The Rain

I could not believe the weather report the other afternoon.

Six (yes: 6) inches of rain was expected in some areas. Coincidentally, that is the exact number of inches we are below average for the year. But trying to make it all up in one storm was a bit extreme.

Well the rains came--as predicted--and they kept coming--even beyond the intiial expecatations.

Plans changed. Baseball games were rescheduled.

And the rains came causing traffic tie ups and accidents. The rains caused flooding and all sorts of biblical oriented travails.

But the rain kept falling.

Not for forty days and nights--thankfully.

But the rains came and the floods rose and the cars stalled.

I just wish I didn't have to go to work!

Butterflies and Miners

I read an interesting story in the news the other day about a hwite butterfly saving the lives of two miners in the Chile mining disaster.

Ready the story at Did a butterfly save two miners' lives in Chile?

It is pretty interesting--albeit a bit confusing.

the article begins as follows:

In Chile's dry Atacama desert, folklore mixes with superstition and superstition blends with religion.
Scorching days give way to cold, foggy nights.
In the tent village christened "Camp Hope," at the gates of the San Jose mine complex, close-knit miners' families huddle together and light a fire.
They tell tales in the glow of red-hot embers. And the one everyone wants to hear these past few nights is an almost supernatural tale about the miner and the white butterfly.

I like the way it begins--in the midst of a disaster, there is a miracle. And that any of the miners is still alive seems to me to be a miracle.

But I like the premise--God provides a way for those who believe.

Bat Dance

Dancing on a wing, the ballet in the sky was mesmerizing
As the orange-hued light from the setting sun silhouetted
Small forms performing intricate routines not only for my enjoyment
But in search of sustenance as they winged and turned and dove
Freely and effortlessly it seemed they were free of gravity
To fly where they willed as night fell and darkness gradually overtook the scene
Until I could no longer make out their forms in the waning twilight.
Were they still there, I wondered after I could no longer enjoy the dance?
Dancing, chasing a delectable mosquito or other flying insect
Unseen now and unheard, but probably more numerous than before
I briefly glimpsed one of them in the weak light of a lamp as it flew past the window
Its dark, featureless form reminding me why so many people fear them
Even though we are not in their food chain and despite the fact
That they actually serve us unselfishly by ridding the sky of the
Blood sucking vermin that make being outside after dark on a summer evening
An event that requires copious amounts of liberally applied foul smelling bug spray
To keep from becoming a banquet table for the bugs.
They try to make it smell good by offering scents of fruits and other flowers,
But who really wants to smell like a fruit bowl
Do I look like a strawberry? So then should I smell like one?
No—bring on the dancing warriors of the skies who live to rid the area of winged vermin.
I love seeing them dance in the twilight, knowing that they are there every summer’s night
Conducting the same fanciful flight routines for both me and for themselves.

A Disciplined Mind

I have been thinking a lot about this lately as my frustration with my neighbors continues to grow again.

No, it isn't the garbage as I wrote about earlier in my entry titled Good Fences and Questionable Neighbors. The garbage is making it to and from the street, mostly.

But I have begun to notice other things around me that point to lack of a disciplined mind. And I am at fault too, as my loving wife will often point out.

The evidence of a undisciplined mind can be seen in simple things, like walking over or around the basket of clothes waiting to either go to the laundry or be put away after coming up from the laundry.

Seeing a cup fall out of the car and not stopping to retrieve it an place it in the trash. But leaving it to see in whose yard it will blow into.

Parking the car sideways in the drive--this one really amazes me because it may be easier to pull into, but it sure creates problems parking the other vehicle and then departing in the morning.

So what are the traits of a disciplined mind?

A disciplined mind closes the cupboard door after retrieving a measuring cup.

It puts the top down on the toilet when business is finished.

It picks up the tuft of dog hair on the sofa and deposits it in the trash.

It picks up the newly delivered phone book strewn around the base of the mailboxes at the same time as when retrieving the mail.

