As a kid growing up on a remote cattle ranch in Wyoming, I grew up scrappy. I had to be fast to outrun a charging bull and innovative enough to find a way to saddle a horse so tall that my stirrup came to rest at eye level. I never thought much about well-being and...
As an FBI agent, I quickly learned that the “needs of the Bureau” would always come first. Transfers, assignments, and caseloads were handed out with little or no consideration for how they would impact the agent. We were given jobs that often seemed impossible to fit...
Most of us have a desire to close the gap between the person we are and the person we’d like to be. Ironically, few of us have a detailed plan for getting there. It’s much easier to muddle through the seasons of life with a vague understanding of what matters most to...
I grew up on a cattle ranch in Wyoming, where I spent more time with animals than with people. I love animals, even the smelly ones with bad tempers who fling snot and stomp the ground. When I moved into an urban area, I had to leave them behind, but I kept fond...
Imagine a freezing and windy day in the middle of winter. Fingers are so cold that you hug your armpits for the warmth of skin. An FBI firearms instructor shouts orders, and at his command, you drop to the ice and snow on the ground and aim your weapon at a target...
As an FBI agent, one of the first things I learned was that the real threat to my existence didn’t dwell in dark and dangerous places. Instead, it was complacency that could lead to my extinction. There are all sorts of ways to die. Sometimes it’s our bodies, but...
Examples of poor leadership skills surround us. All too common, we see selfish, opinionated, greedy, and deceitful people move into the upper echelons of leadership. Politics might be the first area that pops into the minds of many of us, but we can find the same...
First came the Great Resignation, only to be followed by the Great Emergence as the workplace drags itself into a post-pandemic existence. The emerging reality for leaders is that Covid has made well-being an urgent priority. A recent Gallop Poll indicates that “fewer...
Major FBI investigations are intense and usually slow-moving because of the case’s complexity. For example, I was among many agents assigned to interview witnesses after the terrorist attack of 9/11; supervisors told us to show up seven days a week and work...
The FBI had identified Nicholas (not his real name) as a Russian intelligence officer in San Francisco. The Russian government tasked Nicholas to steal classified technology. My job was to either recruit him to work for the FBI or gather enough evidence to have him...
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