[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 17, 2018] Yesterday I was speaking with a medically-discharged soldier who had received horrible wounds in Afghanistan. He told me that he survives his awful wounds because of his belief in the principles espoused by the Dalai Lama. Those who can carry on after such traumatic events are only those who find a deep spiritual faith within… Read More »
[October 16, 2018] In 2017, thirty years after the making of one of my favorite movies Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), I had the privilege to speak with its star, Robin Williams. He was on a USO goodwill tour overseas and that’s how we met. The first thing I asked was about this movie. I never really knew the… 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 11, 2018] In a popular 2007 drawing by cartoonist Michael P. Ramirez, a soldier stands ready for combat but with a knife in his back; bloodied with the words “Congress” written in the blood. This political cartoon became popular among troops sent to Iraq. It symbolized their anger at the U.S. Congress because their elected representatives were… 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 9, 2018] It’s tough being a leader and it’s even harder being a great leader. What separates the great from the mediocre is moral courage. Today, I’ll discuss this very issue. The Madison, Wisconsin City Council recently voted to remove a grave marker of Confederate prisoners of war and in doing so showed their moral cowardice. The… 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 »