My passion for history was recently reignited through DVDs offered by The Teaching Company.   (I highly recommend courses by professors Guelzo, Childers and Fears.)   The courses help me draw insights from some of the world’s greatest challenges and apply them to modern-day crisis management. 

You think today’s corporate leaders-in-crisis are up against the wall?  Compare them to General Washington’s challenge in early December, 1776, when the prospect of sustained independence for the American states (nee, colonies) was most bleak. 

Washington’s dwindling Continental army and militia were badly defeated in New York, chased across New Jersey and were licking their wounds on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River.  Congress recently abandoned Philadelphia for Baltimore, to add distance from advancing British Regiments.  Many soldiers were lost to battle or defections (indeed, nearly 3,000 swore allegiance to the king through an amnesty proclamation offered by the British).  Remaining soldiers were near the end of the one-year term of enlistment previously imposed by Congress.  Continue reading Paine’s Echoes →