[February 28, 2018] Twenty-five years ago today, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) began a siege to the Branch Davidian religious compound outside Waco, Texas. After seven weeks the siege ended with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) storming the compound, resulting in the deaths of 80 men, women, children of the religious group and… Read More »
[February 27, 2018] On a muddy flat of palm trees, sand, and grass, U.S. General Peter W. Chiarelli, Commander 1st Calvary Division, was asked by an Infantry Squad Leader what he thought was the best thing he could do for the unit. This sergeant and his teammates had been under sustained enemy contact during the early part of… Read More »
[February 26, 2018] The battle that took place on the Japanese-held island of Iwo Jima during World War II was one of the fiercest of the Twentieth Century. Strategically, this tiny island was a key part of the Allied strategy to taking the war to the Japanese homeland and ending the war. U.S. Admiral Chester Nimitz said at… Read More »
[February 25, 2018] Today’s blog post will stray a little but is still about leadership and those things that make for great leaders. For those who are unaware of the man Richard Marcinko, he is the founder of the U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 and Red Cell. Often known by the name, Rogue Warrior,1 some ask the basic… Read More »
[February 23, 2018] Yesterday I ran across some of my notebooks from combat tours in Iraq. As an army engineer, those were laced with a military analytical framework that helped us overcome the complexity of construction in a combat zone. Based on the more well-known SWOT analysis, we planned, developed, built, and maintained more work than engineers had… Read More »
[February 22, 2018] The idea that leaders are where the action is has a long history both glorious and practical. Ride to the sounds of the guns is an old catchphrase of militaries around the world.1 It is an appeal to aggressive action at the point of battle and is a central idea in great leadership. The best… Read More »
[February 21, 2018] Simon Sinek gives leaders great advice when he says that despite everyone telling us that we need listen better, in fact, we need to speak last. The skill to hold your opinion to yourself until everyone has spoken is the epitome of good leadership. He says it well (see short YouTube video, 1:40 minutes, link… Read More »
[February 20, 2018] U.S. President Harry S Truman had a sign on his desk that was there to show he personally accepted responsibility for the way the country was run. The sign read, “The buck stops here.” Good habits by leaders start at accepting responsibility for their actions and the best leaders do this daily. Leaders don’t try… Read More »
[February 17, 2018] While my leadership post today is not a movie review – a movie called The 15:17 to Paris just came out – it is about what leaders do and what they should do in extraordinary situations. If there is anything trained leaders are taught, it is that being passive and being hesitant to make a decision… Read More »
[February 16, 2018] Last year I began a new blog thread to give a brief summary of leadership topics I like but could not get into sufficient detail. The clearing the spindle post today focuses on leaders and their challenges. Previous posts can be found at the links below. Leaders often draw enemies from unexpected directions. Harvard Law School professor,… Read More »