Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[August 11, 2015] I once had a politician tell me that she and her fellow city council members were not required to follow the ordinances from the city of which she was elected. Legally, of course, that was not true … but many people, leaders specifically, often believe they are exempt from the rules and the law. Few… Read More »
[August 10, 2015] It’s been 70 years since the unprecedented decision was made by U.S. President Harry Truman to use the atomic bomb on Japan. The decision itself was no easy one for President Truman because of the huge costs in civilian lives that would occur. Yet leaders should closely study the decision; one day they may be… Read More »
[August 9, 2015] Just a few days ago the first presidential debate of 2015 was hosted by Fox News and Facebook and was watched by a record number of people. How senior leaders view the debate of those participating will be discussed here. Senior leaders will, in most cases, have far greater leadership experience, management expertise, and relevant… Read More »
[August 8, 2015] Lack of a compelling vision! This blog post is the third in a series that explores U.S. presidential candidates from the perspective of other senior leaders. What it is not, is a rehash of ideas from the media. We know at this point that Jeb Bush’s campaign has not taken off despite being flush with… Read More »
[August 7, 2015] Lack of trustworthiness! This may come as no surprise to those who are following national news. The political “experts” that got Donald Trump’s campaign popularity wrong are getting much of Clinton’s campaign problems correct. The biggest problem for her is not a so much an aversion to the email and Bengazi scandals but a lack… Read More »
[August 6, 2015] Authentic leadership! All the political “experts” have been caught off-guard by what they see as a surprise surge in the popularity of billionaire businessman and Presidential contender Donald Trump. However, senior leaders I talk to were not surprised and, in fact, were predicting early a strong campaign run by Trump. Why then, is the political… Read More »
[August 5, 2015] My maternal grandmother was fond of giving her grandchildren sage advice. One particular time when a group of us cousins were playing with fireworks and had set the grass on fire, she said to us “okay, spit it out, who started this, and whoever did it can expect a butt whoopin’.” She put fear into… Read More »
[August 4, 2015] In early 2007, General David Petraeus took command of the Multi-National Force in Iraq and subsequently introduced a strategy that involved a “surge” of military forces. At the time I was asked to develop a plan to house, feed, and protect all incoming allied military forces through an up-ramped civil engineering effort and then personally… Read More »
[August 3, 2015] One of my more interesting experiences on college campuses today is presenting motivational talks to students … a few professors and staff members also attend and are welcome. Each time I do one of these I speak informally with as many people as I can in before and after my presentation. From these conversations I… Read More »
[August 2, 2015] How you are remembered once you’re gone from an organization is an uncommon topic in the study of leadership but it should be, I think, one that we review at least occasionally. All leaders leave some form of a legacy; whether it is a good one or not will depend more on how well that… Read More »