[August 31, 2014] It is often said that the performance of a leader in a garrison environment cannot predict how that leader will do in combat. This well-known rule of human performance has been recorded since the time of the Roman Empire. Under peaceful, less dangerous circumstances, the military leader has command priorities that differ from combat where… Read More »
[August 30, 2014] In the study of senior leader roles, it is always informative to look at current leaders that are playing either a big or expanding role in world affairs. That is the case today with Russian President Vladimir Putin – his leadership style being more bold than most. He told a group at a youth camp… Read More »
[August 29, 2014] On this day in 2005, a Category 4 hurricane came ashore close to New Orleans, Louisiana. Although not the most powerful storm in U.S. history, it was the worst natural disaster experienced. The destruction to the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama was serious. There were many leadership failures leading up to and during the… Read More »
[August 29, 2014] An interesting case is working its way through the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Apparently, Guam has a Decolonization Registry that discriminates along racial lines. A person living in Guam has sued the government saying he was not allowed to register because he was not a “native inhabitant.” Guam’s race-based restrictions… Read More »
[August 28, 2014] Telling me that there are “evil people” who may want to kidnap me as a child, my grandmother said to never talk to strangers. Likewise, I learned about a few “bad” things in the military. Despite me describing them as bad, if lessons come from them, then a positive outcome has been achieved. Here are… Read More »
[August 28, 2014] One of my first experiences and frustrations in leadership as a brand new U.S. Army second lieutenant was that my commander’s indecisiveness made the lives of his men difficult. Upon my arrival at the unit I got less than 5 minutes in his office for him to welcome me and to give me my assignment.… Read More »
[August 26, 2014] Occasionally I run across a great organization that uses its expertise to help both military personnel and veterans. Today, I would like to introduce StopSoldierSuicide.org. Until recently, despite their wonderful work, I had not heard of them. Fortunately, there are people like those in this organization that really do help people. Stop Soldier Suicide is… Read More »
[August 25, 2014] Every once in a while I come across a person’s firsthand account of North Korea (link here). The author is witty but informative. There is some good information to be had from reading the entire blog entry. In particular I liked the focus of the discussion on how big a deal the leadership of the… Read More »
[August 24, 2014] My grandmother constantly told me to mind my manners, go to church, and obey the Golden Rule. Grandmothers are always right, of course. I can never outdo her but here is a list of a dozen leadership lessons I learned from spending 40 years in the U.S. Army. Things I learned in the military should… Read More »
[August 23, 2014] Significant risks to “modern” senior leaders are not having all the best ideas on the table while making decisions and communicating strategy. This includes having all the relevant information available and the thinking behind the best ideas. Both the information and thinking needed is best achieved through encouraging open debate. Successful organizations, lead by some… Read More »