It recognizes that the Styrofoam Chic-fil-A cup lying in the drive is soon going to be debris in a neighbor's yard and moves the cup into a trash receptacle.

A disciplined mind takes the trash out instead of trying to cram another piece into the already overflowing receptacle.

And so, I think I have captured the archetype of the disciplined mind. As I pondered it more, I realized that one of the defining differences between children and adults is the transition to a more disciplined mind.

Can one therefore extrapolate that those who do not possess a more disciplined mind are still children?


I wonder.

Monday Musings - September 27, 2010

1. I was humbled by all of the birthday greetings I received yesterday on the phone and via Facebook and in person. Thank you to all of you for taking a minute to send me a note. I was awesome.

2. It is birthday season again for our family. It started last Wednesday with Michael and will continue until April when Ethan celebrates his sixth birthday!

3. I heard an interesting study that found that September is the favorite month of the year for the majority of Americans.

4. July is my favorite month of the year followed by June, August, May and April in that order.

5. My four least favorite months of the year are: January, February, December, and November. I often refer to these as the dark months.

6. That leaves March, September, and October in limbo--but definitely not among my favorites. Although the grape harvesting of September and October sure are enjoyable and foretell good wines in the future.

7. We have a new cat (actually a feline and not a Jaguar automobile) which has been turning the house on its ear. The cat, named Riordan, has established a pretty good relationship with Makayla. But Louis is a different story. So now at night the sound of cats screaming at each other is happening inside and not outside of the house!

8. Hockey season is underway this week. A welcome counter to the NFL.

9 Do you know what you get when you mix three dogs, two cats, three children under the age of six, NFL football, three TV's on different channels, a little bit of beer, and seven adults? Sunday at the Doan house.

Still fun

The pool may be closed but there is still fun to be had on nice days.

The grandsons, and Nicole, all in a row on the diving board dreaming about next season. And having fun together. Look ma, no water. And the pool cover is more like a trampoline than a cover.

You should have seen the dogs. They had more fun on the cover than they did all summer in the pool.

Who says the fun is gone?

Birthday Rememberance

Every year contains it seems a few days which cause me pause and to think about the past.

One such day is my birthday--and today is really a special one because it is one of those mid-decade buirthdays.

But I was remembering birthday's past and some of the really cool things that used to happen.

Like my 6th (I think it was) and a big birthday party at the old house in Danby where the guys wound up playing with trucks in the dirt pile. I have no idea if any girls were even invited to the party or what they did while the guys got down and dirty.

And my 12th when, though it was not my birthday gift, our very first color TV (yes--color) was delivered.

Or my 14th, when I received a special production (OK, made by Mom) Ithaca .22 Saddle gun rifle. It really is a one of a kind and I still have it. I wonder what would happen today if more parents bought firearms for their 14 year old? But, I was taught to respect and properly use this weapon, which I still proudly have. Actually this is a file photo not my actual weapon--I am keeping its secrets safe after all of these years.




I'm sure Mom and Dad remember many more birthdays--but for those before I was 18, these really stand out as special.


My 18th was my first birthday away from the family. I was at the University of Miami and in those days (or olden times as I call it) turning 18 meant you could buy alcohol--and so I did. Lots of it.

And so this year, as in years past, I think about my birthdays and all of the places I have celebrated them (Danby, Miami, Syracuse, Rome, NY; Denver/Aurora, Omaha, Neubruecke, Shreveport, San Angelo, Columbia, Elkridge, Norfolk, Pittsburgh, and sometimes on the road in places I don't even remember.

Surrounded by family, no birthday is ever alone. Apart from family--even then I was never alone for the family's love always found me and surrounded me. No matter where I was.

Saddest Day of the Year

It is done. The summer pool season is over and the pool is closed. We just finished.

The pool is resting now. Waiting for April.

Sigh.

