[April 27, 2017] Most of us work in an organization of some kind. It may be large or small, simple or complex, or prestigious or not so; but what really matters to its success is the people who work there and it’s the hard workers that make this achievement happen. That’s right. It’s not just anybody that makes… Read More »
[April 26, 2017] My grandmother enthralled us with riveting stories of bravery, tragedy, and love of family in her travels across the Great Plains of the American Midwest. She was just a girl when her parents and siblings began their journey in a Conestoga wagon pulled slowly by two large horses. This was something us grandkids had only… Read More »
[April 25, 2017] If someone was to write a book on how to fail as a senior leader, then it must include the U.S. politician Hillary Clinton as the definitive example. Her loss to Donald Trump, who was considered a weaker candidate, is not just about a failure to garner votes against a non-political opponent, it’s everything about… Read More »
[April 24, 2017] The thumbnail picture gives some hint to the identity of this man Georges Thenault. Americans won’t know the name but will recognize his story as Captain Thenault commander of the Lafayette Escadrille;1 a French organization made up mostly of American fighter pilots during World War I. The few American pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille (Escadrille… Read More »
[April 23, 2017] Many years ago before I was commissioned a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, I was an Infantry Drill Sergeant at Fort Polk, Louisiana. There I learned a valuable lesson while teaching the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship to new soldiers. I would explain to them how to shoot the M161A1 rifle … foremost, seeing it done… Read More »
[April 22, 2017] Believe it or not, one of my engineer Captains actually said that to me … once. If it’s stupid but works, it ain’t stupid, is one of the many Murphy’s Laws of Combat. While there is some morsel of truth to the “law,” I have a totally different take. Leaders should never fall for it.… Read More »
[April 21, 2017] Here at theLeaderMaker.com I like to encourage habits that make leaders effective. In that context, I’ve found whenever a leader asks good questions, good things happen. Indeed, this is a significant fact that cannot be overlooked by those who fill the role of leader. There is, however, some confusion I will clear up. Two key… Read More »
[April 20, 2017] We’ve all been told that railroads in the United States are a technology of the past and will soon go the way of the dinosaur. The classic steel rail and wooden crossbeam, heavy railroad car, and diesel locomotives are bound for the scrapheap … so they say. They are wrong and that is why the… Read More »
[April 19 2017] Leadership is about people; young, old, male, female, your competitors, your family, the boss’s boss, etc. It’s about us all … and that is yet so simple of a concept that it’s often overlooked by leaders. But, the greatest leaders have never forgotten that it is about, and will always be about, all people. If… Read More »
[April 18 2017] The title of this blog is not the most elegant … but it is a quote from one of the best U.S. Army Sergeant Majors in recent times. I was sitting in the audience of soldiers and military families when the guest speaker said these words. I instantly connected to the speaker and idea. Yes,… Read More »