[November 11, 2015] Today is Veterans Day in the United States. There will be parades, speeches, and many who will make a special effort to honestly thank our military veterans for their service to the nation and contribution to our freedoms. To those people, I say, thank you. But, in reality, while there is much to celebrate, all… Read More »
[August 17, 2015] One of the most difficult character traits of senior leaders to obtain, and to develop in all leaders for that matter, is the ability to judge character in others. Leaders are looking for specific traits in others that predict successful mission completion or are obstacles to teamwork. Sadly, we often see inexperienced leaders who misjudge… Read More »
[January 16, 2015] A family member of mine owns a dachshund-beagle mix, a smart and well behaved dog. I like the dog because he is friendly and easy to care for. He teaches the family more than we thought possible. But can leaders learn from a dog? Can they learn anything significant? Those may appear to be silly… Read More »
[August 14, 2014] That question is often debated and tinged with passion. Working my way through college, I trained dogs for a couple of years on the side; made good money, cash. Texas was a good state for dog training and I sure had a great time and earned a few extra dollars to pay the tuition bill.… Read More »
[December 27, 2013] Phobias are unusual for a leadership topic. Yet, people do have fears (e.g., speaking in public, heights, falling) and it can in some cases affect job performance and threaten organizational missions. Hidden phobias can be especially difficult to uncover and resolve. On several occasions I ran across Soldiers who had a phobia that caused problems… Read More »
[December 16, 2013] All leaders must learn to deal with criticism. One way of distinguishing the more senior leader from others is by the level of criticism that targets them and the effort they take to overcome the criticism. “It is difficult to name any leader who was spared criticism.” – Donald Rumsfeld It can be said that… Read More »