Managing Transitions; Private Sector Considerations from a Military Mindset

Managing Transitions; Private Sector Considerations from a Military Mindset

Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. These words seem to define business and the non-profit operating environment. Changing politics, the COVID-19 pandemic, supply challenges, and changing labor attitudes represent only a few of the many topics that leaders must address. However…

Why do people hate seeing others win?

Why do people hate seeing others win?

Though on the surface you may believe that statement isn’t true, I challenge you to reflect on your initial reaction or the reactions from others around you when they heard of someone who was winning.

If you are the majority, someone around you probably immediately jumped in with a negative comment, judgement, or uneducated perception of the winner’s journey.

Why? Why don’t we applaud and appreciate winners more than we look for their faults?

I have an opinion on the topic.

Bad Leaders Part One – Serving & Learning

Bad Leaders Part One – Serving & Learning

As a Fighter Wing Commander, one of my favorite recurring events was engaging with our Airmen who were about to graduate Airmen Leadership School (ALS) along with my Command Chief. ALS is the first tier of professional military education for our enlisted force. Airmen must attend this course before taking their first level supervisory position as a non-commissioned officer (NCO). Up until this point in their careers, they have

13 Strategies For Coming Out of This Pandemic Victoriously

13 Strategies For Coming Out of This Pandemic Victoriously

Imagine, if the whole world stopped. You couldn’t leave your house. And, when you did, you had to wear a mask and gloves, and carry hand sanitizer. Once you were back inside the safety of your home, you had to wash your clothes in hot water, and your hands and body while singing Happy Birthday twice to make sure that soap had 20 seconds to kill the invisible virus. In this scenario, what would you focus on? How would you spend your days? How would you re-invent yourself for the new world?

Lessons learned during times of uncertainty – Time to change habits

Lessons learned during times of uncertainty – Time to change habits

As I look back over time, it seems like there are two types of organizations/teams:

1) Those that have developed a proactive approach to life in all areas. They understand the value of planning, assessing multiple outcomes, risk, place a high value on their health, surround themselves with a circle of influence (people smarter than they are), they are curious and life long learners (they want to be better than yesterday) and they see “opportunities” as opposed to “chaos/problems”.

Staying Active When The World Wants You Lazy

Staying Active When The World Wants You Lazy

Interesting times these days, as our response to COVID- 19 is pushing us into isolation from one another. I am a big fan of less is more when to comes to select extended family and high resource low return business ideas.

The Art of Recognition

The Art of Recognition

Remember the last time you received a real authentic compliment and how you felt? Hopefully it hasn’t been so long that you’ve forgotten! And by this, I mean receiving real praise – thoughtful and heartfelt, delivered in a…

What Harvard Business School taught me about Leadership…

What Harvard Business School taught me about Leadership…

My classmates and I recently wrapped up Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development. HBS advertises this program as their alternative to an Executive MBA and upon completing the course requirements, students receive alumni status. Throughout my cohort, there was…

What lessons can we learn from the Super Bowl matchup between San Francisco and Kansas City?

What lessons can we learn from the Super Bowl matchup between San Francisco and Kansas City?

Hint – they are using the Good to Great playbook, First Who……. Then What principle of Level 5 Leadership. For those who have not read the book Good to Great by Jim Collins, the first principle or character trait of a Level 5 Leader is this “First get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) before you figure out where to drive it…