Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[January 27, 2017] Many of us measure leadership by the level of popularity of the person. You hear this often about politicians; that those most popular are the greatest (they do need it to be elected). In part that explains the continuous measure of the popularity of politicians, Hollywood actors, and fashion models. In reality, however, popularity is… Read More »
[January 26, 2017] There are a number of military slang phrases and descriptions that are useful in everyday conversation. For example, when we refer to putting everything we’ve got into something, we might say we gave “the whole nine yards.”1 One recent military phrase that plays on humor describes an office-bound staff officer who creates overly complex briefings… Read More »
[January 25, 2017] Learning from leaders is not always ordained to be from good things they do; although leadership is set by example, for good and bad. I’m sure all of us have seen leaders who do things that are not just wrong, but are purposefully wrong. Leaders losing their cool is one example. People get angry … leaders… Read More »
[January 24, 2017] As junior leaders we have our entire team surround us and, of course, talking to them is easy. As senior leaders, however, that is rarely the case and because of vast geographic dispersion, using other means to communicate is a necessity. Yet while many leaders recognize this fact, what they fail to see is that… Read More »
[January 23, 2017] A basic unwritten rule in military leadership is never to criticize the outgoing leader as the incoming leader. When beginning a new leadership position, it is impossible to know everything the previous leader saw as obstacles to success. It is therefore the right thing to do to never criticize that outgoing leader. This “rule” is… Read More »
[January 22, 2017] The study and observation of senior leaders in action is required for learning how to be effective leaders. This past Friday, I promised to provide feedback on the transition of Donald Trump into the presidency of the United States. I will occasionally come back to this. For today the topic will be President Trump’s Inauguration… Read More »
[January 21, 2017] Those of us who’ve played on a sports team have been on the losing end of a game. And every athletic coach has had that “talk” with team members on how to behave when they lose. Their message is always clear; don’t be a sore loser. Sore losers show their immaturity and their weaknesses become… Read More »
[January 20, 2017] Opportunities to look into the interworkings of senior leadership occur occasionally; most prominently when there is a transition in leadership. Earlier today, Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States. In part because mass media is hostile to his presidency but more so because he is an authentic leader, I think those of… Read More »
[January 20, 2017] The first book I ever read that dealt seriously with the topic of leadership and discipline was General George S. Patton’s book (1982 edition), War As I Knew It.1 For the U.S. military, the early 1980s was a time of change; moving from the legacy tactics of Vietnam to a modern, brigade-centric combat force. “There… Read More »
[January 19, 2017] Great leaders know instinctively that those who can inspire others to learn, be, and do more in their lives possess the best and rarest leadership skills.1 They know that it’s not their title that makes them great, the money they are paid, or the number of followers; greatness only comes from inspiring others to achieve… Read More »