[December 1, 2015] As we approach the holiday season of Christmas and Hanukkah, it should be a time of reflection on ourselves as leaders and as members of our family. Holidays elicit considerable emotion and whether we like it or not, the strongest of people will be swayed by sentiments and passions that we don’t even realize. Our… Read More »
[November 30, 2015] An essential skill for leaders is a sense of humor. Humor is universal; it keeps everyone at ease, boosts engagement, and allows a leader to be more approachable and more effective. Comedians are like artists who use human psychology as a way to move people to laugh and be happier in the moment. Leaders can… Read More »
[November 29, 2015] In a little over a week, Venezuelans will go to the polls for legislative elections in this (mislabeled) democratic country. A socialist country, Venezuela has only the thin covering of free representation. Politicians say that the socialist revolution continues in Venezuela and that it’s their only path to prosperity, freedom, and equality. The reality is… Read More »
[November 24, 2015] Being a leader means many things but one thing that is required for those who desire to be successful is to have a good set of social skills. It doesn’t mean that a successful leader is required to have table manners, a pretty smile, or fashionable clothes; although it certainly helps. That is why I… Read More »
[November 26, 2015] Incidents over the past few weeks in the Middle East have heightened our awareness of the volatility of the region. What many respected and proven leaders advise is a dose of tolerance and patience among the major powers; especially those that have strong military forces in the area. Senior leaders who consistently produce success understand… Read More »
[November 26, 2015] Captain Christopher Jones was born about 1570 to the father of a mariner and ship owner. After the early death of his father, Jones inherited interest in the British ship Marie Fortune upon reaching the age of 18. Married twice and having a number of children, his legacy might have ended there but he was… Read More »
[November 24, 2015] Leadership is certainly not easy, but no one who has taken such a position does so with the intent to do a bad job of it. Poor leadership – that can be described as being ineffective – is also not something that comes about due to a single error or bad decision but from a… Read More »
[November 24, 2015] We’ve seen over the past few weeks the resignation of at least one university president, as well as student class walkouts, protests, and sit-ins at several universities over accusations of the mishandling of racial issues. The uproar at campuses across the United States, we are told, is caused by a lack of attention to student… Read More »
[November 22, 2015] As a new Private in the U.S. Army in West Germany in the mid-1970s, my fellow soldiers and I regularly and passionately discussed the personal deficiencies in our leaders. We saw (at least what we thought we saw) among them inflated egos and careerism. Typical of junior soldiers throughout our history of any military, we… Read More »
[November 20, 2014] When three of my friends and I joined the U.S. Army, we were happy to be away from home and thrilled to finally reach the pinnacle of real men by being real soldiers. After two days of intense basic combat training (emphasis on “combat”) we had second thoughts. My best friend asked us on the… Read More »