[July 14, 2020] The best thing that ever happened during my military training was to experience immediate feedback on whatever I did. At the beginning of my career, I was first insulted, then shocked, and then mad that someone would tell me how wrong I was. Later, I changed. I came to welcome the clarity of instant feedback,… Read More »
[July 13, 2020] One thing that sets the best leaders apart from others is that they read, study, and discuss ideas. Long ago, when I was a staff officer as a U.S. Army Infantry Captain, a small group of junior officers was joking one day about the 1991 Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. Why did it pique… Read More »
[July 12, 2020] Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, has some sage advice for young people. Today, I’m introducing his 10 rules for success. Evan Carmichael compiled these from a series of speech’s Obama has given over the past few years.1 Readers of this leadership blog will see the commonality of these rules with my regular… Read More »
[July 11, 2020] The Prime Minister of Italy once said that “The truth is that men are tired of liberty.” That PM was Benito Mussolini before he declared himself dictator for life in 1925. Today’s profile is of a man who led his country from prosperity of the 1930s to its near destruction in the early 1940s. It… Read More »
[July 10, 2020] In the summer of 1940, Parisians were awakened to the sound of a German-accented voice announcing an 8 p.m. curfew as German troops entered Paris, France.1 Nevertheless, the invasion of the European mainland did not begin until three years later. On this date, July 10, 1943, the invasion of Europe started. It was long overdue.2… Read More »
[July 9, 2020] Amazingly, several idioms from World War II are still with us 75 years after the end of that great conflict.1 If you’re taking flak, you’re over the target is an old, WWII Army Air Force phrase. It means to take criticism (flak) from a position on a controversial topic (the target). Leaders are first to… Read More »
[July 8, 2020] Guest blogger Laughing Monkey is new to my website. He is a bit different, as readers will quickly discover. Like other bloggers, he is a guest and must meet specific criteria, but he is allowed to write to his heart’s content. Laughing Monkey likes satire, so beware. He has a sardonic humor that permeates his… Read More »
[July 7, 2020] A good leader is someone who can show another how to reach their potential. A great leader helps that person discover their potential for themselves. That is what Robert Woodson is all about. Controversial, tough-minded, creative, and patriot; these words describe the man, but who is he? Former civil rights leader Bob Woodson is a… Read More »
[July 6, 2020] There are no words in the English language that is worse than being called a coward. Growing up in a culture steeped in military customs and populated by veterans, I feared being called a coward or, worse yet, a yellow-bellied snake. The rhetorical references are explicit; if you are a coward, then there is nothing… Read More »
[July 5, 2020] I first saw the men of 111th Sapper Company on the outskirts of Baghdad back in late 2003. What these Soldiers did was hard work. They had just returned from a grueling mission of finding and destroying roadside bombs and were getting their baseballs and gloves out for another fun game. Their commander, a red-haired… Read More »