[September 14, 2016] My graduating class of the U.S. Infantry School in 1983 produced an exceptional group of officers. When 9/11 occurred nearly all of us were colonels and had considerable command experience; fully ready for whatever the national called upon us to do. But the one thing that our schooling failed to prepare us for was the… Read More »
[September 8, 2016] Everyone will tell you that loyalty is one of the most visible and noteworthy of all traits; found not just in humans but also in animals. What makes it so important is that loyalty is necessary for the survival of the species; without it, no individual could depend on others. Despite much talk about bottom-to-top… Read More »
[July 20, 2016] Of course, children can learn leadership … and like a second language it’s easier to teach them while they’re young and eager to be taught. Many psychological studies show that what and how we learn at a young age influences us throughout our lives; all the more reason to teach leadership to kids. I’ve personally… Read More »
[July 14, 2016] A good friend of mine for many years told me recently that “honesty is no longer valued.” He was exaggerating but also being rather blunt after an experience he had with several younger folks that accused him of being a sexist. “There was no arguing with them,” he told me. For some time now, many… Read More »
[July 12, 2016] It is certainly interesting to see news about the development of U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over her use of private email servers to transmit classified information. Of course she has denied it … and though an FBI investigation determined she did in fact do so, she steadfastly continues to deny it. This is a… Read More »
[May 21, 2016] Do people read any more? That was the question a young girl asked me at the book store last week. I was hesitant to answer in some way other than in platitudes. But it got me to thinking that people don’t read as much as they used to because other “fun” things are quicker to… Read More »
[May 9, 2016] One of the greatest risks a leader can make is to over promise what they can do. Everyone has seen it time and again and everyone will experience overpromising leaders throughout their lifetimes. And, as expected, leaders are drawn to people who desire something better. The end result is, at best, disappointment or, at worse,… Read More »
[May 5, 2016] It has been said that militaries win or lose partly on how well their generals lead but also on how well their soldiers follow. When leaders speak plainly they draw people to them. Great leaders are brutally honest, often very blunt in their words because they say what’s on their mind. They will always tell… Read More »
[May 4, 2016] When my friend Wilson and I joined the Little League baseball team as six-year olds, we were fortunate to meet one of the best coaches of all time. Dr. Hagood was a physician but also a part-time coach in our small town. His greatest contribution to children on his team was to instill in us… Read More »
[March 25, 2016] My old American History professor once told me that the best known people of the past had a record of personal growth. Leaders, in his opinion, had unremitting personal growth from childhood onward. Not only was this was their secret to success, there was no exception he could find. It was clear to me at… Read More »