[October 15, 2016] Understanding the thinking of senior leaders is a difficult task under the best of circumstances but in doing so, even if imperfect, it helps us understand how leaders approach problems and make important decisions. Such is the theme of my “who is” series here at theLeaderMaker.com. French politician Pierre Laval is an example of how… Read More »
[October 14, 2016] I’ve been asked this question many times and the answer is, of course, “no” … the characteristics of military leaders are the same as all other leaders. To some of my friends, they were a bit surprised by my answer because, like many people, they are confusing leadership style with leadership characteristics. This may only… Read More »
[October 13, 2016] A few days ago I got an email from a friend of mine in the Australian Army. He and I served together in Iraq fighting insurgents who were good at killing civilians and blowing things up. Often ignored when one is in the “middle of the fight” are those things that bring us together and… Read More »
[October 12, 2016] A number of years ago I had the opportunity to meet with and attend a talk by General Norman Schwarzkopf; the topic was on his philosophy of leadership. What I didn’t know at the time was that, like any good leader, he had no set definition of leadership. What he does make very clear is… Read More »
[October 11, 2016] In early September 2001 a conference was held at the Pentagon by the U.S. military joint staff on the “decline of leadership” within our ranks. The issues were a belief that many of our youngest and brightest lacked certain societal values and this was seen as a harbinger of things to come. Anytime over the… Read More »
[October 10, 2016] At the beginning of World War II, the outlook for the survival of Great Britain was bleak. The immense German military juggernaut had the English isle in its sights and Hitler was advancing his forces to destroy it. Thanks to its great leaders such as Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the immense sacrifices of its… Read More »
[October 9, 2016] Personal study and reflection is a crucial part of the growth of a professional. Each one of us work through our days with busy schedules but finding time to read and think is an ongoing challenge. In the military we are taught that to train our bodies, but like our bodies we must also train… Read More »
[October 8, 2016] We need heroes … we need them because of a deep need to realize personal excellence; our heroes are symbols for those qualities we would like to possess and the ambitions we would like to gratify. Looking to what Tom Brokaw called, “the Greatest Generation,” there can be found Joe Foss, one of the leading… Read More »
[October 7, 2016] It was a beautiful fall day in October nearly 30 years ago when I was walking along the main drag at Penn State University when I came upon Joe Paterno for the first time. “JoePa” as he is more affectionately known, was talking to a small group of students about how to be successful at… Read More »
[October 6, 2016] … and that’s how they get things done! The expectations and hopes of any organization (or society) depends upon the quality and experience of its leaders. Regardless of position – junior manager, mid-grade officer, or senior leader – the commitment of a leader to get their hands dirty is intimately connected to how well that… Read More »