[November 19, 2018] In large commercial companies today there is a question going around that asks, “What are the basics elements of leadership?” In other words, is there some sort of minimum requirement or core competency for a person to succeed as a leader? In my opinion, yes, there are some core things leaders must be able to… Read More »
[November 18, 2018] There are many photographs from World War II that tell a story if you look at them and understand a little about the war. Below is one of my favorites. It shows British soldier Horace Greasley looking through a barbed-wire defense at Nazi Heinrich Himmler1 (wearing spectacles). Horace Greasley was a Prisoner of War in… Read More »
[November 16, 2018] A senior U.S. Navy admiral once told me that he wished for a penny for every time sailors told him that they were ‘just following orders.’ Usually, it was after some major blunder where things had gone terribly wrong and they were trying to make-up an excuse for their failure. I was just following orders… Read More »
[November 15, 2018] Much is to be learned from war whether we want to admit it or not. Now that we are at the 100th anniversary of the end of the “Great War,” most citizens remain reluctant to revisit the horror so that we may learn valuable lessons. One lesson is that great leaders do not lead from… Read More »
[November 10, 2018] Tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Today that war continues to provide valuable lessons for those who believe leadership can make a difference. Lions led by donkeys is a popular phrase used to describe the British Infantry during the war. It is said that valiant British troops (the “lions”)… Read More »
[November 9, 2018] The only limit to your impact on any undertaking is your commitment to the dream. Success in life runs along a meandering, twisted path that eludes most people. Only those who have commitment to walking on that path are those who will achieve want they dream. “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and… Read More »
[November 8, 2018] If you are one of the doubting-ninnies that thought the terror group ISIS was just another religious movement meant to bring a different brand of Islam to the Middle East, you were wrong. Now that ISIS has been pushed back and large swaths of Iraq territory retaken, the evil of their ideology is finally being… Read More »
[November 6, 2018] As incoming Freshman in college, everyone was required to take a contemporary English class. One of the required books in the class was by Thomas A. Harris, MD, I’m Okay You’re Okay.1 It focused on the transactions among people. Ultimately it was about accepting who we are. Yet the idea that leaders should accept themselves… Read More »
[November 5, 2018] From time immemorial, battles have been won or lost because of the ordinary foot soldier. This foot soldier deserves to be called honorable because it is he who carries the nation’s colors, bears the burden of fighting and dying, and is the one also quickly forgotten. The concept of foot soldier does not just apply… Read More »
[November 1, 2018] After eight years of a bitter struggle, the U.S. Revolutionary War was coming to a close. By 1782, General George Washington had run a ragtag army and, with the help of the French, had beaten the British. The war’s end seemed in sight but there were problems within the officer ranks of the Americans.1 On… Read More »