[March 20, 2016] Today is the first day of Spring but from my vantage point here in New York City it looks like it may be a few more weeks before it arrives. With the cold weather arrived my American Legion Magazine and the Commander’s message on accountability. The article was appropriately timed while we debate who will… Read More »
[March 18, 2016] Yesterday morning, the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared that the Islamic State’s terrorism is genocide against certain religious groups and is now the official position of the United States of America. People would be correct to say that the U.S. is now demonstrating leadership with this declaration. However, leadership is not perfect and… Read More »
[March 16, 2016] As a young military officer I was curious why I was told that one of the keys to winning on the battlefield meant that leaders always reinforce success. In the U.S. Civil War, Union General George Meade failed to pursue the Confederate forces after the latter lost at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. That… Read More »
[March 13, 2015] When I first entered the U.S. Army, I did so because I wanted to join and to be part of something that was bigger than me and to gain opportunities that couldn’t be gotten elsewhere. The recruitment motto at the time was “Today’s Army Wants to Join You.” The formal idea behind the Army motto,… Read More »
[March 12, 2015] Yes, leaders do encourage bad attitudes in people and it’s a sad commentary that senior leaders are particularly guilty of doing so. The encouragement is not about people with strong personalities but about the fact that a bad attitude will get rewarded. How can it be that those with bad attitudes are rewarded when it’s… Read More »
[March 11, 2015] Whenever I think of volatility I’m drawn to one of the greatest battles during World War II. In late 1944 the German military broke through a weak Allied defensive area in an attempt to force them to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis Power’s favor. Great leaders on the Allied side were responsible for… Read More »
[March 10, 2016] We all know that not everybody is ready to be a leader but a corollary theory holds that you don’t suddenly become a good leader just because you’re given the job. A linebacker in the National Football League, for example, does not become a good player after a few plays in that position. Likewise, a… Read More »
[March 9, 2016] One of the concerns about being a military engineer is that we can be intellectually trapped by our education and experiences. Yet, there are great engineers who’ve escaped and produced amazing works. They did this by developing a daily habit of being open to new ideas. We all have marveled at those who designed and… Read More »
[March 8, 2016] Long ago at Boot Camp, after I joined the U.S. Army as a Private, my fellow recruits and I (we weren’t soldiers yet) ran around our barracks to the cadence of several grizzled Drill Sergeants. There was a lesson somewhere but at the time I was focused on the moment and didn’t get it. The… Read More »
[March 7, 2016] One of the many things leaders must do is to stay up-to-date. So too must senior leaders who expect to succeed at their mission. The U.S. and the world for the past 60 years has relied on “strategic patience” to deal with the unpredictability of North Korea. There is evidence however that this grand strategy… Read More »