Leader | Communicator | Adventurer
This week the president of Georgetown University released a statement condemning the use of violent speech aimed at people based on gender, ethnicity or political affiliation. This statement came one day after professor Christine Fair called for extreme violence against men nationwide, contradicting the most basic rules that the Jesuit institution purports to hold all … Continue reading When Twitter… almost… outdoes Georgetown on Ethics
I completed my first college degree at Lee University in 2001. One of the most important factors for why I chose Lee is the school’s unapologetic Christian grounding. I wanted to study in an environment that would not marginalize me as a Christian. Not every student at Lee is a Christian. Not every professing Christian … Continue reading Principle Matters, especially at a Christian University
Lori and I attended the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) last week. It was the fourth year in a row for me. A friend introduced me to the two-day summit in 2015. It has been a must-attend every since. I look forward to learning from world class leaders and authors who have diverse backgrounds in areas … Continue reading Re-birthing the Global Leadership Summit as Sexual Crisis Rages
In 2018 White House Communication Director, Hope Hicks, became one more professional communicator to make headlines when she admitted to lying on behalf of her employer. Honesty is a key value that PR industry codes of ethics demand, whether it be the Arthur W. Page Society, the Public Relations Society of America or the International … Continue reading Focus, Honest Capability Assessment and Geography Matters: 3 Fundamentals I have learned as a Military Communication Officer
Yesterday another school shooting happened. A monstrous human being used a gun to murder and terrorize innocent young men and women in Florida. This has happened before. As a nation, we collectively mourn and look for ways to direct our anger at making sure this never happens again. It is right and just to seek … Continue reading The Problem with Immediate Blame
The Army is the largest military service in the U.S. Department of Defense. The Army’s public affairs (PA) program traces its history back to Gen. Douglass McArthur. As a young officer serving overseas, he is said to have believed in the importance of communicating soldiers’ stories to the public back in the states. That directive … Continue reading Introducing Professional Ethics to the Army Public Affairs Program
It’s that magical time of year again: when political theater of the absurd engages in a “government shutdown.” Government shutdowns used to mean something to me. The first government shutdown I remember happened in 1995, during the Clinton presidency. A second 21-day shutdown in 1996 made much more of an impact. Federal shutdowns became more … Continue reading Lights, Camera, Shutdown!
“I’ve never convinced someone by starting off calling them an asshole.” That quote, or something very close to it, immediately engraved on my mind during a class discussion last summer. The instructor was sharing persuasive techniques during a lecture on how to write opinion editorials. In modern times, one cannot bring up the topic of … Continue reading Lose Your Civility Online in 5 Easy Steps
Approximately 41% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions. Of those, just over nine-percent keep them. Gyms across the nation will be flooded with people determined to lose weight next week. Most will drop off by February. If you make a resolution for 2018, the odds are against you. That’s why I stopped making resolutions years … Continue reading Ditch the Resolutions, Give the Gift of Dignity in 2018
Hi, my name is Chase, and I struggle with conveying confidence. I am naturally talented at communicating confidently for people, causes and organizations that I work for or believe in. It takes deliberate effort to do the same for Chase Inc. My two biggest communication hang-ups have been the terms “Sorry to bother you, but….” … Continue reading More than Just a Word
Lori and I had lunch together at Joint-Base Andrews this afternoon. CNN was scrolling that congressional democrats were refusing to meet with President Trump. CSpan Radio confirmed that Minority Leaders Schumer and Pelosi had pulled out of talks with Trump during our drive home. I don’t know the full background of the situation. However, I … Continue reading In Search of a Great Communicator
I achieved a major personal milestone this week by getting an opinion editorial published in the Baltimore Sun. It had been a personal challenge since learning how to write op-eds from the immensely talented Mike Long. Two of the things he taught is that an op-ed is only as good as the timing of the … Continue reading How 1 Newspaper Got it Wrong
Over the last few days the nation has been treated to a new low in politics, courtesy of the Democratic National Committee using a Gold Star family to make a cheap political shot in our ongoing ever-childish presidential race. Predictably, the press has gone wild to make victims out of the Khan family and to … Continue reading Gold Star Carpeting
Dr. Chase Spears 