Everyone Loves an Underdog

By | February 27, 2020

[February 27, 2020]  My family was glued to the television as we watched the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeat the Soviet Union team in the semifinals at the 1980 Winter Games.  My brother and I were cheering for “our” hockey team.  We didn’t know anything about ice hockey (being from the Deep South) but that didn’t matter.  We… Read More »

The Military Teaches you to Adopt Responsibility

By | February 26, 2020

[February 26, 2020]  My maternal grandmother, Bigmama, used to shake her finger at my cousins and me and say, “get your act straight.”  I’m sure many of us have had similar experiences with grandparents and had that wagging finger pointed our way just after we did something wrong.  She was saying that that to be someone good in… Read More »

We Have to be More than We Are

By | February 25, 2020

[February 25, 2020]  I’m reminded of a Reebok tennis shoe commercial from a few years ago. Back in early 2015, Reebok introduced a new campaign to compete with Nike and other large brands.  Their “be more human” message is referring to Reebok’s attempt to urge consumers to live up to their full potential.  I like what their message… Read More »

Who is Mike Lindell?

By | February 23, 2020

[February 23, 2020]  Pierre DeSault1 once said that the important thing is to “be able to give up all that we are for what we can become.”  Former drug and alcohol addict Mike Lindell kick-started his life on the path to giving up his destructive behavior to establish and grow his company MyPillow.  Mike Lindell is a modern-day… Read More »

My Break in the Hospital

By | February 22, 2020

[February 22, 2020]  It’s been a week since I posted last here in my leadership blog.  In the early morning hours of Saturday morning, last week, I drove myself to the Emergency Room for what I thought would be a quick in-and-out after a doctor looked at what was hurting in my back.  After a CT scan, the… Read More »

Clearing the Spindle: Leader Failures

By | February 15, 2020

[February 15, 2020]  I’m a little late posting today because of a trip to the local hospital emergency room.  All is well, not to worry.  Readers over the next couple of days might see minor interruptions in my website postings. Now, for the issues where leaders have failed and people suffered. Good leadership could have foreseen these issues… Read More »

Discipline Comes from Within You

By | February 14, 2020

[February 14, 2020]  Navy Commander Joe Gallagher was the kind of man that you would want to meet in a bar and have an entertaining, fun evening.  He was smart, funny, and had that kind of personality everyone wanted to be around.  But, Joe couldn’t control his alcohol consumption one-night last year and he assaulted a police officer. … Read More »

‘Rules Don’t Apply to Me’

By | February 13, 2020

[February 13, 2020]  The roof was cratered by a JDAM 500-pound bomb1 and it had crushed the support columns of a three-story Iraqi ministry building.  Back in early 2004, my Army Engineers were studying the building as a possible site for an Infantry Brigade Headquarters.  Sitting inside at the time was a young sergeant from the 1st Armored… Read More »

Reading List (Update):  on Character

By | February 12, 2020

[February 12, 2020]  I know what you’re thinking already if you skipped this intro and went straight to read this Reading List choice.  How in the world could he write a review on “The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge”?  Does he think we’re boring or ahistorical or just plain brain dead?  “Silent Cal”?  Come on!  My good readers, please… Read More »