[March 16, 2017] I remember it like it occurred yesterday. My maternal grandmother was a kind yet tough individualist who spoke her mind plainly and often. One day after I was baptized as a young boy in church she said, “Douglas, you’re a good kid, thank you.” It should be no surprise that the best leaders are those… Read More »
[March 15, 2017] Tenacity is an essential characteristic of successful leaders and cannot be underestimated for its veracity in making it so. That is why so many folks that do well have learned to roll with the punches that life dishes out. Those who feel the ups and downs know that it depends on how you take it;… Read More »
[March 14, 2017] For junior leaders the answer to the question, “What is more important: people or mission?” is often a struggle. This question, often asked, is not unlike the proverbial inquiry about what came first, the chicken or the egg. Senior leaders will tell you that the question itself is nonsense because it creates a false choice… Read More »
[March 12, 2017] The remains of a massive statue, believed to be of Pharaoh Ramses II, was recently discovered in a slum in Cairo, Egypt.1 The 26-foot statue made of quartzite is believed to be nearly 3,000 years old. Symbolism2, like the Egyptian statue, is a powerful tool for leaders fulfilling many functions; of the most significance is… Read More »
[March 11, 2017] A short story on professional leadership from last week. I was sitting in the U.S. Marine Recruiting station speaking with a friend who is active in the Toys for Tots charity. Next to us was a young lady interested in joining the Marines; I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation she was having with a recruiter. … Read More »
[March 10, 2017] Leadership means making tough decisions and having the temerity to keep us informed even when it’s not popular to do so. The night of the black snow is what the Japanese later called the night of March 9 to 10, 1945 when the American strategic air campaign firebombed the city of Tokyo, Japan. It is… Read More »
[March 9, 2017] Years ago while studying for my undergraduate degree at Texas Tech University, I also worked a part-time job that involved training dogs. Several days a week I would walk one of my personal-bodyguard dogs to the local park. Passing a public housing area en route I saw through nearly every open door intravenous drug users… Read More »
[March 8, 2017] The short answer is “yes.” Technology does make leadership easier but this answer comes with a significant caveat. There are many components to leadership (communication being one of them) and technology can make a leader’s communications easier to reach a larger and more geographically-dispersed audience. You knew that. What you likely didn’t know is that… Read More »
[March 7, 2017] A recent video posted on the Facebook page of U.S. Senate Democrats includes “words of inspiration” and is a recent example of how leader words can have multiple meanings and multiple interpretations. I’d like to use this opportunity to restate that good leadership means being clear in what is said and every effort is made… Read More »
[March 6, 2017] An informative article was recently published by Caroline Glick, entitled Lessons of the Hamas War.1 What she has done is to articulate the background to Israel’s war with Hamas in the summer of 2014 and interplay between strategy and tactics. I recommend you read it in its entirety because it shows how a government (in… Read More »