[September 10, 2015] In the history of warfare there are many examples that show that a large, heavily armed military force was defeated by a small, under-resourced opponent. The difference has always been the level of morale in the force that won on the battlefield. This can be applied to all organizations and that is why leaders focus… Read More »
[September 9, 2015] The great debate over the mass refugee movement from the Middle East into Europe and general immigration into the United States rests on one’s perception of good citizenship. Few people would oppose immigration if those coming into their country became contributing citizens. The more important question before our leaders is how do you improve citizenship?… Read More »
[September 8, 2015] There are many traits that separate a true leader from a wannabe leader; that someone who lacks the requirements, skills, and talent to be an effective leader. The true leader has the grit and the courage to do those necessary things even when they’re afraid of the consequences of a particular decision or action. Usually… Read More »
[September 7, 2015] One of my grandmother’s favorite pieces of advice to me – after I’d done something wrong – was that you have to make mistakes to be a great person. As a boy I couldn’t understand what she meant and one day I asked her about it. She told me that only those who try new… Read More »
[September 6, 2015] One of the very first things I was taught as a leader of soldiers was that I had only a few key responsibilities; one of them was to provide the appropriate resources for our troops. But what I was to discover later was that those same leaders were applying selective neglect by purposefully withholding resources… Read More »
[September 5, 2015] One hundred and one years ago today French General Joseph Joffre gave the order to attack the advancing German armies that were pushing allied troops westward in a series of defeats early in World War I. Failure would mean the death of thousands, the collapse of military forces resisting the Germans, and the fall of… Read More »
[September 3, 2015] Happy “2nd” Anniversary to the Leader Maker! Special thanks to all my regular and new readers who have all made this leadership blog so successful. I’ve been made aware that the U.S. military blocks direct access to my website because of the service provider I use: iPage. One day I will have to pay the… Read More »
[September 2, 2015] I wrote about immigration into the United States, both legal and illegal, over a year ago (see links below) and how it has become one of the hottest topics in the U.S. presidential campaign. However, immigration as a political topic goes much further than the Americas, extending into Europe and parts of Asia and that… Read More »
[September 1, 2015] A year ago U.S. President Obama said that the United States had “no strategy” to address the threat by the Islamic State terrorist group known as ISIS or ISIL. There was immediate and merited criticism of his no strategy comments and subsequently a week later the president rolled out a “strategy” to defeat ISIS. It was… Read More »
[August 28, 2015] An incident occurred during a military training exercise early in my career that taught me an important lesson – small things matter. After relocating my platoon to a new defensive position I set our machinegun foxhole in what I thought was an okay spot. My commander ordered me to change it and later during a… Read More »