Tag Archives: accountability

February 09

Defining The….Shadow Government

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Amongst the world’s great conspiracy theories, the argument that the lives of ordinary citizens is quietly stage-managed by an invisible Illuminati of sorts is one that is seemingly unique to America. From the CIA-MI6 combo, the Bilderberg Group, and Eisenhower’s deal with aliens, to the Mason’s, Skull and Bones, Trilateral Commission, and the Council on Foreign Relations, […]

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January 27

People You Should Know – Admiral Robert Papp

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After nearly 40 years of public service, the average person would be ready for a well-deserved rest. However, our latest person you should know wasn’t satisfied with a 40-year career culminating in his service as United States Coast Guard Commandant from 2010 to 2014. Upon retirement in 2014, he transitioned directly into his appointment as United States Special Envoy […]

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December 21

Who’s Review Is It? 4 Realities of a Conversation Between Two People

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    Performance reviews are an interesting topic for first-line supervisors.  Nothing evokes more outrage from someone more than a poorly handled review. And nowhere is the scene set for a potentially career-altering conversation than when boss and employee sit down for this process. From The Jersey’s perspective, reducing this to a clash of cultural […]

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November 27

I’m Waiting For The Man

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Ok, I’ll admit that being a Velvet Underground fan (look that up, hip-hop fans) means I have been waiting for an opportunity to use that song title in a blog post (and never mind that Lou and the boys weren’t singing about something we would generally cover here at The Jersey). They were however, singing […]

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September 19

Reinvention

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An astute user of Google or Amazon can very quickly tap into a variety of sources that lay out a virtual Yellow Brick Road towards a new beginning, a fresh start, or a makeover of one’s very essence. Don’t like your friends – get new ones! Hate your job – screw it, and start over!  In […]

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July 17

Stand A Taut Watch

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Standing a taut watch. Many of you may understand that phrase, but for those who have not had the opportunity of service at sea, it relates to the duties of the watchstander. There are many terms for those who stand the watch, and you can find them everywhere from the bridge of the ship at […]

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June 13

Accountability

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I was recently fortunate to enjoy a vacation in the Federal Republic of Germany.  For those who missed some big goings-on about 25 years ago, Germany was divided into two countries from 1949 to 1990 following the conclusion of World War II.  The city of Berlin was also divided following the conflict and jointly occupied […]

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April 26

The Green Eyed Monster

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Shakespeare’s use of jealousy, in families and governments, was a constant theme throughout his works. His use of this theme was consistent with the era and the predominance of the Catholic Church in those times. Envy was identified as one of the seven deadly sins by Pope Gregory and then used by Dante in his “Divine […]

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March 16

The Power of Perception

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The late Steven Covey has long been considered one of the more important voices in the self-help genre over the past few decades.  His signature work, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, was first published in 1989 and has sold over 15 million copies in 38 languages.  These numbers suggest that Dr. Covey’s observations […]

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February 14

Captain Miller’s Rule – Gripes Go Up

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War movies are sort of a cliche for finding leadership material.  For one, they are not everyone’s favorite genre’, so a respectable portion of aspirant leaders may not read any farther when someone starts quoting their favorite scenes. On the other hand, the topic of leadership is something endemic to the military, especially due to the […]

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December 22

Culture vs. People

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In my morning newspaper today was a story about the hometown college football team who suspended the quarterback for the rest of the season for violating a team rule.  While this may not be a higher order “man bites dog” story, I was struck by a number of elements to the drama.  The player in […]

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September 29

When You Don’t Own It

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“Just own it”. Which is of course the opposite of “Just do it”.  One requires accountability while the other requires initiative.  One without the other can lead to either some pretty radical explosions, or a pet rock. From the perspective of a leader, there is no shortage of books, articles, and other assorted media devoted […]

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Does Management Even Matter? – Leading Your Organization

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A recent piece in Slate caught my attention and seems ripe for discussion and comment. An article by Fisman and Sullivan praised the New York Passport Agency as a model of efficiency, and says the operation is in the “vanguard of workplace effectiveness”. The part that seemed out of place was that they were praising a government agency, where […]

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Is the Interview Started? – Leading Self

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The point at which you make a decision to attempt to advance your position in your current job can come at many points.  It may have been when you were first considering joining an organization in the first place.  It may have been after you started (at the bottom) and having put in some time and […]

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June 21

Defining the “Rogue”

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Webster’s defines “rogue” as a “scoundrel, scamp, or generally mischievous person”.  In Nachbar and Lanse’s work “Popular Culture”, the tension between the hero as Rogue, and the hero as Citizen is represented in American popular culture in numerous ways. Americans admire their Citizen heroes and carve their faces and names in granite.  Americans love their Rogue […]

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Leading Self – “Whom Do I Lead? – Part I”

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John Maxwell has noted that one of the most important things you can do, as a leader, is to learn to lead yourself. As we continue to look at the answer to the previous question “Who Do I Lead”, I suggest that the first, most simple answer is, …you. Maxwell created the “Mirror Principle” to […]

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