[June 02, 2015] A number of years ago my daughter finished elementary school and was preparing to move into middle school. At a ceremony to mark the transition there was much pomp and circumstance and included handing out of various honors and awards to the students. After the ceremony I asked my 13-year old daughter what she thought… Read More »
[June 01, 2015] The U.S. military and veteran suicide rates have been both newsworthy and tragic as of late. The suicide rate among military personnel when compared to similar non-military groups has trended slightly above those who never served in the military. The same can be said for our veterans. While the causes of suicide are complex and… Read More »
[May 30, 2015] In baseball the advice always given to the batter is to “never take your eye off the ball.” This too is sound advice for leaders … and those most likely to achieve their mission are those that stay focused and on the right path. Yet with the world today we see many problems from terrorism… Read More »
[May 28, 2015] A few years ago I was caught off-guard by a question from an Army sergeant who asked me what I thought was the least important leadership characteristic. This was a questions that both surprised me and that I had difficulty answering. Of course, being a leader means balancing an array of traits that each adds… Read More »
[May 27, 2015] Nicolas Maduro (successor to Hugo Chavez), the Socialist President of Venezuela, is blaming “terrorists” for the country’s deteriorating economy, soaring crime rate, and thousands protesting in the streets.1 When leaders are insulated from the realities of what is happening around them – usually by well-meaning followers – combined with a strong ideological view of the… Read More »
[May 26, 2015] When I was 10 years old, I wanted a BB gun more than anything in the world. All my friends had one and my desire led me to hassle my parents until they finally bought me a Daisy Bullseye BB Gun. But it didn’t work … at least until my dad fixed it. Poor quality… Read More »
[May 24, 2015] In 1883, on May 24th, the Eighth Wonder of the World opened after 14 years of construction. The Brooklyn Bridge may not seem that unusual by today’s standards in large-scale building structures, except at that time it was considered so futuristic that many believed it would never work and would fall into the river. I wrote… Read More »
[May 23, 2015] It has been said that America has some of the best business managers in the world but fails at providing the necessary leadership to ensure their future success. Regardless of the truth to this, we do know that many managers and leaders fail to lead when required. Of course, there are obstacles to leadership and… Read More »
[May 22, 2015] John Wayne has always been one of my movie heroes. To be more precise, I was a fan of the actor John Wayne but the men he played were the ones with true grit and a perseverance … they were all real men of action. There have always been people who show both grit and… Read More »
[May 20, 2015] This past weekend ISIS fighters just captured the strategic city of Ramadi, Iraq. Are there any lessons for senior leaders we can learn from this? Yes, but many of our senior politicians that control policy simply don’t understand or cannot apply what those lessons are to ensure success and this was, sadly, perfectly predictable. The reason is… Read More »