[June 12, 2016] A good friend of mine, a colonel, spent over 30 years in the U.S. Army before he retired two years ago. Other than myself, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, and the Secretary of the Army (yep, the two most senior Army leaders), there were few who attended his retirement ceremony. It was… Read More »
[June 10, 2016] In the study of leadership and in an attempt to find the keys to success many look to elements of the best leaders; characteristics, behaviors, backgrounds, attitudes, etc. Yet, leadership is not only a complex concept but we all have our own ideas about what it is. One idea that has been bounced around is… Read More »
[June 9, 2016] In the 1960s, everyone in my high school class was intimately familiar with the war in Vietnam (and the military draft). The U.S. policy was based on a theory that predicted all of Southeast Asia would fall under the spell of Communism if Laos and South Vietnam fell to North Vietnam forces. Called the Domino… Read More »
[June 8, 2016] Legends about the Trojan War and the victory of the Greek Sparta armies over the Trojans were part of my upbringing and such tales fascinated me my whole life. As vividly written in the Latin poem Aeneid of Virgil and by historian Homer in the Iliad, the Trojan Horse was center stage of subterfuge that… Read More »
[June 7, 2016] I remember that day well; one of my junior soldiers came to me to ask questions about how he should deal with a problem sergeant. With my mindset of not telling people how to do their job but rather just giving tasks, I failed this young man because I failed to consider his suggested ideas. … Read More »
[June 5, 2016] It is often said that the best of leaders are willing to do what they whatever is asked of their followers. As lieutenants in the U.S. Army we could always tell which officer was most respected from how “wet” they were with their men at the wash racks cleaning armored vehicles. Those at the wash… Read More »
[June 4, 2016] Between 1985 and 1986, unapproved sales of military equipment, mostly anti-tank missiles, were sold to the country of Iran. The sales were a successful attempt by the United States to free American hostages in a quid pro quo exchange; those involved however were accused of being in violation of U.S. law. Delegating authority was the… Read More »
[June 3, 2016] A few days ago (as reported here in theLeaderMaker.com, link here), Journalist Katie Couric produced a gun documentary inserted an inappropriately and purposefully biased segment. Couric saw the bias but failed to recognize it as biased and deceptive; her reasoning we can only guess. But leadership means being able to recognize problems and then take… Read More »
[June 2, 2016] It is much less destructive on a leader’s trustworthiness to learn from the mistakes of others than to make a big mistake and try to justify it. That is what we can learn from the media and Katie Couric, American Journalist, who recently produced a “documentary” on gun violence. While the topic is not relevant… Read More »
[June 1, 2016] Soldiers make mistakes in all armies and have historically done so. Most soldiers do their best in most circumstances and the reason they join directly affects the mistakes they make during their time in the service to their nation. However, errors in judgment and behavior can hinder their performance and team productivity. “The patriot volunteer,… Read More »