[December 27, 2013] Phobias are unusual for a leadership topic. Yet, people do have fears (e.g., speaking in public, heights, falling) and it can in some cases affect job performance and threaten organizational missions. Hidden phobias can be especially difficult to uncover and resolve. On several occasions I ran across Soldiers who had a phobia that caused problems… Read More »
[December 26, 2013] An undeniable trend, since it’s origins in the 1960s, has been both the emergence of the international politics of cultural victimization (e.g., the Palestinian issue) and American fake victimization. Senior executive leaders are already aware of these fake victimization trends in the workplace and are struggling to address them professionally. There is no denying that… Read More »
[December 20, 2013] Leaders are servants of their organization. They are producers of goods and services and of successful employees. They provide for friends, family, and for future generations. Leaders are “actionable” – involved, active, focused, and hard working. Furthermore, people of character gravitate to those leaders, due to the human affinity with a winner. Leadership, therefore, is… Read More »
[December 19, 2013] There is an idea that says people are attracted to other like-minded people. Individuals who are lazy (those that are obviously lazy) will both attract others who lack motivation and repel diligent people. The expression “birds of a feather flock together,” means that people associate with others like themselves – they are most comfortable with… Read More »
[December 17, 2013] One would think that in the United States where rewards are given for the proper exercise of a person’s mental prowess, that the majority of people would strive to improve themselves intellectually. Furthermore, one would expect leaders to be encouraging others to improve their knowledge and intellectual abilities. Sadly, this is not the case. Intellectual… Read More »
[December 15, 2013] Many military veterans are often asked about combat. With our small military, the American public has little connection to them anymore and consequently most obtain their information from movies like “Black Hawk Down.” One question (perhaps more of a concern) is asked about military personnel left on the battlefield. For some reason there is some… Read More »
[December 13, 2013] There comes a time in every leader’s career when one must face the prospect that one’s boss has acted out of bounds on some behavior or decision. As a subordinate, it is our obligation to present a dissenting view of what should take place but do so in a manner that adheres to allegiance to… Read More »
[December 12, 2013] Making timely decisions is the hallmark of a good leader. And, the ability to come to grips with the fact that leaders make decisions and do so in a way that benefits the group should be ingrained in all of us. “Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader.” … Read More »
[December 10, 2013] One of the more interesting things about people is that we love structure in our lives. From having that cup of coffee in the morning to watching our favorite television show – humans crave structure and predictability. Leaders who help create structure in the lives of their employees will be more successful leaders. It is… Read More »
[December 09, 2013] The idea of this theory is that by paying attention to and correcting small problems, many bigger problems will be prevented. Specifically, if small problems are not dealt with in a determined and timely manner, more serious problems will be tolerated and grow. The “broken window theory” was an idea first put forth by criminologists1. … Read More »