[March 20, 2017] One of my favorite senior leaders in the President George W. Bush administration was Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Yet, next to Vice President Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld was the most disliked member at the White House and I found his thinking to be profound and insightful. It is therefore not uncharacteristic of Rumsfeld… Read More »
[March 19, 2017] Three years ago I wrote that the U.S. policy toward North Korea is one of “strategic patience” and that it has been successful if measured pragmatically; it has prevented war.1 Yet, if we measure this U.S. strategy on a scale of decency and morality, it is one of the greatest U.S. leadership failures of the… Read More »
[March 18, 2017] Spoiler alert! No leader does it all; though many have attempted, they all have failed when they tried. Leaders who attempt to do it all inevitably run into the complexities, ambiguities, and unpredictability of reality and quickly discover that humans are far from perfect. “No man will make a great leader who wants to do… Read More »
[March 17, 2017] Leaders are human too and they require regular healthy activities to keep them at the top of their game. Staying healthy is something leaders acknowledge as crucial for their performance in any job; just ask any senior leader about how much they take it seriously. But there is much more to the story of good… Read More »
[March 16, 2017] I remember it like it occurred yesterday. My maternal grandmother was a kind yet tough individualist who spoke her mind plainly and often. One day after I was baptized as a young boy in church she said, “Douglas, you’re a good kid, thank you.” It should be no surprise that the best leaders are those… Read More »
[March 15, 2017] Tenacity is an essential characteristic of successful leaders and cannot be underestimated for its veracity in making it so. That is why so many folks that do well have learned to roll with the punches that life dishes out. Those who feel the ups and downs know that it depends on how you take it;… Read More »
[March 14, 2017] For junior leaders the answer to the question, “What is more important: people or mission?” is often a struggle. This question, often asked, is not unlike the proverbial inquiry about what came first, the chicken or the egg. Senior leaders will tell you that the question itself is nonsense because it creates a false choice… Read More »
[March 12, 2017] The remains of a massive statue, believed to be of Pharaoh Ramses II, was recently discovered in a slum in Cairo, Egypt.1 The 26-foot statue made of quartzite is believed to be nearly 3,000 years old. Symbolism2, like the Egyptian statue, is a powerful tool for leaders fulfilling many functions; of the most significance is… Read More »
[February 26, 2017] It was mid-August in 1983 when my Infantry training class was on maneuvers at Fort Benning, Georgia. The heat was oppressive and the humidity seemed like we were swimming through the air. That was when we were told to dig-in and “defend” a hill from the OPFOR1. The first task assigned to me was to… Read More »
[February 25, 2017] Someone once said that a smile is the language of kindness and that is certainly true. Leaders of all stripes, to be successful, smile in order to be both approachable and motivational. This is achieved easily for those willing to take the simple step of smiling. Recent interpretations of ancient writings tell us that a… Read More »