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Nov 10 2013

Invisible in Plain Sight

Posted by General John Michel

“Happiness is your own treasure because it lies within you.”
Prew Rawat

Over three hundred years ago, the Burmese army planned to invade Thailand. At the time, Thailand was known as Siam. Hearing of the impending attack, Siamese monks at a large monastery were determined to protect their shrine and the prized object it contained: an amazing 10 foot high solid gold Buddha statue. While it was priceless to them for reasons that transcend money, the monks knew the Burmese soldiers would stop at nothing to steal the statue because of its tremendous value.

The monks quickly covered the Golden Buddha with 12 inches of clay knowing that the foreign invaders would totally ignore it and think it worthless.… Read the rest

Tags: action, character, Inspiration

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Oct 27 2013

Broaden Your Perspective

Posted by General John Michel

“A Little Perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.”
Allen Klein

July 1863 found our nation embroiled in a costly civil war. That summer, Confederate General Robert E. Lee had led his army north into southern Pennsylvania, hoping to build on the Southern Army’s rapidly growing momentum. For three long days the armies of the North and South were locked in a fierce battle at the small college town of Gettysburg. It was a battle that would result in 50,000 American casualties.

It was also the battle that proved to be the turning point of the war.

As hostilities on the battlefield progressed, both armies sought to capitalize on opportunities to tip the outcome in their favor.… Read the rest

Tags: example, opinion, perspective

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3 comments

Oct 13 2013

R is for “Right Things, the Right Way, for the Right Reasons”

Posted by General James Vechery

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
― Helen Keller

As we continue our journey exploring servant leadership, the third point, the letter “R” stands for right things, the right way, for the right reasons; integrity and character are at the core of every great leader. This is arguably the most important leadership characteristic, because this one focuses on a leader’s character, which is core to their leadership style.

Integrity and character are the absolute cornerstones of effective leadership. You can’t pick up a book on leadership without character being mentioned as an attribute.… Read the rest

Tags: character, Integrity

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1 comment

Oct 10 2013

Leading with Moral Courage

Posted by General Allen Jamerson

“Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.”
Theodore Roosevelt

When I think of the term, “Moral Courage,” I recall a presentation I heard many years ago by a former Commandant of the Marine Corp, Gen Charles Krulak. He gave a powerful depiction of moral courage based upon his experiences as a young combat infantry officer in Vietnam.

After reading Gen Krulak’s remarks, it is clear why moral courage is a defining principle that our society needs more than ever in these challenging times.

Moral courage is not a combat-only requirement – it is a critical component to an organization’s overall well being.… Read the rest

Tags: courage, honesty, morals

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Oct 6 2013

Building a Meaningful Legacy

Posted by General John Michel

“Do not go where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was a preposterous plea from the most unlikely of would-be leaders; a young peasant woman in a male-dominated, feudal society.

These were perilous times, after all. France was a country weary from over ninety years of war, occupied by its archenemy the English,weakened from internal strife and isolated from foreign trade by England’s economic strangulation. With a population still in recovery from the Black Death, the nation was in a desperate search for leadership whether it realized it or not.… Read the rest

Tags: hope, Leadership, legacy, service

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Sep 29 2013

Be a Light to Others

Posted by General John Michel

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining
…they just shine.”
Dwight L. Moody

One of the finest leaders the world has experienced in the last century is Mother Teresa. This short, frail and unassuming nun chose to make it her life’s work to care for people unable to care for themselves: the sick, the homeless, the outcasts, and the forgotten. Over the course of her life, she worked tirelessly to promote this singular cause. Committed to bringing hope to the hopeless, healing to the hurting, and dignity to the dying, her resolve in being a light in the lives of those experiencing the darkest of moments is perhaps best captured in this brief story of the time she visited Australia.… Read the rest

Tags: example, Inspiration

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3 comments

Sep 11 2013

A 9/11 Tribute from Kabul, Afghanistan

Posted by General John Michel

“September 11 is one of our worst days but it brought out the best in us. It unified us as a country and showed our charitable instincts and reminded us of what we stood for and stand for.”
Lamar Alexander

Today, half a world away from the renowned New York City skyline, several hundred men and women of NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan assembled at precisely five-thirty p.m. (0900 Eastern time) to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001. The brief ceremony, conducted over 8,000 miles from the location of those fateful events, began with the sounding of Retreat to mark the end of the duty day and pay respect to our nation’s flag.… Read the rest

Tags: 9/11, remember

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Sep 4 2013

The One Reason Why We Still Insist on Honesty

Posted by General Roger Brady

“Never separate the life you lead from the words you speak.”
Paul Wellstone

Americans seem to be split down the middle on every public issue that comes before them these days, with one possible exception. Honesty is important to us. History tells us this has always been the case, but the seeming inability to maintain the privacy of any communication has made it truer than ever. Leaders in industry, business, government, the military and even the church have learned this the hard way in recent years. In a society that seems to overlook and even reward the most outlandish behavior by its most prominent citizens, there is one reason why we still insist on honesty.… Read the rest

Tags: character, honesty, Leadership, trust

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Sep 1 2013

Any Job Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Right the First Time

Posted by General Gary Hughey

“They never have enough time for us to do it
right, but they always find the time for us to do it over.”

