A sign in the office of a general I worked for in the Pentagon read “Feed Your Troops First.†The sign wasn’t behind the General’s desk or on a side wall where everyone could see it. Instead, he had placed it on a support pillar facing his desk where he… Read More »Feed Your Troops First – Leadership 101
You’ve probably heard the question before; is the glass half empty or half full? It’s the wrong question. It’s better to ask, what the glass is full of. Unless it’s in a vacuum, the glass, or any container, is always full of something. Even the glass that is filled halfway with liquid is still full. The rest of the volume is taken up with air, dust, and other things you can’t see and probably don’t want to think about. People are like that too.Read More »The Glass is Always Full
The sand suspended in the air was worse than usual. A recent sandstorm had made the air almost opaque and I could only see for a few feet. I could barely see the 26 airplanes parked in front of me, or the approximately 200 mechanics who were working to get them ready to fly. (The picture was taken in the daytime) As I walked towards where I knew the planes were, I could begin to make out their shapes, and see the outline of the troops scurrying about. Within the next hour or so, at least 20 of those airplanes would be airborne.
The airplanes were C-130 transports many of which were more than 40 years old. They had spent their years in hard use, carrying heavy loads around the world often landing in barely improved dirt strips. They were old, tired airplanes. But because of the mechanics that toiled day and night to keep them mission ready, they could still do the job.
Those mechanics worked in conditions that were uncomfortable at best. Read More »Heat, Wind, Sand, and A Critical Mission
“Lead, do you have the target in sight?†Those words coming over the radio from my deputy flight lead, the third aircraft in our four aircraft formation of F-16’s, caused immediate consternation in the lead aircraft, of which I happened to be the sole occupant. It took just a few seconds to realize I had made a navigation error; I had inadvertently selected a navigation point beyond our target. Correcting the problem revealed that I was indeed overflying our assigned target. Now, what to do about it?Read More »Leaders, Check Your Ego at the Door, Please
I’m always on the lookout for examples, both good and bad, of leadership in action. In this example a lack of respect demonstrated bad leadership. I was checking out at the grocery store the other day and a clerk had just opened a new register. As I started unloading my basket… Read More »The Respect Paradox
I may not be writing these articles much longer. You see, I’ve apparently hit the financial trifecta and am about to become extremely wealthy. On the same day last week I was informed that I had won the European lottery, a Nigerian prince was giving me several tens of millions… Read More »A Good Method for Building Trust
No one’s perfect and when the average imperfect individual finds him or herself in a leadership position, there are suddenly many more opportunities to mess up. As the scope of responsibility grows the likelihood of making mistakes increases. That’s why your leadership skills training should include a look at mistakes… Read More »Leadership Skills Training – Mistakes to Avoid
Using a Collaborative Leadership Style Authority. The “I am in charge and you must do what I say…or else” approach is the fallback position for many leaders. It seems like the easiest way to get things done and resolve conflict. But, would a collaborative leadership style rather than overt authority… Read More »Leadership, Conflict, and Authority
Managing change in organizations is an important step in your leadership development. The hardest part is dealing with resistance to change. You’ve worked hard to make your section a place people want to work. Everyone is familiar with your leadership philosophy and you’ve had a productive coaching session with everyone. You’ve involved… Read More »Managing Change in Organizations – Dealing With Resistance to Change
Are you treating all your employees in a fair and equal manner? Those two words are often considered synonymous; Roget’s Thesaurus even lists equal as a synonym for fair, but understanding them as very different concepts is a critical leadership skill to embrace in your leadership development. I often write… Read More »Leadership Development – The Difference Between Fair and Equal