by Ed Ruggero
March 16 was West Point’s two hundred and eighth anniversary. Celebrations of “Founder’s Day” span the globe and range from a massive formal dinner in the Cadet Mess Hall to small gatherings of alumni just back from patrol or off shift in Iraq and Afghanistan.
General George C. Patton, USA, once stated that courage was nothing more than “fear hanging on for one minute longer.” He obviously was referring to the fear that soldiers face in the tense moments prior to entering combat; however, I would submit that this physical fear is very closely related to that fear we all have during those tense moments when we are about to make a decision when conjuring up the moral courage to do the right thing — in spite of the consequences.
It is safe to say that moral courage is front and center in today’s culture. ,
by Ed Ruggero
Last Thursday, November 19, marked the 146th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
From Academy Leadership Affiliate Cor Karaffa
In today’s world, private companies and family run businesses are not going public but instead are being bought by private equity partnerships seeking companies they can streamline and grow with professional management so they can sell them at a premium.
The biggest challenge for a CEO is leading a business that was formerly family owned. The set of values of the existing company will be decidedly different than those of the new leader. The culture of the family owners must be assessed as quickly as possible in order to understand the dynamics of what is being faced by the new leader. It is critical to the long-term health of the business that the “new man in charge” arrives with a clearly articulated personal leadership philosophy to share with all the employees. ,
From Dr. Perry Martini, Director of Executive Leadership Programs at Academy Leadership
Did you ever wonder why we often talk about whether or not there is a difference between leadership and management? Many think that these words are indeed synonyms and can be used interchangeably. Notwithstanding these perceptions of the two terms, reality dictates that they are indeed not the same. The two are related but their central functions are quite different.
One way to look at it: managers provide leadership, and leaders perform management functions. But the critical point is that managers don’t usually perform the unique functions of leaders. ,
