If you work in an organization big enough or wide enough to have at least two different locations, Theorem 1 of the Colonel Kurz Theory of Probability is that some percentage of one office think that, generally, there is something wrong with the people in the other office. If the organization is big enough to have […]
Tag Archives: character
February
26
Competence vs. Character – The Army Dilemma
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Recently, the top two generals in the United States Army, Chief of Staff Ray Odierno, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, told the Associated Press that the Army has suffered from a loss of focus and a failure to balance character with competence ….Sometimes in the past we’ve overlooked character issues […]
February
01
The Natural Order of Things
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
It would not be a stretch to say that if you asked many people what the “natural career progression” would be at work, you would get many answers. This is a topic that is different with every team and is a product of organizational economic stability, culture, experience, and potentially even the dominating personality of the […]
December
22
Culture vs. People
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
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 […]
November
09
What’s Your Story?
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
It is a human experience to tell stories to communicate between each other. Psychologists and neurologists see this as the quintessential human behavior. From Homer’s Iliad to the most recent popular fiction, humans using the power of story is a staple of nearly every culture and community that has graced the earth since recorded time. […]
October
17
Your Own Kobayashi Maru – Leadership in a Crisis
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
For the Trekkie‘s amongst you, the K-Maru scenario has been fodder for uncountable arguments. In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Maru is a training simulation every Star Fleet cadet is put through. In essence, the decisions available to the student are all “no-win” and the entire exercise is about how you come to terms with […]
October
08
When it Sucks – Suck it Up!
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
It is pretty unlikely that a worker in our traditional American workplace will spend their entire working life without at some point feeling the sting of a defeat. It could be the failure of a project, or getting passed by for an opportunity, or simply unexpected feedback that conflicts with their own self-narrative. I clearly remember […]
June
21
Defining the “Rogue”
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
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 […]
The False Choice of “Character” versus “Results” – Developing People
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Recently, the Chairman of the Joint Chief’s of Staff, Martin Dempsey, noted that the character deficencies of the senior leaders of the services required special attention. The general said that officers who had “incredible” character but poor professional competence, and those who were high-achievers but who “did not live a life of character” were of […]
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