[November 18, 2015] No, we are not brave! This may come as a shock to many but nearly every person I’ve ever met, whether in the military or in civilian life, are cowards and so am I. We put up a good front … of course … and we do this by talking big, owning cool stuff, and… Read More »
[November 14, 2015] It was once written by military theorist Carl von Clausewitz that “war is a continuation of politics by other means.” We should remember the truth in that statement when the Battle of Ia Drang is reviewed for its origins and aftermath. Like any battle, it cannot be viewed in isolation, nor can the importance of… Read More »
[November 13, 2015] The U.S. military has a leadership problem. Evidence for the decline in its leadership capability is more than circumstantial, as some claim, because it shows in a deterioration of confidence our military personnel have in their leaders and the inability of those leaders to adapt to relevant problems. Identifying problems within the military leadership system,… Read More »
[November 8, 2015] When my daughter entered college with the desire to graduate with a degree in Applied Physics, I alerted her to the difficult requirements of advanced mathematics. She brushed me off as if she already knew how to do well. After making a “D –” in her first Calculus course (can you get closer to fail?)… Read More »
[November 4, 2015] Although I occasionally highlight a real hero in this leadership blog, it’s important to remind readers that while the majority of the heroes are produced as a result of many acts of physical courage, it is moral courage that is most difficult. In the case of our hero featured today, Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing, he possessed… Read More »
[November 1, 2015] All leaders will tell you they politely accept feedback on their performance and encourage people to share their opinions on their leadership capability. In practice however that is rarely true and therefore official systems have been developed as a required task to ensure feedback is given on a minimum regular schedule. True leaders, however, are… Read More »
[October 23, 2015] At least sometimes this is true and leaders must know the difference. Any good leader will know that there are circumstances under which rules (laws, regulations, establish procedures, etc.) must be ignored and also know the risks associated with such a decision. That is why doing what is right is the embodiment of a leader… Read More »
[October 21, 2015] Many times I’ve written about traits of successful leaders; those who have the ability to articulate a good cause and rally people to it. It has always been clear that many of those traits, although perhaps not all, are universal. A recent article at The Art of Manliness blog (see link here) got me to… Read More »
[October 17, 2015] My maternal grandmother and parents spent much of their time educating me in the ways of the world. They taught me much about the fundamentals of leadership without it being called such and pushed me to be a real man by being responsible for my actions. But today we see less of this in our… Read More »
[October 16, 2015] The Democratic candidates for U.S. President debated at their first televised appearance of 2015 this past Tuesday. Just as I had done with the Republican debates, I rounded up a few folks for my senior leadership analysis to gave some insights into how successful the candidates conducted themselves. Remember that senior leader views will diverge… Read More »