Articles with leadership

Quality Self-Defense Training Builds Character

IDPA target to illustrate the importance of firearms trainingAn article in Psychology Today suggests that training seriously and responsibly for armed self-defense contributes to developing a sense of human empathy and strengthens human character.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Greatest Man… ]

The article’s author, David Yamane, professor of sociology at Wake Forest University, writes that those who are dedicated to improving their self-defense knowledge and skills “see that it is indeed appropriate at times to use our human capacity for violence pro-socially, in defense of self, loved ones, children, the weak and infirm, and other innocents. Gun Culture 2.0, to borrow an idea from sociologist Harel Shapira, sees defensive violence as ‘civilized’ rather than barbaric.”

Desmond T. Doss: Example of Stalwart Character

Buy the book Desmond Doss Conscientious Objector: The Story of an Unlikely Hero through this affiliate link with AmazonDesmond Doss (#LiveLikeDoss) was the only man to win the US Congressional Medal of Honor while serving under conscientious objector status. A devoted Seventh-Day Adventist, Doss asked for non-combatant status when he was drafted in 1942, but he was told that he could only serve as a C.O.

Doss trained as a military medic and proved himself a selfless hero during the fierce battle for Okinawa. When 75 wounded GIs were stranded atop the Maeda Escarpment, Doss personally made sure each one was lowered to safety, all of this taking place under heavy enemy fire. During his military service, Doss also received the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, all without harming another human being.

“He was one of the bravest persons alive, and then to have him end up saving my life was the irony of the whole thing,” said Capt. Jack Glover in a documentary about Doss’ life. Glover had wanted Doss out of the unit when he first joined up.

Make Your Bed, Change Your World

Buy the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World through this affiliate link with AmazonAdmiral William McRaven (Ret.) thought commanding the raid on terrorist Osama bin Laden’s compound would be the pinnacle achievement of his 37 years as a Navy SEAL, until he gave his 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin that went viral. His topic, a lesson in personal responsibility, spoke to millions worldwide and became the bestselling book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World.

His premise reflects the principles of SemperVerus living: make the right choices every moment of every day, no matter how seemingly minuscule, in order to not deviate from your course; in order to Stay True!

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Leadership Lessons From the Allied Invasion of Normandy

Buy the book Desmond Doss Conscientious Objector: The Story of an Unlikely Hero through this affiliate link with AmazonThe book Agility: How to Navigate the Unknown and Seize Opportunity in a World of Disruption by Leo M. Tilman and Charles Jacoby (Missionday, 2019) includes a chapter examining what the World War II Allied D-Day invasion of Normandy demonstrates about the power and utility of organizational agility (and by extension, SemperVerus living). The authors define agility as “the organizational capacity to effectively detect, assess, and respond to environmental changes in ways that are purposeful, decisive, and grounded in the will to win.” Agile organizations possess both strategic and tactical strengths. The authors identify the three essential competencies that constitute the pillars of agility as

  • risk intelligence
  • decisiveness
  • execution dexterity.