Tag Archive - Habits

West Point-Plebe Boxing and Leadership

But First--Calculus

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 other graded exercises in those classes. Boxing dominated my thoughts.

I knew that day, no matter how well I did when I stepped into the ring, I was going to get hit multiple times in the face. What did I learn during plebe boxing that prepared me to lead? Continue Reading…

Your Attitude Is A Choice: Make A Different Choice

Dad: “Did you do what your mom asked you to do?’

Son: (Without looking at his dad.) “Yep.”

Dad: (Eye brow raised) “Excuse me?”

Son: (Starting to walk away and dripping with annoyance) “Yes Dad. I did what mom asked me to do!”

Dad: (Firmly) “Hey bud! Look at me.”

The boy turns and looks at his dad.

Dad: “Your attitude is a choice. Make a different choice. Understand me.”

Son: “Yes sir.”

That was a scene that played out in my home with my dad sometime in the early 1980’s. Being the son of an Army Ranger who was a future general did not prevent me from having a bad attitude at times. It should have, but it didn’t. Continue Reading…

Leaders of Character: West Point’s Way

What They Missed

Headline: West Point, The Best Public College in America — US News and World Report in 2011.

My alma mater opened in 1802 as an engineering school. In 2011 it was ranked third in the nation for undergraduate engineering, still lockstep with its 200-year-old original purpose. But at its heart, West Point is a leadership school.

The primary mission of West Point has been to provide leaders of character for our nation.

The question, “Can character be developed?” is answered every May when a new group of 1,000 second lieutenants complete four years of character development. In June of 1984, I began my journey from typical high school graduate to trained Army officer four years later. West Point changed my attitude about what the word character means.

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Character: Don’t Have a Grandson with a Dog Collar

He's Not My Grandson...

Direct TV warns us: “Don’t have a grandson with a dog collar.” While I am tempted to blame my issues on the cable television industry, especially their “customer service centers”, I believe my issues, particularly my character issues are internally derived.

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