[June 19, 2018] I got asked this question by a college student yesterday and thought it appropriate to write about it today. My answer to him was not simple and perhaps I made my comments overly complex but that is the nature of the concept of fairness. Do leaders treat everyone fairly? The answer is “no” but only… Read More »
[June 15, 2018] Every time I’m asked about leaders who are disobedient, I think about how Guide Dogs act to protect their owners. If a blind person commands the dog to walk across a dangerous street, the dog resists. Being disobedient is obviously highly valued by the dog owner. The question of whether a good leader can be… Read More »
[June 13, 2018] One of the underrated purposes of good leadership is growing other leaders. This purpose may not, upon reflection, be connected to leadership as we readily can see in trait and character development. I call this … green thumb leadership. “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not… Read More »
[June 12, 2018] There has much been said and written about the scourge of Communism and socialism and how these political systems hold people back, trap them with little opportunity, and destroys the community of people. U.S President Ronald Reagan was known for his desire to help free people from them and once said in a speech to… Read More »
[June 11, 2018] One of the simplest and easiest pieces of advice I can give any up-and-coming leader is, ask a leader for help and advice. The best way I know to get to the heart of any issue or problem is to find a good leader and ask them for help and advice. The majority of leaders… Read More »
[June 8, 2018] We all know that fulfilling leadership duties is difficult and the more senior we are the more difficult it is. But new leaders are prone to make big mistakes that can be traced back to their newness and how they respond to challenges that confront them. I am fortunate to belong to two organizations that… Read More »
[June 7, 2018] My subject today is not that kind of gray beard (shown in the thumbnail) but the kind you might find helping a military general work out a complex strategic problem. Graybeards is a term of endearment applied to retired U.S. military Flag officers who have returned to lend assistance to current, active duty Flag officers.… Read More »
[June 5, 2018] If there is one thing that I learned from my first U.S. Army commander, it was that it is a bad idea to make feel-good rules for your soldiers. Feel-good rules are formalized but unnecessary rules of behavior. Feel-good rules are usually put in place by well-meaning leaders and managers who want to play it… Read More »
[June 4, 2018] Practical knowledge is incredibly important to any leader and life in general. Not only is it useful in its immediate application to a laundry list of everyday problems but it can be achieved only through personal experience in failure. You read that right … only through failure. “Besides the practical knowledge which defeat offers, there… Read More »
[June 3, 2018] A friend of mine from New York City conveyed a story to me that framed a problem leaders often encounter when they rally people to a cause. He was at a political townhall to discuss public issues of concern to the residents. People jumped right in to complain to their elected officials but failed to… Read More »