[December 29, 2016] A senior Flag officer in the U.S. Army with whom I worked for a number of years was in his last assignment and wanted to finish his final command without any big problems. But the predicament he created by trying to please everybody was that many soldiers thought of him as a weak leader and… Read More »
[December 28, 2016] There will be times and places where the most effective leader will do the greatest good by personally being present at a significant time or place and paying one’s respect. Yesterday, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where his nation conducted a surprise attack on December 7, 1941 bringing America into… Read More »
[December 27, 2016] It was a hot summer day at Fort Benning, Georgia when my class was to take an exam on how to survive a chemical attack by a determined enemy. It was rumored to be our school’s most difficult test and that could explain why two Second Lieutenants were cheating on the exam; both were caught… Read More »
[December 26, 2016] A few days ago I wrote about my view of the Iraqis during the early part of the War in Iraq. From my one-year tour of combat duty in Iraq with a U.S. Army Engineer unit, I came into contact with Iraqis, terrorists, combat troops, contractors, home town folks, reporters, and politicians. It is instructive… Read More »
[December 25, 2016] Each Christmas Day I’m reminded of those men and women who serve as the defenders of our nation and its citizens. That is so because they perform their duties on this day, selflessly, so those like my family and me can enjoy safety in following our faith. Merry Christmas to all my readers and especially… Read More »
By guest blogger Cassidy Hennigan [See Biography] [December 24, 2016] It is easy, and perhaps very human, to look at people who have “made it” and assume that they have some sort of unfair advantage, or even that they have cheated the system in some way or another. While this might actually be true in some cases, the… Read More »
[December 23, 2016] The U.S. War of Independence and its conclusion was something that we can study to learn more about great senior leadership. War had not gone well for the Patriots and many expected defeat in their battle against the British Empire; out of desperation, pushing the Continental Congress to empower General George Washington, Commander of the… Read More »
[December 22, 2016] Yes, even teenagers can be good leaders and many are very good without formal training or mentoring of any kind. It appears as if they’re born that way but we know that not to be true. Such was the case when a young teenager taught me a lesson in leadership and a gaggle of other… Read More »
[December 21, 2016] One thing I like most about great leaders is that they don’t mince their words. My grandmother reminded me often to “speak plainly and loudly” if I wanted to be heard above others. She was one to never filter what she thought and taught all us grandchildren to never disguise our thinking in “double talk… Read More »
[December 20, 2016] Confusion, chaos, and frustration will result from simple miscommunications and, unsurprisingly, is a fundamental problem whenever humans are involved with one another. At its most basic level, good leadership means establishing formal definitions in a leadership toolbox for selected concepts as a way to avoid potential misunderstandings; we call these terms of reference. Miscommunications will… Read More »