Decline of Empire and How Can The Jedi Return? DeMarco Banter

DECLINE OF EMPIRE The concept of empires and their rise and fall has been a personal topic of interest and a discussion among historians and scholars for centuries. Among the most influential works on this subject is the writing of British military historian Sir John Bagot Glubb (also known as Glubb Pasha), who proposed a …

David Byrne, The Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, How Music Works in Leadership, Innovation, and Strategy: DeMarco Banter

I recently finished reading David Byrne’s 2019 book "How Music Works”. For those that don’t know David Byrne is a well-known musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and principal songwriter of the band Talking Heads.  In "How Music Works", Byrne shares his extensive knowledge and experience in the music industry and …

Grit in Leadership, Innovation, and Strategy: DeMarco Banter

Angela Duckworth introduced the concept of grit in her 2016 book "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance". In the book, she describes grit as a combination of passion and perseverance, and argues that it is a critical factor in determining success in life and work. She provides research-based evidence to support her claims, and …

What Can the Rock Music Industry Teach the US Military About Innovation?  “Walk This Way.”

“It’s not about standing still and becoming safe. If anybody wants to keep creating they have to be about change.” - Miles Davis Many people probably do not initially see the parallels between the rock industry and the American military, and in fact, one might think they have been at odds with each other for …

Risk Takers and Ants Marching–The Key to Innovation

There is a great deal of conversation around the concept of bold and innovative leaders as of late.  To be truly bold and innovative requires a leader to take risk, and risk requires courage.  So, how brave are you?  How brave is your organization?  Will it tolerate risk?  Will it tolerate our potential failure?  This is …