[April 10, 2014] In the U.S. Army we are fond of saying the “maximum effective range of an excuse is zero meters.” This is a play on words that harks to the effective killing range of a weapon system. I learned this the hard way when, on my first day as a platoon leader, several of my unit’s… Read More »
[April 09, 2015] On this date in 1865, exactly 150 years ago and largely unnoticed today, the Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant; thus ended the bloodiest point in the history of the United States. General Grant was now to play a crucial role in the difficult task of healing the wounds… Read More »
[April 8, 2015] The best piece of simple advice I ever received as a junior military officer was that the reality about leadership is that it’s all about people. Senior leaders know that empathy helps us create and maintain bonds of trust; acting as the lubricant that keeps relationships on track. “You can easily judge the character of… Read More »
[April 07, 2015] Game on! My high school track coach used to tell us that we had to give everything we had everyday to be winners. Each day at practice he would yell “game on,” meaning we were expected to jump into immediate action to prove ourselves worthy to be on the team. Likewise in leaders, there is… Read More »
[April 06, 2015] Rolling Stone Magazine’s publication of a false tale on an alleged rape at the University of Virginia was a scandal that reaffirms the fact that America’s media has a bias for anything that fits their particular ideology. Leadership at the magazine failed and yet there is no accountability for their failure that did not allow… Read More »
[April 05, 2015] When my friends and I played little league baseball as young boys, our coach would tell us we had to have heart to play well. He was also adamant that we help move the game along briskly so our families would enjoy it more as spectators. Today, decades later, Major League Baseball (MLB) has discovered… Read More »
[April 04 2015] There is evidence, mostly circumstantial, that leaders today are less adaptable to change than ever before. Furthermore, leaders are likely to be also less resilient, lacking in courage, and less truthful. No surprise then that most Americans have less confidence in leadership than ever before. The world is changing at a pace that seems to… Read More »
[April 03, 2015] U.S. President Bill Clinton has been often referred to as one of the most authentic leaders of our generation. Whether you liked his politics or not, he just had a way about him that made it seems he was the real deal, a genuine good person who cared about you. Whether Clinton was in the… Read More »
[April 02, 2015] Between 1970 and 1999 South Korean airlines had a number of accidents that put them at the bottom in aviation safety. The reason was traced to a cultural issue whereby junior pilots would not correct senior pilots or give them satisfactory feedback on piloting skills. A good friend of mine was a senior officer in… Read More »
[April 01, 2015]. The Germanwings airline co-pilot deliberately steered his commercial jet into the French Alps killing all 150 aboard. It was discovered he had hidden his mental health problems from the airline. People often obscure mental issues from their employers, friends, and family. Leaders are particularly prone to hide them because of adverse impacts on their employment… Read More »