[June 24, 2014] I was visiting military veterans this past weekend at the local Veterans Administration hospital. While there, all the staff could talk about was the World Soccer Cup. The vets were aware, but I could tell most were hardcore baseball fans like me. My insurance agent even got in on the act and was talking about… Read More »
[June 24, 2014] Inevitably the discussion turned to the question, “What is a warrior?” A small group of officers and sergeants were happily discussing this topic over a few near-beers the night before we were to fly into Baghdad, Iraq. For most of us, it would be the first time we would see combat. The “what is a… Read More »
[June 23, 2014] My computer is having the real hard-core techies giving it the “full Monty”. They call it a diagnostic test. Something was wrong with Windows 8.0 installation. So, as I type on my wife’s machine, my computer is in the shop. This will slow down my posting a bit. Tomorrow I might be a little late… Read More »
[June 23, 2014] “Now, the rest of the story.” Those iconic words represent the essence of radio personality Paul Harvey. Certainly not a traditional great leader and not even in the minor leagues with the greats like General Eisenhower. Yet, Paul Harvey was one of the greatest communicators in America. Born Paul Harvey Aurandt (1919-2009), he was on… Read More »
[June 22, 2014] A long-developed theme here on the LeaderMaker.com has been the importance of learning from the failure of others. Learning from failure is a critical skill of leaders. It is so important that it ranks up there with the most important features of leadership. If we were to individually learn only from our mistakes, we would… Read More »
[June 22, 2014] “I learned it from the school of hard knocks.” In Part 1 of Building Initiative yesterday, I proposed two things. First, it is possible to improve initiative in workers through some very specific steps. Second, that it was the obligation of a leader to build initiative. Many believe that initiative is learned only through relevant… Read More »
[June 21 07, 2014] There is much to be said about community leadership at the local level. Today there is news that Coney Island (yes, that Coney Island) has a new loop-the-loop roller coaster. Now why is that so important? Coney Island has been in decline since the 1970s. It was once an iconic playground for the rich and… Read More »
[June 21, 2014] The story of building initiative is an old one. I frequently tell an account of a conversation I had in mid-2007 Fallujah, Iraq. A U.S. Marine and I were talking about what Army engineers would do to assist them in defense of the city. The Marine told me he didn’t mind combat but never wanted… Read More »
[June 20, 2014] Looking back at the books I read as a junior officer, I came upon one of my favorites. This one is a serious handbook for aspiring leaders who can learn how to achieve seemingly impossible goals. It made a difference for me and I remember it well. If you look at book reviews on-line, you… Read More »
[June 20, 2014] Public confidence in the U.S. Congress is at an all-time low, according to a survey released yesterday by Gallup. Only seven percent of U.S. citizens said they have either a “great deal” (4%) or “quite a lot” (3%) of confidence in Congress. Of 17 institutions, Congress comes out last. In contrast, the U.S. military leads… Read More »