Leader Business Update

Friends,

If you are a follower of these pages, you may have noted a drop-off in my publishing rate. Believe me, it is not from a lack of material. Have no doubt that there is a plethora of events and issues these days that speak to the need for leadership. My own arena presents a similar collection of daily leadership lessons and vignettes.

I just haven't been able to get to it. As many of you know, I have been putting my energy into finishing up my tour of duty with the Army Corps of Engineers in Los Angeles, preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, and trying to finish up Leader Business, the book! It is this last thing that has had me up at 4:00 a.m. every morning and has used up all my good words. I've got nothing left for the blog! (Haha!)

I thought you might be interested in the cover graphics for the book. Zoom in as you can to see the images and you will gain an understanding of the sort of ground this book covers. Leader Business, both in the book and here on these pages, tries to take the lessons of the military (the world I know now) and apply them to the real world. And, not surprisingly, it's a two-way street. Sometimes the lessons go the other way, from the business world to the military. This is the premise for the book and one which I hope you will enjoy. I am almost ready to ship to the printers, perhaps by early next week. In the interim, I hope you enjoy the "teaser" of the cover art.

While I have you here, perhaps we can learn together about yesterday's incident in the Senate chambers with General David Petraeus. The general, architect of the successful surge in Iraq and current commander of United States Central Command with responsibilities throughout the Middle East, passed out during testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. While he recovered quickly and eventually finished the hearing, he gave a scare to all who witnessed the event.

The lesson is that none of us is immune to fatigue, stress, and health issues. We have to maintain balance in our life, eat well, and get enough rest to go the distance. There are limits, even for warriors like this General. Leaders understand what those limits are and know when to throttle back a little to a more sustainable pace.

Have a great day! Get some rest. That's an order. That's...Leader Business.

Rehabilitation

Yep...that's me. Well, not exactly in a cast but I do have a brace on my leg following arthroscopic knee surgery on Friday. So now it's time for some recovery and rehabilitation. I need to spend a few days resting and then gradually start back on the road to full strength.

And since I can only watch so much football (I thought I'd never say that!), I need to have some other goals for this six days of sitting around with my leg elevated. Since some of them involve Leader Business, I thought I'd share them with you here:

-- I have started work on Leader Business -- the book! Our goal is to be done by late spring!

-- I'm trying to strengthen my network of connections through LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. If we are not connected there, would you be my "virtual" friend?

-- I'd like to increase my subscriber base for this blog. For those who already subscribe, you have my sincere appreciation. Would you take a minute and tell me what you like and don't like about my writing? I have the time for some introspection! And could I ask you to share this blog with your friends and ask them to subscribe? I would love to extend the dialogue that we have on these pages to other like-minded leaders!

Thanks to all of you who give me your time when you read these posts. I do not take it for granted and try not to abuse this privelege. And if you have a few minutes and want to drop me a note, I will get right back to you. At least for the next few days of recovery, I've got nothing else to do! That's Leader Business!


Image courtesy of www.arthursclipart.org

Time for an Adventure

Friends,

I'm off for an adventure. I leave tonight with my two brothers to the wonderful vacation HOT SPOT of...Vietnam. Yes, that is beautiful downtown Ho Chi Minh City above! We'll land there after what I am sure will be an exhausting 24 hours of flying.

What does this have to do with the business of leaders? Not much. Except I am asking myself more and more this question: What would I do if I wasn't afraid? Going to Ho Chi Minh City is on that list!

We're going to walk the battlefield where my Dad fought with his artillery unit. I'm sure it will be a great feeling to walk with my brothers on that hallowed ground, remembering my Dad, and learning about all that he experienced during his time in combat.

I can't wait to get there. And I can't wait to share this adventure with my friends. I'll let you know how it goes! Hooah!

Get Some Rest

Hello friends -


I am on my way to Los Angeles to begin my new job and arrived in San Diego with my family a few nights ago for a week of R&R. The 22 hours in the car with my family was not bad (!) and we arrived safe and sound. The kids were great and I enjoyed the time listening to the radio (I love the Starbucks channel on XM!), talking to my wife, and enjoying the beauty of the desert southwest between Austin and San Diego. And the temperature never got above 117 - very nice.


Twenty two hours gave me plenty of time - to think. I started a few businesses, wrote a few new articles, set some new goals, and mapped out the future - all in my head. I thought about the challenges awaiting me in my new job and wrote my introductory speech to my new teammates in LA. There is something about feeling the road and listening to music that seems to energize my brain and unleash the creative juices!





The beach does the same thing for me. I have gotten up early every morning here in San Diego and felt the same sort of exhiliration. Mentally, spiritually, physically - I feel like I am ready to take on the world!





So what is it for you? How do you get re-energized? What does it take for you to become future focused, to unleash your creative juices? How do you recharge your batteries so that you are ready to take on the challenges of leadership?


I have always felt that leaders must be rested and ready to take on the issues before them. The higher one goes up the leadership ranks, the more leaders are valued as thinkers - not necessarily doers. If you are exausted and cannot see over the horizon, or if you are too busy doing and not thinking...then you and your team may be headed for trouble. Because if you are not looking ahead, anticipating problems, being creative - then who is?


Leaders must take the time to rest. They must daily invest in those activities that refresh the body, mind, and soul and have them ready to take on the day. And they must regularly find the time to step aside and to "reboot" all three. Don't feel guilty about it. Know that this is what your team needs from you - a leader with a clear head, ready to take on the world!


From the beach in San Diego (at 6:56 a.m.) - I wish you rest...and a happy July 4th! Hooah!