[July 3, 2018] Leaders are not born and people don’t instantly become leaders just because they are given a position of responsibility. Leaders teach others to lead because that is the only way an individual can become an effective leader of people. “A mind is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled.” – Plutarch,… Read More »
[June 28, 2018] The best way to learn a lesson is by a) observing others making mistakes and then b) taking it to heart.1 In the news just a few days ago, a restaurant owner at the Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia refused service to the U.S. White House press secretary and her family. Other commercial enterprises, like… Read More »
[March 17, 2018] Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Or, should I say “bah humbug”! Why? I’m back dear readers with some bad news. This being only a few days after the release of the City of Baltimore’s latest crime statistics, we can again say unequivocally that the murder rate and violent crime is on the upswing in this once… Read More »
[February 19, 2018] A good article by Glenn Ellmers recently focused on the “old ways” of dealing with bigotry and prejudice (link here) . Before I read it, I thought maybe he was talking about fist fights or something along those lines but he argues that the way we dealt with those problems years ago was different and… Read More »
[February 3, 2018] That’s what I was told as my girlfriend pinned my Second Lieutenant bars on me at our commissioning ceremony. “Leaders! It’s not about you,” the commandant of the ROTC program spoke to the new military officers at Penn State University. Not about you? The message was unclear but later, after I had more experience, his… Read More »
[January 27, 2018] It has been said that the best leaders walk a fine line between a strong belief in their own abilities and their arrogance. Former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke Jr. is one of those men to be admired for his moral courage, strength of conviction, and brashness to stand up to intimidation. A few years ago,… Read More »
[July 22, 2017] From all accounts, the new movie Dunkirk is a blockbuster that will draw crowds from all age groups and geographic areas to see it in local theaters. What makes it popular is something that we can look into to see what we can learn about leaders and what its attractiveness can tell us. My grandmother… Read More »
[June 13, 2017] Learn the rules and play them better than anyone else; this is the embodiment of intelligent, powerful leadership. As children we learn quickly that it is best to play by the rules. Being accused of cheating or unfair play is a stinging rebuke for those who fail to do so. It comes as no surprise… Read More »
[April 20, 2017] We’ve all been told that railroads in the United States are a technology of the past and will soon go the way of the dinosaur. The classic steel rail and wooden crossbeam, heavy railroad car, and diesel locomotives are bound for the scrapheap … so they say. They are wrong and that is why the… Read More »
[March 1, 2017] Trust and confidence is a fundamental attribute of leadership. It is the ability to build strong trust and confidence in others that makes a leader and furthermore it is a leader’s credibility that is drawn from those who work in similar professions. That brings me to a story from a good friend of mine who… Read More »