Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

“An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidity, is the ultimate competitive advantage.”

— Jack Welch

Many of the world’s most successful organizations understand a simple truth: if you want consistency, culture, and long-term growth, you must invest in internal education. That is why companies like The Walt Disney Company built legendary programs such as Disney University, a concept highlighted in Doug Lipp’s excellent book Disney U. Disney recognized early on that world-class customer experiences do not happen by accident. They are taught, reinforced, and institutionalized.

I saw this firsthand early in my own career at Comcast Cable. Right out of college, I spent several years as a sales account executive attending Comcast University. It was far more than product training. It was an immersion into the company’s culture, sales philosophy, communication style, and ...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

The Strongest People I've Ever Known Are Mothers

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

— Abraham Lincoln

I'm writing this on Mother's Day weekend... and I’ve found myself thinking about the incredible strength of mothers everywhere — the quiet kind of strength that often goes unnoticed.

Mothers carry burdens without complaint. They sacrifice sleep, comfort, careers, and sometimes even their own dreams so their children can have opportunities they never had themselves. The world talks a lot about leadership, resilience, and grit, but if you really want to study those qualities, look closely at a mother.

I see it every day with my wife, Sarah.

She is the most amazing mother to our little Lukie. She is patient, loving, selfless, and somehow manages to make our home feel safe and warm no matter what chaos life throws our way. Even our Border Collie, Bandit, follows her around l...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Know Thyself; Know Thy Enemy

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

— Abraham Lincoln

I’ve always believed in the phrase made famous by Socrates: know thyself first.

At its core, this means understanding your strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and the areas where you need to improve or double down.  It’s about knowing your “go-to moves”: the stories, statistics, quotes, and philosophies that make up your personal arsenal.  In short, know what you can - and cannot - do.

But self-awareness isn’t an excuse to stay comfortable... it’s a launchpad.  You should constantly push your limits through discipline, physical challenges, and learning.  Growth comes from testing the edges of who you are.  Once you truly understand yourself, then - and only then - should you focus on your competition.

In CARVER Leadership: Lessons from the Board Room, War R...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

A Lesson in Character: Tim Tebow

“I think he’s the greatest competitor and maybe the greatest leader in the history of college football.”

— Urban Meyer

This past week, I traveled to the eMerge Americas Conference in Miami, an event centered on AI and its role in national security. The keynote speaker was Tim Tebow.

What the audience didn’t know at the time was this: just hours before taking the stage, Tebow had lost his father to Parkinson’s disease. And yet, you would have never known it.

Tebow showed up the way he always does, positive, grounded, and full of purpose. He spoke about faith, grit, and living a life that maximizes the blessings you’ve been given. Throughout his talk, he referenced his father often, not with sorrow, but with gratitude. You could feel the impact his dad had on shaping the man sitting in front of us.

One story, in particular, stood out.

At five years old, aft...

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 ...