When we were young boys, there was no show like “The Lone Ranger” depicting the exploits of Texas Ranger, John Reid. He was who we wanted to be when we grew up – brave, honest, fit – and he had no tolerance for bandits or dishonest people. He and his equally brave and virtuous companion, Tonto, captivated our generation one night a week.
We’ve often said, and truly believe, that culture does indeed trump everything else. It’s where your mission, intent, and shared values come to life. Far from a contemporary buzzword, culture is enduring – and a culture of excellence is extremely hard to establish, nurture, and grow. But it sure is worth the investment.
We spent years out of balance, and it’s a tough realization to come to understand that you can’t get a baseball season back years later, or a high school prom, or just a walk with your life partner on a quiet afternoon. Make the leadership commitment today to” Balance the Personal and Professional”.
Before air assaulting his Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry into Vietnam’s Ia Drang Valley on 14 November 1965, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, the battalion commander, declared “when we step on the battlefield, I will be the first boots on and that last boots off”. Three days later, the battalion was extracted after defeating an enemy force eight times its size. Through the battle, Hal Moore and his leaders displayed amazing leadership and were definitely in charge.
We believe that great leaders live by an absolute set of core values, 24/7. These individuals are hard wired to “walk the talk”.
One of our most prominent recollections from our cadet days at West Point is the farewell speech by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur to the Corps of Cadets when he received the Thayer Award on May 12, 1962. It is one of the most eloquent speeches we have ever heard — and we can only imagine what it must have been like to have been in the audience on that remarkable day.
