[August 28, 2014] One of my first experiences and frustrations in leadership as a brand new U.S. Army second lieutenant was that my commander’s indecisiveness made the lives of his men difficult. Upon my arrival at the unit I got less than 5 minutes in his office for him to welcome me and to give me my assignment.… Read More »
[August 25, 2014] Being a leader means reading articles and books that can go against your upbringing and training; or challenging what you already think you know. The book reviewed today is about race and the failures of programs designed to help minorities in America, particularly African-Americans. It challenges our senior leaders to open a realistic dialogue and… Read More »
[August 23, 2014] Significant risks to “modern” senior leaders are not having all the best ideas on the table while making decisions and communicating strategy. This includes having all the relevant information available and the thinking behind the best ideas. Both the information and thinking needed is best achieved through encouraging open debate. Successful organizations, lead by some… Read More »
[August 20, 2014] A few months back in May, I wrote about the targeting of government leaders using “investigations” as a tool to divert them from doing their job (see links here and here). A few days ago a Texas grand jury indicted Texas Governor Rick Perry for threatening to veto and then vetoing an appropriation for the… Read More »
[August 15, 2014] One hundred years ago today, the Panama Canal was opened for traffic. We all know about the engineering effort to build the 51 mile long canal, the effort to eradicate diseases in the area, and the economic and military need to have it built. Long recognized as a shortcut between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans,… Read More »
[August 13, 2014] At a recent graduation ceremony, the speaker said that “People just hate to fail, but there’s simply no escaping the fact that success is the daughter of failure.” U.S. Navy Admiral “Sandy” Winnefeld, Jr.,1 speaks frequently and passionately about the art of command. For him, command means leading change, as well as possessing certain values… Read More »
[August 12, 2014] Los Angeles, California nearly 50 years ago experienced one of the worse riots in American history. The Watts Race Riots took place August 11 to 17, 1965 and involved massive racially-fueled violence. Many have studied the riots and a number of lessons for city government have come from that effort. There is usually an “inciting… Read More »
[August 11, 2014] If a person was to look out across time and culture to find the greatest weakness of senior leaders, what would they discover? The intrigue involved in the search would surely be high drama for a television show or a book. What is it that human’s possess that is so precious that its loss was… Read More »
[August 08, 2014] A few years ago I lived in a town that took advantage of the law. The law allowed city governments to charge cable companies for operating in their jurisdiction. Most communities do this today. It’s a subtle way of obtaining additional revenue without directly taxing citizens. Unexpectedly, the cable companies put a line-item on their… Read More »
[August 03, 2014] The ancient Greeks considered “virtue” to be a positive trait that represented a morally good person. The trait was valued as the foundation of a moral being. As far as traits went, virtue was whatever was most valued. Senior leaders must possess virtue; else they will not be a great leader. There is some disagreement… Read More »