[March 27, 2014] Beginning this week, in addition to the senior leader blog, I’ll occasionally introduce new topics that are joined to senior leader issues, but not so close that it deserves a leader tag. My first “off topic” will be about Baseball – it requires “heart” to play (passion), practiced study of the opponent (patience and intelligence),… Read More »
[March 21, 2014] It was interesting to get a short course on horseback packing, their care, and how to engage in a firefight while mounted. The U.S. Marine Corps conducts a hands-on training course at their Mountain Warfare Training Center on the military use of large animals in difficult terrain. Leadership means thinking beyond the obvious solutions and… Read More »
[March 04, 2014] Recently a private citizen pledged over $10,000 to Purdue University’s school of engineering in return for naming a conference room in one of their buildings. The plaque had God’s name on it, so Purdue removed the reference to “God” and did so without notifying the private citizen. This is not just another example of leadership… Read More »
[March 03, 2014] When serious automobile accidents occur it usually happens when there are multiple failures involving several driver errors. These errors are usually avoidable and involve simply not paying attention and not obeying the traffic rules. A few days ago, a unanimous panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that it was permissible for a… Read More »
[February 27, 2014] It is true that I have profiled more military flag officer leaders here than any other occupation. The reason is fairly simple and that is their leadership is written about and studied more than any other and under circumstances that are often under the direst conditions. General Patton has been considered one of the most… Read More »
[February 25, 2014] The declaration of a “war on drugs” by the President Nixon administration in 1971 was a continuation of U.S. government policy that had been in place, essentially since 1914. The United Nations and many senior leaders in government across the globe participated and are currently conducting policies that discourage illegal drug use. Sadly, there has… Read More »
[February 20, 2014] Rituals are a special part of daily life … a pattern of habits that allows us predictability. Rituals can be defined as a stereotyped sequence of activities that are designed to achieve a desired (and predictable) goal. Leaders need to be aware of them and encourage the good rituals. Rituals can be simple things like… Read More »
[February 17, 2014] Senior leadership is about providing a clear and compelling vision for the future, as well as how and with what to accomplish it. Adolf Hitler had a vision of the future and while it was clear and compelling for many German citizens, it was far from acceptable to the rest of the world. Hitler’s plan… Read More »
[February 12, 2014] Poise is one of those senior leader characteristics rarely spoken about when discussing the important aspects of leadership. Yet, it is crucial for a leader to be dignified and self-confident in one’s composure. Possessing poise distinguishes the good leader from the great leader. Poise is one of those traits that is developed only through experience… Read More »
[February 10, 2014] Winston Churchill was clearly one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. The best biography on Churchill is by William Manchester in his 3-part series The Last Lion: Winston Spenser Churchill1. In the many readingson Churchill, we see talents early on in his life. Our interest here is his most outstanding traits that set… Read More »