[September 28, 2015] There are some leaders to which we’re drawn and others that are just simply our bosses. What is it that attracts us to certain leaders while not to others is no mystery, for it has been written about since the beginning of recorded history. Yet it remains elusive to all but a few. Those things… Read More »
[September 26, 2015] After the capture of the capital city of Baghdad Iraq in early 2004, coalition engineers were building confinement facilities for the thousands of prisoners. One of the engineers was U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Paul Smith. On April 4th his men were ambushed by a large Iraqi Republican Guard force. Smith was wounded early but… Read More »
[August 25, 2015] An old custom in the U.S. military is for newly commissioned Second Lieutenants to receive their first salute by a person of their choice. The new officer gives a U.S. silver dollar as a token of appreciation and in my case I received a salute from Sergeant First Class J. Benjamin Sessions … a great… Read More »
[August 23, 2015] Military officers, CEOs, managers, and leaders of all types are constantly on the lookout for those who show a certain set of traits that help their organizations be successful. Of course, there has much written on this topic and many good characteristics have been identified but no one has managed to condense it to the… Read More »
[August 17, 2015] One of the most difficult character traits of senior leaders to obtain, and to develop in all leaders for that matter, is the ability to judge character in others. Leaders are looking for specific traits in others that predict successful mission completion or are obstacles to teamwork. Sadly, we often see inexperienced leaders who misjudge… Read More »
[July 22, 2015] Great leadership begins with a grand vision. Simply put, leadership is the ability to turn a vision into something. Having vision means identifying a clear goal for the future and ideally it’s also inspirational. The implication in the vision is that it’s realistic and that efforts to achieve it may mean doing things differently such… Read More »
[June 23, 2015] On this date in 1992, Mafia boss John Gotti, nicknamed the “Teflon Don,” is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty to commit murder and racketeering. Earlier, he got the nickname after escaping unscathed; he was found not-guilty from several trails during the 1980s.1 That is not exactly what I mean when leaders… Read More »
[May 06, 2015] Our Drill Sergeants in Basic Combat Training took sadistic pleasure in screaming at us raw recruits … at least it seemed that way. After a long march or any similar difficult task they would say to us, “time for a gut check.” In other words, they wanted to know if we had the intestinal fortitude… Read More »
[April 8, 2015] The best piece of simple advice I ever received as a junior military officer was that the reality about leadership is that it’s all about people. Senior leaders know that empathy helps us create and maintain bonds of trust; acting as the lubricant that keeps relationships on track. “You can easily judge the character of… Read More »
[March 11, 2015] One of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted characteristic of a senior leader is forgiveness. Rarely talked about and while practiced by many, unevenly applied. Leaders who practice forgiveness will benefit everyone in their organization and simultaneously retain the best worker talent and improve performance. People make mistakes – some unintentional and some by choice –… Read More »