[December 13, 2017] In the movie Aliens (1986), there is a scene where highly-trained colonial marines are about to be airdropped into a facility where they are to fight against the sinister extraterrestrials. When asked by Ripley how many combat drops Lieutenant Gorman has under his belt, he replies, “uh, two, including this one.” It did not inspire… Read More »
[December 9, 2017] A few years ago one of the U.S. Army’s best machinegun crews was hurt when their gun blew-up. Why was it, that the best crew could have made a mistake that caused such a preventable accident? After an internal investigation (required whenever there are serious injuries) it was determined that the crew had taken unauthorized… Read More »
[November 30, 2017] This morning I was flipping through a favorite book that I’d bought in 1983 just after being commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. The book, the 42nd Edition of The Army Officer’s Guide, is probably one of the best overall books providing countless lessons for the junior leader. Those lessons from 40 years… Read More »
[November 29, 2017] A year and a half ago I wrote that most Western countries had taken their “eyes” off Iraq and their fight against the ISIS terror group.1 Today, the Iraqi military is about to crush the remaining strongholds of ISIS yet not much has changed in either the news coverage (very little) or in how governments… Read More »
[November 28, 2017] The Greek philosopher Antisthenes once said: “The most useful piece of learning … is to unlearn what is untrue.” As a new trend, many educators have jumped on the unlearning bandwagon and also began simultaneously misleading us regarding what it is and the merits on which it is based. “Unlearning is the process of letting… Read More »
By guest blogger Sadako Red [see disclaimer] [November 14, 2017] When I was a young man, back in the day of tube radios and black rotary telephones, my friends and I spent a lot of time appreciating the fine ladies we dated. We never obsessed over their race, religion, or even their sexual orientation (it never came up)… Read More »
By guest blogger Olivia Ryan [November 4, 2017] All businesses need good managers but there is still no unified definition what it means to be a true leader. Some people see leaders as authoritative persons who are able to control others, while others think that a genuine leader should inspire the people who surround him. This is the… Read More »
[October 30, 2017] If you are a leader and you don’t have the answer, don’t pretend you do. Yes, I know, the most hated words in leadership are, “I don’t know.” But the shortest way to lose credibility is to claim you do know it all. Nothing is more frustrating for a good leader than to have another… Read More »
[October 29, 2017] Growing up I had a few heroes. Like most of my buddies, we were enthralled by the famous exploits of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, President Teddy Roosevelt, and astronaut John Glenn. Each of these men with their own individual leadership style was a major contributor to the advancement of America’s scientific community. In February 1962,… Read More »
[October 18, 2017] In these pages at theLeaderMaker.com I occasionally highlight a hero; usually an individual who has shown great physical or moral courage. These men and women were willing to stand up and put themselves in harm’s way to risk everything. One group that I consider my heroes for the past several years is the Patriot Guard… Read More »