Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[June 23, 2014] My computer is having the real hard-core techies giving it the “full Monty”. They call it a diagnostic test. Something was wrong with Windows 8.0 installation. So, as I type on my wife’s machine, my computer is in the shop. This will slow down my posting a bit. Tomorrow I might be a little late… Read More »
[June 23, 2014] “Now, the rest of the story.” Those iconic words represent the essence of radio personality Paul Harvey. Certainly not a traditional great leader and not even in the minor leagues with the greats like General Eisenhower. Yet, Paul Harvey was one of the greatest communicators in America. Born Paul Harvey Aurandt (1919-2009), he was on… Read More »
[June 22, 2014] A long-developed theme here on the LeaderMaker.com has been the importance of learning from the failure of others. Learning from failure is a critical skill of leaders. It is so important that it ranks up there with the most important features of leadership. If we were to individually learn only from our mistakes, we would… Read More »
[June 22, 2014] “I learned it from the school of hard knocks.” In Part 1 of Building Initiative yesterday, I proposed two things. First, it is possible to improve initiative in workers through some very specific steps. Second, that it was the obligation of a leader to build initiative. Many believe that initiative is learned only through relevant… Read More »
[June 21 07, 2014] There is much to be said about community leadership at the local level. Today there is news that Coney Island (yes, that Coney Island) has a new loop-the-loop roller coaster. Now why is that so important? Coney Island has been in decline since the 1970s. It was once an iconic playground for the rich and… Read More »
[June 21, 2014] The story of building initiative is an old one. I frequently tell an account of a conversation I had in mid-2007 Fallujah, Iraq. A U.S. Marine and I were talking about what Army engineers would do to assist them in defense of the city. The Marine told me he didn’t mind combat but never wanted… Read More »
[June 20, 2014] Looking back at the books I read as a junior officer, I came upon one of my favorites. This one is a serious handbook for aspiring leaders who can learn how to achieve seemingly impossible goals. It made a difference for me and I remember it well. If you look at book reviews on-line, you… Read More »
[June 20, 2014] Public confidence in the U.S. Congress is at an all-time low, according to a survey released yesterday by Gallup. Only seven percent of U.S. citizens said they have either a “great deal” (4%) or “quite a lot” (3%) of confidence in Congress. Of 17 institutions, Congress comes out last. In contrast, the U.S. military leads… Read More »
[June 19, 2014] As I buckled myself into the helicopter’s backseat, I joked with the young Blackhawk pilot that I probably had more hours flying in his US-60 aircraft than he did. We were flying low and fast over the city of Baghdad. That tactic got us to our destination faster and helped avoid anti-aircraft missiles. Most people… Read More »
[June 19, 2014] On this date in 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Orders No. 3 to the people of Galveston, Texas. Such began an annual celebration from that day forward; this date commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. The Juneteenth celebration memorializes what is considered the most important legal action in the… Read More »