He lay awake that night and thought about the irony of his situation. There were so many people who would give anything to be in his place, people who had carefully planned and diligently worked for years hoping to attain what he had just had handed to him. Though he accepted his sudden ‘good fortune,’
His dream was coming crashing down around him. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be; this wasn’t what he had worked so hard to achieve. From the time he was a little boy he had known he wanted to join the Navy. He had worked hard throughout school in order to have the grades
The hostility of the crowd was almost palpable. The room was filled with scowls and angry mutters that escalated into full out boos and hisses as the congressman took the stage. His stomach turned as he approached the middle of the platform, and he took hold of the podium with both hands to still their
A young freshman cadet hurried down the hallway, running late for his next class at the military academy. Turning a corner, he suddenly collided with another student. Sprawled on the ground, he looked up and winced when he saw the derisive smirk on the face of the upperclassman he had just run into. As expected,
My first book, Presidential Leadership, is a testament to my long-held belief in the power and importance of inspirational leadership. There is no motivating factor as powerful as true inspiration. As I wrote in chapter 5 of my book, “While reward-based or fear-based motivation yields limited results, inspiration is longer lasting, more deeply rooted, and
Regardless of political affiliation, I firmly believe we can all learn from the leadership strengths of former U.S. Presidents. In my book, Presidential Leadership: Learning from United States Presidential Libraries & Museums, I take a look at selected strengths of 14 U.S. Presidents. Today I’d like to share an excerpt from the chapter about former United States
Last week I shared an article about the humility of Abraham Lincoln and how that humility served him well as a leadership strength. This week I’d like to share an article about another leadership strength of another U.S. President: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Franklin D. Roosevelt had plenty of excuses that he could have used
This week I’m in Chicago at a Becker’s Healthcare Conference, where I’m serving as a moderator, conducting video interviews, and enjoying myself! I truly love being here, and I greatly respect and admire the Becker’s leadership and the “humble confidence” with which they lead. Thinking about Scott Becker and his incredible team, I want to
