Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[July 07, 2015] A good friend of mine called me to complain that his son was rejected by the U.S. Army despite being an athlete and having a good academic record. This prompted him to ask me what the requirements were for those wanting to enter the U.S. military. I told him that many people hear you’re not… Read More »
[July 06, 2015] I’m reminded of a political exhibit that overdramatically shows the contrast of Greek youths of the past with Greek young men today. On one side ancient Greek men: warriors, strong, independent, and harsh-looking. On the other side, the young Greeks of today: potheads, weak, wards of the state, but good-looking. This contrast couldn’t be less… Read More »
[July 05, 2015] Well, the 4th of July came and went without any terrorist attack on American soil. How much of these predictions by the experts were based on bureaucratic posturing to protect their careers if it did happen, is hard to tell. Nonetheless, the day turned out to be full of those things we associate with a… Read More »
[July 04, 2015] Driving over the Hudson River on the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey, one can see the world’s largest free-flying American Flag hanging from the iron support beams. The tradition dates back 65 years to let everyone know that the people here are proud of the flag and what it stands for.… Read More »
[July 03, 2015] Tomorrow is the much celebrated Independence Day in the United States. As a prelude to this day – independence from England and won with great sacrifice – media analysis Mark Dice shows us a video he made about the ignorance of average people about this special day1 (see video here). I was taught that ignorance… Read More »
[July 02, 2015] For the military, superior communications is one of the greatest advantages one can have over the enemy. When I joined the army, we talked with others using a short-range FM radio. Communications were based on the radio and required the person we wanted to speak to being in a certain place – relatively close proximity… Read More »
[July 01, 2015] One of the oldest disagreements in human history is possibly about to be resolved; or at least the possibility exists that a long-running religious split might begin some healing. What is known as the East-West Schism or the Christian split is the break between what is now the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. So… Read More »
[June 30, 2015] A few years ago, a group of senior U.S. military officers flew into what is considered one of the world’s most dangerous airports (not in a combat zone) – Tegucigalpa, Honduras. While their mission was fairly benign, they were to discover that the level of violence and corruption in that country was staggering. Today, we… Read More »
[June 29, 2015] A few years ago I was asked to give a presentation on those things that were likely to brand senior military leaders as unprofessional. Putting aside for the moment that many senior officers have failed because of basic violations of law or due to bad personal habits, leaders also fail for more common reasons. For… Read More »
[June 28, 2015] I’ve often written about how an organization’s core values help drive the conduct of its people and its external relationships with customers and stakeholders. Many examples were offered to help illustrate this fundamental fact about organizational behavior. Today, I will depart somewhat from my earlier format to bring forward an example of a more controversial,… Read More »