[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 »
[February 15, 2018] There is something about watching the Olympic Games that makes us feel more alive, more proud, and perhaps even like a better person. I have no idea what makes this so but the grace we saw in the performance of the U.S. figure skaters won me over. U.S. Olympians on the Figure Skating Team, Mirai Nagasu… Read More »
[February 14, 2018] Last week I was sitting in a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) when I overheard several young men talking about their upcoming Basic Training course. One was saying that the Drill Sergeants will tell you to do the impossible and then yell at you when you fail. I laughed to myself because that happened to me… Read More »
[February 13, 2018] I learned a valuable lesson in command leadership when I was sent to inspect an army unit that had failed its annual GI inspection. I often say that leaders can learn valuable lessons from the failure of others and this was a case I would never forget. The unit commander had decided he would focus all his… Read More »
[February 12, 2018] It has been said that the world’s intellectual elites have been attacking Christianity generally and Roman Catholicism specifically for at least a century. Communist nations led this effort but there is one person who stands up against the state’s efforts and that man is Cardinal Joseph Zen. Cardinal Zen is well known for his outspokenness on… Read More »