[February 9, 2020] One of the desirable attributes I find among combat veterans is they are skillful at judging what is essential, in contrast to those things in life that don’t matter. Perhaps the reason is they have seen truly horrific destruction and death and can understand that there are small things in life that are mere distractions… Read More »
[February 7, 2020] The official political relationship between the American Colonies and the British Government in the mid-1700s was not always “gentlemanly,” but it was a time that the expression of sentiments was open and honest. I find that reading the letters and publications can give us an education in wittiness, clarity, and honesty. Benjamin Franklin’s life and… Read More »
[February 6, 2020] Leaders make mistakes all the time. We all make mistakes, but some mistakes can be avoided if we are to be good leaders. My good friend Wilson used to throw rocks at cars (when we were kids). He quickly learned that rock throwing was a mistake when, one day, a young man got out of… Read More »
[February 3, 2020] “I could kick myself.” The college Dean was telling his department about how she had failed to prepare her students because she had been unprepared to teach properly. I’m shocked that a college dean, with a PhD and decades of experience, could be so down on herself that it drove her into personal depression. Leaders,… Read More »
[February 1, 2020] U.S. Air Force Lieutenant J.J. Johnson is a smart, insightful officer with an English college degree from Princeton University. I was headed to another meeting with senior officers when I passed his unassuming cubicle, where he sits for work as a Civil Engineer. Hanging on a string was a pad of paper with a pen… Read More »
[January 30, 2020] One of the benefits of the study of leadership is the hunt for ideas that make us think. The “hunt” itself carries great value; like the hunt for discoveries, we find it immensely satisfying. Recent remarks by Dr. Gary Saul Morson takes on the ideas of Lenin and Lenin’s method of thinking. He calls it… Read More »
[January 28, 2020] When things go wrong, they can really go wrong. John Burgoyne was a British General during the American Revolutionary War. Burgoyne devised an intriguing strategy to split away New England from the rest of the colonies by moving his army south from Canada. However, the link-up with a larger British force in New York City… Read More »
[January 27, 2020] It’s hard to imagine today that 75 years ago, a Nazi concentration camp called Auschwitz is liberated by the Soviet army. What is impossible to believe is the horror of these death camps, that humans could be so evil, and that today people still deny it ever happened. Leadership means rallying people to a cause… Read More »
[January 26, 2020] The new Coronavirus began to spread faster than determined Chinese censorship could hide it. A theme promoted on this leadership blog is that when senior leaders fail, people suffer the consequences. Another theme is that socialism and communism are ideologies that restrict the free flow of people, information, and ideas. This new virus began in… Read More »
[January 7, 2020] Never heard of them? Me either. The reason that I’m highlighting them today is due to their philosophy of good sportsmanship. Specifically, they advocate for fair chase hunting in support of habitat conservation.1 The club was founded in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt; before his Rough Rider days or before becoming President of the U.S.2 The… Read More »