[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 »
[April 8, 2018] Is that a sexist comment, or what? Perhaps, but I’ll write about it anyway because there is some truth to it and because it’s something leaders should keep in the back of their minds. My grandmother was especially fond of men in uniform and although she never saw me in mine, she was a big… Read More »
[March 7, 2015] Winston Churchill once said that an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. Churchill, of course, is the man who helped save England during World War II and a man we should review as someone who knew a lot about war and human psychology. The man had nerve. Great… Read More »
[April 6, 2018] A close friend of mine was quickly headed for leader burnout. It was 2007 in Iraq; Engineers were pushing hard to prepare for the troop “surge” ordered by President Bush and things were not going well. Recently promoted to the rank of Colonel, he had been working long hours without any time off and stress… Read More »