Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[December 7, 2019] Seventy-Eight years ago, at approximately 8 a.m., Imperial Japanese planes appeared over the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Less than two hours later the surprise attack was over, and the American naval fleet in the Pacific lay in smoking ruins. U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt declared the next day that this is a “date which will live… Read More »
[December 6, 2019] Leaders have ambition. All types of leaders possess this trait; good, bad, or indifferent. I like to think about ambition like gasoline; it acts as an accelerant. Gasoline is used in vehicles to make them go, and we benefit, but gasoline can also cause highly destructive fires. If you are a leader, be prepared to… Read More »
[December 5, 2019] In Part 1 of this two-part series, I asked the question, “What is a hero?” and gave what I thought was a meaningful answer. In today’s article, I’ll address a more fundamental question that is germane to our understanding of human nature and of the character of leaders. “Why do we have heroes?” Growing up… Read More »
[December 4, 2019] As young boys in the 1950s, we listened intently to returning Korean War veterans to get some idea of what war was like. We asked stupid questions of these veterans. Who were the best fighters? Did you kill any Communists? Were you a hero? There was something that drove us to understand what it took… Read More »
[December 3, 2019] My first winter in West Germany was a difficult time for me after growing up in the warm Deep South of the United States. Not only was winter cold and snow new to me, but in late 1974, Germany was experiencing terror attacks by the Baader-Meinhof Gang. I was stationed at a nuclear weapons’ storage… Read More »
[December 2, 2019] I’ve been sitting on a few ideas lately that haven’t developed into full articles but I wanted to put them out for feedback. I’m focusing today on leadership that falls short of commonsense and, well, some folks just call those failures by the slang term “screw-ups.” The Girl Scouts of America remind us why they… Read More »
[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 »