James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors, as well as a poet. Following The Doors' explosive rise to fame in 1967, Morrison developed a severe alcohol and drug dependency that culminated in his death at the age of 27 in Paris. He is presumed to have died from a heroin …
The Forgotten Strategist—please come back, the world misses you. neoDemarconian Thought
“Whatever a man directs, if he knows what he wants and can get it, he will be a good director, whether he directs a chorus, an estate, a city or an army.” -Socrates (Xenophon - Memoirs of Socrates) One of the essential keys to leadership is strategy. Great leaders MUST be strategists first. This is …
NT3: No Time to Think: by J. William DeMarco
NT3: No Time to Think No time to choose when the truth must die No time to lose or say goodbye No time to prepare for the victim that's there No time to suffer or blink And there’s no time to think. -Bob Dylan Perhaps we should all have an ever so slight …
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Punk Rock Leadership: Simple & Authentic
By J. William DeMarco I hate to admit this, but the other day I was in the gym and a song by Katy Perry came on..."The One that Got Away.” Now, I am NOT a fan (it was forced on me...I was in the gym), but there is a line in the song...”...us against the …
David or Goliath—Choose Wisely and Don’t Forget Your Roots: DeMarco Banter
I have always been a huge Malcolm Gladwell fan. Sure I have read the cons of his books, but if a book gets you to STOP and think, it would seem that author has indeed done the reader a great service. Malcolm spoke at Catalyst East this year on his new book David and Goliath: …
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Leadership and Ethics: LEARN, PRACTICE, TRAIN (LPT)
“That’s why the philosophers warn us not to be satisfied with mere learning, but to add practice and then training. For as time passes we forget what we learned and end up doing the opposite, and hold opinions the opposite of what we should.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.9.13–14 When I was in the ACSC leadership Department …
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Meeting the Future Before It Gets Here…a plea for today’s leaders… DeMarco Banter
"It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed." - Harvey Firestone Blogger’s Note: This piece was written almost a decade ago—sometimes it is good to go back and review—has anything changed? Recently, the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, General Mark Welsh, noted: "Now more than any time …
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Consiglieri: Odd Title—Stellar Followership…and Leadership
The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. -Machiavelli Having several near back to back command jobs and two serving as a “vice”, I have spent a great deal of time contemplating, studying, and reading about how to be the best #2 possible. …
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Declining Empire, Leader Development, Innovation, Creativity, Warfare and DeMarco Banter
Empire, leadership development, innovation, creativity, and warfare. Maybe I worry about it too much, but when we look at the history of the world it seems the decline of empire is usually due to a decline in leadership and leader development. Perhaps a decline in the strong advocacy of stellar leadership and bold ideas and …
Enlightened by Starbucks? Good Ideas and Good Coffee…DeMarco Banter
It's a fascinating thing...something I have personally pondered from a long time... the thought that birthed Disruptive Thinking, Microclimates, and Leadership for Strategic Change. Did the coffeehouses in 17th century England lead to an acceleration in innovation and unusual levels of creativity? English coffeehouses in the 17th and 18th centuries were public social houses where people would meet for …
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