Dr. Benjamin J. Wendt’s Post

Hi Friends! I'm back at it, reading #business classics. This time, its "A Message to Garcia" by Elbert Hubbard. This short read (more of a pamphlet, really) is on MBA reading lists globally, and has been for the past 100+ years. The text tells the story of a Lieutenant in the Spanish-American war given a critical and seemingly impossible task by his #leadership. He carries it out without question, further instruction, or debate. It may have been this task that made all the difference. "It is not book learning [people] need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies, do the thing." My late father gifted me this book. His signature is in the front cover. The message this book delivers is so classically my dad. He was a respected executive, loyal soldier, and dedicated team leader. In every aspect he applied a dogged determination to get the task done. I'm proud to have inherited a tenth of his leadership skills, and sprinkling of his #character. I'm not advocating that all professionals act in such a way all the time, but there's something to be said about deploying this ability, drop your shoulder and push, that can get you, your org, or maybe the market through some tough times. And we've all seen tough times. What should be next on my reading list? What's on yours?

The great power competition between the US and China and Russia poses an enormous challenge to US leadership. But this is not the first time the US has been faced with such a task. Jim Sciutto joins David Rothkopf to discuss his new book, “The Return of Great Powers,” and why we’re currently living in a “1939 moment.” https://lnkd.in/eZYJTe98

The great power competition between the US and China and Russia poses an enormous challenge to US leadership. But this is not the first time the US has been faced with such a task. Jim Sciutto joins David Rothkopf to discuss his new book, “The Return of Great Powers,” and why we’re currently living in a “1939 moment.” https://lnkd.in/eZYJTe98

Leadership Lessons From The Great Books – Essays on Practical Politics by Theodore Roosevelt by Jesan Sorrells Leadership Lessons From The Great Books #91 – Essays on Practical Politics by Theodore Roosevelt— 00:00 Welcome and Introduction – Essays on Practical Politics 02:00 Leaders Have a Vision of the Future 05:41 Essays on Practical Politics by Theodore Roosevelt. 11:46 What Kind of Guardians Do We Want to Rule Over Us? 21:05 Effective Parliamentary […] #boomers #babyboomers

When was the last time you did what you thought was the right thing, even though it wasn’t very popular? Being a Leader isn’t easy and sometimes doing the right thing is super difficult. But, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The time is always right to do the right thing.” As you lead, make sure that you don’t back away from standing up for what is right. You set the tone for your Team, and it’s most important when it’s not easy. Be the example of action based on your principles, not just what is easy, or popular. #DoTheRightThing #Leadership #Principles #NeverMiss #BetterEveryDay

"𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀." - Retired Maj. Gen. John "Jack" Leide, from his book "Professional Courage: My Journey in Military Intelligence Through Peace, Crisis, and War" (p. 314, Kindle edition) You've all heard that saying that goes something like "you need to give people enough rope that they can learn and grow, but not so much rope that they hang themselves." There's a place somewhere between uncontrolled and micro-managing that is a sweet spot. But that sweet spot is different for: - each company, - each culture, - each function, - each situation, - each project, and - each person. One size does NOT fit all. Finding that sweet spot is an art, not a science. But it takes years of experience being a leader, and learning through trial and error. The best leaders get this right, down to the uniqueness of each of the people they lead.

Peter Drucker's quote is my man! his quote below emphasizes the proactive role individuals and organizations should take in shaping their destinies.

Reading books is a waste of time. Well, sort of. Over the last 18 months, I've gone through 24 books. Most were unnecessary and could deliver the same info in a 5 minute YouTube video. Here are 5 books for 5 skills that are worth your time 👇🏻 (#5 has helped land me several 5 fig retainer deals) 1️⃣ Leadership: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink/Leif Babin 👉🏻 Learn leadership principles used by the elite US Navy Seals and how to apply them in business & life. 2️⃣ Profit/Cashflow: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz 👉🏻 Took my business from $0 profit to 20-25% profit every month. 3️⃣ Marketing: Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz 👉🏻 Bible of advertising. If I had to pick 1 book related to advertising, it's always going to be this one. 4️⃣ Focus/Getting Stuff Done: Essentialism by Greg McKeown 👉🏻 Core idea of the book is to focus on less but better, achieving your goals faster. 5️⃣ Negotiation: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss 👉🏻 FBI hostage negotiator teaches all about the art of negotiation in life & business, based on hands-on experience in one of the toughest jobs in the world.

In "Brilliance," by Dr. Paul Levy, you can learn about Franklin Pierce's life-changing leadership and how it changed American society for good. Check the first comment to order your book now! #brilliance #drpaullevy #americanhistory #uspolitics #HistoricalBiograaphy #politicalhistory #PoliticalAnalysis #leadershiplessons

Abraham Lincoln, in search for opposition. Leadership, by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a biography of President Lincoln. In it, she explains, that President Lincoln had selected, purposefully, team members in his cabinet whose ideas and perspectives were different from his's. The argument behind this idea is that if he had only members in the cabinet who think like him, the ideas will be similar and the "thoughts out of the box" would be minimum, if not null. President Lincoln's approach was that he needed to have people who could challenge his ideas, and make sure he was properly taking care of other's ideas and perspectives when decisions were made. Today, we celebrate President Lincoln's birthday. I encourage you to learn more about his philosophy by reading/listening to this book (40 hr long on Audible format). But also I want to challenge you to have members in your cabinet who think differently from you so that your plan can consider perspectives that you did not or would not posses unless you get to learn about them through your cabinet (aka inner circle). #AwakeningMindsLLC #thisisleadership