[December 18, 2014] Americans like their leaders and their heroes to be bold, tough, and brave. We all loved John Wayne in those action war movies, especially when he led a desperate group of men to attack the enemy bad guys. My personal favorite is The Green Berets starring John Wayne, David Janssen, and Jim Hutton. But playing… Read More »
[December 17, 2014] Many years ago as a military unit commander, I was involved in a training exercise that went poorly. My company was to participate in an attack on a simulated enemy position. We failed miserably. We failed so badly that the enemy hardly knew we were there. I felt lower than a snake’s belly. When I… Read More »
[December 16, 2014] To pay for college I worked on the Missouri Pacific Railroad (affectionately called the “MOP”) in the summer months in the early 1970s. I remember it being a tough, 6-day workweek job that paid well … and I belonged to the railroad union that ensured good pay as well. At the time there were negotiations… Read More »
[December 15, 2014] A major concern in the military and business world is the decline in the professionalism of their leaders. While this depends on how we define the concept of professionalism, there is no doubt that professionalism and leadership are inextricably linked. The concern is so great that many organizations search for professionalism in the most unlikely… Read More »
[December 14, 2014] The world’s greatest senior leaders have one thing in common. Each has been able to rally people to a great cause and lead them to achieve something that no one else was able to do. In one word, these leaders were inspirational. Due to the recognition of the high value of inspirational leadership, it has… Read More »
[December 13, 2014] Senior leaders of the U.S. military are taught that through the study of war, peace is more likely to be maintained. Leading up to World War II in 1937, the Japanese invaded China and at the city of Nanking massacred many thousands. Americans are generally badly informed of this event and fail to grasp the… Read More »
[December 12, 2014] Christopher is a team leader with a well-known oil extraction firm in downtown Houston. But he had a problem retarding his ability to produce high quality designs because his company would not allow him the required computer software – he succeeded anyway. Breaking stupid rules is sometimes necessary to get things done. The firm had… Read More »
[December 11, 2014] As a child I was told that if I believed hard enough, wishing on a falling star would make my wish come true. As mature adults we know that wishing something to be true is not sufficient to make it so. As leaders we must be aware of slipping into that the trap that wishing… Read More »
[December 10, 2014] Jacob Comstock is an unassuming kind of guy; the type you would find at the local bar having a beer with friends. Yet, he is a champion of the manly sport known as “demolition derby.” Participants in the sport have to have a bit of courage mixed with a lot of aggressive driving skills and… Read More »
[December 09, 2014] I’ve been a bit remiss in not providing my professional reading list. As I wrote in a post just a few days ago in My Blog Themes: Top 10, “Professional level reading is a very important ingredient in this effort [to be a great leader].” For that reason, I have two wonderful books that will… Read More »