[April 19, 2019] I’ve been on the road lately; visiting Washington DC and the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey. These visits reinforced my view that large organizations are notoriously difficult to run. But it was my time with young Coast Guard Petty Officers and recruits that gave me a reason to appreciate this… Read More »
[April 3, 2019] I was listening to a podcast the other day with Professor Jordan Peterson of the University of Toronto. By his explanation, the talk was an exploration of the origins of religious thinking. Thinking is, of course, the one thing leaders must do and do better than others. He mentioned the story of St. George and… Read More »
[March 19, 2019] Modern journalism is at a crossroads. Will those in the profession follow the difficult path that made them so essential to freedom or will they chose the easier path by surrendering to ideological or dogmatic by-products? Leadership in journalism is failing and the repercussions are far-reaching. “Fake news” is a derogatory term used to describe… Read More »
[March 18, 2019] A few days ago, I attended a presentation at a local Veterans get-together. An Army veteran gave a presentation on cemeteries in Europe and what they meant to him. I was surprised to hear that his father, killed during World War II, was buried in the Margraten Cemetery, Netherlands. The 8,301 American soldiers buried at… Read More »
[March 8, 2019] Leaders generally do not understand the Golden Rule we see expressed in nearly all religions, especially in Christianity and Judaism. It often read as treating others with kindness and compassion. However, that interpretation is both shallow and misleading. “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to… Read More »
[February 3, 2019] Someone once said that the mythic journey of life is always about selflessness. And so, in today’s leadership blog, I recognize the sacrifice of four U.S. Army Chaplains. Their bravery and selflessness in the face of mortal danger show us the pinnacle of what it means to be a man of profound decency. On this… Read More »
[January 29, 2019] In 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke before a large crowd in Selma, Alabama where he said: “no lie can live forever.”1 The speech marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement that was to force American politicians to accept that all citizens had the right to vote finally. At the heart of MLK’s… Read More »
[January 28, 2019] It was a great personal shock to me when my family moved from a small, sleepy Louisiana town to a large, vibrant Texas city. It was in that first year of High School that I first came across students and teachers who were likable (but not popular) and those who were popular (but not very… Read More »
[January 25, 2019] Leadership comes in many forms. Yet, of the more undervalued leaders, those who provide moral and intellectual arguments for or against a particular idea hold a special role. Their advocacy can be compelling as it was for Professor Wilhelm Röpke (sometimes spelled Roepke). Wilhelm Röpke (1899 – 1966) devoted his life to combating collectivism in… Read More »
[January 24, 2019] As a very young boy I marveled at the Sparrows that nested in a giant oak tree located in our backyard. At only two weeks old these fledglings would have their first try at flight. Upon leaving my first company command, as a U.S. Army Captain, I remembered that time as a young boy, the… Read More »