[May 5, 2016]  It has been said that militaries win or lose partly on how well their generals lead but also on how well their soldiers follow.  When leaders speak plainly they draw people to them.  Great leaders are brutally honest, often very blunt in their words because they say what’s on their mind.  They will always tell… Read More »

[May 4, 2016] When my friend Wilson and I joined the Little League baseball team as six-year olds, we were fortunate to meet one of the best coaches of all time. Dr. Hagood was a physician but also a part-time coach in our small town. His greatest contribution to children on his team was to instill in us… Read More »

[May 3, 2016]  In Parts 1 and 2 of this three-part series, I argued that teenagers lack leadership skills’ training and proposed that a formalized teenager leadership system be established.  When teenager leadership is overlooked, as it has been historically, the contributions of those young folks are stunted.  By teaching them early in their development, leadership will become… Read More »

[May 2, 2016]  In Part 1 of this three-part series, I argued that teenagers lack training in leadership skills and that holds them back as adults.  Teenager leadership is an overlooked part of education throughout most societies, especially Western nations where it is assumed that leadership can somehow be absorbed through classroom instruction.  I reject this idea and… Read More »

[May 1, 2016]  When my three friends and I joined the U.S. Army, our first experience at Boot Camp involved a giant of a man wearing a Drill Sergeant hat who spent his day screaming at us.  The profanity was endless, as were the exasperatingly long hours.  What we lacked then and what many young folks lack today… Read More »

[April 30, 2016]  Children are quick to pick-up on life’s lessons … good or bad.  It is expected that parents be diligent in providing a family setting that good lessons will flourish.  It was up to my mother to tell me that the best way to be a good man was to have jobs as a boy that… Read More »

[April 29, 2016]  In the study of military history a special area only recently receiving attention is the survival of Prisoners of War (POW).  From the Revolutionary War through Vietnam, U.S. Army researchers discovered a number of patterns that was the key to POW survival; the more mentally and physically resilient, the higher the survival rate.  Resilience was… Read More »

[April 28, 2016]  Militaries around the world struggle with instilling the right leadership qualities in their troops.  And, as we know, weak leaders wreak havoc to the processes within any organization.  In Part 1 we addressed 20 characteristics of weak leaders but also noted that leadership outcomes result from the interplay between the character of a leader, their… Read More »

[April 27, 2016]  Command Sergeant Majors (CSM) are the U.S. Army’s most senior enlisted soldiers and all our military services have an equivalent.  They are highly respected and they give their wisdom and advice to senior commanders to help their units run smoothly.  One CSM once gave me his thoughts on why there are so many weak leaders… Read More »