Posts with the ‘West Point’ tag
You can be an unethical rule follower. All organizations have rules and regulations people must follow. But many organizations fail to consider that we can all be unethical rule followers. Just because we do not break the law or a corporate regulation does not make us a person of Integrity.
Thirty-four years ago this week, I entered the United States Military Academy at West Point as part of the Class of 1988. That first week, we had to learn the West Point Cadet Prayer. This week the Class of 2022 began their journey as part of the “Long Gray Line”.
My best friend, Donnie Tillar convinced me to go to West Point. He was a year older than I was. Thanks to his persuasiveness I joined my childhood friend as part of the Corps of Cadets. This is a Memorial Day tribute to Donnie. This is worth reposting annually.
Who doesn’t love the Navy SEALs? Answer: The enemy’s of freedom. But to the rest of us, these warriors are heroes. They are the elite of the elite. They understand teamwork and define it with simplicity.
When President Trump purportedly asked FBI Director Comey for his loyalty, a shiver went down my spine. I wrote the following blog over 3 years ago. It’s amazing how the title and topic of this blog seem eerily prophetic. I also want to thank the President, the former Director and every politician in Washington for […]
Making excuses is a favorite topic of mine when I speak to groups about leadership and character. I am often asked, “Aren’t there legitimate reasons for a failure? Shouldn’t that matter?” My reply: “Yes. It matters. As long as we know the difference between an excuse and a reason.”
“When an archer misses the bulls eye, he doesn’t blame the target.” What is it about our human nature that causes us to seek excuses for when we fall short? Even some of the best sales people and leaders I have been around, can identify something outside of their control that caused them to miss […]
I pushed the limits as a cadet at West Point. I marched well over 100 hours of punishment tours during my four years in school. There were a lot of ways to get in trouble, and a lot of rules to tell us what not to do. Every violation of the rules at West Point […]
Every male freshman (plebe) entering West Point has a mandatory class that few other colleges offer much less require. Boxing. Each morning that boxing was on my schedule I woke up thinking about it. I would sit in calculus, chemistry or computer programing class thinking about boxing. It didn’t matter that I had tests or […]
This weekend I attended an annual Army-Navy game watching party at Top of the Hill Restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC. The experience is second only to actually being in Philadelphia at the game itself. In both places current and former cadets and midshipmen gather in the most meaningful rivalry in college sports. As I watched […]
