Posts in the ‘Leadership My Dad’s Way’ category
He was tearing up! I hadn’t signed up for this type of seminar. This was not some new age self-actualization guru speaking to us. This guy was a Navy SEAL! You could hear the words get caught in his throat and see his eyes fill as he read to the audience. Everyone in the audience listened […]
He was a good military officer and is still a good friend. He is now in a sales job that does not have a leadership title, but he is developing people where he is. I recently asked him what he was doing that made him so successful. His response was simple: “I try to help […]
“Anderson! You have to be like Gumby! Come up with a new plan and do it quick or your men will die!” These words echoed through the woods as I stood confused during my first attempt leading an infantry squad during Cadet Basic Training at West Point. The staff sergeant wasn’t going to allow me […]
I couldn’t wait to be promoted. I knew all the things I wanted to accomplish. I was also looking forward to the perks of leadership. In the Army we used to say, “Rank Has It’s Privileges (RHIP).” But, years later, I realized that these sentiments were naive. They seem real to someone who has not […]
I blame the movie Patton. In today’s business world, people assume autocratic, top down leadership prevails in our military and that military leaders are not prepared for the less rigid world of business leadership. This is a myth! Just like all civilian business leaders are not like Michael Douglas in Wall Street, all military officers […]
There is a lot of discussion of the word integrity in business books, in politics, in universities…in every walk of life. I read about it all the time. But, my father, General Jim Anderson, the former Master of the Sword at West Point, taught me more about integrity than any other source. He says: INTEGRITY […]
“What do you think of your team’s execution?” Coach John McKay was asked. “I’m for it!” McKay replied. The expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished that season winless and McKay captured the hearts of coaches everywhere with that comment. Whether it is in sports or in business, leaders often spend endless hours preparing strategies to insure […]
I agreed to talk to the boss. Three of my peers approached me about a sales campaign that they thought missed the mark. It was our boss’s idea, but it wasn’t a good one. Over time, I became the person my peers came to when someone needed to confront our boss. I accepted that role […]
I took a week long vacation recently in Puerto Rico. I got a massage while I was there. As I was lying on the table during my session, I realized the therapist was really not doing a good job. I longed for the person who I use close to home. She does a great job. […]
When everything began to unravel for Pete, I knew I was going to have fire him. I took it personally. Like most leaders, I rarely lose sleep over the technical issues of my job. It is the people who give me insomnia. In this case it was Pete. I hired Pete. He had all the […]
