Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[October 6, 2016] … and that’s how they get things done! The expectations and hopes of any organization (or society) depends upon the quality and experience of its leaders. Regardless of position – junior manager, mid-grade officer, or senior leader – the commitment of a leader to get their hands dirty is intimately connected to how well that… Read More »
[October 5, 2016] One of the great legends out of the Old West in America came about in the late 1800s when the infamous Dalton Gang terrorized the state of Oklahoma robbing and killing. Much has been written and movies made about the gang and their exploits but little on the townspeople who helped bring their activity to… Read More »
[October 4, 2016] One of my close friends confided in me the other day that during his travels he had been asking people who their heroes were and has done so for over 30 years. The results are a bit surprising but more on that later. What he discovered for himself – and now sharing with me –… Read More »
[October 3, 2016] There has been some talk recently about retired General David Petraeus’ comments on the causes of the formation of the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State (aka, ISIS or ISIL). Senior leaders with experience and a deep appreciation for solving wide-ranging and serious problems will say that it is not the defeat of the… Read More »
[October 2, 2016] It seemed so simple and yet so obviously necessary, yet no one had thought of it. South Korean President Park Geun-hye said, in a speech earlier this week, that she knows about the “gruesome realities” that North Koreans face daily and appealed to them to “Please come to the bosom of freedom in the South.”1 … Read More »
[October 1, 2016] My wife and I were watching the most recent U.S. presidential debates the other night and she kept asking, rhetorically, why both candidates were exaggerating the truth. Padded resumes, overstated professional credentials, misrepresentation of their career, etc. are unexpectedly common among people of all walks of life. But … for the senior leader, it’s folly… Read More »
[September 30, 2016] One of the greatest military strategists and philosophers on war, Sun Tzu, wrote that “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” 1 As a strategist he recognized that by positioning military forces in such a way that the enemy knew that defeat was certain, he would surrender. One of the… Read More »
[September 29, 2016] A few days ago I was asked who is considered to be the most influential person on the topic of leadership over the past half century. When I mentioned the name Warren Bennis, I got a number of puzzled looks and understood that my audience of young middle managers didn’t know the name. Being a… Read More »
[September 28, 2016] In this second part to the results of a meeting at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. on senior leader leadership, I will report some of the alternative ways that some of the most senior leaders of the military look at what we can do to teach, coach, and mentor other senior leaders (Part 1 is… Read More »
[September 27, 2016] When we look at military senior leaders it’s common to refer to war as the ultimate crucible where their leadership is determined by who wins on the battlefield. During the Spanish-American War of 1898 (yes, I know, ancient history) most leaders of U.S. forces were incapacitated by disease that, in effect, took them out of… Read More »