[February 26, 2021] Enforce the 3Bs of the briefing: Be brief, Be brilliant, Be gone. We’ve all been at the traditional graduation ceremony where the speaker went on and on. We only remember that we were there and the day was a happy one. The speaker? Who was that guy anyway? The 3Bs is one of many leadership… Read More »
[February 26, 2021] At 11 years of age, I joined the Boy Scouts. Among other things, they taught me to be prepared. We also learned the Boy Scout oath and the Scout Law. If we ever had any doubts about what values were important, each scout core value was reviewed weekly in our meetings. This article is the… Read More »
[February 25, 2021] By the time I reached my 20th year in the U.S. Army, I had become one of a few experts on large-scale combat and military construction Engineering. My specialty was Base construction in hostile combat zones. Yet, on several occasions, my ability to design, fund, construct and maintain large, complex bases failed. Experts can and… Read More »
[February 25, 2021] A default setting on my website theme was set to 30 days for comments. Simply put, you could not place a comment on any article after 30 days. I removed this default setting so now you can post freely on any of my posts, anytime. Occasionally, I review my website settings and make tweaks to… Read More »
[February 23, 2021] I’ve seen some dumb decisions in my day that have had dire consequences. One of those was when an inexperienced Army major decided he would lead a convoy through a hostile area. This happened during my first combat tour in Iraq. And, there are more dumb decisions. Disney just slapped a warning on “The Muppet Show,”… Read More »
[February 22, 2021] In his book, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There,” Marshall Goldsmith outlines practical advice on how to be more successful. Goldsmith is one of the foremost thought leaders on executive coaching; a good place to begin to see how bad habits can hold you back. Today, I’ll focus on just one of Goldsmith’s themes… Read More »
[February 21, 2021] Develop trusted agents to provide feedback. An early leadership lesson I learned was to listen closely to a few select people. Carefully chosen, these folks can provide you with an extraordinary level of information necessary to succeed. I always have people around me that I trust to tell me the brutal truth. Harsh as it may seem,… Read More »
[February 20, 2021] “The quick and the dead” is an archaic yet still popular “rule” to describe the wild old West. Its meaning is exact; either you are fast on the draw, or you are dead (by the other guy with a gun). Likewise, in combat, there are rules. Rule #1 of combat is … don’t bullshit yourself.… Read More »
[February 19, 2021] Fear – absolute fear – is what you want your enemies to experience. Why? Because overwhelming fear will be their downfall. Armies, across time, make every effort to instill fear; it works. Ordinary people give up, competitors surrender without a fight, and enemies retreat from the battlefield. Their message … we’re your worst nightmare. The… Read More »
[February 17, 2021] One of the best things about being a military veteran is having plenty of experience with bureaucracies and the concept of compromise. My favorite subject in Grade School was American history. And, I remember studying how leaders compromise themselves and their principles by kicking the can down the road. I had a great teacher. Decision-making… Read More »