Take More Ownership of Time

Having trouble finding time? In 2016, a weekends-off initiative was unveiled at J.P. Morgan called “Pencils Down.” The media was quick to highlight the move by the financial giant as a radical step: “The initiative…is unusual in a high-powered corner of Wall Street where 100-hour weeks are considered by some as a badge of honor … Read more

Excellent Executive Coaching

A few weeks ago, I was a guest on ‘Excellent Executive Coaching,’ a podcast hosted by Dr. Katrina Burrus. Dr. Burrus is a leadership coach and has spent years analyzing the essentials: what makes leaders succeed — or fail. Let’s dive in a bit to some of what we discussed: Differences between military values and … Read more

What’s Your Moral Compass? Adaptive Leadership, Part 5

“Doing the Right Thing When No One’s Looking”: This is the fifth in a series of blogs on adaptive leadership. It is my belief that foundational leadership principles give leaders the ability to build teams capable of handling whatever might come their way. This series is based around what we at Level Five Associates have … Read more

Steering The Battleship: A Presentation with the Duke Sanford Veterans Association

Back in April, I had the privilege to make a presentation to the Duke Sanford Veterans Association, co-hosted by my son, Rob, who is a Special Operations Officer with the U.S. Army as well as a Policy Student at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy. The presentation was titled “Steering The Battleship.” Why that name? … Read more

Mirror Mirror: Taking the Time for Self-Reflection

“Make peace with the mirror and watch your reflection change.” – Unknown All too often we don’t make peace.  It’s far simpler and easier to see who you want to see in the mirror, instead of who you actually are. Without taking the time for self-reflection, though, we only glance at ourselves.  Why is this? … Read more

What A Great Culture Looks Like

I didn’t always understand what a great culture looks like. In fact, as a young West Point cadet and later as an Army officer, I only had a vague notion of what a culture was at all. We had a set way of doing things, to be sure, but it was pretty much taken for … Read more