[December 22, 2018] An effective leader is one who develops plans and shepherds their team through their project plan, more often than not achieving their objectives. However, that is what a good manager does, too. To be more than just effective, you need a mix of cultivated skills and behaviors to truly lead your team. Leaders do more… Read More »
[October 6, 2018] Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once wrote that anyone who uses violence as a method to suppress people must then “inexorably choose lying as his principle.” After many years in Soviet-communist labor camps and prisons, he knows of what he speaks. He would tell us that leaders lying to you is not okay. The idea that lies from… Read More »
[September 27, 2018] The day before yesterday, my wife watched The Hanoi Hilton (1987) starring Michael Moriarty. She asked me to watch it with her and I initially refused by saying I couldn’t see how a Hollywood movie director could treat a sensitive subject with respect and dignity. I watched it more out of curiosity than anything else. … Read More »
[July 6, 2017] Henry Ford was fond of talking about success and how thinking was the hardest part of work which makes it all possible. That is, he explained, why so few people engage in thinking. It follows that people are quick to jump onto a popular cause or fad; we just call it jumping on the bandwagon. … Read More »
[December 1, 2016] Humor is a great American pastime. And so it is with many other societies that have enjoyed the benefit of Democracy, wealth, and peace. One form of humor is especially poetic and that is satire. Satire can be used to mock leaders and is an effective tool to deliver a strong yet cloaked message to… Read More »
[August 26, 2016] Regular readers of this column know that I often advise against insulting people; regardless of who they are or whether they deserve it. I’ve written about it (see links here, here, and here) and mentored other leaders to avoid it. Insults are generally counterproductive; insults are divisive, an immature tactic, and rarely produce positive results… Read More »
[July 21, 2016] In Part 1 of this three-part series on teaching children leadership, I laid out some of the more important things that kids (or anyone) should “never” do.1 The subject matter makes it relatively easy for kids to learn leadership and apply those skills throughout their entire lifetimes. Today, I’ll address key opportunities any program to… Read More »
[July 20, 2016] Of course, children can learn leadership … and like a second language it’s easier to teach them while they’re young and eager to be taught. Many psychological studies show that what and how we learn at a young age influences us throughout our lives; all the more reason to teach leadership to kids. I’ve personally… Read More »
[July 3, 2016] Captain “Jack” Willis was a large man with a big personality. He was also intelligent, motivated, and experienced. Those of us new Second Lieutenants going through the U.S. Army Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning were in awe of him and we all expected someday he would be a general officer. He seemed to… Read More »
[April 2, 2016] If I recall it correctly, my second grade teacher told me once that I needed to do a better job at empathizing with others. This was over half a century ago when good conduct was considered an asset and before U.S. President Bill Clinton told us “I feel your pain.” And now we see people… Read More »