Be Free – Part I

“Freedom” is a word often misused in our current vocabulary. We view our “freedoms” in such a broad manner that the word sometimes loses its meaning. Particularly in the case of young people, “freedom” is synonymous with “doing whatever I like”, but that’s not authentic freedom. Authentic freedom is being able to choose what’s good […]

Of Surfing, Leading, and Be’s

Aloha everyone! I am privileged to appear on The Civil Engineering podcast with leader, career coach, and former Air Force engineer Christian Knudson.  Episode 19: Riding The Wave of Change As a Civil Engineer Leader – goes live today Wednesday Nov. 25 on iTunes at 6am EST. This weeks Civil Engineer podcast features Mickey Addison, career military officer, civil engineer, author […]

Here I Am, Send Me

There’s a statue of Airman on the Academic Circle at Maxwell AFB, Alabama with a simple inscription: Here I am, send me. That’s what we thank veterans for on Veteran’s Day. We remember their service because when their country called, asking “Whom should I send? Who will go for us?”,  young men and women stepped […]

The 5 Be’s Excerpt: Esprit De Corps

I’m proud to present an excerpt from my latest book, The 5 Be’s (For Starting Out). It will be available on Lulu.com in print and e-book formats on Halloween, and on Amazon as an e-book shortly thereafter! Before we begin the discussion on helping people find their own strengths, it is important to address the […]

Leaders Pay Attention to the Little Things

“Don’t sweat the small stuff.” That’s what leaders hear constantly as we’re challenged to keep a strategic focus. It’s generally good advice, particularly for senior or executive leaders, but the maxim to keep your eyes on the horizon is not carte blanche to ignore relevant details. The real trick is to figure out which details […]

Leaders Read

I’ve always been a reader: fiction, non-fiction, comic books–seriously, anything I can get my hands on. I think a person who is a steady consumer of books is opening their mind in a way that’s not possible any other way. Watching videos and listening to lectures has their place, but books are the gateway because […]

Malama i Ka Pono

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 […]

Teamwork is the Purpose of Leadership

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 […]