R Lynch Enterprises

The Book

"Adapt or Die, Leadership Principles of an American General" condenses 35 years in the Army and 4 years at West Point into 9 leadership principles. With a focus on Faith and Family you will learn how to lead under difficult, changing circumstances.

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The Speaker

Rick enjoys spreading his leadership principles to corporate, military, college or religious audiences. Click here to see clips of speeches that Rick has done and how you can get Rick speak to your organization.

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The Man

Retired Army Lieutenant General Rick Lynch is a husband, father, grandfather, and a leader to more than 120k employees. Read more about Rick's journey from a small town in Ohio to becoming a thought leader on leadership.

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Most Recent BLOG Posting

Dirty, Dull, and Dangerous Tasks

The Army sent me to MIT in 1985 to study robotics, and I have had a passion for that technology ever since.  Over the past 3 decades the technology continues to evolve at an amazing pace.  The question is whether or not we as a society are taking advantage of that technology.   My passion is to use robotic technology to remove human beings from dirty, dull and dangerous tasks.  From a military perspective, unmanned systems could be sent into harms way in place of the Soldier.  Many dangerous tasks, like ground surveillance, route clearance, and convoy operations could all be performed by unmanned systems.  If the system gets destroyed, it can be replaced.  A human life cannot be replaced.   From a civilian perspective, the same thing holds true.  The most pressing case is in law enforcement.  Let’s develop unmanned systems that allow police officers to “send in the robot” first….before exposing
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Demanding but not Demeaning

Individuals and organizations that want to excel must always do their very best.  Everyone within the team must perform to his or her maximum potential everyday.  This includes all aspects of our society: Family, churches, corporations, government, etc.   To get folks to work up to their maximum potential, leaders must be demanding.   They must set high standards for both themselves and their partners / employees, and then demand that folks work to achieve those standards.  And…once those standards are achieved they should “raise the high bar” and demand that folks attain those results as well.  That is the essence of high performing organizations, always doing better.  As Robert Browning once said “ A man’s reach should exceed his grasp”.   To do that, leaders must carefully communicate what the standards are, and what the expectations are for employees to achieve those standards.  To be an effective leader, constant communication is critical.  There
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Resiliency

Why is it that some folks come out of difficult / dangerous situations devastated, and others come out enriched?  I argue the difference is resiliency.  Spiritual, physical, emotional, financial resiliency.   Resiliency is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.  It is not some abstract concept.  It is something that can be pursued, and obtained.   To be resilient, folks must have a belief in some greater good.  They must be assured that there is something out there that will help them thru difficult times.  That is a personal decision,  For me, I am a Christian.  I study the Bible everyday and believe what God’s Word tells me.  I ask God daily for the strength, courage and wisdom to do what He wants me to do that day.  Joshua 1:9 tells me “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will
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Memorial Services

Sarah and I traveled to Gatesville, TX to participate in a Memorial Service for her brother-in-law.  I delivered the message as part of the service.  This was the tenth memorial service I participated in in the last 3 years, all for Family and Friends.   As I looked out in the audience, I saw lots of faces with regrets.  They wished they had spent more time with him.  They wished they had told him that they loved him more.  They wished they had “mended fences” over some silly argument from times past.   I am always frustrated when I hear folks talk about tomorrow.  They tell me,  “I’ll call my brother tomorrow and tell him that I love him”, or “I’ll visit my parents tomorrow”.   They emphasize the fact that they will work hard today (and maybe neglect their Family) but they will make it up to them – tomorrow.   The problem with that
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What Happened to Us?

Sarah and I travel a lot, both inside and outside the US. The trips allow us the opportunity to see things outside of our own community, and I am not sure I like what I see.   I worry about the direction our Nation is taking, especially when I see other countries.  We just returned from a week long vacation in Ireland.  The country was immaculate.  The people were friendly and welcoming.  I never saw a police officer the entire time I was in Ireland, but everyone felt safe and secure.   Thomas Friedman wrote a book entitled “That Used to be Us”.  Generally, the book compares the way our Nation used to be, the way it is, and the way it should be.    We must all ask ourselves “Are we where we want to be as a Nation?”  If the answer is no (and I think it should be), we must ask
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Think Before You Speak

It is amazing to me how many folks in senior positions get themselves in touble because they don’t take the time to think before they speak.  It’s like they can’t help themselves.  In the words of Plato” “Wise men speak because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something.”   I like the acronym THINK.   Analyze what you are going to say, before you say it.  Is it True?  Is it Helpful?  Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? It is Kind?   If we would all just take the time to ask and answer those questions…..and then act appropriately, we would have a better world.   A lot of what we hear senior leaders saying these days is just downright inflammatory.  I am not sure if they are saying it just to get press coverage, or spark conversation….but it is just plain wrong.   Let’s all pause and remember the words of
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A Nation at Risk

I tell folks in my public presentations that if they slept well last night, they are not paying attention.  We are a Nation at risk.  We are at risk from both external and internal threats.   Externally we have threats from terrorist organizations like ISIS and Al Qaeda.  We have Russia trying to reestablish it’s dominance, and Iran working to get a nuclear weapon over time.   Internally we have threats from domestic terrorists, as evidenced by the recent attack on the recruiting station in Chattanooga, TN.  We also have folks trying to divide our country along racial lines, and folks advocating disrespect to law enforcement personnel.  It’s all very scary.   We must get our Nation back on track.  The key is electing folks to positions that have the best interests of America in their hearts.  We need decision makers who always ask the question:  “What is best for America”, as opposed to what
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What is Truly Important

  At 9:27am Thursday, 16 July Sarah and I were blessed with the birth of our 2nd grandson, Rex Tyler Lynch.  Both Erica (our daughter in law) and Rex are doing great.  This is God’s true blessing.   Times like this make one pause and think about what is truly important in life.  Here, as of this AM, is a brand new human being that God has entrusted to our care.  My son, Lucas and his wife Erica now have a whole new set of extremely important responsibilities.  In addition to raising their first son, JW (now 2 ½ years old) they now have Rex Tyler to raise and care for.   We are blessed in that we all live close together.   Sarah and I are only 30 mins from Lucas and Erica.  Our daughter, Susan and her husband David also live nearby.  We as a Family can help whenever necessary.   I can’t think of
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What to do with 7 hours?

  I am convinced the difference between an extremely successful individual (or organization) and a moderately successful one is time management.  It is possible to “do it all” if you simply manage your time.   I have always advocated a 15 /7/2 approach.  Think about it.  You need 7 hours sleep a night, and you should spend at least 2 hours per day on your physical health and well being (exercising, etc).  That leaves 15 hours each day to do whatever you want to do.   Assuming you have a normal job, you are probably working 8 of those hours.  OK…that still leaves 7 hours.  You can do a whole lot in 7 hours.  You can pursue a hobby, spend time with Family and friends, or work on improving yourself by reading / studying.   What I see is lots of folks spending those 7 hours “vegetating”.  They get stuck in TV, or social media, and
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