[August 27, 2017] Occasionally I run across someone who takes a new perspective on things; combining ideas that have been discussed before regarding leadership and how leaders should help educate others. That is the case with Ami Horowitz, documentary filmmaker, who recently released a video on income inequality and combined it with the topics of socialism, Venezuela, and… Read More »
[August 26, 2017] In the run-up to the U.S. presidential election last year, candidate Donald Trump said on several occasions that America should pull out of Afghanistan. Earlier this week, during a prime-time address to the nation, now-president Trump announced a new strategy to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan. Studying how strategy is made and its component parts… Read More »
[August 22, 2017] All accidents in the U.S. military are taken very seriously and large accidents are investigated thoroughly. Safeguards are so advanced that the U.S. Navy has brought ship safety to a new level. Yet collisions between ships, as recently occurred between the USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) and an oil tanker, are rare; often the result… Read More »
[August 20, 2017] It has been said that the German Army during World War II was tactically superior to all Allied forces. Therefore, it is worth the study of how those tactics were taught and how leaders reinforced good tactical decision-making. Insight into WWII German tactical procedures is a worthwhile endeavor. However, it has also been said one… Read More »
[August 19, 2017] There’s always a lot of talk about bad leaders … toxic managers, bad bosses and incompetent commanders. Found in common among those folks who betray us is a general disregard for people and the habit of not living up to their commitments. Even as children we learn quickly who can be relied upon to never… Read More »
[August 17, 2017] Speaking with soldiers over the past few decades, I’ve heard most of them say that their Commander is tough but fair. It was always good news to know rank-and-file soldiers believe their commanders were doing the right things. Good leadership depends upon it. But what I wasn’t prepared to hear was what they considered “fair”… Read More »
[August 16, 2017] This is the last entry in a two-part series on how leaders can avoid scandal (see Part 1 link here). The best solution to avoiding problems associated with a scandal is to not have them in the first place. Yes, we must assume a scandal will take place and establish procedures to ameliorate the impacts,… Read More »
[August 15, 2017] On this date, August 15, 1945, it was announced that Imperial Japan would surrender unconditionally, bringing World War II to a close.1 Called the Jewel Voice Broadcast, Emperor Hirohito personally announced the surrender in a recorded radio address across the Empire. Yet since that time there has been a systematic revisionism that downplays wartime atrocities… Read More »
[August 14, 2017] Somebody once said that one man’s scandal is another man’s creative performance. Whenever individuals are given the opportunity to break the rules, and a reward awaits, there will be someone who attempts to do so. It seems that there are always people willing to break the rules as well as those who love to hear… Read More »
[July 30, 2017] On a recent Friday morning I had the honor and privilege to attend a U.S. Navy Boot Camp graduation, located about an hour north of Chicago, Illinois. It was a proud day for everyone involved and it made all of us happy for those who made the decision to join the military. But this is… Read More »