[June 28, 2017] I was fortunate to attend one of the U.S. military’s General Officer courses a number of years ago and to develop a number of friendships that endure to this day. Called CAPSTONE, the four week course covers a number of major issues affecting national security.1 One lesson the course repeatedly reinforced was that leadership means… Read More »
[June 20, 2017] In the army we were always taught to never walk past a problem. If you do, then you’ve just set a new standard of behavior – a much lower standard. I thought people knew this but it was given a new lease-on life in my mind when I witnessed two soldiers walk into a recruiting… Read More »
[June 10, 2017] An older gentleman I met earlier this year asked me to look at a book of his dated 1944-1946. Upon opening it I was expecting to see journal entries about the war and occupation of Europe; those things that those men wrote who survived the crucible of combat, its exhilaration and its horror. What I… Read More »
[April 29, 2017] In 1935, American R.K.O. movie actress Ginger Rogers agreed to help raise awareness for the crimson flower known as the poppy. Then as now, the red poppy was symbolic of the sacrifices of those who died in World War I. The Veterans of Foreign Wars discovered that when they pay attention to such things of… Read More »
[March 17, 2017] Leaders are human too and they require regular healthy activities to keep them at the top of their game. Staying healthy is something leaders acknowledge as crucial for their performance in any job; just ask any senior leader about how much they take it seriously. But there is much more to the story of good… Read More »
[March 1, 2017] Trust and confidence is a fundamental attribute of leadership. It is the ability to build strong trust and confidence in others that makes a leader and furthermore it is a leader’s credibility that is drawn from those who work in similar professions. That brings me to a story from a good friend of mine who… Read More »
[December 30, 2016] Once upon a time I had a commanding officer that was unreliable; lazy, indecisive, uncommitted, and on top of that a notorious braggart. He made my life, and those around him, miserable and frustrating. In retrospect, alcohol played a big role but like many other leaders he was not reliable as elemental leadership requires of… Read More »
[December 12, 2016] Many books, articles, news stories, and such have written about bad bosses and all of us have spoken to one another about the poor leadership we’ve experienced. And I’ve written about the topic before (see links here, here, and here). Oftentimes leaders present a common picture of those traits of bad junior leaders who are… Read More »
[November 2, 2016] Nearly 50 years ago, the U.S. was in the middle of the Vietnam War and experiencing a strengthening antiwar movement. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson met with a group of highly prestigious leaders to ask for their advice on how to unite citizens on the war effort. Their advice was to give more optimistic reports. … Read More »
[October 29, 2016] On occasion I present a leader who is well known through their actions or their writings. My intent is to get into the mind of that person so that those of us who study leadership can better understand the thinking of those who were successful, and even exceptional, in carrying out their leadership duties. Today,… Read More »