U.S. Leadership and Syria

By | September 24, 2014

[September 24, 2014] The latest news out of the Middle East is that U.S. President Obama ordered airstrikes and missile attacks inside the country of Syria. Those attacks are on Islamic terror groups and have occurred mainly in the northern area not controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Recall that Syria is in the middle of a civil… Read More »

The Permanency of Your Past

By | September 23, 2014

[September 23, 2014] Until the past couple of decades a person could relocate to another geographic area, gain useful employment, and start a family; thereby leaving past transgressions in the past. The permanency of your past is, however, here to stay. Many well-known people have experienced a bit of embarrassment when their past behavior was made public. Things… Read More »

NFL Controversy and Leadership Lessons

By | September 22, 2014

[September 22, 2014] When we think of leadership lessons in sports, we normally think of it coming from players on the field and the coaching support of the game. The lesson today comes from higher up. The NFL itself is undergoing a controversy over Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Rice and the physical abuse of his then-fiancée. Rice’s initial two-game… Read More »

Race, Character, and the Government

By | September 21, 2014

By guest blogger Sadako Red [see disclaimer] [September 21, 2014] Greetings to all leaders! I didn’t write my column for a bit; alas I have a life, small as it is. Football season is here and that means we’re ready for cooler temperatures; and here in Washington DC that will be a welcomed relief. What the football season… Read More »

The Ebola Outbreak, Ethics, and Leadership

By | September 20, 2014

[September 20, 2014] The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is “exponentially increasing” and projections predict hundreds of thousands by the end of the year. The viral disease has no known cure, is highly contagious, and has a fatality rate over 50 percent. There is no current vaccine to prevent the disease. Transmission is by body fluids and, unfortunately,… Read More »

Leader Trends: Do We Promote Disrespect?

By | September 19, 2014

[September 19, 2014] An advantage to being a senior military leader means to be able to ask simple questions and actually get thoughtful answers. I’ve asked probably hundreds of military personnel and their families this one question regarding our military leaders, “Do we promote disrespect?” Families overwhelmingly say yes. The troops are a little more split on the… Read More »

Leader Trends: Are We Cowards?

By | September 18, 2014

[September 18, 2014] When I ask the question of my colleagues, “Are we cowards?” or “Are we leaders, cowards?” the answer I get might surprise you. First we must be clear what a coward means to the general population. There are nuances and sometimes confusion to the specific meaning; but for our purposes it means the lack of… Read More »

Leader Wall of Failure and Success

By | September 18, 2014

[September 18, 2014] This week we have several leadership failures and successes. We’ll be naming names and making judgments – that is what leaders do. Leaders either have the ability to compare behavior and talk to some level of acceptable standards or they are not effective leaders. Those leaders who embroil themselves in controversial subjects can be very… Read More »

New Features and Enhancements

By | September 17, 2014

[September 17, 2014] TheLeaderMaker.com is about to undergo some changes that should make the reading experience more worthwhile. The changes are largely based on reader input but also include some items I’ve wanted to add for a while. My intent is to make theLeaderMaker.com the go to place to read about senior leadership. Here are some of the… Read More »