[October 29, 2015] Occasionally here in my leadership blog, I recognize someone who shows moral courage in the face of strong criticism. Many will not even recognize the name James Comey but for those who don’t him, Comey is the Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and as a high official involved in law enforcement it… Read More »
[October 15, 2015] One of the aspects of Western nations – for some time now – has been for leaders to discourage formal education. In contrast, Asian nations are actually encouraging it aggressively. But in both cases their attitude toward education is very selective, culturally influenced, and resourced based on their social biases. The impact on the success… Read More »
[July 14, 2015] In the movie Liar Liar, the star Jim Carrey is a fast track lawyer that can’t lie for 24 hours due to his son’s birthday wish. Of course, being a lawyer and forced to tell the complete truth in all circumstances is what makes this movie so funny. It is no secret that people lie.… Read More »
[January 11, 2015] A good friend that I will call “John”, an admiral retired from the U.S. Navy about a year, tells me that looking back gives him a healthier perspective. As many do, he keeps in touch with his active military comrades. He tells me that if there is one thing that angered him, it was that… Read More »
[September 03, 2014] Shortly after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, an Iowa third-grade teacher did something remarkable. She gave her class an unforgettable lesson in discrimination. While this lesson is what we are most likely to see and appreciate, what we don’t see is behind the scenes in the moral courage of the teacher. Fortunately,… Read More »
[July 02, 2014] The world was shocked to hear that Amelia Earhart and her navigator Frederick Noonan were reported missing in the Pacific Ocean on this date in 1937. Earhart completed a number of aviation firsts, winning fame and money along the way in the 1920s and 30s. She was well liked and personally driven to audacity. Sadly,… Read More »
[October 5, 2013] The photograph accompanying this article is famous in many respects. It is a photo taken June 6, 1944 of the Omaha Beach landing during World War II. It is used to symbolically represent courage. More accurately it is symbolic of physical courage. Moral courage, on the other hand, is more difficult to show symbolically and… Read More »
[September 13, 2013] Articles on toxic leadership and how to spot a bad boss have been fashionable of late. There is no denying that failed leaders are not uncommon and that some will be discovered; and with due diligence removed before too much damage is done to the organization and to people’s careers. Many of these poor leaders… Read More »
[April 22, 2026] Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s April 15, 2026, UT Austin speech is one of the most important arguments for our form of government given in my lifetime, so I’m sharing my take here. His speech is pure originalist constitutionalism (see embedded video at the end). In the speech, Thomas anchors the entire American system in… Read More »
[April 21, 2026] Here are some practical, actionable ideas to immerse yourself in the U.S. Army’s culture before enlisting. The Army has a distinct mix of formal elements (ranks, customs, courtesies, core values) and informal elements (unwritten rules, humor, jargon, unit pride, “Hooah” mindset, and a strong emphasis on hierarchy, teamwork, and resilience). This article gives more tips… Read More »