A Curator of Strategy, Leadership, Spirituality, and Rock and Roll…. "Changing the world…one "contact" at a time…."
Articles by me or at least mostly by me…
Eisenhower took office at a time of wars both cold and hot. One of his first actions was a complete rethinking of foreign policy. Can we learn from Ike’s example? By J. William DeMarco. Link to published article in Stanford's Hoover Digest: https://www.hoover.org/research/may-best-ideas-win Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft. —Winston …
Continue reading "May the Best Ideas Win: By J. William DeMarco"
As the USAF prepares for new challenges and opportunities of the coming decades, it faces sobering 21st-century realities: pandemics, rising state on state competition, global centers of power have become more distributed and the terrorism threat more dispersed. Most importantly, the emerging environment is demonstrating a trend that could prove to be the defining one …
Continue reading "The Future Leader We Need Now: DeMarco Banter"
The Byrds were an iconic band when I was growing up, although they were well before my time, the music is in a sense timeless. The song Eight Miles High was always one where there seemed there was this confluence of a million things all happening at once and as I did some “research” I …
With all the COVID impacts, I had the opportunity to speak with the Society of British Neurosurgeons Symposium on making change in large organizations. Click Here
Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine! Most natural diamonds are formed at high temperature and pressure at depths of 87 to 118 miles in the Earth's mantle. Diamonds are made to shine using grit. All gems are cut and polished by progressive abrasion using …
Continue reading "Shine On You Crazy Diamond—How To Get a Diamond To Shine"
By J. William DeMarco “There must be a pony in here somewhere." Optimism... something I struggle with...but I am getting better... Our future will not be determined by our complaints....life is full of issues, surprises, events we never saw coming... and I have yet to have a bad assignment or a bad job...so, perhaps it …
Continue reading "Pony Optimism or the Wisdom of Ronald Reagan"
In my day job we spend a great deal of time focusing on developing leaders of moral character, so I was ecstatic when I came across a story from Tony Dungy from his days with the Colts. Dungy mentions the extreme talent of draft prospects coming out of college. At times, players would have plenty …
How many times have you heard our environment has changed—it’s now more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) today than every before? I’m not 100% convinced this is true. Go back just in American history. Did George Washington live in uncertain times? Did Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, or LBJ live in uncertain, complex, …
Continue reading "Leader Development in the V.U.C.A. Environment: Neo-DeMarcoian Thought"
Years ago, as a squadron commander, it dawned on me that sometimes the best performers in the squadron were not the individuals with the strongest pedigree. I know many of you are thinking, “Really Bill? It took you that long?” Those who know me understand; it just takes me awhile. In many conversations I referred …
Continue reading "The Strong B+ Leader: “A New Theory of Leadership”"
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