Innovate or else – and do it before August 2015

The Power of the Written Word

Writing and the ability to write by hand matters and is as important today as it ever was, especially in an increasingly digital world.

World Stationery Day celebrates the written word and all things stationery – the products which make it possible. You can never have too much stationery!

Its aim is to get people all over the world talking about stationery, and why writing by hand is important. And to send more letters and cards, and not just text or email.

You can read more HERE.

Leading People, Leading Change, Getting Results!

Captain John Banigan, CO, USS Lake Erie was fired for “poor command climate” on 27 April. He is a self-described as a “Transitioning Navy Veteran with over 25 years of leadership experience and proven record in management of multi-billion dollar Department of Defense programs.”

He has enjoyed great success over his 25 year career. He’s described by subordinates, peers, and seniors as a “NO NONSENSE” leader.

There’s a story to tell here by those who know it. We’ll have to wait for it to pan out.

Ideas

Writing, thinking, deciding

Writing is on the decline. Thoughtful, precise writing has been replaced by emails, tweets, FaceBook posts and briefings filled with incomplete thinking. This decline of writing skills is causing a corresponding decline in thinking skills (or is it the other way around?). Writing is most valuable as a powerful way of thinking. Writing helps us express our thoughts in a logical and coherent way. It forces us to critically examine our own thinking, which ultimately leads to better thinking, better problem solving, and – more than likely – better decision making. If we want better thinkers and decision makers, we should start by educating better writers.

Many people talk about thinking “outside the box” – sometimes, thinking is enough on its own.

SECDEF Carter rewiring the Pentagon in a wireless world

The new DoD Cyber Strategy is HERE.

Ash Carter to unveil DoD cyber strategy today

Five overarching strategic goals of DoD cyber strategy:

– development and maintenance of a cyber force.

– defense of DoD’s network.

– cyber defense of the homeland.

– development of a plan to control escalation during a conflict.

– closer work with foreign allies in order to build up capacity in the digital realm.

I wonder if he meant to say this

Paul A. Strassmann, in the April issue of SIGNAL magazine, said –

“The ultimate Defense Department cyber defenses will be found in a cadre of senior executives attracted to the conduct of cyber intelligence, which requires the application of technical aspects initiating cybercountermeasures.”

You can read his entire article HERE.

I think it is more likely that the ultimate DoD cyber defenses will be found outside that cadre of senior executives.

For my friend Jim Murphy – the writer

“You’re a writer. An artist. You write about things that matter to you and I’m sure you hope those things will matter to others, but even if they don’t you’re still going to do the work. That’s what artists do. It’s remarkable. But it’s more than that. It’s audacious. You don’t need recognition and approval. We might want it, and from time to time we may even wonder why we’re not getting more of it, but we: Don’t. Need. It.”

Bryan Hutchinson

Incoming: Reading and Leading

Fletcher School Dean James Stavridis in SIGNAL Magazine. You can read the article HERE.

“Once we understand how important reading is for leading, the next step of course is deciding what books to read. Here, the ultimate dilemma for any reader is apparent. There are an infinite number of books and an extremely finite number of hours to devote to actually reading. Where to start?”

I am ever hopeful that he will follow this new book with something about writing and leading. Reading and writing go together more so than “reading and leading”; it follows that writing and leading are inextricably linked, also.