[July 25, 2015] “Beware of leaders who’ve experience no hardships,” one of my dad’s old friends once advised me as I was entering military service. This Korean War veteran had learned about untested leaders the hard way during the United Nations’ retreat from the Chosin Reservoir in late 1950. Trial by fire is what we sometimes say when… Read More »
[July 24, 2015] The study of the Torah and the Bible sheds light on the city of Gomorrah that received the divine judgment by God when it was consumed by “fire and brimstone” because “their sin is very grievous.”1 Operation Gomorrah, named for the Biblical story, was the World War II Allied codename for the firebombing of Hamburg,… Read More »
[July 23, 2015] Leaders know that personal relationships are more important than ever in today’s complex and uncertain world. That is why it’s crucial that leaders are saying the right thing to those around them and building close relationships in their professions. For those who’ve experienced combat or been through a disaster realize that you have to give… Read More »
[July 22, 2015] Great leadership begins with a grand vision. Simply put, leadership is the ability to turn a vision into something. Having vision means identifying a clear goal for the future and ideally it’s also inspirational. The implication in the vision is that it’s realistic and that efforts to achieve it may mean doing things differently such… Read More »
[July 21, 2015] There is an old Chinese short story about honesty and the rich gifts that telling the truth can bring upon us. Many of us, especially leaders, want success so badly that we can be enticed to lie … or perhaps just shade the truth a little. I’ve seen it done so many times by leaders… Read More »
[July 20, 2015] With my family and next-door neighbors gathered around our new color television set, we watched and listened in awe as Walter Cronkite announced the landing of the space module Eagle, manned by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. That Sunday afternoon, July 20, 1969, would be for me and hundreds of millions listening in,… Read More »
[July 19, 2015] I’ve been very fortunate during my lifetime to have had many people around me that gave good advice and lucky for me I actually paid attention and followed their guidance … sometimes. Imagine if you will for just a moment an Army Drill Sergeant screaming in your face, “Private, you don’t do your job, you’re… Read More »
[July 17, 2015] During the Great Depression, a young man 30 years of age was flirting with the idea of creating a full-length movie with only cartoon characters. This had never been done before and was considered a risky financial endeavor. Many called it “Disney’s Folly” because it would surely fail. Instead, using new techniques and overcoming the… Read More »
[July 16, 2015] There are times here at theLeaderMaker.com that I point out mistakes made by senior leaders so that we can all learn from them. The point, of course, is to make ourselves better through careful study and analysis and to avoid making the similar mistakes. Sometimes this means that highly charged topics will be on the… Read More »
[July 15, 2015] The planet Mars has intrigued us since ancient times. It has brought fear and excitement, been a part of religion and science, and energized our imaginations. Some thought that Mars harbored strange beings that would conquer us and for others the prospect of alien life forms was electrifying. For many visionary leaders, Mars was something… Read More »