[September 25, 2014] My great aunt Marie was running her hairdresser shop across the street from the Little Rock Central High School on this day in 1957 when she was surprised by reporters from ABC and NBC. They had come to witness the standoff between the State of Arkansas and soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division.… Read More »
[September 24, 2014] The latest news out of the Middle East is that U.S. President Obama ordered airstrikes and missile attacks inside the country of Syria. Those attacks are on Islamic terror groups and have occurred mainly in the northern area not controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Recall that Syria is in the middle of a civil… Read More »
[September 23, 2014] Until the past couple of decades a person could relocate to another geographic area, gain useful employment, and start a family; thereby leaving past transgressions in the past. The permanency of your past is, however, here to stay. Many well-known people have experienced a bit of embarrassment when their past behavior was made public. Things… Read More »
[September 22, 2014] When we think of leadership lessons in sports, we normally think of it coming from players on the field and the coaching support of the game. The lesson today comes from higher up. The NFL itself is undergoing a controversy over Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Rice and the physical abuse of his then-fiancée. Rice’s initial two-game… Read More »
[September 20, 2014] The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is “exponentially increasing” and projections predict hundreds of thousands by the end of the year. The viral disease has no known cure, is highly contagious, and has a fatality rate over 50 percent. There is no current vaccine to prevent the disease. Transmission is by body fluids and, unfortunately,… Read More »
[September 19, 2014] An advantage to being a senior military leader means to be able to ask simple questions and actually get thoughtful answers. I’ve asked probably hundreds of military personnel and their families this one question regarding our military leaders, “Do we promote disrespect?” Families overwhelmingly say yes. The troops are a little more split on the… Read More »
[September 19, 2014] This past weekend as I attended a number of yard sales with my wife, I was surprised to see whole city blocks having sales with the proceeds going to the Ukraine. I was unaware of the strong social and blood kinships of many New Yorkers to those who live in the Ukraine. Whenever I walk… Read More »
[September 18, 2014] When I ask the question of my colleagues, “Are we cowards?” or “Are we leaders, cowards?” the answer I get might surprise you. First we must be clear what a coward means to the general population. There are nuances and sometimes confusion to the specific meaning; but for our purposes it means the lack of… Read More »
[September 18, 2014] This week we have several leadership failures and successes. We’ll be naming names and making judgments – that is what leaders do. Leaders either have the ability to compare behavior and talk to some level of acceptable standards or they are not effective leaders. Those leaders who embroil themselves in controversial subjects can be very… Read More »
[September 17, 2014] It is undoubtedly human nature to be comfortable. Wherever we go and in whatever we are doing, we eventually strive to make ourselves more comfortable. This makes sense and is a good thing but can also be a bad for us in the work world. Good that we are always making our position better or… Read More »