[May 9, 2018] Not that long ago in what we called the old brown-boot army, there was a saying that if you couldn’t wrap it in red tape (aka bureaucracy), then it wasn’t worth two cents. The implication was that the small stuff was important and leaders paid attention to detail … well, didn’t they? Well, boys, I… Read More »
[May 7, 2018] It was ten years ago but it seemed like yesterday. I was standing with three fellow U.S. military officers discussing our electrical designs for a construction project in the country of Iraq. We were at war and a young Engineer Lieutenant asked us a simple question, What’s the standard? We never answered that question with… Read More »
[May 6, 2018] Wilson, a childhood friend of mine, was an exceptionally smart guy but he had a real dislike of people who would criticize him in any way. One of the more difficult things for anyone to do is to listen patiently to criticism about themselves. This is a tough one. Wilson is someone without much tolerance… Read More »
[May 4, 2018] I saved this column for Friday to give my readers a little levity to charge into the weekend with something less serious. I’ve spent a lot of time in the U.S. military and during that time, living in many foreign nations, I saw some of the smartest, most interesting, and richest people on the planet. … Read More »
[May 3, 2018] I’ve begun reading more frequently these days, now that the weather has turned for the better. I get to sit on my sun porch, relax, pet my dog, and read. The book is about how tragic events in our past can have a positive effect on our psyche. My point here is that what happens… Read More »
[May 2, 2018] Good decision making is not always easy and no one said being a leader was going to be a cake way anyway. Decision-making abilities are based on proper and independent judgment. “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” – Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll), English… Read More »
[May 1, 2018] Many years ago as I was walking through my company’s motor pool, when I saw an army Private working on an armored personnel carrier. I stopped to ask why he was trying to fix the vehicle so early on a Sunday morning, instead of being with his buddies. He said that it was no hardship… Read More »
[April 30, 2018] A young Army Lieutenant was navigating across a swath of Fort Picket, Virginia; taking his platoon on a 5-mile march from his commander’s location to a road junction. With a map and compass, the platoon’s Infantrymen did not trust him to get to the road but he did without incident. In the Army we say,… Read More »
[April 29, 2018] U.S. Army Special Forces (SoF) are part of a highly efficient and effective military organization like many of their counterparts in the Navy SEALS, Air Force Special Ops, and Marine Recon. What all of these high-performance organizations do is take their leadership training and education seriously. Their dedication to relentless training and preparation is legendary. … Read More »
[April 25, 2018] This may seem counterintuitive, but it is possible – as a leader – you can be wrong, when you’re right. This is true even when standing up for the highest of moral values. Leaders must be aware of this and consciously take note of possible negative consequences. We need first to remember that “right” and… Read More »