[December 22, 2020] Like many who grow up regularly competing in sports, we often experience the thrill of victory and “the agony of defeat.” Competition in the world of sports habitually means competing with our fellow teammates, not just the other team. Fortunately, we quickly learn about sportsmanship and are rarely threatened by the success of others. But,… Read More »
[December 21, 2020] I never was a big fan of watching television or going to the movies. To me, it was a waste of time. However, readers of my leadership blog will note that I occasionally refer to films because of their value in understanding leadership. One such documentary, The Somme (2005), is one of them. Are movies… Read More »
[December 19, 2020] One of my early attempts at earning money also involved, unintentionally, filling the role of team leader. Two of my friends and I decided to “make some quarters” by raking up our neighbors’ leaves. I look back to that time, see my ignorance, and chuckle. But there were lessons to learn, and I did indeed… Read More »
[December 17, 2020] Old war stories never seem to stop. Any time there is one Veteran in the room, you are likely to hear a war story about some event or person. A crusty Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant (MGySgt) told a small group of civilians about the time he was a Drill Instructor at Parris Island, S.C.1 His… Read More »
[December 16, 2020] “Make only important decisions.” So began my first mentoring sessions by one of the most respected sergeants in the U.S. Army. I was a new, inexperienced Second Lieutenant; he was battle-tested, senior career NCO. “Doing so will give your team the power to carry out your orders.” He was originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and… Read More »
[December 13, 2020] Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in actions. Sometimes, you learn this the hard way as an adult, better to learn it through play as a child. I’m reminded of the summer of 1963 when a group of us boys played King of the Hill on a gravel pile left on a… Read More »
[December 12, 2020] It has been said that a hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown. That, my friends, describes Chuck Yeager, flying combat ace, and test pilot – a real American hero. “You don’t concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.” –… Read More »
[December 11, 2020] Yesterday, my wife Nancy was very upset, and it is not a good idea for her to be upset. She wanted to watch a video from Right Side Broadcasting, which was uploaded to YouTube. The video didn’t play because YouTube had banned it. We compared it to the Nazi book burning events in the 1930s.… Read More »
[December 10, 2020] Not all fights on the battlefield are with guns. Yesterday, I spoke with a battle-buddy of mine from our first unit’s deployment in the Iraq War. You know the conversation … old war stories, what happened to us, and how it made for something to tell the grandkids. Scotty, at the time a U.S. Army… Read More »
[December 9, 2020] It has been said that success is not measured by our accomplishments but by the size of the obstacles we overcome and the courage we show. William “Bill” H. Gates III is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corportation.1 It’s hard to argue with the success… Read More »