[March 26, 2015] If one questions senior leaders about how they learned their most valuable lessons in leadership, their answers may surprise you. The most effective lessons are not from good coaching, mentorship, or teaching but comes about from the mistakes made by other senior executives; even a university leader. Such is the case at Cornell University, Ithaca… Read More »
[March 23, 2014] My grandmother – affectionately called big mama – told me many times that, “if you ain’t learning, you ain’t livin.” She valued all types of education and was the first relative to insist I go to college. Continuous learning, she implicitly knew, is one of the many good habits a person needs to be the… Read More »
[March 22, 2015] Earlier this week I attended a Veterans Job Fair in central New Jersey; hosted by a Rider University. I had the opportunity to speak with nearly 100 vendor representatives. In particular I was impressed by Helmets to Hardhats – an organization dedicated to placing our men and women of the Armed Forces into building and… Read More »
[March 17, 2015] Deep in the manmade tunnels of Cheyenne Mountain in the state of Colorado is located the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Stenciled on one of the tunnel walls is a quote from an Air Force general, “Perfect performance might just be good enough.” One implication is that since perfection is impossible, it is up… Read More »
[March 16, 2015] While watching a recent television special on the Black Plague, one of its main themes was that the millions of deaths caused by the pandemic lead directly to the disintegration of many long established social institutions. It follows that the scale of the deaths and suffering led to probably the greatest leadership failures in history.… Read More »
[March 15, 2015] … and keep it. A trend that I observed while in the military for nearly four decades was that the trust military members have for each another was declining. How to establish trust and keep it was always a concern because without it we had nothing. With major U.S. elections scheduled next year, those wanting… Read More »
[March 14, 2015] A year ago in a U.S. Army senior-level forum for Flag officers, a small group of military folks got to hear from a very successful basketball coach, Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Generally recognized as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University, is a leader whose success comes from… Read More »
[March 12, 2015] The recent ruckus over Ms Hillary Clinton’s use of private email to conduct United States official business gives us an opportunity to provide a few senior leader thoughts on leader transparency. Ultimately the email controversy is about transparency; whether a leader is playing by the rules and being open, fair, and honest with the American… Read More »
[March 11, 2015] One of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted characteristic of a senior leader is forgiveness. Rarely talked about and while practiced by many, unevenly applied. Leaders who practice forgiveness will benefit everyone in their organization and simultaneously retain the best worker talent and improve performance. People make mistakes – some unintentional and some by choice –… Read More »
[March 04, 2015] Ever witness your boss yell at people in a fit of anger? I have … and anyone with a boss likely has a story to tell about it. I believe it can be argued that leaders, if taken as a whole, are less likely to show anger in the workplace today than ever before. That… Read More »