Sometimes don’t think. — Leadership is an alchemic elixer of attitudes of ownership and perseverance, thoughts of caring and creativity, and actions reflecting competence and courage. There are many articles on what you can do to be a better leader, but not many on how you can think to be one. I’ve studied and…

Actions flourish on marble pillars. — The vision struck me like a thunderbolt from Zeus. I imagined a great white marble pillar in ancient Greece upon which a green vine climbed and wrapped around with wild abandon. …

#4. They at most, like — at least, love. — I sat on the toilet, emotionally drained, in an old military barracks one day. I glanced at the wall on my right at the scribbled instructions for whoever sat where I was sitting: “Flush twice, it’s a long way to the chow hall” I chuckled as I felt a little…

Motivating with more than just money — I remember once in the Marines I was speaking to a man named Joe Dowdy, a “full-bird” Colonel, who was about to lead over 7,000 men and women into battle. …

Because we all need to laugh at ourselves sometimes. — Y’all need to lighten up sometimes. All these world-changing heavy-hitting pieces on Medium are making my head hurt. I mean, I know we need that good and serious stuff, but everyone knows a good laugh at ourselves is the mark of a down-to-earth human. …

Powerful tips for not being a clueless imbecile. — As you know, I write online so I’m smarter than you. Otherwise, this article would be reading you, and it doesn’t work that way, right? So now that we’ve got my credentials out of the way, here are 5 things you should never say to your coworkers unless you are…

Greed almost destroyed my writing. — Another dull gray winter day I sit down to write, my soul finally feels naked enough to write something half decent, I hope. I glance outside. The sky feels like a boarded-up ice cream shop on a windy winter boardwalk, empty cold where warm life once was. …

1. “I need a raise because my kid…” — I said something stupid like “I feel so underemployed. I need a challenge!” Perhaps I said this as a weird way to flex my potential or maybe I was bored. Telling your boss you want more isn’t necessarily a bad thing but if you are just whining about it after…

How to overcome them and excel. — I remember the exact moment. The moment I knew I needed to step up and lead. It was a few weeks into Boot Camp in the Marines. I’d gone to Army Basic Training prior so I had some basic military training. Our Drill instructor was looking for a Guide, someone…