Early to Rise…

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 […]

Leaders Expect High Standards

Each organization in an institution or company has a job to do: Leaders exist to execute their jobs in support of their company’s objectives. That means, internal to an organization, leaders should support their bosses and their institutional goals. My experience is that people rise to the leaders’ expectations. Set high standards and hold people […]

Honest Mistakes Are OK, But Crimes Are Not

A culture of trust and respect means that people need to be allowed an honest mistake from time to time. “Allowed an honest mistake” doesn’t mean that there are no consequences for making that mistake; it means that there is a difference between a mistake and a crime. The main difference, of course, between the […]

Moral Courage

Most of us will never lead troops in combat or run into a burning building to save someone, so physical courage is not something that will ordinarily be required of us. Moral courage, however, is required of everyone daily. Daily decisions about how to do our jobs and live our lives form us into the […]

“We” Is More Powerful Than “I”

In any endeavor, teamwork is usually the key to success. Every organization functions as a team; we all need each other to be successful. Whether your company is 5 or 5,000, there are teams of people who have to work together to get the job done. It is a rare task that a person accomplishes […]

Another Beautiful Day in Colorado!

When I was a student at both staff college and war college, we were very privileged to hear from a number of successful senior leaders. One of the common threads in all their talks on leadership was how they were (generally) early risers. Getting up at a regular hour each day, and getting a good […]

Learning to Let People Lead, and Sometimes Fail, Develops Leaders

Leaders have to grow their company’s future leaders, because even those with natural leadership ability need training and mentoring. This means that branch managers, assistant managers, team leaders, project managers, etc., have to deliberately develop their teammates’ and employees’ leadership skills by giving them opportunities to lead and then letting them. Give people the opportunity […]

A Leadership Lesson in 1,000 Vertical Feet

What does a hike up the Manitou Incline have to do with leadership?  Well, lots…for starters there’s the necessity for a person to master themselves in order to get to the top. Before a person can lead others, he/she has to see their goals, know their own limits, and most often persevere through a little […]