[September 18, 2013] He who defends everywhere, defends nowhere. – Sun Tzu The senior executive leader is personally responsible to ensure that an effective strategy1 is developed and that their organization is properly guided along a path to achieve its objectives and goals. Without a strategy, there is no map for this journey. What does strategy allow us… Read More »
[September 17, 2013] This afternoon, I’ll be adding two books that I found interesting: How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life. John C. Maxwell. In Maxwell’s 2009 book, he says “Good thinkers are in demand. A person who knows how may always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be his… Read More »
[September 17, 2013] Known as the Battle of Antietam (or alternatively as the Battle of Sharpsburg), this was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Union soil. It is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with 22,717 dead, wounded, and missing on both sides combined. The Battle of Antietam ended the… Read More »
[September 17, 2013] One of the key attributes of senior executive leaders is their ability to select the right people for the right job. Unfortunately, sometimes people are chosen even to be senior leaders who turn out to be stunning failures. Choosing leaders is not just a difficult task, but new senior executive leaders should quickly establish their… Read More »
[September 16, 2013] Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life – all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity. – Zig Ziglar, author, motivational speaker, salesman. There is a short-list of values that are essential to all leaders. One of the most important among them is… Read More »
[September 15, 2013] As part of this blog’s profiles in senior executive leadership, the first great leader will be an obvious choice: General Douglas MacArthur. William Manchester writes of General MacArthur that: He was a great thundering paradox of a man, noble, and ignoble, inspiring and outrageous, arrogant and shy, the best of men and the worst of… Read More »
[September 14, 2013] If there had to be one common characteristic of all leaders, basic to senior executive, honesty would be it. “The buck stops here” is a phrase that was popularized by President Harry Truman, who kept a sign with that phrase on his desk at the White House. The phrase refers to the fact that the… Read More »
[September 13, 2013] Articles on toxic leadership and how to spot a bad boss have been fashionable of late. There is no denying that failed leaders are not uncommon and that some will be discovered; and with due diligence removed before too much damage is done to the organization and to people’s careers. Many of these poor leaders… Read More »
[September 12, 2013] Henry Kissinger saw that one of the challenges of senior leaders on foreign policy was being able to discern between urgent and important matters, and then developing procedures to keep the urgent from overcoming the important. What the Honorable Kissinger was saying is that leaders are sometimes so busy coping with urgent issues, like the… Read More »
[September 11, 2013] Today marks the 12th year since the multiple, horrific attacks that put the United States on a path to weeding out an enemy who had long been against all things western. Today we honor those who were killed and wounded in this attack and to say thank-you to the men and women who have put their… Read More »