Dave Anderson | Leadership Training and Consultation

As a parent, I always want to clean and bandage a cut on my children to avoid infection and promote quick healing. I know wounds left to themselves can cause serious problems to the health of my children.

Issues at work, within a friendship or at home that are left alone can be dangerous as well. But if that is the case, why do I avoid attending to these wounds? It is because I do not see confrontation as part of healing. But, confrontation done well can heal wounds!

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West Point. While many schools have impressive graduates. Few colleges can claim to have a greater impact on our nation than the United States Military Academy at West Point.

The leaders of character that West Point continues to produce will continue to write the history of our nation. For July 4th, I provide you with just a glimpse into a few of the great leaders West Point produced and the culture of leadership that produced them. Continue Reading…

Temptation hits me everyday. I am tempted by a lot of things I wish I wasn’t: French fries, Buffalo wings, the SI Swimsuit issue, naps, and sarcasm are just a few. This is just a sub-set of a much larger list.

But the most insidious temptation in my life is lying. What I used to call fibs, white lies, or exaggerations are truly the hardest temptations to beat. Continue Reading…

It was nuts! I had all the documentation and evidence I needed to fire her, but I was being investigated! She claimed I created an unfair work environment.

This woman skipped work and lied repeatedly. I got reports of her sleeping with some customers and unprofessional behavior with others.

Her actions created a schism within my team. I had multiple reasons to fire her, but I was being investigated! Continue Reading…

He was tearing up! I hadn’t signed up for this type of seminar. This was not some new age self-actualization guru speaking to us. This guy was a Navy SEAL!

You could hear the words get caught in his throat and see his eyes fill as he read to the audience. Everyone in the audience listened intently to the words he read as his emotions took over. This guy was a Navy SEAL!

This was the final speaker at the Chick Fil A Leadercast in May. He was closing the conference for speakers like John Maxwell, Condeleezza Rice and Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski. This guy had a tear running down his cheek. But, I didn’t care. This guy was a Navy SEAL!

He was a good military officer and is still a good friend. He is now in a sales job that does not have a leadership title, but he is developing people where he is. I recently asked him what he was doing that made him so successful.

His response was simple: “I try to help them make good decisions.” He spent his time training people how to think. Because the people around him made better decisions, they were getting promoted. Could it be that simple? Continue Reading…

“Anderson! You have to be like Gumby! Come up with a new plan and do it quick or your men will die!” These words echoed through the woods as I stood confused during my first attempt leading an infantry squad during Cadet Basic Training at West Point.

The staff sergeant wasn’t going to allow me to implement my plan when the circumstances had changed. It was a lesson I would be taught often as a cadet and as a young officer.

Attention Business Leaders: You have to be flexible to lead in the military. Continue Reading…

I couldn’t wait to be promoted. I knew all the things I wanted to accomplish. I was also looking forward to the perks of leadership. In the Army we used to say, “Rank Has It’s Privileges (RHIP).”

But, years later, I realized that these sentiments were naive. They seem real to someone who has not held a position of leadership. But, once I earned that promotion, I learned that my assumptions were far from reality.

I powered through my agenda for the meeting. The meeting addressed everything I felt was important to cover from my vantage point. I walked out satisfied and fulfilled.

The problem was I was the only one feeling that way. From the team’s perspective, the meeting left too many issues unaddressed. They left more frustrated than when the meeting started. I had failed my team. Continue Reading…

I blame the movie Patton. In today’s business world, people assume autocratic, top down leadership prevails in our military and that military leaders are not prepared for the less rigid world of business leadership. This is a myth!

Just like all civilian business leaders are not like Michael Douglas in Wall Street, all military officers are not like George C. Scott in Patton. Many business leaders without a military background have bought into the way Hollywood portrays military officers. Continue Reading…