[April 18, 2018] At 5:13 am on this date, April 18, 1906, the city of San Francisco, California experienced a massive earthquake that was felt along nearly all of the West Coast. Massive fires then broke out threatening to kill thousands. The only way city leaders could control the problem was to think big, act quickly, and not… Read More »
[April 17, 2018] I frequently tell the story of how West Point military cadets behave when they are allowed to buy small treats from one of the many vending machines. On top of the machines are coins that accumulated in the change slot and no one has claimed. No cadet dare take a coin for themselves, as this… Read More »
[April 16, 2018] My High School friend’s dad was a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Texas. On several occasions when my friend and I were annoyed by all the jet noise, his dad would say; Boys, that is the sound of freedom. Americans have always been seen as an odd… Read More »
[April 15, 2018] Early in my military career I learned about being brief and to the point. “Don’t waste people’s time,” was said about as often as we cleaned our rifles. I’m always looking for leadership methods I can put into my personal toolbox and the standup meeting is one of them. Also called morning roll-call or daily… Read More »
[April 14, 2018] It has been said that it is a person’s own mind, not the enemy or foe, which lures a person to evil ways. Evil (what it is and is not) is humankind’s greatest mystery which remains unresolved yet continues to be tenacious in its damage to countless civilizations. I often chuckle to myself when I… Read More »
[April 13, 2018] Army Vet takes a hard look at American GENERALS and ADMIRALS and comes away believing they are not the leaders they should be. U.S. military Generals aren’t leaders anymore. That also includes admirals from the Navy and Coast Guard; which are much worse! I’ll stick to the Army Generals for the moment and tell you… Read More »
[April 12, 2018] When I was working on my college degree, I heard the story about a small group of students who were admitted to Navy ROTC and yet none had the proper grades. It was a clerical error but they were allowed to stay and, to everyone’s surprise, all but one finished. At that point, I concluded… Read More »
[April 11, 2018] You and I have probably had a similar experience with a boss that made us madder-n-hell. Like so many folks, I had a boss that had few leadership skills yet held the title of “Commander.” To those who worked for him, he was a leader in name only. I personally don’t hold the expectation that… Read More »
[April 10, 2018] If there is one stereotype of military folks, it is that they are closed-minded; in other words, slow to adopt new ideas, tactics, and equipment. One need only look to World War I as a not-so-subtle reminder that this is probably true. On the other hand, I’ve found that most military professionals today are very… Read More »
[April 9, 2018] A legendary story about gentlemanly behavior comes from Elizabethan times when Sir Walter Raleigh laid down his cloak before the Queen so she would not get her feet wet.1 But times are changing and there are some folks who now ask whether gentlemen are a dying breed. Nevertheless, for a leader, the answer is to… Read More »