Showing all posts tagged #leadership:
Posted on November 9th, 2019
Aspiring leaders typically concentrate on history and case studies, creating theories of success and failure in their disciplines. This is fine but won’t produce great practitioners in either war or business. As the German General Hermann Balck once told Boyd, "The training of the infantryman can never be too many sided." Miyamoto Musashi in 1645 wrote that samurai (much less top-level commanders) should study the arts and sciences...
Posted on September 2nd, 2019
© Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith/DOD/ALAMY
In late November 2016, I was enjoying Thanksgiving break in my hometown on the Columbia River in Washington state when I received an unexpected call from Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Would I meet with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss the job of secretary of defense?
I had taken no part in the election campaign and had never met or spoken to Mr. Trump, so to say that I was surprised is ...
Posted on August 26th, 2019
Berkshire Hathaway is widely regarded as one of the most successful companies in the world. If you look at Warren Buffett’s 49 year track record with Berkshire, it almost looks easy in hindsight. Make no mistake, however, it wasn’t easy and he certainly didn’t do it alone.
At this year’s annual meeting Buffett and his longtime business partner, Charlie Munger, revealed "the secret" to their success. But it’s not really a secret and,...
Posted on August 26th, 2019
The problem with most management, leadership, and business books is that many of them harp on the same self-evident points, overconfident in the usefulness of their prescriptions for would-be imitators. They tend to vastly underestimate the role of circumstance, luck, the nature of completion, and the effects of scale, among other things; falling prey to the many delusions described by Phil Rosenzweig in his incredibly important book...
Posted on June 26th, 2019
Marine General: Leading
From Iraqi Battlefield, Informed Key Decisions
Elaine M. Grossman,
Inside The Pentagon,
October 16, 2003, Pg. 1
Reprinted by Permission of Inside Washington Publishers: This
article may not be reproduced or redistributed, in part or in whole, without
express permission of the publisher. Copyright 2001, Inside Washington Publishers.At a time of increasing reliance ...
Posted on June 9th, 2019
"POP WANTS TO talk to you."
The server is speaking to a man named Jeremy Threat -- and from the tone in his voice, something is clearly amiss. Threat hustles back to the main dining room of Spataro Restaurant & Bar, an Italian restaurant in Sacramento, California, that has been overrun by the San Antonio Spurs. Players, coaches, management, ownership. All are seated along a handful of long, rectangular tables. The room is pin-drop si...
Posted on May 21st, 2019
Master Fushan Yuan said:
There are three essentials to leadership: humanity, clarity, and courage.
Humanely practicing the virtues of the Way promotes the influence of the teaching, pacifies those in both high and low positions, and delights those who pass by.
Someone with clarity follows proper behavior and just duty, recognizes what is safe and what is dangerous, examines people to see whether they are wise or foolish, and disti...
Posted on January 15th, 2019
Aristotle observed that eudaimonia is the highest good for human beings; that which distinguishes humans from animals is our "human essence". That is, we are a rational and social animal, so living a good human life means seeking to know and acting rightly — virtuously — with others.
So, how does one become virtuous?
Meden Agan (μηδὲν ἄγαν) - 'Nothing in excess’ — Inscription at the temple of Apollo at Delphi
Aristotle believed ...
Posted on January 23rd, 2018
Alcibiades is one of the most famous figures in military history. He was a successful Athenian general who fled to Athens’ enemy Sparta after being charged with sacrilege. He and Socrates had a very "complicated" relationship. This particular dialogue raises questions about the nature of justice and who is worthy to lead.
Notes
This dialogue raises questions of justice and who is worthy to lead.
Socrates is teaching Alcibiades justi...