[January 9, 2017] Turner Classic Movies is running a number of classics this week and one of my favorite films is the 1967 movie classic In the Heat of the Night. The movie is about a black police detective (Virgil Tibbs, played by Sidney Poitier) involved in a murder investigation in a small racist town in Mississippi. The… Read More »
[January 8, 2017] In 1980, I began my graduate work thinking how lucky I was that I could expand my thinking on the “philosophies of life” while pursuing an advanced academic degree. It certainly didn’t work out that way. But I’m thankful for the time I had with the father of one of my associates. Talks with her… Read More »
[January 7, 2017] “My dog Roger ate my homework!” So was the excuse my son used to justify why he couldn’t produce his teacher-assigned homework during his first week in Junior High School. I probably used the same excuse as a young boy, so I was on to him fast and didn’t buy it. He spent time at… Read More »
[January 6, 2017] There comes a time when new leadership arrives and good leaders make sure that any leader transition is as effective and efficient as possible. When U.S. President George Washington turned over the leadership of American to John Adams, Washington established a precedent whereby he ensured not only that it would be peaceful but that Adams… Read More »
[January 5, 2017] Yes! It’s that time of year again to make resolutions for the New Year. “New Year’s resolutions are for children, peacocks, and dishonest politicians.” – my Grandmother (as we called her, Bigmama) Resolutions are, of course, a tradition where we acknowledge we can do better, put them on a short list, and post it perhaps… Read More »
[January 4, 2017] A friend of mine, a newly promoted U.S. Army Major at the time, was assigned on a normal rotation from Company Command to a Personnel Administration position. As an Infantryman, the assignment was not good for his career but more importantly, as he was to discover, the people were unprofessional at his new location. Yet,… Read More »
[January 2, 2017] Several years ago I wrote an introduction to a book on how women should act around men to ensure they establish a beneficial relationship. One key to successful women in their relationships, according to the author, was to have class in those things they do day-to-day. I selected actress Grace Kelly to use as the… Read More »
[December 31, 2016] Ending the month of December with a senior leader’s profile is a good way to push into next year’s leadership topics. It is somewhat difficult to get an accurate idea of leadership qualities in modern senior leaders due to a number of factors. However today, I’ll be profiling U.S. Army General Raymond Odierno, who I… Read More »
[December 30, 2016] Once upon a time I had a commanding officer that was unreliable; lazy, indecisive, uncommitted, and on top of that a notorious braggart. He made my life, and those around him, miserable and frustrating. In retrospect, alcohol played a big role but like many other leaders he was not reliable as elemental leadership requires of… Read More »
[December 29, 2016] A senior Flag officer in the U.S. Army with whom I worked for a number of years was in his last assignment and wanted to finish his final command without any big problems. But the predicament he created by trying to please everybody was that many soldiers thought of him as a weak leader and… Read More »