Opinion: When Firefighters are Heroes

By | February 17, 2016

[February 17, 2016]  After 9/11 when terrorists struck the United States homeland, there were many people who emerged as heroes.  Among them were firefighters, police officers, sanitation workers, and yes even ordinary people who were all involved to save people and engaged in the dangerous cleanup effort in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania.1 In… Read More »

Characteristic#100: Physical and Emotional Stamina

By | February 16, 2016

[February 16, 2016] I was breaking in a replacement Flag officer at the end of my tour in South Korea and the job required me to work closely with and live alongside my Korean counterparts. My replacement however had difficulty adapting to the new assignment and eventually was sent home early. What did he lack? Physical and emotional… Read More »

Valentine’s Day is an Opportunity

By | February 14, 2016

[February 14, 2016]  I surprised my wife with a bouquet of pink carnation flowers for Valentine’s Day today and she’s been all smiles since.  But Valentine’s Day is more than just another holiday to purchase something; it means that all of us have an opportunity to do something good for someone we love. “A heart is not judged… Read More »

Good Habits #20: Forget Perfection

By | February 13, 2016

[February 13, 2016]  Having worked with military and civilian engineers nearly all my life, I can attest to the fact that perfection is one of their most important goals.  Getting any calculation wrong can mean the difference in project failure or success … and that means a lot.  Once I finished my first year in combat with military… Read More »

Who is Simon Wiesenthal?

By | February 12, 2016

[February 12, 2016]  It is my belief that what we do echoes across history and that we are, in the final analysis, responsible for our actions.  People today and in the future will look to judge us as good or as bad … and that is acceptable and we should offer no excuses for our failings.  As another… Read More »

Leadership: Turning Losers into Winners

By | February 11, 2016

[February 11, 2016]  In the style of the American football coach George Allen, turning losers into winners is something truly remarkable to witness.  Some leaders have it, others don’t.  Here at theLeaderMaker.com, it is a key principle that leadership is learned and therefore all of us have the ability to take our teams across the finish line and… Read More »

Profile: Julius Caesar

By | February 10, 2016

[February 10, 2016]  A recent discovery of ancient bones, weapons, and other combat gear from the First Century B.C. has shed new light on Julius Caesar’s conquest of what today is northern Europe.1  Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman statesman, general, author, and dictator.  His conquests on the battlefield and his subsequent political successes have made him famous… Read More »

Leadership: Ready, Aim, Fire

By | February 9, 2016

[February 9, 2016]  These pages could easily be filled with anecdotes of leaders who made a major decision without fully contemplating the requirements to do so.  Those failures, and sometimes successes, can be spectacular much like General Armstrong Custer’s decisions and subsequent massacre at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.  The lesson for leaders is: ready, aim, fire.… Read More »