[September 23, 2015] A recent Gallup poll in the United States found that almost half say that government is an “immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens.”1 While the polling data only goes back to 2003 when the question was first asked, it’s no new revelation. I’ve also written about the decline in the trust… Read More »
[September 22, 2015] This past weekend I was giving advice to teenagers who wanted to attend West Point Military Academy and become a U.S. Army officer. All five of them are 15 years old and attend public high schools here in New York City. They surprised me because I’m rarely asked about military life any more by young… Read More »
[September 17, 2015] Several years ago, several friends of mine attended a half-day seminar on the U.S. Constitution and were quickly aghast at how ordinary people like us older adults knew so little about the document. If that were the case, we figured that our children and young folks probably knew even less … and we were right.… Read More »
[September 16, 2015] If we are speaking of citizens of the Western world then the answer is an unqualified “yes” … we are too pampered and most of us want it that way. The problem with being too pampered – “coddled” or “spoiled” as some will say – is that we shut out anything that’s uncomfortable and we… Read More »
[September 14, 2015] When Abraham Lincoln reached the elected office of the President of the United States in 1861, he had not arrived at that point because of the formal training he had received but due to a life of unique experiences that educated him in the principles of leadership. Today, despite the fact that we recognize the… Read More »
[September 13, 2015] Most of us are very familiar with the story of General Armstrong Custer and how he was killed after the U.S. Civil War at the Battle of Little Bighorn. But what many people don’t realize is that he graduated last in his class at West Point. In part this explains the fact that his meteoric… Read More »
[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 »