[September 14, 2017] My young son loved watching early morning television and his favorite show was Barney & Friends (see official site link here). In addition, he had a Barney stuffed animal which he slept with until he was about 8 years old. The character Barney, like some leaders today, spends his time playing it safe. For a… Read More »
[September 7, 2017] Those who have fought in war possess a unique perspective on the duty one holds when in combat with the enemy. War has a deep impact on those who are involved in the violence, more so than commonly understood. Success, however, is determined by those traits we possess prior to battle, not those developed within. … Read More »
[September 6, 2017] Greatness comes in many forms; as well as leadership exhibiting courage, sacrifice, and honor. Many words of prominence have also described the heroic efforts of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II and rightly so. Their motto … Go for Broke.1 “The Nisei troops are among the best in the United States Army… Read More »
[September 5, 2017] Those familiar with the dictatorship of North Korea and its socialist system know that its leadership can be unpredictable, bellicose, demanding, and as of late has practiced nuclear brinkmanship.1 Since the armistice was signed in 1953, ending three years of bloody warfare, Americans have consistently put off any real solution to the hermit nation. Strategic… Read More »
[August 31, 2017] We don’t hear much about American core values anymore and we certainly don’t see them on television, read about them in the news, or have politicians discuss them. But we do see them in action. The latest are values shown by volunteers who have come out to help those in the state of Texas where… Read More »
[August 18, 2017] It has been more than a year since I added a “characteristic” for senior leaders. How I overlooked this one – an important one at that – is still a mystery. Being consistent as a leader is crucial for a number of reasons that I will address below. In the Deep South back in the… Read More »
[August 10, 2017] Legends are powerful stories about the past that are circulated, traditionally, by word of mouth. Having lived in Brooklyn, New York one legend that always fascinated me was about the Newsies strike of 1899 in which newspaper-hawkers, nearly all young boys, refused to sell newspapers because of a hike in the price they were forced… Read More »
[August 9, 2017] A good friend of mine (I’ll call her Jane) lied about her minor criminal background on her application to be a U.S. Army officer; this happened many decades ago. Jane was commissioned a lieutenant, received a secret clearance, performed well, and years later was considered for the rank of Brigadier General. When leaders lie bad… Read More »
[August 8, 2017] [Update] When people speak their minds and they depart from a prevailing ideology, bad things are likely to happen to them. Earlier today I posted this article under the heading in the form of a question to the leaders at Google; “Do they get it?” … referring to their biases and the effect of those biases.… Read More »
[August 2, 2017] I’ve written before, here in theLeaderMaker.com that the most important leadership characteristic is “caring” about others (see link here). While I believe that is true, there are many who make the argument that the most important leader trait is having a good moral foundation. Without a moral foundation, the argument states, there is no other… Read More »