In this podcast, I state what I believe are the six most critical leadership traits that anyone in a position of authority needs to master. They can be applied to nearly any circumstance or situation.
Month: March 2020
In Trying To Avoid One Harm, You May Cause A Worse One
Aesop tells the following tale called “The Son and the Painted Lion.” A fearful old man was worried about his robust son’s enthusiasm for hunting wild game. He imagined that the son’s courage might go too far, and result in serious bodily injury or death. So he did everything he could to shelter and sequester his son; yet his fears grew constantly, even reaching the point where he began to dream about possible disasters.
Smoked Pork Neck Bones And Black Beans
I was in a grocery store the other day and saw a package of smoked pork neck bones. I don’t recall ever eating them before; but they were enticing, and I had a good intuition on how they might be prepared. Slow-cooked with spices and black beans, I thought, and they might evoke memories of Brazilian feijoada. Now before you rap my knuckles, understand that I am not saying this is anything that approximates feijoada: I know that the real thing requires multiple steps and is a very complicated dish. I only say that this dish may evoke memories of that venerable Brazilian dish. Decide for yourself. In any case, this is a simple matter to prepare, is very inexpensive, and is undeniably delicious.
A Simple Dish With Pinto Beans And Chilies
I’m going to share an easy and satisfying recipe that I threw together yesterday. It doesn’t have a name, and I didn’t get it from any recipe book. I’ve been experimenting with this very useful Instant Pot pressure cooker lately, and thought readers might want to hear about this. If you don’t have one of these, you should consider getting one. Even if you don’t have one, you can make this recipe on the stove in a pot, although the preparation time will be longer. It’s very easy, and you can substitute different ingredients, or add additional ingredients. It’s all up to you.
The Font Of Life And Leadership
How often do we really think about time, and our interactions with it? We know that Augustine of Hippo, in his Confessions (XI.20), expended significant effort on the nature of time, and its effect on human affairs. In his view it was not accurate to say, as we normally do, that the three “times” are past, present, and future. The better way of understanding our perception of time, he says, is to observe that the three “varieties” of time co-existing in our souls are the following:
Captain Adolf Von Schell On Leadership And Composure In Adversity (Podcast)
Captain Adolf Von Schell was an infantry officer in the German Army during the First World War. In 1930 he gave a series of lectures on battle leadership to American officers at the Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia. These presentations were later collected into a book called Battle Leadership. In this podcast, I read a short selection from Capt. Von Schell’s book, and discuss its relevance for today.
The Monkey Atop The Ship’s Mast, And How To Deal With Him
A nineteenth-century volume of nautical lore provides the following story of a strange incident at sea. In 1818 there was a ship—its name is not recorded by the tale’s author—on its homeward voyage from Jamaica to Whitehaven, England. One of the passengers was a young mother with her infant child, who was only several weeks old. One day, the ship’s captain saw something on the horizon, and offered his spyglass to the mother, so that she might for herself see what it was. She wrapped her child in her shawl and placed it carefully on the seat where she had been sitting.
Special Kindle Discount Sale: Limited Time Only, From March 16 To March 19
In response to requests by students and instructors who want them for classroom use and recreational reading, Fortress of the Mind Publications will be offering, for a limited time only, a special discount sale on all of Quintus Curtius’s translations in Kindle format. All of them are fully annotated, with commentary and indices. They are the only existing translations of these classics that are both faithful to the originals, and yet readable as works of literature for a modern audience. Simply look, and compare.
The Complete Lecture Series On “Stoic Paradoxes” And “On Moral Ends”
In 2015 and 2018, I made a series of podcasts discussing Cicero’s Stoic Paradoxes and On Moral Ends. In response to continuing interest and questions, I thought it would be useful to provide all the links to these lectures in one place. Having all of them consolidated can be a real convenience, and I want to do everything I can to assist students and general readers. The most benefit can be gained from these podcasts if listeners also have the texts of my translations of these works.
Having Too Many Choices, And Falling Into Ruts (Podcast)
A reader has some questions about some possible choices in his life. We comment on this, and talk about: (1) how having too many choices can inhibit progress; (2) why you should focus on internals, and not externals; (3) why character and determination are all-important; and (4) how you need to shock yourself out of the self-imposed ruts you can very easily slip into.
Quintus Curtius 
You must be logged in to post a comment.