[July 28, 2016] It is often that we hear about leaders who are evil, often narcissistic, and have caused widespread death and destruction. It is our responsibility as good leaders to study them; their background, their leadership traits, and their accomplishments. Idi Amin, President of Uganda 1971-79, is a classic case where culture meets evil and evil wins.… Read More »
[July 26, 2016] The story goes back a long way. I remember my father talking about the town drunk who was always at the bar on Tuesday nights. We grew up in a small town in Northeast Louisiana where, in the 1950s and 60s, liquor bars outnumbered churches about 2 to 1 and where everyone knew each other. … Read More »
[July 26, 2016] Maybe it’s my experience with military secret documents published in the New York Times newspaper that makes me skeptical that just about any form of communications can be read by others, like our enemies. It’s time for me to again warn everyone – especially leaders – that email, including encrypted email, can be read by… Read More »
[July 25, 2016] A good friend of mine at my commissioning ceremony as a new U.S. Army Second Lieutenant said that his best advice for me to succeed would be to respect soldiers regardless of rank, however pander to none of them. In his own way, he was speaking about respect. But respect is specifically missing from most… Read More »
[July 23, 2016] Yes, words have consequences and especially when spoken by senior leaders. Leaders have been known to make terrible choices of their words and then, unexpectedly, become more resolute when confronted. All of us have chosen poorly but rarely are word choices so important than when we are a leader. Knowing what to say, when to… Read More »
[July 21, 2016] In Part 1 of this three-part series on teaching children leadership, I laid out some of the more important things that kids (or anyone) should “never” do.1 The subject matter makes it relatively easy for kids to learn leadership and apply those skills throughout their entire lifetimes. Today, I’ll address key opportunities any program to… Read More »
[July 20, 2016] Of course, children can learn leadership … and like a second language it’s easier to teach them while they’re young and eager to be taught. Many psychological studies show that what and how we learn at a young age influences us throughout our lives; all the more reason to teach leadership to kids. I’ve personally… Read More »
[July 19, 2016] On this date, June 19th in 1865, Union soldiers enforced the Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining slaves in the state of Texas; six weeks after the U.S. Civil War officially ended. Slavery in the U.S. was a contentious issue at the time and its legacy remains in race relations to this day. Like President… Read More »
[July 18, 2016] Know your enemy; know how he thinks, how he feels, and what his future plans are. That’s always been a key philosophy throughout my military career and the reason I bought a copy of Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler and began reading the English translation. I never finished the book because I couldn’t tolerate its… Read More »
[July 17, 2016] On occasion we hear of stories about people of strong character. For those who study leadership it is valuable to understand what makes up those people in, what I call, “character.” It’s always worthwhile to do so, so that we may learn the refinements of those traits that are important in the development of good… Read More »