[December 29, 2019] Ending the year on a “more likable” article is not what I had in mind this morning when I sat down at my computer. Last night, I was watching an old episode of Seinfeld, the one about the character George Costanza faked being disabled to get a job.1 For fans of Seinfeld, George is not… Read More »
[December 28, 2019] For those new to my leadership blog, this ‘clearing the spindle’ on-going series is about ideas that I haven’t developed into articles. I wanted to provide a little bit of feedback to my readers on things that senior leaders are talking about – often among themselves – and highlight a few that seem to get… Read More »
[December 27, 2019] In December 1944, citizens all across the United States were holding their collective breath. The war in Europe was not over, but it seemed to be winding down. The allies were at ease, well a bit at easy anyway. It was winter, and Germany had not launched a winter military campaign since Frederick the Great… Read More »
[December 26, 2019] We all heard lately about the charges against U.S. President Donald Trump that he abused his power as the nation’s most senior leader. Less discussed, but what is seen as a growing concern is the abuse of power by senior military leaders. Having been a senior leader and been witness to many charges, investigations, and… Read More »
[December 25, 2019] December 1975 saw my U.S. Army company on the Inner German border. Our job was to repel a Communist attack into the West if it were to come. On Christmas Day of that year, we were on high alert and ready with a full load of ammunition, fuel, food, and all the necessary equipment to… Read More »
[December 24, 2019] The day before Christmas 1864, on this date, Union General William T. Sherman presented the city of Savannah, Georgia, to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Sherman captured the city after his famous March to the Sea from Atlanta. Savannah was the last major seaport that remained open to the Confederates.1 Intellectually, General Sherman was not just… Read More »
[December 23, 2019] Nearly 75 years ago today, a town sheriff in Bonita Louisiana (a small town in the northeast part of the state) stood with his shotgun at the town’s entrance to prevent the Klu Klux Klan from entering. At the time, he was “stopping progress,” but decades later, he was the town’s savior and hero. An… Read More »
[December 21, 2019] There is always a price to pay for the dark-side of success. Those costs can have deteriorating and corrupting effects on one’s family and self, loss of privacy, and social isolation. Avoiding the downside to success takes on a life of its own after one reaches a point that one’s leadership reaches large numbers of… Read More »
[December 20, 2019] An old, tough U.S. Marine sergeant once told me that the only reason he was alive today was that the [U.S. Marine] Corps had transformed him from a weakling teenage boy into a “lean, mean fighting machine.” It was the hardest thing he had ever done, and this Marine knew what he was saying. The… Read More »
[December 19, 2019] Fairy tales from ancient times often depict dragons as purveyors of violence and evil. These dragons are metaphors about our lives where people struggle for their existence and the hardships they endure. In these stories, an influential leader (often a King, prince, or knight) will slay the dragon; else great destruction will descend upon the… Read More »