Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[December 1, 2019] Unlike many heroes that I’ve highlighted here at my leadership blog, Sir William Wallace continues to be a highly controversial hero.1 The popular film, Braveheart (1995) starring actor Mel Gibson, helped alert us to the exploits of Wallace. Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First… Read More »
[November 28, 2019] On occasion, I provide a special message for our troops, especially for those deployed overseas and in harm’s way. Two days ago I attended an early-morning Prayer Breakfast in the small town where I live. Those in attendance had one message – be united – and in doing so we will be the guiding light… Read More »
[November 27, 2019] Leaders fill many roles. We often hear, for example, that an employer gets the employees he deserves. That bit of sage counsel is no small point. It is the duty of leaders to be a watchdog for their organization (or group); for it is those who guard the way they make for the best leaders.… Read More »
[November 26, 2019] Recently, I was asked to give my opinion why it is that people follow bad leaders. The answer is, of course, complex and not always easy to explain; this is why we don’t see much written on the topic. The problem we must struggle to overcome early in any discussion revolves around the definition of… Read More »
[November 25, 2019] “No guts, no glory!” The Army Drill Sergeant was yelling at us that we were a bunch of no-good maggots, which were also some stinking wimpy momma-boys. Finishing an obstacle course after a strenuous 10-mile forced march was not easy, but we did it anyway thanks to Drill Sergeant Bryant. To be a real man… Read More »
[November 24, 2019] Much has been said about adopting and the maintaining of good habits (see links here, here, and here) Humans, nonetheless, possess an inclination to shortcut or completely skip behaviors that are good for them. For example, my daily back exercises are something that I do only reluctantly because it takes time and it hurts. Any… Read More »
[November 22, 2019] There is an ancient question that continues to haunt humans. That question is, “What should we aim at in life?”1 Many philosophers have dedicated their lives to answering the question, and a mountain of sage advice has been forthcoming. I guess that we will continue exploring answers. But here is one thing I do know,… Read More »
[November 21, 2019] It had been rainy for what seemed like forever the small village of Aberfan, a coal mining town in southeast Wales. On October 21, 1966, an avalanche of coal waste slid down a mountainside and into the village, killing 144 people, most of them children sitting in their school classrooms. The tragedy would become one… Read More »
[November 20, 2019] The defining of character, which colors our deeds and speech, is what separates this blog from traditional leadership websites. With the study of character we can see those primordial emotions that pull us into an abyss of conceit, vanity, and arrogance. Pride is overindulgence. Pride is an excess that pushes us upward to elation but… Read More »
[November 19, 2019] While watching the classic anti-war movie Paths of Glory (1957) this past Veterans Day got me to thinking about leaders who are in the trenches. I’m not thinking about those literally in the trenches of World War I, per se, but symbolically of leaders who do the day-to-day hard work with people at the level… Read More »