Image by Getty Images via Daylife there are some countries that are complaining about the motives that the impute to the US with respect to the military forces engaged in relief operations in Haiti. Most of those countries are not in a position to provide significant humanitarian relief to the area in that they are […]
Category: leadership
Complexity and planning for “endstates”
from a discussion on usefulness or not of the “end-state” concept and planning in general when faced with the challenges of nation building: Complexity theory says that complexity arises from a combination of 4 attributes: moderate to high levels of interdependence, connectedness, diversity and adaptation. Complex systems do not lend themselves to cause & effect […]
The weightless administration is even further out of touch
At some point, you hope the administration will find the time to prevent a possible wave of shootings of Americans by Muslims. You know, to go along with the duty description of Department of Homeland Defense The U.S. Homeland Security secretary says she is working to prevent a possible wave of anti-Muslim sentiment after the […]
Who is the political novice?
It is funny to me to see leaks from the administration trying to undercut GEN McChrystal as being naive about how the Washington game is played. Seriously, is this the mark of an administration that is in charge of itself? Is it good policy to be undercutting your own field commander? This administration ahs no […]
MG Scales in a recent yet timeless speech on the dharma of warriors
Subject: Speech by Major General Robert Scales USA (Ret) at Truman Library, September 12, 2009 Mr. Skelton, Mr Cleaver, distinguished guests and, most importantly, fellow veterans. What a great thrill it is see my comrades in arms assembled here so many years after we shared our experiences in war. Let me give you the bottom […]
Taking nominations for the leader of the free world
A telling compare and contrast moment: Mr. Obama’s address was the predictable mix of criticism of the past policies of the United States, self-praise for correcting said policies and vague calls to united action on matters of collective interest. It sought to ingratiate rather than offend. But Mr. Netanyahu chastised the United Nations for its […]
Which one is the adult?
Obama: “We must never stop until we see the day when nuclear arms have been banished from the face of the earth.” Sarkozy: “We live in the real world, not the virtual world. And the real world expects us to take decisions.” The rest of Sarkozy’s remarks: “President Obama dreams of a world without weapons […]
Design versus planning: what to do when you don’t know what to do
The scientific method has been responsible for the most extraordinary improvement in mankind’s standard of living. Since the Enlightenment and the Renaissance, it has been responsible for every major advance in human understanding and technology. The scientific method relies on a positivists worldview, which can be said to value certainty, control, objective reality, and planning. […]
The future of education in a net-centric world
reinventinglife.org Surveys of CEOs and futurists alike all agree that the future is calling to us with a need for open systems, open thinking, collaborative organizations, workplaces and attitudes. Net-centric democratic education, public and private movements for social justice, moral and honorable business enterprises, and cross cultural communications all place a premium on skills, tools, […]
reflecting on the forest past the boundary of post-positivism
Creswell talks about the 4 worldviews that shape the research goals, objectives, methods, interpretive measures, and sense making of researchers. I inherited a post-positivist outlook from my formative years working in a machine shop with designers, engineers, craftsmen, and other shop rats. My years of experience as a planner in the Army helped me appreciate […]