[November 26, 2023] The growth of violent crime in many American cities has been in the news lately, a surprising change to a prolonged decline in crime. There are many theories as to why. One explanation, however, is that the leaders of those cities have failed to fix the small things. The lesson? Small things matter. Years ago,… Read More »
[November 24, 2023] In 1868, former U.S. Army General Ulysses S Grant was elected president to an office that bore witness to national divisiveness over the aftermath of the great U.S. Civil War that ended only a few years before. While Grant is best known for his generalship during that war, what he did after the victory made… Read More »
[November 22, 2023] I love comedy because it simply makes me laugh. A “new” comedian has come on strong over the past few years, and that guy is Matt Rife. He’s young, energetic, exciting, insulting, and very very funny. You will not regret listening to him. Matt Rife pokes at the edges of personal relationships, makes fun of… Read More »
[November 19, 2023] It was a red-letter day. On March 17, 2008, I took command of a Brigade in a U.S.-based unit. Brigade is the level of command that truly separates the best from the very best. The change of command was terrific, with hundreds of soldiers, mentors, family, and friends present. Immediately after I sat down with… Read More »
[November 8, 2023] We’ve all seen supervisors who give excuses for employees who are failures in their jobs. Like the alcoholic whose family enables the alcoholic’s drinking behavior, leaders are also enabling failure in other leaders. Whatever the reason or excuse, there is an emerging trend in U.S. institutions where leaders fail to take quick, effective action to… Read More »
[August 29, 2023] Much has been written (and will be written) about America’s youngest adult generation. Subjects discussing our youth are many, for good and for bad, but something is going overlooked. We are beginning to notice that they reject mentorship from leaders.1 Mentorship is, of course, the most effective and efficient way to improve life and leadership… Read More »
[August 21, 2023] It’s not too early to write about the upcoming U.S. Presidential elections because we are slowly discovering what makes the candidates tick. On the Republican Party side, there are many who declared; on the Democrat Party side, we are hearing little. Vivek Ramaswamy is one of the major contenders. What I like about him is… Read More »
[August 1, 2023] This will sound weird and maybe unbelievable to those who have never been in the military, but I love concertina wire. Concertina wire comes in a circular coil like a slinky toy and is made up of small barbs that will snag anything soft. Our armed forces use it to keep people and small vehicles… Read More »
[July 30, 2023] Wyatt Earp is known in Western lore as a lawman, gambler, and outlaw, yet his legacy as an accurate shooter has endured. I saw an interesting take on “gunfighting advice” by Tom Grieve (link here) that caught my attention. Like many of my readers, to hear how to win in a dangerous situation grabs our… Read More »
[July 22, 2023] In early 2011, I was with a small group of U.S. Army one-star generals at a training course at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. The purpose was to train newly promoted Generals, mostly teaching us how to stay out of trouble. Of course, that is not what the course was called, but its purpose was… Read More »