[July 04, 2014] In 2006, soon after the President announced a “surge” in Iraq, I was given an extra duty. Several of us, the most senior colonels, were to help “flush out the particulars of the military surge strategy.” General Petraeus outlined the strategy for us but there were to be a structure to the direction and control… Read More »
[July 03, 2014] When a good friend of mine was newly promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, the lowest flag rank, he was shocked that he was highly visible in spite of where he went or what he did. He could no longer remain anonymous in the back of a meeting room. Everything he said was analyzed… Read More »
[July 02, 2014] The world was shocked to hear that Amelia Earhart and her navigator Frederick Noonan were reported missing in the Pacific Ocean on this date in 1937. Earhart completed a number of aviation firsts, winning fame and money along the way in the 1920s and 30s. She was well liked and personally driven to audacity. Sadly,… Read More »
[July 02, 2014] Yesterday, we discussed Detroit’s problem of an entitlement mentality with so many of its citizens (link here). It turns out that over half the population is delinquent on their water bills and is threatened with their water being turned off. A parallel between the privileged status of Detroiters and the failed socialist system was difficult… Read More »
[July 01, 2014] A number of years ago, I was fortunate to travel to Florence Italy to be a tourist, relax a little, and see the sights. My goal was to visit arts museums and see the cultured side of life as I had been doing while living in Germany. Unexpectedly, a small group of us were caught… Read More »
[July 01, 2014] News comes to us over the past several weeks that large numbers of residents who do not pay their water bills are having their water service disconnected. What is interesting, from a leadership perspective, is what folks are saying and doing about it. A water department official said, “The majority of our customers (who) are in… Read More »
[June 30, 2014] As a new Platoon Leader in the U.S. Army infantry, the men were always comparing me to the previous leader. And oh, that leader did not do so very well. The comparisons were usually unflattering and frankly I was not too happy about it. It took a year before I was accepted for who I… Read More »
[June 30, 2014] Leaders know that communication is one of the most important senior leadership characteristics one can possess. Great leaders, personally, have vast communication talents. Yet, they also have the ability to ensure their message is pushed throughout the organization, without unnecessary distortion. The best leaders also go to great lengths to avoid sending mixed signals. Nothing… Read More »
[June 29, 2014] It was inevitable that someone would get around to calling the U.S. Army racist and a slur for naming its helicopters after American Indians. While it is true that the Army has done so since at least the 1960s as noted in an earlier post (link here), it was done with the consent of the… Read More »
[June 29, 2014] A small group of 10-year old boys from northern Louisiana collected empty “coke” bottles to exchange for 2 cents each back in the early 1960s. My two friends and I would spend Saturdays scouring our small, no-traffic-light town for coke empties. This was my first memory of Coca Cola. We would each, maybe, make enough… Read More »