As an Army officer, I technically out-ranked any enlisted man. That included the first sergeant, the ranking non-commissioned officer in any company. Technicalities aside, my WW II veteran father had educated me early that the first sergeant was really the guy in charge.   The opportunity, my Dad told me, was to learn from the first sergeant. I’m glad I … read more

Note: This is the final article in the series, encouraging connections between people in the workplace and the world. Leaders serve in many roles. Yes, they must do the mundane but necessary chores of managing assets and balance sheets, but their most important work is to inspire others. And that involves the leader serving as a teacher, as a mentor, … read more

by Dave Bushy Executive Coach davebushy.com Note: This is the third in a series, encouraging connections between people in the workplace and the world.  I remember hearing a joke one time about a particularly self-absorbed young man who went on a blind date. Over dinner, he spent two hours providing the young women with detail upon detail about his life, … read more

By Dave Bushy – Executive Coach davebushy.com Note: This is the second article in the series, encouraging connections between people in the workplace and the world. How can I communicate better with my team? How can I run a better meeting? How do I make sure my people are “present”? Try saying “Amen” at the beginning of the meeting, not … read more

Note: This is the first in a series, encouraging connections between people in the workplace and the world. My nephew attended Basic Training with the U.S. Army. The day he walked into the processing center, the drill instructors confiscated and safely secured his cell phone. They offered no Internet or email access. Sounds a bit anachronistic, doesn’t it? In a … read more

When I served in an Army tank battalion, we were taught marksmanship, first at stationary targets, and later, moving ones. In the classroom, we learned that if the target was moving left or right, you had to aim a bit ahead in the direction it was travelling, just to hit it. As we transitioned to ranges with actual moving targets, … read more

As human beings we have a natural tendency to resist change. Such resistance can be demonstrated in a number of different ways, from minor disagreements among colleagues to arguments in a boardroom. Each of us indeed can get a sense of certainty about something we know or do and ownership of a particular position – be it at home or … read more

Managers focus on ideas and leaders focus on people.   And, as individuals in senior roles, we all strive to wear both hats – “manager” and “leader” – simultaneously. It is relatively easy to measure the work product of ideas, especially when they are metrics-driven – be they operational results, finances or units of production.   But it’s quite a bit harder … read more

I was fortunate to work on the senior team of an airline president who epitomized servant leadership.   If he was carrying a pen with the corporate logo on it and an employee complimented it, he gave it as a present. He would lend his car to those of us who commuted by subway when we needed to get around the … read more

How many times have you heard someone say, “I welcome pushback – I want people to be honest,” or “I don’t want a bunch of heads nodding in agreement around this table – we need to challenge each other!” Yet many leaders who espouse such beliefs don’t appear to abide by them in practice. They are either put off or … read more