I’m sure you have all heard this adage. Unfortunately too many of us have heard this sentiment expressed about our own organization. Worse yet, when you are the leader of such an organization, “they” is you! What I was fortunate to learn at a young age is that any job worth doing is worth doing right the first time.

The leader is responsible for planning and I learned the importance of planning early on from my work supervisor at the School of the Ozarks.… Read the rest

Tags: dedication, quality

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1 comment

Aug 25 2013

Making Every Day Matter

Posted by General John Michel

“No Reserves. No Retreats. No Regrets.”
William Borden

As of this writing, I’ve been alive 17,789 days. That’s 426,936 hours and 25,616,160 minutes. In the course of this time, I’ve been blessed to laugh frequently, engage meaningfully, and grow constantly. At the same time, I’ve experienced my own share of mis-steps, disappointments and failures. All of which, I realize, are part of the journey of growing into my full potential.

The process of becoming the best possible version of ourselves isn’t easy. It takes time (and likely a few bumps, scrapes and bruises) to learn to live our own unique story and not get caught up in trying to imitate someone else’s.… Read the rest

Tags: action, choice, engagement

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Aug 18 2013

Building a Better Story

Posted by General John Michel

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
Philip Pullman

{NOTE: This is the first installment in what I term “The Sunday Sound bite,” brief thoughts, insights and experiences I share weekly with the diverse team I serve with in Afghanistan. It’s designed to help everyone better understand how they are collectively contributing to the creation of a powerful story. Specifically, a story about developing a resilient, self-sustaining Afghan Air Force that will help create the conditions for a safer, more peaceful Afghan nation to emerge in the future. I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes look into our efforts}

As you likely have all heard me say since my arrival, human beings are moved by stories.… Read the rest

Tags: 438AEAW, Afghanistan, storytelling

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Aug 6 2013

5 Reasons to Share Your Unique Strength

Posted by General John Michel

“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”
J.K. Rowling

On a hot and hazy morning in August 1984, Bill Shore’s life changed. He was a senior political advisor to Senator Gary Hart in his Washington office. Coming off Hart’s presidential campaign loss, Shore was reading the Washington Post when he came across a brief article about impending famine in Africa: “200,000 to Die this Summer in Ethiopia,” the headline read. However, what really got Shore’s attention was that although the calamity had not yet struck; the experts could see it coming, they could also see that nothing was going to be done to stop it.… Read the rest

Tags: action

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Jul 13 2013

E is for Effective Time Management to Ensure Balance in Your Life: Go Ride a Bike!

Posted by General James Vechery

“Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life.”
Alan Lakein

Of course you’ve probably heard the sayings “go fly a kite” or “stop and smell the roses.” These normally accompany an outburst or a plea to take it easy. So why am I telling you to go ride a bike when we’re talking about time management you ask? Read on.

In todays, fast-paced, competitive, technologically advanced world, we tend to try to do more and more each day. However, one thing isn’t changing—there are only 24-hours in a day and last time I checked there is nothing we are going to be able to do to change that reality.… Read the rest

Tags: time management

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1 comment

Jul 9 2013

Can Leaders be Heroes?

Posted by General Michael Diamond

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
Christopher Reeve

I would like to follow up on John Michel’s outstanding blog from last month on “Heroes in Our Midst,” but take a different angle in doing so. Some of the key items he mentioned in the blog were: Leroy Peltry’s exploits in earning the Medal of Honor, serving as role models, and to leave your mark on scores of people. I would like to take the vantage point where we don’t realize how many of us are heroes and do not know it.… Read the rest

Tags: Challenge, Heroes, Integrity

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Jul 3 2013

Choosing to Make a Positive Difference

Posted by General John Michel

“One person can make a difference and every person should try.”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Kelley lives in Texas and builds custom swimming pools for a living. Well, most of the time, anyway. With the economy putting a significant dent in his business and drain on his pocketbook, he has had to moonlight recently.

Now Kelley also repossesses cars.

One morning during the 2010 Christmas season, Kelley set out to a suburb of Dallas to repossess a vehicle for a used-car client.

Normally he prefers to go late at night or in the early hours of the morning so he can avoid trouble.… Read the rest

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