Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[December 18, 2018] Have you ever met a person who did something for you but insisted you return an item or service of at least equal value to them? I would venture to say that most people expect to be compensated in some way. With good leaders, however, it’s not about quid pro quo1 but about accomplishing a… Read More »
[December 17, 2018] Ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go right? Well, then hitch-up your truck to redneck leadership and your troubles will just scamper away. Redneck leadership is about knowing when to put your shotgun back on your pickup’s gun rack and walk away. Redneck leadership means a lot and I’ll be exploring… Read More »
[December 16, 2018] Joining my local library and getting one of those scannable electronic tags has provided my wife and I another level of entertainment and learning. As I noted last month, I picked up The Odyssey of Echo Company by Doug Stanton and enjoyed it so much I put it on my Reading List (link here). A… Read More »
[December 14, 2018] I watched in amazement as a sitting U.S. president attempted to lie craftily. Bill Clinton, charismatic and good-old-boy, was trying hard to justify why he wasn’t lying when he said: “There is nothing going on between us [referring to sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky].” Before a federal grand jury, he famously said, “It depends upon… Read More »
[December 13, 2018] For anyone not living under a rock, you certainly will agree that many folks today are just too sensitive. As I see it, the problem is that leaders are, as well, too sensitive. We are quick to be insulted; believing others have disrespected, snubbed, or neglected us. And this leader trend is worsening compared to… Read More »
[December 12, 2018] Back in 2007, I was putting together a large military construction effort and working closely with a senior Colonel from the Australian Army. One day we were talking about how military construction project secrets so quickly reached the newspapers. In his typical Aussie approach he told me that when the grass is cut, the snakes… Read More »
[December 11, 2018] On this date, December 11, 1917, thirteen Buffalo Soldiers of the 24th U.S. Infantry Regiment were hanged for participation in a Houston, Texas riot, mutiny, and murder spree. There are lessons here for leaders and for also a lesson for those who are now attempting to have these men pardoned on the grounds that their… Read More »
[December 10, 2018] There’s an old piece of leadership advice – one that I’m unsure the origin – that goes something like this; true leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders. Good advice. A mentor of mine told me that only one thing determines whether or not you’re a true leader; the opinion of those folks you’re… Read More »
[December 9, 2018] There will always be unintended consequences in what we do; even in the most righteous and just behaviors. American colleges and universities have taken great strides over the past few decades to be welcoming and committed to justice for all. Yet, in their zeal to correct wrongs, they themselves have deviated from their traditional mission… Read More »
[December 8, 2018] As a young boy, I often heard the story of Sun Tzu and the King’s concubines. I remember it well, much like the dirtier Canterbury Tales, and for a similar reason; it involved pretty women and sex … or maybe not. Sun Tzu was a Chinese general who is thought to have lived between 722… Read More »