I've changed the name of the blog!!! What?

Whoa, what are you doing, boy? You're calling common, everyday leaders "dogfaces"? What's up with that?

Well, if you read my last rant, I mean, er...post, you can tell my frustration level for leadership and management blogs that seem to be written for those managers who live in ivory towers or something.

Ok, we get that, but then why the "dogface" reference?

Two reasons: One is that I used to be in the 3rd Infantry Division and while it's known as the "Rock of the Marne" from the bravery its soldiers showed during that battle in WWI, the Division's song is, you guessed it, "The Dogfaced Soldier".

The other is that Dogfaces are just normal, everyday people who "do most of the working and paying and living and dying" to steal a quote from the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". They're the "everyman" that makes the world operate.

So, this blog is dedicated to you -- the Dogfaced Leader.

Leadership and Management Blogs...yuk!

WARNING...RANT BEGINNING!

How about some information that will help us plodding old mules who do most of the managing and leading and working around here?

So, today I was following some blogging advice that I got off a blog site (go figure). It said to read other blogs on the same topic or topics that you enjoy or are blogging about yourself.

I did that and you know what? I don't like most of the stuff regarding leadership and management I've run across so far. I guess I must be a snob or something. I know I'm stating my opinion as fact here, and I guess that's ok with a blog, but most of what I've read has been either bloggers "re-publishing" articles from others (maybe I'm just too new to have resorted to that yet so I should withhold judgment) or leadership and managment blogs written to help EXECUTIVES. Nice. Maybe they're the only people who have time to read blogs.

Now, don't get me wrong. Executives need leadership and management advice as much as the next schmoe, but a lot of what is talked about is a bunch of high-falutin' stuff that doesn't even scratch the surface of what the dogfaced manager has to do on a daily basis, like:

1. Figuring out how to get everything done with fewer staff than you used to have (or need)
2. Motivating the troops when business is down, pay is frozen, and bonuses (what's that?) are gone
3. Coaching to improve performance
4. Balancing the demands of your own job while ensuring everyone else has what they need
5. ...and the list goes on.

I call on my fellow bloggers to remember us, the lowly "under 6 figures" leaders who need any assistance we can get.

I will be starting a series on coaching in the next day or so. Hopefully, readers will find it useful and not too high-brow for their own good. I've been accused of being a lot of things (and most are true), but "high-brow" isn't one of them.