In August, over 4 million Americans quit their jobs — the so-called Great Resignation — despite COVID unemployment supplements expiring. Last Tuesday’s election delivered shockers such as a Republican winning Virginia’s gubernatorial election and Minneapolis, Seattle, and other cities rejecting Defund the Police advocates. Common to these seemingly disparate events are a backlash against the […]
How do I intend to spend my time Leading a balanced life is not a matter of dividing time. It’s being clear on your priorities and ensuring that you meet commitments in the important aspects of your life. It’s easy to drift. You let your email inbox become your daily to-do list and get sucked […]
Small businesses can innovate faster than big businesses. Iran is building drones that fire ship-killing missiles while nerds with laptops launch business-crippling cyberattacks. The English longbow defeated the heavily armored French knight. “Two thousand pounds of education,” Kipling lamented of British officers shot down by rifle-wielding Pashtun fighters, “Drops to a ten-rupee jezail.” Problem-solving restores […]
I’m delighted to offer you the opportunity to join me and six other leaders at my Antietam & Gettysburg exclusive event, December 7-10.The battlefields will build your imagination for the action steps to make 2022 your best year ever. Among the topics we typically discuss: *Action steps to put the right leaders on the scene and […]
They suffer a disorder similar to siloed ones: poor accountability. Matrixed Organizations Don’t Work Matrixed organizations don’t work. They suffer a disorder similar to siloed ones: poor accountability. The Afghanistan failure is exhibit A; it’s the same principle in business. Members of Congress and America’s punditry recently awoke to the calamity in Afghanistan. The war ranks […]
“Setting up a franchise is stupid,” Anna (not her real name) told me, “and forget about coaching. Coaches are a dime-a-dozen. You should enroll in our veterans’ program and figure out what you are able to do.” Did you ever notice that unsolicited feedback is always about the sender and never about you? Most feedback is about the sender. […]
MJ (Interpeter) & Chris Kolenda Americans commemorate September 11th in their own ways. I spent the day at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, which houses roughly 13,000 Afghan refugees. A former interpreter from one of my units, MJ, is there with his family. MJ served in one of the most remote outposts of Afghanistan. In such areas, […]
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The images from Afghanistan are heartbreaking. Masses of people, fearful of the Taliban, press the gates of Kabul airport, struggling to get out. Some of these people are interpreters and workers who supported my paratroopers and me during our deployments. I’ve been writing scores of letters to help them, coordinating with US officials, and trying […]
It begins with little things. Boundaries become more porous. Each compromise builds confidence. The words get louder; the actions are more flagrant, the touches more intimate. You look the other way when you can’t avoid what you are seeing — everyone else seems to like him, there’s an innocent explanation, no one will believe me, […]
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