Earn Your Spurs

By | October 2, 2018

[October 2, 2018]  In most armies worldwide there’s a classic story of a Second Lieutenant who was not trusted by his platoon because he was so “green” (inexperienced and untested).  Just like this lieutenant, until you earn your spurs in any vocation you will find the road to leadership challenging and frustrating. Earn your spurs is, of course,… Read More »

On Being a Fake and a Coward: by Army Vet

By | September 30, 2018

[September 30, 2018]  Army Vet gets mixed up in politics today as he calls out the character of Democratic U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut for being a fake Vietnam Veteran and a coward. A politician is to lying what Wisconsin is to cheese?  Some people lie more than others but there is nothing more gut-wrenching and disgusting… Read More »

Millennials are Rejecting Mentorship

By | September 29, 2018

[September 29, 2018]  A lot has been written (and will be written) about America’s youngest adult generation.  Subjects on Millennials are far racing but something is going unnoticed.  What we are beginning to notice is that they are rejecting mentorship from leaders.1 Mentorship is, of course, the most effective and efficient way to improve upon leadership skills and… Read More »

Leadership at the Hanoi Hilton

By | September 27, 2018

[September 27, 2018]  The day before yesterday, my wife watched The Hanoi Hilton (1987) starring Michael Moriarty.  She asked me to watch it with her and I initially refused by saying I couldn’t see how a Hollywood movie director could treat a sensitive subject with respect and dignity. I watched it more out of curiosity than anything else. … Read More »

Important Things are Always Simple

By | September 26, 2018

[September 26, 2018]  Personal favorite lists of “military laws” are those collected under the rubric of Murphy’s Laws of Combat Operations.  These so-called laws are both educational and entertaining in a way that only those who’ve lived and survived in the Armed Forces will know.  What they have in common is that they are about important things in… Read More »

If a Leader is not Thoroughly Prepared …

By | September 25, 2018

[September 25, 2018]  In Disney’s movie The Lion King (1994), the song Be Prepared is one of five written specifically for the movie and features the villain Scar educating his Hyena allies about the undeniable benefits of ‘mission preparation.’  There is only one path to leadership and it runs through the requirement to be prepared. Scar:1 Just listen… Read More »

Terrorism in Iran: the Hens Come Home to Roost

By | September 24, 2018

[September 24, 2018]  A few months ago in one of my columns on the Middle East, I asked the question, “What’s happening in Iran?”1  My point, in asking the question, was that while Iranian leaders continue to support worldwide terrorism and the proliferation of WMDs, Iran could easily come into the civilized world by stopping their “unethical and… Read More »

3 Negotiation Techniques Every Skillful Leader Should Know

By | September 23, 2018

By guest blogger Lilou Hoffman [September 23, 2018]  Negotiating skills are both a science and an art. It’s rather like bridging a gap between individuals by finding mutual interests and values. The skilled negotiator helps to find a constructive way to proceed that most individuals couldn’t have found alone. The following three negotiation skills are vital for every… Read More »