Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

Everybody has value; even if to serve as a bad example. - Attila the Hun
When you consider, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” who is the last name that comes to mind?  Perhaps it’s Attila the Hun.

During his reign, Attila the Hun was one of the most feared enemies of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires.  In a second-hand description, Jordanes describes Attila this way, “He was a man born into the world to shake the nations, the scourge of all lands, who in some way terrified all mankind by the dreadful rumors noised abroad concerning him. He was haughty in his walk, rolling his eyes hither and thither, so that the power of his proud spirit appeared in the movement of his body.  He was indeed a lover of war…”

Interestingly, Dr. Jose Bolton—a retired Air Force Colonel, who was a key advisor and mentor of mine in the Johnson Space Center’s HR Development Office—offered me a book along with this advice, as he returned to the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, “My best for you as you lead the team.”

I had just been named the HR Director for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and Dr. Bolton gave me a copy of Dr. Wess Roberts’ Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun.

Over the years, I learned to heed Dr. Bolton’s advice, so I quickly read the book.  Here, I’ve distilled a summary for you.

Click here to continue

Learning Lakota Leadership Lessons

We seem to have lost the wisdom of the indigenous people, which dictated that in any major decision, the first consideration was 'How will this decision we're making today affect our people in the future? These days, decisions are made based on the bottom line. - Jane Goodall

Today is a Federal Holiday, so I get a day off from work.  President Benjamin Harrison started celebrating Columbus Day in 1892 to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in the Bahamas. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made Columbus Day a national holiday.

As President Trump’s proclamation put it, “The permanent arrival of Europeans to the Americas was a transformative event that undeniably and fundamentally changed the course of human history and set the stage for the development of our great Nation.  Therefore, on Columbus Day, we honor the skilled navigator and man of faith, whose courageous feat brought together continents and has inspired countless others to pursue their dreams and convictions — even in the face of extreme doubt and tremendous adversity.”

However, like most things political these days, there is not a consensus for celebration.  President Obama reflected, “As we reflect on the adventurers throughout history who charted new courses and sought new heights, let us remember the communities who suffered, and let us pay tribute to our heritage and embrace the multiculturalism that defines the American experience.”

This year, several states and U.S. cities will not observe Columbus Day but will instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day.

This is an interesting point for my blog, which is focused on the seventh of Jesus Christ’s beatitudes—“Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”—this month.  Given the focus on “Indigenous People” by many—and my corresponding lack of study about them—I decided to dedicate today to learning leadership from Native Americans.  That’s when I found The Power of Four: Leadership Lessons of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III.

Click here to learn Lakota leadership lessons.