Leadership author and speaker
Leadership author and speaker
Recently, the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church many of us thought was behind us has been thrust back into the spotlight. According to what I’ve read, it was brought about largely because men in positions of authority either lacked the moral courage to act or worse, condoned the behavior of men committing crimes against […]
The second brick in the foundation of leadership that’s necessary when leading leaders is respect. The leader must model respect and demand it of their teams. Respect must go both ways, up as well as down, and most of the burden falls on the leader’s shoulders. Respect is both inherent, and it is earned. It […]
Last week I deployed with Team Rubicon on my first ever disaster response operation: Operation Hard Hustle. I can tell you I got more out of the experience than I gave—serving others and doing important work in the company of other military veterans and first responders is soul-cleansing. This post is my reflection on that […]
If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen. -Ronald Reagan “Love” may seem to be an odd topic for a post on a leadership blog, after all I write about leading people in a business or organizational setting. However, I think “love” is a particularly poignant topic for us to discuss this […]
I’m pleased to present another excerpt from my book, Leading Leaders: Inspiring, Empowering, and Motivating Teams about the importance for senior leaders to do some things personally: In my own experience as a leader, I have often been surprised at how much impact little things have on people. Each year former and current students from my alma […]
A positive leader is a real strength to an organization. In fact, learning how to deal with adversity and leading people through it is one of the most important skills leaders must develop. Some people are so successful that when they eventually fail at something, that failure becomes an existential crisis for them. Organizations are […]
My book, Leading Leaders, is filled with stories about leaders and personal stories from my own life since leadership is inherently a personal experience. Leadership is not the application of skills as much as it’s the focused attention on human interaction. Humans are complex beings that are the amalgamation of their own experiences, learned and […]
When discussing leadership we most often focus on the leader-follower dynamic. But there’s another relationship crucial to the success of any effort: the teams relationship with themselves and other teams. The leader who can lead teams to work effectively amongst themselves, and with others outside themselves, is a high performing leader. As a young officer […]
In my latest over a GeneralLeadership.com, I talk about leading change while channeling my inner Commander Adama from SyFy’s Battlestar Galactica. “It won’t be an easy journey. It’ll be long, and arduous. But I promise you one thing: on the memory of those lying here before you, we shall find it, and Earth shall become […]
I just finished a grueling 2 week schedule, and by Wednesday of the second week I was really looking forward to Friday. I hadn’t had my usual amount of sleep and not a single meal with my family in almost a week. There hadn’t even been time for my customary morning rituals of a workout […]
I know I’m a little late, but in honor of the Army’s birthday back in June, and in keeping with the theme of military leadership lessons, US Army vet Bill Murphy Jr offers his take on leadership. Here’s a sample: No organization talks more about leadership and trying to teach its people to become excellent […]
I’ve written many times about how a leader’s most important responsibility is taking care of the people under his/her charge. A mission focus is important, but unless someone is leading robots, then leaders have to take care of their people. The phrase we often use in the military is “Keep The Troops In The Shade,” […]
While I usually write about leadership in general or business environments, today I’m going to write specifically to those new squadron commanders who’ll be taking command of Air Force squadrons this summer. Today’s topic is how to be a successful squadron commander in the Air Force. 1. Remember that command is a privilege. Command in […]
I’ve been privileged to attend both Air Command & Staff College and the Eisenhower School where I heard dozens of very successful leaders from every walk of life speak to us: business executives, military leaders, politicians, and athletes. There were several common themes in all of their talks, and one of the most obvious to […]
My upcoming book, Leading Leaders, is filled with stories about leaders and personal stories from my own life since leadership is inherently a personal experience. Leadership is not the application of skills as much as it’s the focused attention on human interaction. Humans are complex beings that are the amalgamation of their own experiences, learned […]