[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 »
[May 19, 2015] A few days ago I had the pleasure of talking with a two college students and, as I normally do, I asked them about their lives; where they were from and their college experience. One blond-haired, very young man told me about himself and that one of his favorite things to do was to watch… Read More »
[May 18, 2015] Leaders have to deal with a host of problems that are destructive. Lately, something we’ve seen developing is the troubling aspect that many people now believe they are privileged. Thus, possessing the power of privilege they are special and are somehow justified to be both exempt from rules of behavior and deserving of unearned benefits.… Read More »
[May 16, 2015] Just out in the news … for political junkies … is the latest edition of The Pig Book by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW). As described by the authors, the Congressional Pig Book is an “annual compilation of the pork-barrel projects in the [United States] federal budget.” What it really does is tell the story… Read More »
[May 15, 2015] There’s a very old saying in the U.S. military that cuts to the core of leadership. The saying is that, you can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility. You will always find a commander in charge and the success or failure of any operation rests squarely on that person’s shoulders. That may seem harsh… Read More »
[May 14, 2015] There are few people across the world that don’t recognize the slogan, “Just say no to drugs.” It was a simple message that encouraged children and young adults to avoid dangerous illegal drugs that could cause them serious problems, especially in adulthood. Today, the “just say no to drugs” campaign is essentially over. Furthermore, many… Read More »
[May 13, 2014] One of the first commanders that I worked for shortly after my commission to Second Lieutenant was a great guy and family man. He was the kind of person you could have a beer with and enjoy watching the football game on television. However, as a leader he had one major flow; he could not… Read More »
[May 12, 2015] Being a senior leader comes with many challenges that require a good intellect, mental resilience, and character … just to name a few. One thing that is rarely discussed however is the affect of a spouse on that leader or their career. It is presumed in the traditional sense that all leader spouses do are… Read More »
[May 11, 2015] Combat is a crucible that leaves little room for making mistakes. Those who have engaged in combat with an enemy know that small unit leadership is what makes a difference because it’s about solving problems. Combat is chaos, some say “organized chaos” but nonetheless chaos, and thus it demands that decisions be made quickly with little… Read More »
[May 10, 2015] Just last night I completed reading E.B. Sledge’s book With the Old Breed about his service as a United States Marine Corps private during World War II. In his personal memoir, Private Sledge writes about the devastation of war on his Marine comrades and on the local civilian population. He notes in particular how important… Read More »