[February 6, 2021] Two days ago, I attended a Vietnam War veteran’s funeral. The turnout was about 35 people, family, and many older veterans who knew him. A good number of attendees, in my estimation, given that we are in the middle of a pandemic. We were curious why vaccinations were so few in our state. In this… Read More »
[February 5, 2021] I learned this important leadership lesson the hard way. My Infantry unit deployed to Ft. Pickett, VA in the late summer of 1983 for a “shake down” exercise. As Platoon Leader, I placed our crew-served M60 machinegun on our right flank and had my men dig in. My commander didn’t like the placement and told… Read More »
[February 4, 2021] U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said that “Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.” This quote says a lot about Steven Crowder, a staunch political conservative, commentator, Christian, and comedian. Steven Crowder does not stand in the middle of the road.… Read More »
[February 3, 2021] Honestly, I am surprised this is even a topic of conversation. There is a movement today by Big Tech – like Google, Instagram, and Twitter – to crush free speech.1 It’s a bad idea, a bad decision on their part, and the best action they can take – in the moral sense – is… Read More »
[February 2, 2021] Why do you need a résumé? In today’s job market, it has become overwhelmingly the way to impress a potential employer. We are told that without a résumé, you are at a disadvantage. However, as a senior military officer, while still serving and after I left, I tell folks that I am not looking for… Read More »
[February 1, 2021] My Junior High School civics teacher had been some kind of counter-intelligence official during WW2. I remember nothing about him other than his wartime service and the time we studied propaganda. He told a bunch of wide-eyed kids that someday we would need what he was saying. He was right. Propaganda is a form of… Read More »
[January 31, 2021] The pandemic has catapulted leaders of all kinds into uncertainty; whether that be business leaders, academic leaders or political leaders. Their leadership skills were put to the test with big picture questions like “when will it be safe to work in-person?”, “what will the post-COVID world look like?” and “how can we better prepare for… Read More »
[January 30, 2021] The Great Raid (2005) is a war film about the Raid at Cabanatuan prisoner of war camp on the island of Luzon, Philippines, during WW2. I saw it again, for the fifth time, last night. The film tells us about “the most daring rescue mission of our time.” The rescue included American soldiers, Alamo Scouts,… Read More »
[January 29, 2021] We already know, as leaders, that delegating authority is difficult but necessary. Yesterday in Part 1 (link here), I gave an example from my time as an Infantry Company Commander. This is the kind of job that allows you to see your men face-to-face and get to know every one of them. Feedback on your… Read More »
[January 28, 2021] My first evaluation as an Infantry Company Commander said that I was ‘resistant to delegating authority.’ It was an insult, in my mind anyway, and an embarrassment as well. I knew that the art of leadership is not about ordering people around but finding the right people, delegating tasks to them, and giving them the… Read More »