Retired Navy SEAL: No Excuses

By | October 22, 2018

[October 22, 2018]  Occasionally, I run across a story that impresses me; not because it’s about someone overcoming adversity (which is newsworthy) but because important lessons are learned from it.  David Goggins is a retired Navy SEAL and shares a story of his difficult journey and in doing so gives us a number of valuable life and leadership… Read More »

They Shall Not Grow Old: a Must See

By | October 21, 2018

[October 20, 2018]  Technology continues to progress in all areas of life but one that I will highlight today is in the video industry.  Peter Jackson, from “Lord of the Rings” fame, has applied his talents to bring to life old, silent film footage of World War I.  Recently released, he put his genius to use in an… Read More »

Leadership Toolbox: Measures of Effectiveness

By | October 19, 2018

[October 19, 2018]  Last week, I attended a strategy meeting with a local college to discuss innovative and, presumably, better ways to accomplish its mission.  With declining enrollment and resources drying-up, they were interested in what others outside academic life had to say.  One of my questions was what were the college’s Measures of Effectiveness.1 I was assured… Read More »

Check Your 6

By | October 18, 2018

[October 18, 2018]  Check Your 6, also phrased as Watch Your Back, is an appropriate warning for those who live under the precepts of good leadership.  As we know, what a leader says and does will be misinterpreted; either unintentionally or purposefully.  That is why leaders must ensure that they are perpetually prepared to defend what they do.… Read More »

Profile: the Dalai Lama

By | October 17, 2018

[October 17, 2018]  Yesterday I was speaking with a medically-discharged soldier who had received horrible wounds in Afghanistan.  He told me that he survives his awful wounds because of his belief in the principles espoused by the Dalai Lama.  Those who can carry on after such traumatic events are only those who find a deep spiritual faith within… Read More »

Good Morning, Vietnam!

By | October 16, 2018

[October 16, 2018]  In 2017, thirty years after the making of one of my favorite movies Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), I had the privilege to speak with its star, Robin Williams.  He was on a USO goodwill tour overseas and that’s how we met.  The first thing I asked was about this movie. I never really knew the… Read More »

Being Technically & Tactically Proficient

By | October 15, 2018

[October 15, 2018]  Being technically and tactically proficient is military phraseology meaning that to exercise leadership one must know how to perform their job inside and out.  “Are you technically proficient?”  That’s what I was once asked after I embarrassed myself after getting my platoon lost in the woods. For my peer group who had just graduated from… Read More »

Leadership is not a Popularity Contest

By | October 13, 2018

By guest blogger Sadako Red [see disclaimer] [October 13, 2018]  “Evil is not what leaders say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.”  U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy said these words shortly before he was assassinated by a Palestinian immigrant in the politically-turbulent times of America in 1968. Hmmmm, yes … that is one way… Read More »