Last month, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the U.S. Military Academy in West Point New York.

While there, I talked to Col. Thomas Kolditz , head of their Leadership Department. As he's someone who has been in situations that require extraordinary leadership efforts under some of the most stressful and life threatening conditions, I asked if he'd tell me about one of the biggest setbacks or opportunities to learn from a failure he'd experienced.

He recounted a tragic incident, which occurred one early Halloween morning in 1998, when seven of his soldiers were involved in a training accident. Five of them were killed.

"They drove an armored vehicle off a bridge into the water just south of the demilitarized zone in the Republic of Korea," he recounted soberly. "As I faced that crisis, that challenge, I as a leader assumed responsibility for their training and for their lives. At some level I believe I failed them."

But Kolditz said this experience really taught him how a leader needs to behave in a crisis:

"I learned the importance of coaching people how to lead during these difficult experiences," he continued. "A wonderful general met me on that bridge in Korea and coached me through it. The first thing he said was, ‘You know Tom, it’s not what happens to an organization that determines its success or failure, it’s how the leader responds to it that really matters.' I’ll never forget that. It’s made me very resilient in other crises and I hope it’s made me a better leader to those in crises who’ve needed support. “

When the going gets tough, people forget your personality and care more about your competence and ability to lead.

Watch the video version of my talk with Col. Kolditz at West Point below:

One of our readers wrote in asking a really interesting question:

Were there any patterns in the childhoods of the Builders highlighted in Success Built to Last?

The backgrounds of the Builders we interviewed were very diverse: some were physically abused or neglected by parents while others had supportive families who helped them follow their dreams. Some had exceptional formal education while others dropped out of school. There were those who were well off and those who struggled to find food.

So, no, there didn’t appear to be patterns in their actual childhood experiences. The pattern that did emerge, however, was in the way the Builders interpreted their early experiences. Those interpretations included the following:

1. “I’m needed” or “If I don’t, than who will address this issue?”

2. “My passions are important” or “This pain must be stopped”.

3.“I can do anything: it’s just a matter of figuring out how” or “This cause is so important, I must DO everything I can, even if I’m not perfect.”

We don't have much of a choice when it comes to where we are born or how our parent's behave. But we do get to choose how we interpret and respond to the situations into which we are thrown.

What are you going to build? What creative, positive thing do you want to create? What does it look like and how hard will you work to achieve it?

João Magalhaes, former president of Bechtel Brazil Construction, told me a great story about how engaging and rewarding his employees helped get work done twice as fast, while still maintaining quality:

“One of my first jobs was to build the 18th floor of a building in Rio de Janeiro,” he recounted. "I noticed that some of the brick layers had a certain average of production, so I suggested that if they could increase production, I would be able to offer them a bigger salary or give them a bonus at the end of the week. I found that productivity increased three, four fold.”

João even examined the quality of their work, thinking perhaps it had gone down considering they were working so much faster. Yet he found that their workmanship was actually better.

“I discovered that more important than the money, was the fact they were being watched and that someone cared and was paying attention to their work. They wanted to do better. So, I think you have to make sure your employees feel that they are an integral part of the organization,” he emphasized.

Your employees should be recognized for their talents and deeper abilities, which is exactly what João did by providing a physical reward for their efforts.

Check out the video of my interview with João below:

Ge Wang, designer of Ocarina and Leaf Trombone: World Stage for the iPhone, and Magic Piano for the iPad, is using his passion for both music and technology to change the world. In fact, Ge views his revolutionary "apps" as having the potential to bring about a kind of social movement:

“In working with this new technology, there seems to be the ability to bring about a new kind of creative consciousness: with it, we can connect people around the world who didn’t know each other previously and may never have had the chance to know each other. Now they have the opportunity to connect through music and creativity.”

Ge believes firmly that the desire to create and express exists inside everyone: it's about finding ways to draw it out.

“It just takes the right conditions to unlock people's inherent creativity. I want people to feel that playing music is as easy as picking up the phone,” he said passionately.

The new social movement is not just about the here and now technology but rather about technology that's connecting the world, Ge says. His work perfectly demonstrates that when you align your passion with a higher purpose, anything is possible.

Watch the video version of my interview with Ge Wang below--he demos both the Ocarina and the awesome Magic Piano iPad app!

MILWAUKEE (April 29, 2010) – Mount Mary College, will conduct its commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. in the College’s Bloechl Recreation Center located at 2900 N. Menomonee River Parkway, Milwaukee.

Undergraduate degrees representing 28 majors will be conferred on approximately 109 students. Graduate degrees representing seven programs will be conferred on approximately 97 students. Sixteen certificates representing six areas of certification will also be awarded. The 206 degrees to be conferred in May combine with 121 degrees in December for a total of 327 for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Mark Thompson and Bonita Buell-Thompson will deliver the commencement address as well as receive honorary Doctor of Law degrees. Mark Thompson is co-author of the International Bestseller, Success Built to Last, and is also a world-renowned speaker, executive coach, management guru and producer of leadership programs. A venture investor and chairman and adviser of many technology and media start-up businesses he was cited by Forbes Magazine as one of America's top venture investors with the "Midas" touch.

Bonita Thompson served as Director of Research for Success Built to Last. She is co-author of the Leaders of the New Century series with the Leader to Leader Institute and is author of the Drucker Five Questions online programs. With degrees in industrial psychology and statistics, Bonita has more than 20 years experience in organizational development, employee opinion surveys and human resources systems design at a host of corporate giants.