Watching people on the streets of North Korea, you see a different culture than in New York City. In three cumulative weeks in North Korea I saw almost no one hurrying or seeming like they wanted to get somewhere important. I was curious if I could find a root cause. From a leadership perspective — that is, for someone who wants to motivate and lead others — how do capitalism and[…] Keep reading →

Following up on Vietnam, leadership, and the War Remembrance Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, I wanted to include some quotes by Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam war. As the BBC’s obituary noted, To anti-war protesters at the time, McNamara became something of a hate figure, an arrogant ultra-hawk responsible for escalating the war. He fully supported, Johnson’s decision to put ground troops into Vietnam in[…] Keep reading →

Within its borders, especially during an election year, the U.S. has an overwhelming voice of “we’re number one.” Outside its borders, I feel like within my lifetime the world’s perception of the country has declined significantly. You feel that loss poignantly in a country like Vietnam, which can claim having defeated the U.S. against overwhelming force. Effective leadership, I believe, has to understand other voices, even those it disagrees with.[…] Keep reading →

The number one defining property of leaders Defining property number one about leaders from leadership guru Michael Feiner (and my professor) is leaders ship. They get the job done. Nobody I know of whose paycheck doesn’t originate with fossil fuels or fundamentalist religion believes we are heading in a healthy direction for our environment. But we all respond to incentives and the incentives of our system — huge roads, low[…] Keep reading →

My recent trip revealed a distinction about North Korea I now believe likely drives its decision-makers’ behavior. I consider the following important enough to incorporate into my book. Founding Myths Every country has its founding myths and stories. They help define its values and culture, motivating people’s behavior, relationships with each other, and relationships abroad. Who divided the Koreas and how — founding North Korea in the process — explains[…] Keep reading →

We visited North Korea for ten days in April, in part for the hundredth anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s birth. North Korea is amazing. This trip surpassed our first in many ways, as before in ways we could never have predicted and, having experienced it, can’t explain, much as we’d like to. Everyone on the trip agreed, as happened with the first trip. You had to be there to feel[…] Keep reading →

The major “Communist” countries my country invaded or fought during the Cold War without doing so well — I just visited (or smoked a cigar from). It gives you the opportunity to learn. The dominant voices in the United States, especially during an election year, cheer that we’re number one. You hardly hear anything else. I can’t imaging a politician disagreeing in the slightest having a hope of election. Seeing[…] Keep reading →