[March 17, 2014] As leaders we need to be aware of the effects of our actions. I remember as a new Infantry Platoon Leader that to increase physical fitness scores, I provided an incentive for Soldiers to run faster than me (I gave them a day off). Yet, many Soldiers actually performed worse on their run times. Five… Read More »
[March 16, 2014] Earlier this week, the Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman accused the CIA of “spying” on the committee that she leads. The CIA accused her committee of unauthorized access to CIA computer systems to obtain classified information. At the heart of this unusual situation is the committee’s investigation of CIA interrogation techniques following the 9/11 terrorists attacks. … Read More »
[March 15, 2014] When I was growing up in the Deep South, I was exposed to a variety of community leaders and as successful as each was they displayed many recurring qualities that fascinated me. Years later I realized some of those common traits were key to being a successful leader. After reading the Art of War by… Read More »
[March 14, 2014] People want leadership and they are not getting what they want. At least they are not getting it from our senior leadership in Washington DC, either from the White House or from Congress. The citizenry is losing faith in our political elites of both parties. That’s the message from a number of political publications on… Read More »
[March 13, 2014] Earlier we wrote about the problems with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and the problems its website was experiencing (link here) and the subsequent loss of trust and confidence in government due to multiple significant failures to get it right. This is a significant leadership issue that is not being fully… Read More »
[March 13, 2014] In Part 1 of this two-part series, I pointed out how Socialism “contains a number of beautifully crafted ideas that are appealing to just about anyone … but ultimately destructive in practice.” In Part 2, we discuss the impact of Socialist ideology on individuals and some of their characteristics that may influence them and explain… Read More »
[March 12, 2014] I have been toying with the idea of a blog feature on Socialism for some time now. So, what would be the point in discussing the not-so-obvious connection between Socialism and senior leadership? I believe that Socialism contains a number of beautifully crafted ideas that are appealing to everyone … but ultimately destructive in practice.… Read More »
[March 11, 2014] Earlier today (link here), I wrote about how the US Congress was seen in the eyes of many of our citizens as being dysfunctional and held in low regards. To many, the belief that Congress lacks good leadership is an important observation and should be a wake-up call to our elected representatives. Part of good… Read More »
[March 11, 2014] The headlines scream “the worst Congress ever.” That is probably not true if measured by important legislation because there have been plenty of years very little of substance is done. What we may be seeing is that the real issue causing so much dysfunction in Congress today may be a lack of senior leadership. If… Read More »
[March 10, 2014] One way for those of us in senior leadership positions to show our professionalism is by how we act when we lose. A common phrase is “grace under fire” and is a desirable professional leader characteristic. Just recently, one of the U.S. President’s nominees, to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, failed confirmation in… Read More »