Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[December 02, 2014] Politicians in the United States have recently been twisting themselves into knots trying to make sense of how to deal with illegal immigrants within existing law. Tom Ferguson over at his blog Heart Matters brings to our attention that the debate over immigration is actually a debate being contested at several levels of leadership. Here’s… Read More »
[December 01, 2014] If you ask a person what makes a good leader, they will tell you about the attributes of leadership – those attributes that make them comfortable with a person who leads. For example, a common attribute in a leader that people want is good judgment. Not surprisingly, this trait is one of many traits social… Read More »
[November 30, 2014] As a continuing tribute to those involved in World War I, we are recognizing Captain Noel Chavasse of Great Britain. He was part of the Scottish Liverpool Regiment that saw active combat across France, being awarded two Victoria Crosses for action in 1916 – being the highest decorated British soldier in the war.1 Noel Chavasse… Read More »
[November 29, 2014] You would think it obvious that leaders seek to better themselves. Yet I find in my work with leaders that this is often not the case. Over the Thanksgiving Day holiday period I reached out to a number of junior leaders worldwide (mostly military) to encourage them but also to find out what were their… Read More »
[November 28, 2014] A theme in the understanding of leadership is that there are so many variations on its style and quality, that it keeps academics in business simply studying the complexities of the subject. To those of us who want to learn directly from the successes of leaders, we take a more nuanced look at how current… Read More »
[November 27, 2014] Happy Thanksgiving!! Do people in the United States (and most of the world) have good reason to give thanks for the good things we have? Yes! Unequivocally, this is true. If anyone from our past were to be transported to our world today, they would be amazed at the level of peace and prosperity. Yet… Read More »
[November 25, 2014] When senior leaders talk about what they do and why they are so successful, one of their personal themes is that they’ve worked with other great people. “Who are these great people?” “What makes well-meaning people do such a good job that we should pay close attention to them?” The most successful leaders, throughout history,… Read More »
[November 24, 2014] Ask senior leaders about the people they lead and the conversation will eventually turn to the difficulties caused by a small group of well-meaning people. The question we should ask is, “Who are those well-meaning people and should leaders exercise caution with them?” Successful leaders who act with knowledge and wisdom in their dealings with… Read More »
[November 23, 2014] Over the past few months, we have witnessed leaders of several countries who failed decisively to unite their nation. Socialist leaders do a better job although they typically use brute force – or threat of force – to achieve that end. Political leaders in democratic nations generally have a more difficult environment to achieve that… Read More »
[November 22, 2014] Growing up I read many a tale written by Ancient Greek philosophers. While I will admit not fully understanding them as a child, those stories held wisdom that I would only later appreciate as a mature adult and leader. Æsop’s fables were popular and for some reason his story about The Four Oxen and the… Read More »