Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

CARVER Leadership Webinar

A Free Webinar with Leadership Lessons from the Boardroom, War Room, and Locker Room

I had originally planned to host a live webinar this Wednesday to introduce my new book, CARVER Leadership: Lessons from the Boardroom, War Room, and Locker Room.

But this week pulled me in a different direction. I’ve been called down to Miami for a major security conference, and I won’t be able to deliver it live the way I intended. Rather than cancel, I decided to do something better.

I’ve recorded the full one-hour session and I’m making it available for you to watch on your own time.

Please enjoy this free hour-long webinar that coincides with the release of my new book, CARVER Leadership: Lessons from the Boardroom, War Room, and Locker Room

This book - and this webinar - are a little different from anything I’ve done before. Most of my work has been focused on metho...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Self-Worth vs. Self-Esteem

“Whether you think you can or you think you can't - you're right.”

— Henry Ford

Contrary to popular opinion, we are not a product of our circumstances. We are a product of our decisions. As such, there’s a defining line between people who chase success and those who create it. It comes down to the difference between self-esteem and self-worth.

Self-esteem says: “I believe in myself when I succeed.”

Self-worth says: “I believe in myself, so I will succeed.”

Take Tom Brady. Drafted 199th overall, overlooked, underestimated - there was no early evidence he’d become the greatest of all time. If Brady relied on self-esteem, he would have waited for proof. Instead, he operated from self-worth. He believed he belonged before the wins came and then he built a career that validated it.

Look at Sara Blakely. No fashion experience. Rejected by manufacturers. Starting with $5,0...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Reliability Means Holding the Rope

“You hold the rope for the guy next to you. That’s what teams do. That’s what families do. You never let go...”

— Lou Holtz

The word “reliable” stems from the Latin root religere, which means “to bind” or “to tie back.” Over time, this evolved into the French relier, meaning “to fasten or connect.” At its essence, Reliability is about connection – about being the kind of person or leader to which others can bind themselves without fear of the rope breaking.

One of the most enduring metaphors for Reliability in the world of sports and military training is the concept of “holding the rope.” The phrase comes from the idea that, in the most dangerous of climbs or missions, every team member is metaphorically tied to the others.

When you hold the rope, you are taking responsibility not just for your own position but for the lives, safety and success of everyone around...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Chuck Norris: Consistency of Character

“Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth.”

— Chuck Norris

 This past week, the world lost a living legend.  Chuck Norris passed away at the age of 86.

And while most people remember the jokes…

• “When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.”
• “Since 1940 - the year Chuck Norris was born - roundhouse kick-related deaths have increased 13,000 percent.”
• "Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because Chuck Norris only recognizes the element of surprise."

They’re funny.  Memorable.

But there was always something more to the man than internet memes.

In the 80s, action heroes looked larger than life.

Sylvester Stallone had the muscles.

Arnold Schwarzenegger had the presence.

And Bruce Willis brought grit, sarcasm, and the everyman edge.

But Chuck Norris was different.

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Do Clothes Really Make the Man?

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”

— Mark Twain

There’s an old line often attributed to William Shakespeare: “The apparel oft proclaims the man.” The idea is simple - what you wear sends a message before you ever speak.

But the real question is this: does it merely signal who you are… or can it actually shape who you become?

I first confronted that question in the late 1990s on a trip to Milan. Back then, before the introduction of the euro, the Italian lira was incredibly favorable to the dollar. That meant something usually out of reach suddenly felt possible.

So, I made the decision to have a custom-tailored Brioni suit made at their opulent store.

It cost me $1,200. Today, that same suit would start around $6,000–$10,000.

While the tailor (Massimo) was taking my measurements, I remember looking out through th...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Colin Powell's 13 Leadership Laws

“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.”

— Colin Powell

The late Colin Powell has always been one of my favorite leadership figures. I’ve often thought he would have made a terrific President of the United States if he had ever decided to run. Recently, I picked up his book again, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership, and it reminded me why I admire his approach so much. Powell had a very straightforward and honest way of looking at leadership. He believed success rarely comes from one big breakthrough moment. More often, it’s the result of steady leadership, clear thinking, and the discipline to keep pushing forward when others hesitate. But what really stands out to me are his “13 Rules of Leadership.” They’re simple, practical, and they say a lot about the kind of character Powell ...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Beware of The Pike Effect

“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”

— Sven Goran Eriksson

In the late 1800s, a fascinating experiment was conducted by researchers studying animal behavior. They placed a pike — a predatory fish — into a tank filled with smaller fish it normally preyed upon. As expected, the pike immediately began hunting and feeding.

Then the researchers inserted a glass barrier into the tank, separating the pike from the smaller fish. The pike repeatedly tried to attack its prey but slammed into the invisible barrier each time. After enough failed attempts, the pike stopped trying altogether.

Here’s the surprising part: eventually the glass barrier was removed. The smaller fish were once again free in the tank with the pike. But, the pike didn’t attack them. Even though the barrier was gone, the pike had learned that trying was pointless. It had conditioned itself t...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

When the World Shifts Overnight

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

— Marcus Aurelius

This past weekend brought sudden geopolitical developments in the Middle East. Coordinated military strikes by the United States and Israel against targets in Iran — followed by Iran’s response — reminded the world how quickly the strategic landscape can shift.

Opinions will vary. But one reality does not: stability is never permanent. The world moves whether you’re ready or not.

None of us controls geopolitics. But every leader controls how seriously they take preparation.

In security circles, we call it war-gaming. In business, it’s scenario planning. In leadership, it’s the discipline of asking a simple question: If this changes, what does it change for us? Not from fear. From responsibility.

When I teach the CARVER methodology — and what I call CARVER Le...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

One Dying Quail Per Week

"Improve by 1% each day and in just one year, you'll be 37 times better."

— James Clear

In the classic ’80s baseball comedy Bull Durham, Nuke Laloosh (played by Tim Robbins) gets the call every minor leaguer dreams about - the promotion to “the Show,” i.e., the major leagues. His mentor, Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), hears the news in a smoky pool hall. He’s a little drunk. A little wounded. And fully aware that he will never receive that call himself.

Crash is smarter. More polished. A true student of the game. But Nuke has the million-dollar arm. “All my body parts put together don’t add up to seven cents a pound,” Crash says with brutal honesty.

Then he delivers a short, drunken monologue about the razor-thin margin between good and great to Nuke:

“Know what the difference between hitting .250 and .300 is? It’s 25 hits… There’s 25 weeks in a season. That means if you...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

CARVER Leadership and 300 Spartans

“Molon labe!" ("Come and take them.")

— King Leonidas I

In 480 BC, at a narrow coastal pass called Thermopylae, a small Greek force stood against the massive invading army of Persian King Xerxes. According to legend, 300 Spartan warriors led by King Leonidas held the chokepoint for three days against overwhelming odds. Though ultimately defeated, their stand delayed the Persian advance and galvanized the rest of Greece to unite and fight back.

The story was later immortalized in 300, where King Leonidas is portrayed as the embodiment of defiant courage. But beyond the cinematic slow motion and dramatic speeches lies something more practical: a leadership model built on standards, discipline, and unity.

That’s where CARVER Leadership comes into focus.

Leadership is choosing to stay when others are free to leave.

C – Capability

Leonidas selected warriors...