Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[August 5, 2019] Sergeant José Hernandez, part of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Division, yelled to his teammates that he was about to blow up a large cache of 155mm artillery rounds found hidden by Iraqi insurgents. It was early August 2003, and the main ground war was over, but the fighting has just begun. Fire in the Hole,… Read More »
[August 3, 2019] Several of my peers, U.S. Infantry Commanders, were sitting in a Fort Benning, Georgia lecture hall to hear secret information on recent Soviet main battle tank improvements. The speaker, a full Colonel of Intelligence, was over 45 minutes late and when he showed, he fumbled his notes and joked about the traffic in our sleepy… Read More »
[August 2, 2019] Junior leaders quickly learn valuable lessons when put to the test. One of the first things they learn is to be ready when called upon; Boy Scouts call this “being prepared.” I learned it at 12 years of age when I got a job milking cows at a neighbor’s house, and I wasn’t ready. We… Read More »
[August 1, 2019] It’s now been more than a week and a half since I cleaned, dried, and put away all my camping gear. Boy Scout Camp was a fun time and, like any dedicated leader, our time there reinforced a number of leader lessons along the way. One that jumps out at me is how teams can… Read More »
[July 31, 2019] This is my fourth (and possibly last) article on Scout Camp leadership lessons (see the other three here, here, and here). In my last article, I wrote about “youth” leadership challenges, and today, as promised, I highlight some of the key lessons of their adult leaders. One of the reasons which I did NOT cite… Read More »
[July 30, 2019] Early 19th century French philosopher Auguste Comte once wrote that the secret to life is to “know yourself to improve yourself.” This line of thinking is an ancient and brilliant one too. What it means is that to be a better person, leader, family member, employee, or friend, one must first recognize that we are… Read More »
[July 29, 2019] She spoke in a clear but hushed voice. Gloria was born a Polish Jew in the early 1930s. This past weekend, I was invited by a friend to a small township historical society event to see war reenactors from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War. It was a good thing I attended the event.… Read More »
[July 28, 2019] Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) is an American sports-racing comedy starring Will Ferrell. Competition in sports racing is fierce, as it is in most human endeavors.1 The title of this article is a quote from the film by Ferrell’s lead character, Ricky Bobby. The quote tells us something important. Shortly after I… Read More »
[July 27, 2019] It has been a busy time over the past few months so today I’ll be posting about events that I don’t have the time to get into during the week. Foreign affairs is the topic of the day. Protest rallies in Venezuela as the electric grid fails (again). Socialism is a failed socio-political-economic system. Echoing… Read More »
[July 25, 2019] Great leaders don’t suddenly arrive on the world’s stage; they work hard to get there. So it was with H. Ross Perot, a complex man of many talents, but because of his daring, I am highlighting him today as one of those special people we should all consider emulating. A hero in many aspects, Perot… Read More »