[January 21, 2017] Those of us who’ve played on a sports team have been on the losing end of a game. And every athletic coach has had that “talk” with team members on how to behave when they lose. Their message is always clear; don’t be a sore loser. Sore losers show their immaturity and their weaknesses become… Read More »
[January 20, 2017] The first book I ever read that dealt seriously with the topic of leadership and discipline was General George S. Patton’s book (1982 edition), War As I Knew It.1 For the U.S. military, the early 1980s was a time of change; moving from the legacy tactics of Vietnam to a modern, brigade-centric combat force. “There… Read More »
[January 19, 2017] Great leaders know instinctively that those who can inspire others to learn, be, and do more in their lives possess the best and rarest leadership skills.1 They know that it’s not their title that makes them great, the money they are paid, or the number of followers; greatness only comes from inspiring others to achieve… Read More »
[January 11, 2017] Pashtunwali … if you’re reading this, then you’ve likely never heard this word spoken aloud. The meaning, of course, will elude you but most importantly you will never understand its full meaning as intended. You cannot understand fully the code of ethics of Pashtunwali unless you’ve personally lived it from childhood. No amount of study… Read More »
[January 10, 2016] Success comes in many forms and is the result of good habits practiced daily. Leaders give credit where it’s due, accept feedback, are generous, and treat others fairly. But leaders should also look like a leader and that is not so easy. “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” – John… Read More »
[January 5, 2017] Yes! It’s that time of year again to make resolutions for the New Year. “New Year’s resolutions are for children, peacocks, and dishonest politicians.” – my Grandmother (as we called her, Bigmama) Resolutions are, of course, a tradition where we acknowledge we can do better, put them on a short list, and post it perhaps… Read More »
[January 1, 2017] A New Year is upon us and one that brings new and more difficult challenges. Leaders in particular will see more complex problems requiring, more than anything else, greater use of their social and intellectual talents to solve. Below I’ve listed some of those challenges that leaders can expect to test them when working at… Read More »
[December 31, 2016] Ending the month of December with a senior leader’s profile is a good way to push into next year’s leadership topics. It is somewhat difficult to get an accurate idea of leadership qualities in modern senior leaders due to a number of factors. However today, I’ll be profiling U.S. Army General Raymond Odierno, who I… Read More »
[December 30, 2016] Once upon a time I had a commanding officer that was unreliable; lazy, indecisive, uncommitted, and on top of that a notorious braggart. He made my life, and those around him, miserable and frustrating. In retrospect, alcohol played a big role but like many other leaders he was not reliable as elemental leadership requires of… Read More »
[December 21, 2016] One thing I like most about great leaders is that they don’t mince their words. My grandmother reminded me often to “speak plainly and loudly” if I wanted to be heard above others. She was one to never filter what she thought and taught all us grandchildren to never disguise our thinking in “double talk… Read More »