My Navy leadership training involved watching certain movies in class: I remember: Lawrence of Arabia; 12 O’clock High; The Longest Day; The Enemy Below; and The Caine Mutiny. (This must show how old I am.) There is a lot about leadership in these films. Each supported an interesting discussion and a few essays.

There are two schools of thought about leadership: You are born with it; or, you learn it. I have come to the conclusion that some are indeed born with it but those who are not can usually (but not always) still learn how to do it well. Those who are born with it are not necessarily leaders towards good things, and may be dangerous to associate with.

One of my sons is a natural leader. I regret that I did not see this in him, but his father in law, an Army colonel, did, and so did his employer Board Chairman who had promoted him to Managing Director by the time he was 31. I can claim no credit for nurturing these qualities in him, and I am embarrassed that I did not even recognize them.

I actually bought all those books when it was suggested to me that I should read what my business leadership read as a means of transitioning from the military to corporate America. Then I saw what kind of leaders these business folks were and decided that if those books helped create that, then I’d be better off not reading them at all.