Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[August 26, 2018] This was a piece of good advice I received the day I was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. “Don’t burn your bridges” was probably created to mentally illustrate what happens when you end a relationship that you never plan to go back to. “People burn their bridges until they realize they’re stranded.… Read More »
[August 25, 2018] Many years ago I was accused of ‘babysitting’ my troops because my priority as a Flag officer was taking care of soldiers. There is merit to the argument that modern leader trends now emphasize better treatment of employees and staff. But does that mean we are babysitting them? The Commanding General at my Division headquarters… Read More »
[August 24, 2018] If you never heard this said by your boss, then you’re new to the workplace. “I want it done yesterday” is a common dictum designed to both task a specific work effort and give emphasis to its importance. It’s bad advice anyway and here is why. When a leader gives a directive, it needs to… Read More »
[August 23, 2018] It’s been a long summer and I’ve not been to the Jersey shore as I originally planned. My wife tells me that I must take responsibility for the failure and “man up” in those things I say I will do. Any person who is serious about a good life should understand their core values, prioritize… Read More »
[August 22, 2018] Academic studies show that the majority of employees in the American workforce are afraid to speak up because of the fear of retribution. The cause is directly related to poor leadership and this fear is always present. “The forces of retribution are always listening. They never sleep.” – Meg Greenfield, American editorial writer We all… Read More »
[August 21, 2018] We all did it as kids. We broke something in our grandparent’s house and lied about it. For most of us, we were caught and punished. Covering up a bad behavior is always based on a lie and for this reason, it is often much worse than the original wrong-doing. “The fact of the Watergate… Read More »
[August 20, 2018] Today, the history channel and many other media outlets will cover what they call the Soviet Union’s intervention in Czechoslovakia; 60 years ago on this date August 20, 1968. For the rest of us, it was not a simple political intervention but a military invasion to crush a fledgling movement that struggled against the constraints… Read More »
[August 18, 2018] Many years ago as a Platoon Leader in the U.S. Army Infantry, I learned a valuable lesson the hard way. My platoon was being evaluated and I’d gone nearly four days without sleep getting everything ready. When the time came for me to lead my unit, I was as utterly useless … not unlike being… Read More »
[August 17, 2018] Not only is the answer, YES it does exist, but we keep getting punished by it every day. There are many anecdotal examples of the Peter Principle in action but I’ll hold off on them today. Let’s just note that organizations are complex and the idea that some leaders are better than others will always… Read More »
[August 16, 2018] Entitlement is the enemy of success. We’ve all witnessed the destruction of motivation, unreasonable demands, and failure in entitled leaders. It amazes me that entitlement in leaders still exists. But the reason it does survive, of course, is that we encourage it. I don’t buy into the idea that young folks today are more likely… Read More »