[October 18, 2018] Check Your 6, also phrased as Watch Your Back, is an appropriate warning for those who live under the precepts of good leadership. As we know, what a leader says and does will be misinterpreted; either unintentionally or purposefully. That is why leaders must ensure that they are perpetually prepared to defend what they do.… Read More »
[October 15, 2018] Being technically and tactically proficient is military phraseology meaning that to exercise leadership one must know how to perform their job inside and out. “Are you technically proficient?” That’s what I was once asked after I embarrassed myself after getting my platoon lost in the woods. For my peer group who had just graduated from… Read More »
[October 14, 2018] This topic may seem at first glance to be a little off the beaten track from typical leadership themes but the more I see what’s happening on college campuses, the more I realize that it shouldn’t be. The purpose of formal education is to instruct us to be better, more productive citizens. At least, that… Read More »
[October 12, 2018] Napoléon Bonaparte wrote these famous words more than 200 years ago; “a true man hates no one.” As the General of the Army and Emperor of the French, he understood that to make decisions under the influence of one’s emotions will mark you as unreliable, unpredictable, and ultimately unfit for any high office. Not surprisingly,… Read More »
[October 10, 2018] A friend of mine since childhood, Jerry, seemed like a contradiction in his psychological makeup. He was fiercely independent yet he was also a dedicated team player. Many of his friends, like me, questioned how a leader can be both independent and a team player at the same time. Here is how he did it!… Read More »
[October 8, 2018] The quote below from Thomas Edison is one of my personal favorites. Edison is, of course, one of the world’s most famous and prolific inventors. Like many who are fantastically successful, they tell us that success only comes through seizing opportunities. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks… Read More »
[October 7, 2018] In my long-running series on leader trends, I’ve tried to lay out what I see as troubling patterns in leadership. It’s usually something that has happened that sparks my interest and that is what motivated me today. The recent U.S. Supreme Court confirmation process has convinced me that our national leaders are actually pushing hate… Read More »
[October 1, 2018] There is a saying in the military that in war the victorious seek battle only after the victory has been won. Those that understand this also know that the study of great failures in leadership can teach us something victory cannot. A wise military historian once told me that I could learn more about military… Read More »
[September 28, 2018] Karl von Clausewitz, a military theorist, once wrote that “courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior.” When I was a young teenager, I had no concept of the idea of courage but one thing I did know was that I liked racing my Yamaha 250cc dirt bike. I also liked my… Read More »
[September 27, 2018] The day before yesterday, my wife watched The Hanoi Hilton (1987) starring Michael Moriarty. She asked me to watch it with her and I initially refused by saying I couldn’t see how a Hollywood movie director could treat a sensitive subject with respect and dignity. I watched it more out of curiosity than anything else. … Read More »