The Trauma REBOOT Effect
“Taylor Swift has her effect, and so does Trauma REBOOT.” One premise of REBOOT Recovery is that, “We impact each other, like it or not.” A more academic way of saying it is that Trauma REBOOT creates Exponential Healing. Every graduate has a life outside of Trauma REBOOT that extends throughout the community. The healing…
Read MoreLeadership Beyond the Titles
“Great titles do not automatically create great leaders.” (Republished with an updated link to the USA TODAY Online article) Some people believe that once they obtain a particular title, they are a great leader. That could not be further from the truth. Leadership does not come from titles, but from the people behind them. There…
Read MoreRethinking the Complexity of CEO Life
“Leadership can be simple, but it’s not easy.“ The CEO position is complex and requires consistent critical and creative thinking skills. I appreciate ValiantCEO magazine providing me the opportunity to express my views and share my experiences in this article. This blog highlights a few key points on the topic, and I encourage you to…
Read MoreAmazon A+ Content: A Free Competitive Advantage
“Every business needs to know its competitive advantages.” In the Army, commanders and leaders in general are always looking for combat multipliers: that thing that gives you an advantage over the enemy. In business, these combat multipliers are referred to as competitive advantages: the tactics, techniques, procedures, or products unique to your business that provide…
Read MoreUnconsciously Competent: Why I Needed a Coach, Part II
“Sometimes we do not truly appreciate our abilities.” A coach identifies those blind spots to help us become our best selves. In the Conscious Competence Learning Model (Curtiss & Warren, 1973), we may all experience the four stages. But my interpretation and application of the stages are a little different than what the model may…
Read MoreManaging Oneself: Why I Needed a Coach, Part 1
As a junior leader in the early 1990s, adequately trained in my craft and fully competent, I still had things I did not know. Before switching specialties from Field Artillery (FA) to Military Intelligence (MI), I was filled with apprehension. I had no mentor, there were no other officers to ask, so, in normal Burl…
Read MoreWhat Help Do CEO’s Need?
“The affected group normally knows best what they need.” I like to conduct some research on a topic before I share my curated thoughts. Research on this subject required more effort than I expected. The results of my Google search, “What do CEOs need help with?”, were a series of articles that provided input to…
Read MoreCEO Professional Development: I’m No Superperson
Long ago, as a junior leader, I learned that, “Everything I know is not everything there is to know.” Fast forward 15 years to when I became a CEO; this maxim was even more prevalent. There was much more to know, leading 400 versus leading 40. The number of moving pieces, the complexity of problems,…
Read MoreRebranding: Rejuvenating Your Business, Part II
“Every organization has a brand, whether they created it or not.” There’s almost nothing better than having positive brand recognition. Unfortunately for many companies, their negative reputation has become their sullied brand. Some publicity or exposure is not always better than none. Businesses can sometimes share a few human characteristics: They can evolve and grow…
Read MoreAn Event to Remember: Quad Cities 2026 Black Expo
The Quad Cities Economic Empowerment Network hosted its 11th Annual Black Expo on Saturday, February 28, 2026, from 1 – 4 pm. I recall the cold and snowy Saturday in February 2015 that marked the first Expo event. Although I did not attend the first one, others braved the cold and the snow to enjoy…
Read More