[July 24, 2019] Over the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to speak with several young men who are combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was impressed with their energy and positive outlook on life. What I came away was the thought of how brave, honest, and generous these men showed to me… Read More »
[June 12, 2019] As a Buck Sergeant in the U.S. Army, I heard many military idioms and often wondered if military officers existed just to confuse sergeants. Since retiring from the army, referring to something like the long pole in the tent has become one of my favorite expressions. The problem is that it has more than one… Read More »
[March 8, 2019] Leaders generally do not understand the Golden Rule we see expressed in nearly all religions, especially in Christianity and Judaism. It often read as treating others with kindness and compassion. However, that interpretation is both shallow and misleading. “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to… Read More »
[March 2, 2019] One day upon discovering a cache of 1st Grade papers my mom had saved, I looked upon several marked papers with poor grades. My wife, who I had been telling that I never got good grades in school, saw them and remarked how amazed she was at my ‘terrible performance.’ The reason was that procrastination… Read More »
[February 20, 2019] “Get that wax outta your ears!” My mother was fond of giving me advice that my other siblings seemed to never get. She would say, “You hear me but you don’t HEAR me.” She was telling me that to be a good son, I had to listen to understand; not just listen to her words.… Read More »
[January 23, 2019] This past weekend I was at a Boy Scout “Klondike” event. The idea of Klondike is to demonstrate teamwork and test scouting skills. While sitting around the campfire with other adult scout leaders, we discussed the upcoming year and what we could do differently or do better as leaders. My leader resolutions for 2019 are… Read More »
[December 28, 2018] No one wants to get into ugly controversies. I know of no one who does. But leadership means being at the tip of the spear and consciously deciding to make difficult choices; even when the popular mood advises against it. “We take and must continue to take morally hazardous actions to preserve our civilization.” –… Read More »
[December 13, 2018] For anyone not living under a rock, you certainly will agree that many folks today are just too sensitive. As I see it, the problem is that leaders are, as well, too sensitive. We are quick to be insulted; believing others have disrespected, snubbed, or neglected us. And this leader trend is worsening compared to… Read More »
[November 21, 2018] There are a lot of things leaders do to make themselves approachable.1 They do this for many reasons; all of which have to do with acting as a catalyst to get the mission accomplished and taking care of people. One thing all good leaders do is laugh at other people’s jokes. Of course, this idea… Read More »
[October 7, 2018] In my long-running series on leader trends, I’ve tried to lay out what I see as troubling patterns in leadership. It’s usually something that has happened that sparks my interest and that is what motivated me today. The recent U.S. Supreme Court confirmation process has convinced me that our national leaders are actually pushing hate… Read More »