[December 30, 2016] Once upon a time I had a commanding officer that was unreliable; lazy, indecisive, uncommitted, and on top of that a notorious braggart. He made my life, and those around him, miserable and frustrating. In retrospect, alcohol played a big role but like many other leaders he was not reliable as elemental leadership requires of… Read More »
[December 29, 2016] A senior Flag officer in the U.S. Army with whom I worked for a number of years was in his last assignment and wanted to finish his final command without any big problems. But the predicament he created by trying to please everybody was that many soldiers thought of him as a weak leader and… Read More »
[December 23, 2016] The U.S. War of Independence and its conclusion was something that we can study to learn more about great senior leadership. War had not gone well for the Patriots and many expected defeat in their battle against the British Empire; out of desperation, pushing the Continental Congress to empower General George Washington, Commander of the… Read More »
[December 16, 2016] One of the many advantages of being a senior military Flag Officer is that you get to meet some of the most talented people in the world. Whether it was a business entrepreneur, religious figure, or political leader, our senior military personnel have met them to exchange ideas. What many of us discovered is that… Read More »
[December 15, 2016] “Your senior Warrant Officer has been arrested for taking bribes and giving favorable treatment to contractors,” so said a Criminal Investigation Division1 employee to me one day. One of the greatest shocks in my career was when one of my most trusted associates had, years earlier, given U.S. and foreign contractors unethical favors for monetary… Read More »
[December 14, 2016] Today’s senior leader blog post is inspired by Michael Barone’s article yesterday entitled “Some Free Advice for the Democratic Party.”1 The point of his article is a simple recommendation for the Party; end the alibi game, he writes. This resonated with me and I’ve many times advised leaders never blame the other guy for your… Read More »
[December 11, 2016] It was the early 1980s and I was on field maneuvers with my new Infantry Platoon. It was a difficult time that summer as we were simulating classic force-on-force combat, existing on little sleep, and working long, hard, frustrating days. One thing I was surprised to learn during those maneuvers was that it was our… Read More »
[December 9, 2016] Now is the time of year that the best companies to work for are ranked. You can see the top 10, 25 or 100 companies and a variety of reputable firms are ranking them based on a number of classic criteria. The focus is usually on surveys that ask employees how they “feel” about their… Read More »
[December 5, 2016]. Today I’m slow posting due to relocating from New York City to southern New Jersey. The nearest town center is about 4 miles away and the ocean beaches are nearby! And I will be without Internet for a couple of days so all this typing is done on my iPhone 4. A few comments to… Read More »
[December 3, 2016] We’ve all been there, sitting in the classroom with other students and being told by the teacher that following the rules is important to learning. And so it is. But following the rules in everyday life also applies to leaders and they must understand that when the decision is made to forgo that requirement, there… Read More »