[September 6, 2018] A few years ago I met a young lady working in the IT field and who was unhappy but getting paid very well. She worked from home, got regular raises, but told me she didn’t want to be a “team leader” because she was sick a bunch. Disappointed, she quit and went to work elsewhere.… Read More »
[September 5, 2018] In my U.S. Army career, I had two commanders who were both smart and dedicated … yet each had a similar weakness. Like every high-level commander, they ran large and complex organizations where they listed important priorities. The problem was these two had too many priorities. “The bottom line is, when people are crystal clear… Read More »
[August 26, 2018] This was a piece of good advice I received the day I was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. “Don’t burn your bridges” was probably created to mentally illustrate what happens when you end a relationship that you never plan to go back to. “People burn their bridges until they realize they’re stranded.… Read More »
[August 24, 2018] If you never heard this said by your boss, then you’re new to the workplace. “I want it done yesterday” is a common dictum designed to both task a specific work effort and give emphasis to its importance. It’s bad advice anyway and here is why. When a leader gives a directive, it needs to… Read More »
[August 22, 2018] Academic studies show that the majority of employees in the American workforce are afraid to speak up because of the fear of retribution. The cause is directly related to poor leadership and this fear is always present. “The forces of retribution are always listening. They never sleep.” – Meg Greenfield, American editorial writer We all… Read More »
[August 18, 2018] Many years ago as a Platoon Leader in the U.S. Army Infantry, I learned a valuable lesson the hard way. My platoon was being evaluated and I’d gone nearly four days without sleep getting everything ready. When the time came for me to lead my unit, I was as utterly useless … not unlike being… Read More »
[August 17, 2018] Not only is the answer, YES it does exist, but we keep getting punished by it every day. There are many anecdotal examples of the Peter Principle in action but I’ll hold off on them today. Let’s just note that organizations are complex and the idea that some leaders are better than others will always… Read More »
[August 9, 2018] The biggest mistake I’ve ever made was failing to listen to my maternal grandmother (we called her “bigmama”). She told the gaggle of her grandkids sitting in a circle one day to never underestimate other people. “Golden rule of life: never underestimate your rivals.” – Sid Waddell, English sports commentator and television personality We were… Read More »
[August 7, 2018] Last week I was watching a classic Vietnam War movie, Apocalypse Now (1970). A line by one of the characters got my attention. While Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) is traveling upriver to find Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) when he tells one of the young soldiers looking for guidance on how to scare off the Viet… Read More »
[August 6, 2018] Several years ago I was driving in a small town located in eastern Pennsylvania, south of the city of Scranton when I came upon a terrible automobile accident. I arrived only a couple of minutes after the accident but there were already three men working feverishly to get the occupants out. At the risk of… Read More »