[September 05, 2014] Colin Powell is one of America’s most respected and esteemed public figures. He was one of the U.S. Army’s most senior generals and was also U.S. Secretary of State. Being successful at both is an admiral accomplishment. Choosing Colin Powell for this leadership profile was easy; writing about his leadership style was something more difficult.… Read More »
[August 11, 2014] There are many who believe that Pope John Paul II will be remembered as one of the most effective Popes and most understanding of people in the last century. Known as Saint John Paul the Great, he was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005. One of the most famous… Read More »
[July 25, 2014] In the late 1950s when our family traveled to a big southern city (population 10,000) to go shopping, there were two places we always went. We never missed a trip to the Piggly Wiggly grocery store and to Walgreens. I remember two things about each one. First, they each had air conditioning. Second, the workers… Read More »
[July 14, 2014] It was 1916. If you were part of General Pershing’s punitive expedition against Poncho Villa, you may have been riding one of the U.S. Army’s Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Motorization of bicycles in the early 1900s started a movement that has never gone away. Any person who has spent time on a motorcycle understands that “it gets… Read More »
[July 06, 2014] “Honest Abe” is the most well known leaders in the United States and around the world. Abraham Lincoln was in office during the U.S. Civil War where he was able to keep the nation together. He was the reason that America did not break into two separate nations and he was the key to ending… Read More »
[June 29, 2014] A small group of 10-year old boys from northern Louisiana collected empty “coke” bottles to exchange for 2 cents each back in the early 1960s. My two friends and I would spend Saturdays scouring our small, no-traffic-light town for coke empties. This was my first memory of Coca Cola. We would each, maybe, make enough… Read More »
[June 23, 2014] “Now, the rest of the story.” Those iconic words represent the essence of radio personality Paul Harvey. Certainly not a traditional great leader and not even in the minor leagues with the greats like General Eisenhower. Yet, Paul Harvey was one of the greatest communicators in America. Born Paul Harvey Aurandt (1919-2009), he was on… Read More »
[June 15, 2014] I don’t remember when I bought my first book from Amazon.com but it was more than 10 years ago. At the time I was having a hard time finding good books on military leadership. I paid both retail and shipping costs but I had the book within a week. This was something that struck me… Read More »
[June 10, 2014] A pattern emerges from the study of great leaders demonstrating that many of those who are the greatest of leaders were successful at both governance and military leadership. This pattern holds for Ramesses II (1303 BC – 1213 BC), also known as Ramesses the Great – the third Egyptian pharaoh of the 19th dynasty. He… Read More »
[May 30, 2014] As regular readers know, I travel across the United States and overseas. Spending time in airports is second nature to me and many other military travelers. Airline service is important. Another important supply of services is rental car companies. I have rented from all the major companies in America – too many to count. Enterprise… Read More »