[December 1, 2021] By the end of 2006, I had spent more than a year and a half in Iraq working with their citizens. I thought I knew them but, like other Americans, I did not. Understanding other cultures takes time, patience, and a high degree of empathy, smarts, and devotion. By that time, I figured out we… Read More »
[November 30, 2021] I was sitting on a chair overlooking an Army-level tabletop exercise conducted in South Korea. The array of U.S. and Republic of Korea military forces were across the Korean peninsula and seas. Impressive! But could we understand what the commander wanted? Would clear communication work this time? What the symbology and geography told me was… Read More »
[November 29, 2021] No one likes a fraud; a person who pretends to be someone or something they are not. Perhaps this dislike is innate to humans, or maybe learned, but being a fraud means breaking the most critical element of humanness; trust. A Canadian medical researcher who rose to become the nation’s top voice on indigenous health… Read More »
[November 28, 2021] Near where I live, a few days ago, I visited a “horse farm” called Chestnut Run Farm. A small group of motivated local folks was there helping Veterans heal mentally. They started this non-profit to make a difference. I have discovered that there are good leaders everywhere, sometimes you have to find them; in this… Read More »
[November 27, 2021] The crusty, old Master Sergeant at our Battalion Command Post was the man we all gravitated to. If you wanted someone in your foxhole when the enemy was attacking, you needed him there with you, operating the machine gun and killing enemy soldiers. His greatest advice, Keep your cool, man! I was in a meeting… Read More »
[November 26, 2021] People have an intrinsic ability to call a hypocrite when they see one, and they see it in our news media. When I started this blog, I wrote on a “bias” in news media reporting. Their reporting was egregious, getting the facts wrong every time and unwilling to correct their “news,” which I call Media… Read More »
[November 24, 2021] No one wants to wash their dirty linen in public. Organizational disagreements, family squabbles, and couple arguments are best not aired openly. The reason is simple; we want to show a united front to outsiders. Doing so makes us appear professional and honest. Airing grievances is a sign of dysfunction and chaos. We all know… Read More »
[November 20, 2021] I started this series of “Leader Don’ts” a couple of years ago as a joke to keep some of my younger readers interested in my blog. What I didn’t realize was how popular it became among older readers. That’s why I’m bringing it back, and today’s topic is about how leaders should not be unlikeable.… Read More »
[November 18, 2021] There has been an awful lot of hyperventilating about “systematic racism” in the U.S., most of it grossly overblown. Don’t believe me? Please, change my mind. I lived in 20 countries, and across most of America and of all those places, this is where I find the least racist folks. Systematic racism is one of… Read More »
[November 17, 2021] Whenever strong leaders come to mind, we think of those who have courage, decisive, and bold. All good leaders have these traits. But how many good leaders are also loyal? Every great leader is. Those who are not loyal to their team illustrate poor leadership. “My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach.” –… Read More »