Tag: leadership
Dynamic Dozen: Be Technically and Tactically Proficient
The vast majority of Airmen we train are going to be somewhere in harm’s way within the next year or two. It is up to us to impart to them the talent and skill they need to accomplish their mission in a world-class fashion and at the same time make sure we get them back […]
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 […]
5 Simple Ways to Develop Your Employees–And Why You Should
Ask any HR professional and they’ll tell you how recruiting quality people and then developing them is much more a cost-effective business model than constantly seeking the perfect match. When Tom Landry and Tex Schramm led the Dallas Cowboys, they rarely recruited players for a particular position. They went looking for the best athlete they […]
Three Critical Questions for Strategic Planning
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. Henry Ford As a freshman engineering student, I remember vividly the day my professor announced we needed to know the answer before we performed the calculations.What in blazes does he mean? I thought to myself. Then he explained: if we don’t have […]
Rewind Tuesday: Integrity is the Cornerstone of Leadership
Integrity must be at the core of who we are as leaders if we’re to successfully inspire confidence in our teams.
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 […]
Doing What Feeds Your Spirit
The entrepreneur’s passion and sense of mission is what drives them. Kathy Carroll, Founder of Lana’i Animal Rescue exemplifies that passion.
Leading Through Tragedy – Part 2
In the first part, I discussed leaders’ role in guiding an organization through tragedy. But what if it’s you that suffers the tragedy? How do you continue to lead when a personal disaster depletes your attention and energy? The first thing to remember is if it’s a big deal to you, it probably a big […]
Leading Through Tragedy – Part 1
Tragedy is a part of the human experience: we can’t escape it and as leaders we get one chance to get that right. Whether that tragedy is the loss of a co-worker to an untimely death, a teammate with a life threatening disease, or the loss of an employee’s family member, leaders have to be […]
5 Things Your Boss Wants You To Know
5 things I’d wish someone had told me–and I wish everyone knew–about entering the workforce for the first time.
Commanders Lead Culture
Maintaining the right “command culture” in your team is vital to high performance – and the foundation of ethical leadership
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 […]