The following short story is part 3 of a special 3-part series sponsored by General John E. Michel related to veteran’s stories and others-centered leadership. This particular story was written by USMC Sgt John Preston, who will be a guest on our Wednesday evening radio program tonight at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific.
PTSD Special Feature Pt3of3: Never
What Happened to Long Term? – Pt 1
“Life is too short
for long term grudges.”
Elon Musk
Is it just me or have long term strategies gone the way of other fads? What is going on these days? Technologies recycle every year or more often in some cases. Brands are changing their logos, etc much more often. Many workers are changing jobs every 3 years or sooner. Software is being updated every couple of months. We are being inundated with the new and improved version of XXX continuously. Couples are getting divorced much more often. Budgets are being more skewed to shorter term results.
In short, several leaders are looking for the quicker fix or route to success.… Read the rest
Special Feature Pt2of3: One More Day
The following short story is part 2 of a special 3-part series sponsored by General John E. Michel related to veteran’s stories and others-centered leadership. This particular story was written by USMC Sgt John Preston, who will be a guest on our Wednesday evening radio program at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific.
One more day…”
Words that spilled out of me as I sat in front of my piano and began to play a beautiful melody. I was unaware yet what it was I was writing but as I began to sing to the melody my mind was racing at a thousand miles per hour.… Read the rest
Secret Traits Of Championship Teams
“Nobody wants to hear how rough the water is, just get in the boat and start rowing.”
…At least that’s what my little league coach used to tell us kids. We were the original Bad News Bears, but we ended up in first place anyway.
Since then I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of many, many more outstanding teams and organizations.
They’ve all had these 4 characteristics in common, including my Bad News Bears experience:
1. Great leadership
2. No egos
3. No old guy vs. new guy mentality
4. Honest and Open Feedback
Great Leadership.
Certainly, winning organizations require exceptional leadership.… Read the rest
Innovation as a Catalyst for Transformation
“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”
Albert Einstein
A recent IBM survey of more than 1,500 CEOs report that creativity is the single most important leadership competency of the 21st century. A similar Adobe Systems poll of five thousand people on three continents reports that 80 percent of people view unlocking creative potential as the most important means of fostering future economic growth. And a recent Harvard Business School study outlining the must-have competencies of successful leaders highlights how strategy alone is increasingly insufficient to sustain a company’s competitive edge in today’s rapidly changing world.… Read the rest
Leadership Can Be Measured In Inches, Not Just Miles!
“A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have the determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets rough.”
Ronald Reagan
As a leader, you are called to action! Your job is to get things done. In the military, leaders are given a mission, provided resources, and expected to make it happen. This is what I like to refer to as action-oriented leadership. Each day you need to make progress and move the ball down the field.
As a Wing Commander at both McConnell Air Force Base and Travis Air Force Base, I had the amazing honor to serve with and lead some of the most amazing talent this Country has to offer. … Read the rest
Heroes in our Midst
“A hero is a man who does what he can.”
Romain Rolland
Picture the scene: In a remote part of Afghanistan, near the mountainous border with Pakistan, helicopters carrying dozens of elite Army Rangers race over the rugged landscape. Their target on this high risk mission is an insurgent compound. It’s broad daylight and the Rangers know the insurgents are heavily armed. But it’s considered a risk worth taking as reliable intelligence sources indicate a top al Qaeda commander is in that compound.
Within a matter of minutes, the helicopters touch down and the Rangers immediately come under fire. One of the American soldiers who emerged from the helicopter that day was Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry.… Read the rest
Ten Leadership Lessons From A Commanding General
This article was originally published on Huffington Post by Vala Afshar in prep for an interview with our Co-Founder and Senior Curator, Brigadier General John Michel. You can join Vala and Michael Krigsman every Friday at 3PM EST as they host CXOTalk
Brigadier General John E. Michel [was] the Commanding General, NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan; NATO Training Mission/Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan; and Commander, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Kabul, Afghanistan [2013-2014]. In addition to serving our nation as an active duty General Officer in the United States Air Force for 26 years and counting, General Michel enjoys helping people learn to walk differently in the world so they can become the best version of themselves possible, something he addresses in his book, Mediocre Me.… Read the rest
Tune in Tonight! – 9pm Eastern – SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125!
It’s that exciting time of the month again when you have the opportunity to interact with us LIVE on SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125 at 9pm Eastern (8 Central, 7 Mountain, 6 Pacific) Wednesday, 3 June 2015. This special “12-Talents” broadcast will feature David Webb, General John E. Michel, Colonel Matthew T. Fritz and our special guests!
3 June Guests:
General Ann E. Dunwoody (retired) is the former commanding general of one of the Army’s largest commands, the US Army Materiel Command. Now retired, she offers strategic insights to companies and corporate boards. In addition to becoming the first woman in US military history to achieve the rank of four-star general, she was also the first woman to command a battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division and Fort Bragg’s first female general officer.… Read the rest
Social Media: A Professional’s Best Tool Used Wisely!
“Smart phones and social media expand our universe. We can connect with others or collect information easier and faster than ever.”
Daniel Goleman
They say, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!” If the “new tricks” are related to social media, “they” are wrong! I was never a fan of social media until I assumed my current position and, to this day, “tweeting” makes absolutely no sense to me, but I have come to respect and appreciate social media’s incredible power and reach.
Almost as a joke during an official unit visit, I took a short video with my iPhone and posted it to the AF Security Forces (SF) official Facebook (FB) page; the response was amazing. … Read the rest
Learning to Linger
“Why hurry over beautiful things? Why not linger and enjoy them?”
Clara Schumann
A father and his son farmed a small piece of land. Every so often, they would pile the ox-cart up with vegetables they had grown in their own garden and trundle off in the direction of the nearest city to sell them. Outside of their name and small family farm, father and son seemed to have little else in common. The old man believed in pausing to enjoy life’s beauty while the son was the go-getter type. One morning in the summer of 1945, they loaded the cart with produce, hitched their only ox and set out.… Read the rest
War Story: Lessons in Leadership
Like all Americans, I followed the congressional proceedings on ISIS with great interest. Of particular note was the testimony of retired Marine General Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis, former Commander of US Central Command. If Gen Mattis thinks we will probably need boots on the ground, well I believe him. Now let me tell you why I say this. I have immense respect for Gen Mattis, personal respect he earned in the early days of our Post 9/11 war in Afghanistan.
What follows is a long anecdotal, but deeply personal story based observation of bold, innovative leadership and the importance of relationships between leaders to form a winning team and strategy.… Read the rest
Generalship: 10 Traits Needed by Every Leader
“Luck is of little moment to the great general, for it is under the control of his intellect and his judgment.”
Titus Livins
The Allies just lost over 10,000 service members at the Chosin Reservoir in late 1950 and retreated back to the original positions they held before the battles began. The blame for such tragic losses was attributed to poor leadership—more specifically, at the generals in charge. To put it bluntly, there was a lack of generalship.
On the heels of this devastating defeat our nation’s most senior leaders knew they needed to make a change. Enter General Matthew Ridgway.… Read the rest
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