Leadership author and speaker
Leadership author and speaker
The Hawaiian language is very beautiful, and it’s been a great pleasure to live here where I hear it spoken often. As a writer who loves words, the nuance in Hawaiian words and phrases inspires me. Words like aloha or ‘ohana have meanings much deeper than “hello/farewell” (aloha) and “family” (‘ohana), they also have contextual […]
It’s been a lot of fun to write for GeneralLeadership.com, and I am part of a great team of leadership experts. Every time I visit the site I learn something new! Last month, Military Times wrote about us in our mission to bring military leadership lessons to the general public. Here’s a little about what […]
I was honored to present “Leading Leaders” as a professional development opportunity to Air Force Civil Engineer Center employees while I was visiting them to provide a Pacific Theater update. AFCEC Public Affairs recorded the event and posted it to YouTube, and I’m pleased to share it with you. My thanks to the men and women of […]
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 […]
I spotted this great article from People Development Mag on leading teams and wanted to share! I like their model: and it closely resembles my own: Says Ms Shafer: When initiative, productivity, creativity and execution are lacking, the costs to the team can be very real. The tangible results can be a lackluster […]
No matter where I go, I always find myself there. The Patio King has always been a master at being “in the moment.” While I was rushing around from place to place, he always seemed to have the mindfulness to be present where he was, and with those around him. Good advice for all of […]
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook […]
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’d originally intended the blog “Patio Wisdom” to be a static page as an intro to the book by the same title. Patio Wisdom is a fun book I believe will inspire young men, and can be an inspiration to any one who’s a student of the School of Hard Knocks. Life isn’t always fair, but […]
I’m very excited to re-launch the Patio Wisdom blog!!! Photos, quotes, quips, poetry, and a life lesson or two if you’re not too careful! See you around the patio!
The first chapter of my book, Leading Leaders, is available for download at Slideshare. Check it out here Buy it here on Lulu in print. Here as an eBook. Buy it here on Amazon. Here on Kindle. I donate all royalties for sales of this book to Wounded Warrior Project.
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 […]
We’re starting a new feature over at GeneralLeadership.com called Ask General Leadership and I’m honored to be one of the first contributors! Here’s the first question: “I will be joining a team that is already formed and will be their Director. It is a team of 15 that is operating off site at a large […]
In my last article at Generalleadership.com, I wrote about how integrity is the very foundation of leadership. Extending that analogy, if Integrity is the “foundation” then Respect is the “walls” of a well-led organization. So, what does “Respect” mean for a leader, and how does a leader create a culture of respect in the organization? […]
“There is a great cost when you neglect the human connection point in business.” – Susan Steinbrecher, CEO, Steinbrecher And Associates, Inc. I’m a firm believer in the human element in business and in life. After all, the reason we build things, make products, and provide services is for other people. Without “heart”, then we don’t […]
The pandemic, politics, social turbulence – all are challenges to modern leaders to keep their teams motivated and on mission.
In the first part, I discussed the necessity for leaders to help their teams find value in participation in professional and social organizations related to the business. For Air Force officers, that used to be the Officers Club, but I discovered my younger officers didn’t necessarily sign up to that particular tradition. Like the office coffee […]
I was honored to provide closing comments for our most recent PACIFIC UNITY event with participants from the Maldives and the Marshall Islands. To give you a sense of scale, the Maldives and Marshalls are as far from each other as the Marshalls are from the Mainland United States. The Pacific is a BIG place!
It was axiomatic as a brand new lieutenant I was expected to join the Officer’s Club. I read about the expectation in my Air Force Officer’s Guide, and senior officers repeatedly reinforced that expectation. It was part of my professional obligation to support the Club, and I accepted this at face value. In fact, other a couple of […]
We all need people to look up to, and be inspired by, so we can continue to reach for excellence in all we do. As an Airman, I’m inspired by these fine men and women I’m humbled to serve with!