Tag Archive - General Jim Anderson

4 Naïve Assumptions Of New Leaders

I Was Naive

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 held a position of leadership.  But, once I earned that promotion, I learned that my assumptions were far from reality.

With every new class I teach, comes new leaders with the same assumptions.

This is a repost from April 2012.

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Business Myths About Military Leaders – Myth #1

Military Leadership Myths

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 are not like George C. Scott in Patton.  Many business leaders without a military background have bought into the way Hollywood portrays military officers.  Continue Reading…

Buzzword Defined (Part 2): Integrity

'Integrity' highlighted in green

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 requires three steps:

  1. Discerning what is right and wrong.
  2. Acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost.
  3. Saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right and wrong.

Understanding integrity is foundational to our character development.  The more I speak on the importance of character, the more I see that integrity needs defined.

This is reposted from March 2012.
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Corporate Culture Left Adrift

Who Is At The Helm?

84% of employees do not believe their company’s culture is widely upheld according to a study by the Aberdeen Group.  The startling thing is the numbers are only slightly better for executives who answered that same survey – 81% admitted they are not doing a good job upholding the company culture.  These are the people who are responsible for reinforcing the culture!

A ship left adrift usually does not end up in port.  That ship usually ends up on the reef. Continue Reading…

Leadership Failures Are Usually Character Failures

Leadership Philosophy

Leadership is a blend of competence and character.

BG (Retired) Jim Anderson, my father, taught me that. In 41 years in the Army, including two tours in Vietnam, he saw a lot of great leaders and a lot of leadership failures that formed his philosophy.

One year ago, I started this website with this post.  I have learned a lot in the last 365 days.  Thank you for joining me and contributing.  Every time you comment on a blog, you make me better.  Thank you for that!

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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.

This is a previously posted blog that drew a lot of attention from West Point graduates (emails, comments etc) the first time it was published in May 2012. Continue Reading…

My Un-Resume: I Didn’t Make Him Better

My Un-Resume

“Is Anthony better because you were there?”  My dad, General Jim Anderson, always has a way at cutting to the chase.  That day was no different.

I was telling him about a coaching session I had just finished with Anthony, one of my direct reports.  I felt satisfied as I walked away from Anthony.

I prepared the night before, prayed for wisdom that morning, and delivered my message right before lunch.  I kept my cool when he reacted negatively.  I had won that battle.   But, Anthony never got better.  I had lost the war.

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The Completed Leader- Oxymoronic Leadership Yarn #12

The Completed Leader is an OxyMORONic Leader

“I’ve seen it all.  I’ve read it all.  I’ve sat through more leadership seminars than you can imagine.  Everything I see these days is just a repackaging of someone else’s work.”

Kurt’s reaction to the company’s latest leadership initiative did not surprise Judy.  In her first six months as VP of the division, she quickly realized that Kurt had all the answers.  At least he believed he did. Continue Reading…

Leaders: 3 Poor Excuses To Say “No”

"No" Is Too Easy

I’ve been that guy.  I wanted everything to run smoothly so I would do as Nancy Reagan did and “Just Say No.”

Years later, in my rearview mirror, I realize by saying “No” too quickly, I damaged my team and the individuals on my team.  I missed opportunities to develop better decision makers and therefore better leaders.

What was it about me as a leader that made me say “No” so quickly?  I usually had 1 of 3 excuses for saying “No” and none of them were good. Continue Reading…

Coachability: A Window To Character

Coachability

I spend a lot of time in the bleachers at my kids sporting events.  I love it.  I am a gym rat who loves to watch both practice and games.  It is one of my favorite things from my childhood that I did with my dad, The Master of The Sword at West Point.

**This blog is republished from a previous month.  New blogs will resume next week.**

Sometimes as I sit in the bleachers, I witness something that makes my blood boil.  I witness a kid dismiss a coach’s advice.  They give the coach that “whatever” look or in some cases even verbalize their bad attitude.

I want to jump out of the stands and shake them.  I want to say, “Who are you to question someone who played the game you’re playing and has been teaching the game to hundred’s before you!” Continue Reading…

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