[March 12, 2020] Rudyard Kipling once said that words are the most powerful drug used by mankind. He was talking about how communication is the peak human achievement, and our use of it is unimaginably powerful. Many decades ago, beginning in the Great Depression, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the new radio medium to connect to millions… Read More »
[March 11, 2020] Back in November last year, U.S. Presidential candidate Joe Biden called a woman in his audience a lying dog-faced pony soldier.1 Darn it; I wish he had called me that name. If he had, I would be the envy among my combat veteran peers. I like the expression, and I thank Joe Biden for saying… Read More »
[March 7, 2020] As I sit in my comfortable armchair watching cable news, I watch many politicians pointing fingers to who they believe is responsible for the spread of the Coronavirus. At first, they blamed China and their leaders, then it was U.S. President Trump, and now they are accusing local health officials of allowing more outbreaks. “Confusion”… Read More »
[March 3, 2020] We all know that for good leadership to work well, we need to speak and write clearly. Like my grandmother, bigmama, that means sometimes being blunt. Today, I’m doing introducing the psychological big five personality traits 1,2 because I will use those more here at www.theleadermaker.com. Over the next few weeks, I plan to draw… Read More »
[March 2, 2020] H. Jackson Brown, Jr. is an American author of several inspirational books. I’m a fan of his and often quote him because he makes plain sense. One of my favorite quotes is the one below. Brown has often written about the idea of success and easy it can be to achieve if we were only… Read More »
[February 4, 2020] There is an ancient religious idea that, with the right sacrifice, one will be saved in the eyes of the gods. For example, in the Bible’s story of Cain and Able, the concept of sacrifice first appears. I learned early in my military service, like in the biblical narrative, I had to make sacrifices if… Read More »
[February 2, 2020] To recognize one’s weaknesses, mistakes made, blunders and miscalculations are a necessary step on the path to good leadership. We all make mistakes, and there is not a leader who hasn’t made some real doozies in their lives. With the proper attitude, these can be some of the best learning experiences. Self-deprecating humor goes a… Read More »
[January 31, 2020] Leadership requires a joint-cooperative effort between the person in charge and those that are responsible for that leader’s success. In the U.S. military, there are positions occupied by the most senior enlisted service member that acts as an adviser to the commanding officer. A senior enlisted adviser (SEA) fulfills the role of coach, mentor, and… Read More »
[January 19, 2020] As leaders rise through their organizations, there is a standard piece of advice that is supposed to help them. Organizations are inherently complex and chaotic. Thus, we are told that leaders must focus their efforts a mile wide and an inch deep. The reasoning is persuasive. If a leader needs a greater understanding, the argument… Read More »
[January 17, 2016] When I retired from the U.S. Army back in 2014, I began reading more in-depth books that pushed my understanding of famous people. I was most interested with famous military men and biographies fulfilled that desire, but few could give me the real thinking of those men. What I didn’t realize at the time was… Read More »