[August 26, 2016] Regular readers of this column know that I often advise against insulting people; regardless of who they are or whether they deserve it. I’ve written about it (see links here, here, and here) and mentored other leaders to avoid it. Insults are generally counterproductive; insults are divisive, an immature tactic, and rarely produce positive results… Read More »
[August 25, 2016] As the Staff Sergeant walked in the new Afghanistan combat operations center in the heart of the Division headquarters, he saw plastered everywhere the printed words, ‘Who needs to know?” He was new to combat and so he asked the closest person working on the security staff what it meant. The sergeant was to discover… Read More »
[August 24, 2016] Lately I’ve been reading about how to think and communicate in complex environments. The subject of complexity itself and, in particular, how great leaders have successfully navigated the murky waters of a complex world is important to those who want to understand and be a senior leader. Great leaders are more than lucky; they seem… Read More »
[August 23, 2016] Looking back on the many many leaders I served under for the past 40-plus years, the ones I admired most were the ones that showed perpetual selflessness in carrying out their duties. Studies on important traits of leadership consistently conclude that selflessness is a leader trait people like the most. A number of historical studies… Read More »
[August 22, 2016] Most Americans have heard of John Walker, the infamous traitor responsible for spying for the KGB of the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1985. Of all traitors from the United States since Benedict Arnold, John Walker’s espionage was likely the most destructive and was the biggest cryptographic failure in military history. And Walker did it… Read More »
[August 21, 2016] Nearly 25 years ago as a Captain in the U.S. Army I struggled with the concept of applying leadership principles; what they were and their relevance to a small military unit. I commanded a 270-soldier Engineer company that had as its mission to construct structures and build roads. Did my leader guidance at the time… Read More »
[August 20, 2016] The physical presence of a leader is often crucial to the success of that same leader, those who follow, and their mission. This is especially true for those in senior leader positions. Being there helps make a leader. Each time I remind leaders about the negative consequences of an absent leader, I think of the… Read More »
[August 19, 2016] I stood on the grounds of one of the many battlefields of the American Revolutionary War just yesterday and not knowing it until a friend told me. I was at Liberty State Park (east of lower Manhattan across the Hudson River) in Jersey City at the site of the Raid at Paulus Hook. Honestly, I’d… Read More »
[August 18, 2016] I’ve been meaning to write about this subject for some time now but haven’t quite figured out how to approach it without sounding too pedantic. The United States is a divided nation; one that witnesses a divisiveness in its rhetoric, behavior, laws, and customs … ever more so daily. Divisions are growing and our political… Read More »
[August 17, 2016] Great leaders are made, not born. Leaders have been told this from the time they were young children and those who believe it do well because they are proactive, demonstrate ingenuity, personally bravery, and trustworthiness. Lord Robert Baden-Powell was a British General and founder of the modern Scouting movement. His outstanding leadership made him a… Read More »