[March 13, 2018] Like many “older” college students returning to school, there was a small group of us who were going back from the Army. As enlisted members of the U.S. military, we had been selected to complete a college degree toward commissioning as officers. But each of us had made crucial errors in our assumptions about the… Read More »
[March 12, 2018] We’re all guilty of failing to show respect to our subordinates at one time or another. Whether unknowingly or worse, purposefully, we have not shown the respect due others; that which is required of us as leaders. Yet whether a subordinate deserves respect is irrelevant; showing it at all times is an unwritten requirement of… Read More »
[March 11, 2018] There’s a story about U.S. Army General George S. Patton from World War II that showed that he was a great example of a charismatic leader. Just after being assigned as the commander of the U.S. Third Army he traveled to his new headquarters with blaring sirens on the jeep and dressed immaculately in his… Read More »
[March 9, 2018] Tim Tebow once told his fans about what helped him in his successful career as a professional football player; he told them that “We have to humble ourselves and the way you do that is by serving other people.” We know, for leaders in a modern world, the path to success is to follow the… Read More »
[March 13, 2018] As the new website updates take place, I continue to try out new tweaks here and there. If you find a bad link, please let me know either by a post or via email douglas.r.satterfield@gmail.com. March 8, 2018] It’s been a long time since I updated my leadership website and it’s undergoing minor changes over… Read More »
[March 8, 2018] This is a pretty bold statement to make since it is based only on conversations with senior leaders in the military. Sadly, however, it’s too true that leaders fear it. Because of the fear, I discovered that performance counseling of subordinates is just one of those things that is allowed to slip past without anyone… Read More »
[March 5, 2018] “Demanding” respect is the surest way not to get it. People may show signs of respect for you if you have power over them but deep down they will not respect you if you demand respect from them. There are no shortcuts, formulas, or hacks to change how respect is obtained. Respect must be earned;… Read More »
[March 3, 2018] There’s a bit of old military humor that circulates occasionally that tells us about different cultures among the armed services. The central theme is that certain words can have significantly different meanings. The lesson is a good one and says that leaders must be precise in their speech. Here’s the joke: The reason the Air… Read More »
[March 2, 2018] It doesn’t matter if you are a man, woman, or child, getting ready to lead involves preparation to convince people to do things they would not ordinarily do. But … for the majority of people, they think that once they get into a leadership position someone will teach them how to lead people; this is… Read More »
[March 1, 2018] One of the first things that I learned from my military instructors on how to be a leader was to keep things simple. That’s not exactly what they said, it was keep it simple, stupid which is usually said in its acronym form KISS; oddly enough, originally a design application of the U.S. Navy in… Read More »