[August 9, 2018] The biggest mistake I’ve ever made was failing to listen to my maternal grandmother (we called her “bigmama”). She told the gaggle of her grandkids sitting in a circle one day to never underestimate other people. “Golden rule of life: never underestimate your rivals.” – Sid Waddell, English sports commentator and television personality We were… Read More »
[August 5, 2018] I like explanative ideas that deviate from the norm yet also provide a surprising accounting of relevant socio-political phenomenon. A few months ago in a New York Post article, Ralph Peters wrote in an opinion piece giving his thoughts on why so many countries prefer tyranny over democracy. This is why I’m a fan of… Read More »
[August 4, 2018] A recent indecent in my family motivated me to write about how to get along smoothly in any organization. All of us have belonged to a variety of organizations in our lifetimes (e.g., work, school, family, military, church) and perhaps we’ve had difficulty along the way. All you have to do is follow the rules… Read More »
[August 3, 2018] A fundamental duty of leaders is to find opportunities to provide useful information to others and deliver positive feedback. It is the embodiment of great leadership to teach, coach, and mentor in such a way that the feedback is received as a stimulus to internal motivation. It is no surprise that someone who is able… Read More »
[August 1, 2018] My recent experience with the Boy Scouts at summer camp (articles here and here) brought a number of comments from readers asking for practical leadership tips. I’ll soon start a short series on this, but for today I’ll offer one of the most useful of all practical leader tips; remember their names. Yes, that’s it… Read More »
[July 31, 2018] “Mission first, people always,” is more than just a saying in the U.S. military; it’s a philosophy. The fact that leadership is difficult even in the best of times means that we expect the mission to be accomplished and done efficiently and effectively by people. In this idea, mission first, people always … one of… Read More »
[July 30, 2018] At a commissioning ceremony, where a dozen army Second Lieutenants took the oath of office, the commandant of the ROTC program said something that stuck with me my entire life. “For those of you who swear to become an officer, leadership is a life choice.”1 What he meant at the time and all those around… Read More »
[July 29, 2018] There’s an old stereotype that soldiers in the military are a bunch of knuckle-dragging dimwits who don’t have a creative thought or significant accomplishment in their pathetic lives.1 Contrary to that view, however, is a growing trend among most Western-nation military leaders to study the Greek classics. Several of my neighbors at a recent get… Read More »
[July 28, 2018] Do you want to be a leader? If you answer this question like you should, the answer will be “yes” because no other answer is acceptable. To be a leader you must learn a number of important skills. One of them is to never punish loyal followers for being honest. “Leaders who don’t listen will… Read More »
[July 27, 2018] It has been a long-running theme here on my leadership blog that a leader’s character can only be developed through hard times. But I’m going out on a limb today and now arguing that good character can only be developed through suffering. That’s right, only by suffering can the best in us truly come out.… Read More »