[October 31, 2019] A few days ago, the owners of Lloyd Taco Trucks in Buffalo, New York, apologized for serving food outside a federal detention center run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Commercial businesses, small businesses in particular, often do not involve themselves in controversial political debates; else they alienate potential customers. We can learn from… Read More »
[October 30, 2019] The idea that leaders are made and not born is one I’ve advanced in the pages of my leadership blog since its inception. It has been one of my core principles; based on overwhelming evidence across time and cultures. While new light emerges on the influence of our genetic makeup on leadership, nothing specific has… Read More »
[October 29, 2019] All humans need to search for the meaning of life. Like all others, leaders, too, need something to sustain them; to provide them with proper motivations and make them feel whole. And this sustaining meaning comes only from the adoption of responsibilities. I’ve discussed the importance of the search and acceptance of responsibilities several times… Read More »
[October 28, 2019] It is a military axiom that goes back further than the recorded history of men and warfare. Men fight in war not to achieve a strategic aim but because of their comrades fighting alongside them. Camaraderie is their motivation. “I hold it to be of the simplest truths of war that the thing which enables… Read More »
[October 27, 2019] Yesterday, I got to see the film They Shall Not Grow Old for free on one of the Comcast channels. Just over a year ago, I wrote a short article on the film and how Director Peter Jackson has brought back to life old footage from World War I, found in the British Imperial War… Read More »
[October 26, 2019] On the surface, it may appear that an open door policy for senior leaders would be universal and a commonsensical procedure to implement. The fact is that few leaders follow-through on an open door policy even when they agree with it. While there are downsides to such an approach that encourages open communication, the positives… Read More »
[October 25, 2019] The ultimate test of a personal character is an individual who respects those who can be of no possible service to him. The specifics of how that is done are complex but the fundamental ideas of respect are found in good communications. “The enemies cannot destroy the king who has at his service the respect… Read More »
[October 24, 2019] U.S. Army General. George S. Patton once noted, “If we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows no fear, I have never seen a brave man.” Patton clearly understood that fear can be a great motivator to succeed in battle. It can also be the greatest of all motivators. Fear… Read More »
[October 23, 2019] Leadership means educating people about things that make them wiser and more likable as an individual. One item is telling them something of utmost importance. If they believe they should be doing something – and are afraid to do it – then they should do it. That is one way to see if you are… Read More »
[October 22, 2019] Yesterday, while I was writing my article on the Anglo-Zulu War battle at Isandlwana, I thought about fear and how it affects us in different ways (link here). Knowing fear and how to control ourselves while under its influence, is a subject most leaders would like to avoid. For this reason and the fact that… Read More »