Blogs for your consideration...

Respecting others’ time is a keystone of effective and impactful leadership. If the point of a leader is to effectively manage and implement change, then a certain degree of time must be afforded to the people doing the changing. Providing clear guidance and expectations should go without saying, bu...

I heard the term “strategic incompetence” recently and thought, “Finally! A phrase for those people!” Those people I’m referring to are, of course, those co-workers, employees, or even family members who choose not to learn new skills with the assumption that someone else will eventually fill the ga...

As leaders, we each play a role in the convoluted maze of information flow. Even with multiple forms of technology at our fingertips, leaders are still needed to relay messages, ask pertinent questions, and understand the dynamics of the human mind. We are empowered to divide and conquer, each ownin...

Wasting time is a travesty. Wasting time in a meeting that could have been solved with an email, a read-ahead, or even a single sentence explaining the objective should be a professional sin. Most leaders say they hate meetings, and I agree. But I find the hatred usually isn't directed at the meetin...

From the way we march to the names of military installations, the military is deeply rooted in tradition. Since our nation’s founding, these time-tested practices have been used to build teamwork, reinforce purpose, and create a strong sense of belonging.

I still remember singing the Dog-Faced Sold...

One of my professional mottos that I say often (and genuinely try to live by) is, “I hate everyone equally.”

Yeah, I know. It sounds negative and a little off-putting. But for me, it’s actually more realistic than saying, “I like everyone equally.” That would be a stretch.

What I really mean is th...

Ask ten service members at different points in their careers how they balance operational and garrison requirements and you’ll likely get ten different answers. For many, deployments represent the purest version of military service; the chance to finally do the job they trained for, focus on the mis...

The priorities of leaders can shift as quickly as the economy, the political climate, or an unexpected crisis. Much like waves that change shape with the moon, wind, or even a small pebble tossed into the water, the military continuously adjusts in response to forces beyond its control. For junior s...

Within my first 24 months of transferring to my new branch, I was charged with overseeing a command-directed investigation. Allegations were made against a very senior NCO and some of those allegations were substantiated. Following the CDI, the NCO had to be on “good behavior” for fear of negative f...

“It’s lonely at the top” is a common sentiment across many facets of leadership. Humans aren’t meant to be alone—we thrive in community. It’s one of the traits that allows us to make progress. When we are lonely, we feel disconnected, sad, or insecure. As leaders—more specifically officers—progress ...

At the tactical and operational levels, today’s military force lives in a constant state of tension. The best-laid plans—innovation sprints, professional development goals, modernization roadmaps—can evaporate the moment a new problem drops from above. Strategic leaders pass down challenges (or, mor...

Just because something has been a certain way for some time doesn’t make it the best way. At every turn, the environment, political scene, or latest innovation impacts the variables surrounding the relativity of “best.” This conundrum doubles down when personalities, budgets, and adversarial changes...