[February 22, 2017] Adversity, uncertainty, confusion … all play a part in how we see great leaders who demonstrate the moral courage overcome such obstacles. The greater the adversity, the greater the leader who can prevail. In the civilian world, attorney James B. Donovan showed moral courage when he helped release prisoners from several communist countries. “Truth is… Read More »
[February 21, 2017] There are many senior government leaders who strongly believe that war solves nothing and therefore it is an important moral duty to avoid war at all costs. Such a position is contrary to the history of humankind but there are a few academics who study war that agree; they study war, not to promote war… Read More »
[February 20, 2017] One of the best things about the U.S. military is the enormous amount of resources used to produce the best leaders possible. I was fortunate to participate in a number of programs designed to improve the leadership capacities and skills of their senior officers. What I took away from it was that leadership really is… Read More »
[February 19, 2017] … and that will always be the case so leaders need to stop using it as an excuse. I often speak with young adults who’ve simply given up trying to be the best they can be because there are so many people better – much better – than them. My son was on a baseball… Read More »
[February 18, 2017] There’s been a lot of criticism of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump. Critical behavior is certainly not new in the political environment but there is a common understanding among professionals that to disparage an incoming leader is amateurish and ethically wrong. “He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.” – Abraham… Read More »
[February 17, 2017] I was talking with my wife the other night about underrated topics in casual conversations among friends. She has a keen eye, far better than me, for those tidbits. One thing she found particularly galling was that most talk was not about fun times but almost exclusively about political issues. Friends were more interested in… Read More »
[February 16, 2017] U.S. President Donald Trump promised during his campaign that he would build a “great wall,” do so inexpensively, and make Mexico pay for it. Although Trump’s wall is intended to make America safer, it is a politically charged subject and for many diverse reasons. Politics to the side, I will argue that it is possible… Read More »
[February 15, 2017] I’ve known about Hal Moore since I was a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and looked upon him as a great American hero. His legacy originated with his heroic actions at the Battle of Ia Drang, Vietnam 1965 as an Infantry Battalion Commander but there was, of course, much more to it than that. … Read More »
[February 14, 2017] We’ve all had our share of bosses who let power (derived from their positions of authority) to go to their heads. Abuse of power is so common that the U.S. military tracks it against Flag Officer violations of rules of behavior and actively warns against its poisonous attraction. “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power… Read More »
[February 13, 2017] Whenever I think about the foremost problems we recently faced in combat, I’m reminded of a sign I saw somewhere in Baghdad. It read, “Complacency kills.” I was told my first day on the job to “stay focused and keep an eye out for anything that could be a threat.” The biggest threat to success… Read More »