19, 2018]  The U.S. military sometimes embodies, not unlike other complex organizations what I will call, a “culture of slow change.”  If there is, however, one thing that is quick, predictable, and helpful, it is the fact that our troops themselves are highly responsive. Want a mission accomplished?  They are on it quick and decisively.  What an… Read More »

[September 15, 2018]  A few long-time readers will recognize this title from a similar article from early last year (see link).  In it I wrote that great leaders understanding people are at the central theme of leadership.  But there is more.  Leadership is also influenced heavily by one’s culture. Culture is an accumulation of behavioral practices that both… Read More »

[September 13, 2018]  In 1994, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin won the Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East.”  The problem, as we can see 25 years after the signing of the Oslo Accords on this date, September 13, 1993, that the entire accords were a disaster and a failure… Read More »

[September 12, 2018]  Today, I’m visiting Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to witness an Engineer School graduation.  Being here is a good time for me because I’m reminded of what the school’s Sergeant Major once told me.  ‘When studying any conflict,’ he said, ‘remember that all wars begin before the first battle.’ I thought I understood what he meant… Read More »

[September 10, 2018]  Last week I was at a local college listening to a criminology professor complain about the “epidemic” of police shootings in America.1  A young student asked him what he thought about the Opioid crisis which was responsible for many times more deaths and social ills.  The professor said he didn’t care about that problem.  Frankly,… Read More »

[September 9, 2018]  Leadership always means that the best leaders will set expectations and do so clearly and convincingly.  They also set high standards in what they expect of others and manage those expectations carefully; for this is the only way to achieve long-term success. Leaders also hold others and themselves to those standards.  By enforcing them they… Read More »