[December 4, 2017] Like the proverbial genie in the lamp, wishful thinking is at best a feel-good fantasy and at worse a flight of the imagination gone wrong. When I joined the U.S. Army I had the idea that my money problems would go away and I could relax in a stateside barracks with a bunch of fun… Read More »
[December 3, 2017] Hands-off leadership, incorrectly referred to as Laissez-Faire leadership, is a topic of intense debate in senior military circles. Today, I refer to hands-off leaders as those leaders who know what is happening, are not directly involved, trust others to do a good job, but also are who are unwilling to make decisions. This type of… Read More »
[December 2, 2017] As a 5-year old child I told a fib about a large catfish I’d caught in a nearby pond but somehow my grandmother, a great lady, knew I was exaggerating. As a child, I could get away with a little padding of my fishing résumé but as an adult, the effect can be unexpected and… Read More »
[November 29, 2017] A year and a half ago I wrote that most Western countries had taken their “eyes” off Iraq and their fight against the ISIS terror group.1 Today, the Iraqi military is about to crush the remaining strongholds of ISIS yet not much has changed in either the news coverage (very little) or in how governments… Read More »
[November 28, 2017] The Greek philosopher Antisthenes once said: “The most useful piece of learning … is to unlearn what is untrue.” As a new trend, many educators have jumped on the unlearning bandwagon and also began simultaneously misleading us regarding what it is and the merits on which it is based. “Unlearning is the process of letting… Read More »
[November 24, 2017] I regularly get calls from young military veterans who have a new job in the civilian world and want some simple advice on how to be successful. My recommendation is straightforward; have a positive attitude, treat everyone with respect, and maintain your humility. “Virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your… Read More »
[November 22, 2017] It was many years ago that the group of 200 young Lieutenants were standing rigidly at the position of attention. In front of them was a battle-hardened senior officer giving them advice on how to succeed at all U.S. Army schools. The first piece of advice was that any feelings, desires, and wants they have… Read More »
[November 21, 2017] As an army Platoon Leader, I had a lazy commander who did almost nothing to train or motivate his unit’s soldiers (mentioned many times here). But the untold story was when his replacement came in to “take names, clean house, and kick people to the curb.” Or so he said. This new commander was overreacting… Read More »
[November 17, 2017] Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Ia Drang (Vietnam) which pitted elements of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division against regular North Vietnam troops in a bloody battle. The unit’s commander, Hal Moore, and the only journalist at the battle, Joe Galloway, wrote the book We Were Soldiers Once … and Young (2002) that… Read More »
[November 15, 2017] The passion surrounding talk over racism is hard to dismiss. Every leader, especially politicians, seemed to be caught up in the spirit of the times and are beating their chests with indignation and lecturing us about race. One thing, however, that the U.S. military warns its senior officers about is the downfall of getting ahead… Read More »