Posts with the ‘General Jim Anderson’ tag
Character is now a buzzword. I use the term buzzword here to describe words that we hear frequently yet are rarely defined by the speakers. The Presidential campaign is full of buzzwords. I hear athletes described on Sportcenter using some of the same buzzwords as the politicians use. The problem is, if you dig into […]
Becoming a leader of character is a process that never ends. It is a never ending road towards a destination you can never completely reach. But, leaders must take this road daily in order to grow and lead well. I had the benefit of my father, General Jim Anderson, and four years of training at West […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
Any time a new ingredient is added to a cookie recipe, the flavor of that cookie changes and can’t be changed back. I cannot undo it. The cook can add chocolate chips or pecans-Dark chocolate or milk chocolate. The recipe is usually an intentional combination of ingredients. However, once one ingredient changes, the flavor of […]
When a new leader steps onto a new team, they have one chance to get it right. I got it right sometimes and other times I didn’t. The effort I put in up front always paid off later in better relationships and more productive teams. Over the last two weeks I focused on what to […]
Becoming a leader of character is a process that never ends. It is a never ending road towards a destination you can never completely reach. But, leaders must take this road daily in order to grow and lead well. I had the benefit of my father, General Jim Anderson, and four years of training at […]
