[September 23, 2016] I was an enlisted man for 7 years in the U.S. Army before receiving my officer commission. One of my proudest moments was when I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant (E-5 pay grade). More commonly known as Buck Sergeant, I was fortunate to have plenty of mentors who gave me the basics on… Read More »
[September 18, 2016] I remember as a little boy my grandmother recounting stories of her parents and their memories of the “yellow journalism” of days long ago. Her oft repeated lesson to me – taught to her by her parents – was to never believe anything you read in the newspaper or hear on the radio (later TV). … Read More »
[September 11, 2016] At dawn 15 years ago I was part of an Air Assault training mission at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. When my military unit boarded the Black Hawk helicopters we were a nation a peace; when we completed our training event mid-morning, we were at war. The day after the 9/11 attack, I thought to myself how… Read More »
[September 10, 2016] Tomorrow is the 15th anniversary of the attacks against United States’ civilians by Islamic terrorists. Within recent memory, this event cements into our minds that no one is indispensable. Yet many leaders think that they personally are essential and as such explains, in part, why those leaders hide themselves away in their offices. “The cemeteries… Read More »
[September 7, 2016] Strategy is the purview of senior leaders. They have the training, relevant experience, and authority to establish ends, ways, and means to accomplish the organization’s strategy. Yet, when senior leaders make tactical decisions, things can go unexpectedly wrong. During the Vietnam War, to use just one example, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and members of his… Read More »
[September 4, 2016] Someone long ago said that the most dangerous type of leader is a person who is a leader but refuses to acknowledge it. People go to them for answers and guidance but are rejected time and again. These are not the most dangerous. Leaders that put people at risk the most – and are thus… Read More »
[September 3, 2016] From the ranks of those who study leadership, lessons from some of the most admired military leaders of all time has been summarized for us. After hundreds of interviews with current military leaders from across the globe, research has shown that there are special nuggets that inform and teach us what makes a person successful… Read More »
[September 03, 2016] Happy “3rd” Anniversary to the Leader Maker! Special thanks to all my regular and new readers who have all made this leadership blog so successful. I began theLeaderMaker to provide a easily accessible site that addresses leadership issues and where any person could go to quickly gain some advice on leader principles. The site reinforces… Read More »
[September 1, 2016] My introduction to sports was as a very young child and as a participant in large family gatherings to watch baseball’s Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and the New York Yankees play and win the World Series. We never missed a game watching the 1958 series. Their leadership on the field was legendary and… Read More »
[August 31, 2016] New evidence has recently surfaced that 72 mass graves were discovered and contain Islamic State victims of industrial-scale murder.1 There are indicators of many more sites but due to ISIS presence, those locations are too dangerous to visit. What students of leadership should review, however, is how world leaders have failed to agree on a… Read More »