[March 6, 2018] Working close to the flag is an old military saying that means a soldier works near a senior officer’s headquarters.1 As in any organizational culture, this means greater visibility and more opportunity for that particular military member. Such a position translates into a number of possibilities that can help or harm one’s career. One of… Read More »
[February 5, 2018] Just a reminder that this section on political leadership is part of an on-going series in which I focus on new and controversial ideas. Today, my focus is on Heather MacDonald, Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor of City Journal. She, like so many others on this site, is provocative in her ideas;… Read More »
[October 28, 2017] In this on-going series of those with new and often controversial ideas (mostly complex and original), I will focus today on Ralph Peters; retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, political commentator, and author. Peters is an unconventional, out-of-the box thinker who holds a formidable allegiance to the United States and its people. Like others whom I’ve… Read More »
[October 6, 2017] Trustworthiness … it all boils down to whether people trust a leader and that trust becomes the interconnectedness of reliability, believability, and respectability. We have all seen it. Each of us has had the displeasure to observe the destruction that lazy leadership brings the workplace, the home, and those things we’ve built. It destroys trustworthiness.… Read More »
[October 4, 2017] My wife has me watching a British detective series called Inspector Lewis. It must have been successful because it went nine seasons. In this episode, while visiting a police officer in the hospital, Inspector Lewis gives an injured officer a box of chocolates but realizes she is allergic to them. Lewis asks why his Sergeant… Read More »
[October 2, 2017] Leadership is ensured through the many traits of those in charge … but one which stands out – one trait that makes the very best leaders succeed – is the ability to understand and appreciate what motivates others. One of the first things we learn as a leader is that folks pay attention to those… Read More »
[September 29, 2017] The impact of leadership failure is directly proportional to the authority and power a leader possesses. Senior leader failure can mean the tragic death of many people while the failure of a new manager could mean the loss of a few dollars. Syria, North Korea, Iran, and much of sub-Saharan Africa are at a point… Read More »
[September 27, 2017] The growth of violent crime in many American cities has been in the news lately; a surprising change to a decades’ long decline in crime. There are as many theories as to why. One explanation, however, has gained popularity and the argument is that leaders of those cities have failed to fix the small broken… Read More »
[September 22, 2017] Hurricane Maria slammed into the island of Puerto Rico two days ago (Wednesday) creating massive destruction including throwing the entire island out of power. The pressing concern continues to be saving lives and minimizing death and injury in the immediate future. But the best leaders think ahead in situations like this because the emergency will… Read More »
[September 21, 2017] It’s difficult to cover all the topics of leadership and provide good examples so, by the very nature of space limitations, I’m starting a “clearing the spindle” post. Noted here on several occasions I’ve noted how citizens of the United States and many other nations have less faith and confidence in their politicians. Whether it… Read More »