[May 23, 2020] Over the next few months, I will be dedicating space in my blog to discuss the leadership characteristics of George C. Marshall. After George Washington, Marshall is considered the “most respected soldier in American history.”1 Yet, he never commanded troops in battle, the customary path to greatness for a military leader. So what was it… Read More »
[May 20, 2020] It is impossible to forget the day NASA’s Apollo 11 mission launch occurred. The day at Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida, was bright and sunny on July 16, 1970, and much was riding on the success of the mission. The man who was key to the success of that launch was George Low, NASA… Read More »
[May 16, 2020] “Read my lips; no new taxes.” In 1988, then-presidential candidate George H.W. Bush made a simple, clear promise that he would not raise taxes on the American people if elected. Later, he failed to live up to his promise. His political opponents repeatedly questioned his trustworthiness, and he lost re-election. When leaders make a promise,… Read More »
[May 11, 2020] I first met Bob Martin standing guard on a small bridge near my Engineer headquarters back in 2004, just as the Coalition was readying itself for a major offensive. What none of us knew at the time was that U.S. Marine Pvt Robert “Bob” Martin would soon show extraordinary bravery. This is his story of… Read More »
[April 27, 2020] I’ve been around performance reviews long enough to understand they have value. Written by someone who outranks the person rated, the evaluation has both good and bad points. But, some evaluations are truly valuable. Those criticisms from subordinates will frequently contain the starkest surprises and bluntness. As such, feedback from subordinates can knock a leader… Read More »
[April 26, 2020] In late 1775, on a sunny afternoon in Kinderhook, New York, several young women had gathered for a quilting bee. Suddenly, their peace was interrupted by a man who dropped in and commenced to harangue “against the Continental Congress.”1 The quiltmakers had had enough, they stripped the young man naked to the waist and commenced… Read More »
[April 21, 2020] In early spring of 1942, there was little that citizens of Paris cold look forward to during their German occupation. The Nazi war machine had taken nearly all of Europe, and the “city of lights” was now under the oppressive thumb of the German military. Shortly after noon on one sunny day, a lone RAF… Read More »
[April 17, 2020] I was told by my second-grade teacher that I had a lot of bad habits that “needed fixin.” Like all the other kids in the class, I was deathly afraid of her, so I just nodded my head in agreement. Truth be told, I did have plenty of bad habits in school, like not studying,… Read More »
[February 8, 2020] Growing up in the rural Deep South, my grade-school teachers often told us stories about the history of the United States. For little kids like my friend Wilson and me, we remember being mesmerized by the Benedict Arnold story and how he betrayed our fledgling nation. We were raised as Christians, attending church everyday Sunday… Read More »
[November 7, 2019] The young man, called “Pat” by his friends, was sitting in the darkness of his apartment while he contemplated what he would do. Pat had a serious problem. No money, illegal drug use, and overweight, he had to do something that would pull him out of his spiral downward. Pat had a creative talent that… Read More »