[December 19, 2017] This is not a post about combat but the application of what has been a basic principle of it since recorded time; chose the battlefield. If you want to defeat your enemy (or win in business) then you must choose the time, place, and tactics of your actions and not let others determine what you… Read More »
[December 18, 2017] In late 2010, I was out of the country so my wife sent me news that she thought would be interesting. We lived in Brooklyn, New York so I thought to myself; what the heck, I’ll read it. In August of 2010, NYC Muslims were embroiled in a controversy to build a mosque near Ground… Read More »
[December 15, 2017] On several occasions here at theLeaderMaker.com I’ve bemoaned the fact that moral courage is lacking in much of Western civilization. Physical courage, on the other hand, is still there if we only look for it and it is good to see when it happens. Just this week, the courageous man behind the Mosul Eye revealed… Read More »
[December 14, 2017] Leadership has always been about the clear and concise use of language. English as a language, however, is fraught with blurred and convoluted meanings as anyone learning it will attest. Good leaders strive to overcome this problem by the use of precise language and continually improving upon those communication skills. My first semester in college… Read More »
[December 13, 2017] In the movie Aliens (1986), there is a scene where highly-trained colonial marines are about to be airdropped into a facility where they are to fight against the sinister extraterrestrials. When asked by Ripley how many combat drops Lieutenant Gorman has under his belt, he replies, “uh, two, including this one.” It did not inspire… Read More »
[December 11, 2017] Of course, the answer is that there are many leaders in the Middle East and each with his own brand of Islam and with his own ideas about the Sunni-Shiite divide. That, however, might be changing. The Middle East is a complex region with dynamics that confuses Westerners. One thing we should know is that… Read More »
[December 9, 2017] A few years ago one of the U.S. Army’s best machinegun crews was hurt when their gun blew-up. Why was it, that the best crew could have made a mistake that caused such a preventable accident? After an internal investigation (required whenever there are serious injuries) it was determined that the crew had taken unauthorized… Read More »
[December 5, 2017] The girlfriend of one of my best friends is a hard person to get along with; even on her best days. She is a hardcore New York Yankees fan and only associates with like-minded baseball enthusiasts and other such devotees. Every conversation revolves around her team and, of course, they can do no wrong. She… Read More »
[December 4, 2017] Like the proverbial genie in the lamp, wishful thinking is at best a feel-good fantasy and at worse a flight of the imagination gone wrong. When I joined the U.S. Army I had the idea that my money problems would go away and I could relax in a stateside barracks with a bunch of fun… Read More »
[December 3, 2017] Hands-off leadership, incorrectly referred to as Laissez-Faire leadership, is a topic of intense debate in senior military circles. Today, I refer to hands-off leaders as those leaders who know what is happening, are not directly involved, trust others to do a good job, but also are who are unwilling to make decisions. This type of… Read More »