Adducent

They made a good choice! We are proud to know Donna and to have published her award winning book, Porcelain On Steel | Women of West Point’s Long Gray Line. Donna is a staunch advocate for veterans and has worked tirelessly on behalf of women veteran’s rights. The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Lindenmeyer, one of the women profiled in Donna’s book, has also been appointed to this committee.

Read the press release from the Department of Defense

The ebook and paperback is available now from Greg Slavonic, author of Leadership In Action: 

“Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”

- Harry S. Truman

Leadership is a word heard in the news every day.

It has received more emphasis in the past four years than ever before due to what some would say a failure of leadership by many in positions of authority within our government and corporate America.

The need for leadership has perhaps never been more important than it is today.

Leaders who come from a military career or have previously served in the military have a perspective on how to lead and how to be effective. In the military, when a person is given the responsibility to lead, he or she does exactly that – they lead.

Those serving under them can trust and believe in what they say. Their word is their bond.

Today we need such honesty… we need such faith and trust… more importantly we need our leaders to do the job required of them.

That’s what this book is about. ORDER NOW

 Contributors (alphabetically):

Brian T. Costello, Captain, U.S.Navy (Retired)

D. Kevin Elliott, Master Chief, U.S. Navy

Thomas F. Hall, former Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower & Reserve Affairs)

Steve Valley, Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army Reserve

John Wagner, Major, U.S. Army Reserve

Donald J. Wetekam, Lieutenant General, USAF (Retired)

Rob Wray, Rear Admiral, U.S.Navy

James G. Zumwalt, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)

From Dennis Lowery |

I’m proud to tell you a little bit about a new book we’re publishing (coming in July) from Greg Slavonic, author of Leadership In Action:

“Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”

- Harry S. Truman

Leadership is a word heard in the news every day.

It has received more emphasis in the past four years than ever before due to what some would say a failure of leadership by many in positions of authority within our government and corporate America.

The need for leadership has perhaps never been more important than it is today.

Leaders who come from a military career or have previously served in the military have a perspective on how to lead and how to be effective. In the military, when a person is given the responsibility to lead, he or she does exactly that – they lead.

Those serving under them can trust and believe in what they say. Their word is their bond.

Today we need such honesty… we need such faith and trust… more importantly we need our leaders to do the job required of them.

That’s what this book is about.

From Dennis Lowery

Our veterans and current service men and women know a side of life that someone who has not served may not grasp fully. It does not mean that one has lived or lives a life that is less or more than the other but rather that their scope of life and perspective is different contextually. We judge everything by experience and military service by its very nature brings with it unique experience (to say the least).

I recall vividly the day I entered boot camp, the day I reported to my ship and the day when lines were cast off for my first deployment, my first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, onboard the USS Montgomery (FF-1082) in 1979 headed to the Middle East. These were all “beginnings” for me–they were steps into new worlds and new experiences. Serving in the United States Navy, and those I served with, taught me more about myself than I could have ever possibly learned in any other way. It put me on the path to becoming who I am today, which is not how I might have turned out otherwise.

This Memorial Day please think of it as something more than a three-day weekend (for many people). Pause at some point during your possibly hectic plans for the weekend and honor the memory of those who have served and to appreciate those who continue to serve.

I wrote the following recently and realized that my first conscious thought of what I came to believe about much in life was when I made that first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean:

“A tiny thing is Mankind, on the scale of the Universe, but in some people their soul is the Universe.”

We are all small in the grand scheme of things but some have within us the power to make our reality much larger… much more complete and to our liking. We see not just who we are, but who we can become. We appreciate what we have yet still reach towards a goal or objective. Stretching ourselves.

Those of us who were not born perfect know that each day of our life is an opportunity to learn more, do more and be more. Even if it’s only a small step, a bit of progress or when your personal circle of enlightenment expands slightly to push back the shadows and darkness of the path ahead and that borders the sides of the road we travel in life.

The above thought comes to me as part of my own set of memories and reflections for this Memorial Day. So I leave this with my best wishes for you and the following poem (that many of us can relate to about life and service).

Invictus (by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903)

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Book Review from NewsOK:

Leadership In Action, should be read and studied by those who seek to make a difference. According to the author (retired Rear Admiral Greg Slavonic), honor, courage and commitment must be the cornerstones for our country’s return to greatness.

Read More

Our country has witnessed leadership successes and failures, some large some small, at different times throughout its history. Much like what an individual experiences throughout their life—we all have bad times and good times. Our most recent “bad times” highlight so strongly a number of leadership failures that led to them—that books like this one are necessary. This book provides the reader with a collection of highly successful real-world leaders detailing their own sound fundamental principles on how to lead, what to do as a leader and most importantly—how not to lose sight of the objective of the mission. Corporate America and leaders (or those who want to become more effective leaders) of businesses of all sizes and kinds can learn much from the experiences and guidance shared in this book.

There are fewer things more complicated and high-risk than responsibility for the men and women in our military and our relationship with other nations. No matter the branch, much of the time even routine daily tasks bring with them the reality of people in life or death situations. On the international scene, small errors and incidents are magnified, often having out-sized consequences. To lead in this environment and succeed at the highest levels, takes uncommon courage and skill. To say it is challenging would be an understatement. This book shares details of the men and women who rose to the challenge—in the reading, you can learn from them transferrable skills and qualities that will have just as much success in the business world as they have proven in the military.

Those who contributed to this book would rightly be on a “Who’s Who” list of our nation’s most highly honored and decorated military leaders; two-, three- and four-star Generals, Admirals, Captains, Colonels and Commanders; war heroes and two Medal of Honor recipients—they know what it takes to lead and to succeed.