— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu above. —
THAT’D BE THE NORTH DAKOTA BADLANDS, not far from my area. There’d be ranchin’ and huntin’ as made famous by Teddy Roosevelt. History says he purposely sojourned there to build personal toughness to spite a favored New York upbringing. By herding cattle, hunting game, and capturing outlaws in a land known for harsh weather and imposing geography TR gained lessons for leadership. He said so himself.
Well, Teddy went on to serve in the department of the Navy, lead troops in the Spanish-American war, win New York’s governorship, and serve as USA Vice President and, then, as President. Looks like he knew something of leadership, especially given he earned a Nobel Peace Prize, the only recipient of a military Medal of Honor to do so. Listen up: The leadership path is not necessarily rosy; you can learn from tough times—one’s bad lands.