5 Steps to Develop Organizational Skills to Get More Productive

By | September 13, 2016

By guest blogger Kate Simpson [See Biography] [September 13, 2016]  A lot of focus has been put on productivity, no matter which industry you belong to. This is due to the fact that the world is not just pacing fast, it’s doing business at lightning speed, which requires you to develop organizational strategies superior to others. As a… Read More »

Obstacles that Senior Leaders Face Daily

By | September 12, 2016

[September 12, 2016]  As part of our physical fitness training in the Army, my fellow soldiers and I regularly negotiated the standard obstacle course.  Its purpose was to challenge us to find ways to successfully navigate through the many barriers (and have a little fun that I never seemed to have).  Yet, leaders face many other types of… Read More »

If You Think You’re Indispensable …

By | September 10, 2016

[September 10, 2016]  Tomorrow is the 15th anniversary of the attacks against United States’ civilians by Islamic terrorists.  Within recent memory, this event cements into our minds that no one is indispensable.  Yet many leaders think that they personally are essential and as such explains, in part, why those leaders hide themselves away in their offices. “The cemeteries… Read More »

Top-Down Loyalty

By | September 8, 2016

[September 8, 2016]  Everyone will tell you that loyalty is one of the most visible and noteworthy of all traits; found not just in humans but also in animals.  What makes it so important is that loyalty is necessary for the survival of the species; without it, no individual could depend on others.  Despite much talk about bottom-to-top… Read More »

Senior Leaders Making Tactical Decisions

By | September 7, 2016

[September 7, 2016]  Strategy is the purview of senior leaders.  They have the training, relevant experience, and authority to establish ends, ways, and means to accomplish the organization’s strategy.  Yet, when senior leaders make tactical decisions, things can go unexpectedly wrong. During the Vietnam War, to use just one example, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and members of his… Read More »

A Leader, Vietnam, and a Massacre

By | September 6, 2016

[September 6, 2016]  I’ve learned more from the failures and mistakes of leaders than from their successful traits.  With few exceptions this haunting truth makes clear that being a leader can be difficult and dirty at times.  My first week at the U.S. Army’s Infantry Officer Basic Course in May 1983, over 200 U.S. Army lieutenants and 30… Read More »

Social Protocols: A Form of Respect

By | September 5, 2016

[September 5, 2016]  One of the advantages of Labor Day is the opportunity to cook burgers out on the grill, get some cooler weather, and drink a beer.  Best wishes to everyone this fine day as Hurricane Hermine drifted eastward off-shore, doing less damage than expected, and had no impact on New York City where I live.  However,… Read More »