[October 15, 2014] During the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars1, the militaries of the Arab states2 were well organized but performed poorly on the battlefield. For those of us who study war, it is well known that militaries of socialist countries are inferior to democratic national armies. While it is hard to pinpoint any one reason why, what… Read More »
[October 14, 2014] One of my best friends, with a great personality and positive disposition, was recently relieved of his military duties. He was a Flag officer and had responsibility for thousands of soldiers. To obtain this station in the military meant that he had to prove himself worthy over many years. Just recently he was also asked… Read More »
[October 13, 2014] More senior leadership failures and successes who speak their mind Note. Wow, this week there were a number of senior leaders in the news, most of them making comments they probably wish they had another chance at making. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is back with another gaffe. I will resist the temptation to create… Read More »
By guest blogger Sadako Red [see disclaimer] [October 12, 2014] Greetings! … that’s how my draft notice began from the “Government of the United States” back in 1966. The U.S. government has a long arm and this was my first realization that it could actually reach out and tap me on the shoulder … I was untouchable, as… Read More »
[October 11, 2014] My grandmother was always trying to make a “man” out of me. She had the most ingenious of methods to ensure that I grew up tough and unafraid of the world. One way was to bribe me into participating in various sports – “It makes you stronger, young man,” she would say. One sport she… Read More »
[October 10, 2014] There is a new theme in the professional study of senior leaders and it says that those leaders must have a sense of unpretentiousness to be effective and successful. Anyone being familiar with U.S. leaders, and its military culture in particular, knows that such a character trait of their military men certainly does not include… Read More »
[October 09, 2014] Ernesto Che Guevara is one of the most iconic revolutionary figures of the 20th Century. He continues to be admired, mostly in the Americas and in particular in Cuba where he assisted Fidel Castro overthrowing the Batista government. His name evokes strong emotion from socialists and communists alike throughout the world. Yet why is that… Read More »
[October 08, 2014] Reading books that make me think – really think – is truly the epitome of quality reading. Marshall Goldsmith writes that traits that made you successful won’t necessarily keep you there or advance you further. I enjoy this type of reasoning and it allows me to keep that reminder of potential failure in the back… Read More »
[October 07, 2014] TheLeaderMaker.com experienced a complete WiFi service outage due to recent defective “router firmware updates” … at least that’s what I’m told. For the computer geeks who love this stuff, my Belkin router and millions more, received an update this morning at about 5:00 am. When that occurred, our routers and their associated IP addresses would… Read More »
[October 07, 2014] Occasionally we hear about the good works of Hollywood stars – those helping people in need by giving money – but rarely do we hear about them providing opportunities and real leadership. Twenty years ago Gary Sinise co-starred in the movie Forest Gump alongside Tom Hanks. Unexpectedly, the movie helped propel him into a leadership… Read More »