But the memories are great from the fun we had this summer. I cant wait until next year. Roughly 212 days until we open the pool next year.

Plug-n-Play Leadership: The Wrong Answer

I heard the following words the other day as I was receiving feedback on my recent nomination package.

"You are too narrow. Our paradigm is that senior leaders almost need to be plug-n-play--able to perform anywhere based upon their experience."

Ugh!

That, friends, is everything that is wrong with the current generation of leaders in America. To avoid having to take responsibility for their actions and to follow through to completion the implementation of their strategies, senior leaders are moved on a regular two-year schedule and never develop the full understanding of the organization they are leading.

I saw and felt it when I was an officer in the Air Force and now as a government "bureaucrat" I see the same thing.

Plug-n-play leadership is both wasteful and inefficient. It reduces leadership to concepts and strategies which can be applied impartially across the board rather than adapted to the strengths and weaknesses of the specific team or organization. It makes senior leaders effectively senior managers.

I work in a small organization that has a huge impact. Why? Because our leadership is more than just a decision-making manager down the hall. Leadership is intimate with the mission and understands, no, had a really deep appreciation of how the mission needs to be accomplished and how to take care of the people who are principally responsible for the getting the job done.

Do we get it right all of the time? No--no one does. But then we do not get enamored with the latest "fad" leadership term or style either. Everything can be carefully considered to ensure the burden on the mission staff is minimized and that they have the tools and encouragement to do their jobs.

I believe, because I have seen it in action, that mission savvy leaders have a disproportionately high positive impact on the organization when they use their skills properly. Plug-n-play leaders are quickly reduced to managers and depend upon others to do the real leading in the organization until they get the smarts to successfully represent and lead the organization.

What is the difference you ask between leaders and managers?

In its simplest form the difference is that leaders lead people and managers manage things. It is a lot tougher to lead than to manage.

Experienced in the organization leaders are a stabilizing force that helps the organization retain its focus in the face of turbulence.

Look at successful small businesses--the owners are the leaders. they are personally invested in the success of the organization.

Likewise, should it not also be true that when leaders are personally invested in their organization they are more effective?

Ineffective leaders need to be moved/removed--but effective leaders should be retained to ensure strength in the organization.

There is no such thing as plug-n-play leadership. Maybe plug-n-play management, but leaders can never be plug and play. There are emotions and investment to consider in effectively leading an organization.

A successful leader should be successful anywhere, it is not the number of diverse assignments that makes success but the character and capabilities of the person--but why risk organizational success in one area to fix another? And why risk the success of the larger organization just to move leaders around so they can have the illusion of plug-n-play?

Fundamentally, it may be a conspiracy theory at work--the CEO may be afraid that the next tier of leaders are more capable and are therefore a threat so by constantly moving them to preclude expertise in any one area, the threat is diminished.

So--the bottom line--plug-n-play leadership is a myth. It develops a generation of leaders that have not had to accept the responsibility for their action and who know a very little about a lot and can be considered dangerous.

Deeper understanding of the relationship is better.

Just because a leader has depth does not mean that they cannot perform anywhere. That is a myth. Effective leadership is transferable, but good leaders are personally invested in their organizations.


And I will never be seen as a viable candidate for senior executive because I'm too deep (or was that narrow?)

Find a Way

I listened to an inspiring story the other morning on the way to work. It was about a football player who had his life changed by a cancer diagnosis sometime after his playing days were over. The intro to the book reads as follows:

"In 2003 former NFL player and current ESPN broadcaster Merril Hoge was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He's recently written a book entitled 'Find A Way', that chronicles his story, providing inspiration on how to navigate difficult times."

As I listened to Merril speak on the radio of his experiences as a boy growing up and then as a football player and father stricken with cancer, I was struck by the simple singleness of purpose that he followed embodied in three words--Find a Way.

He spoke about how when he was a boy and professed that he was going to play in the NFL, that people told him how hard it was and how few people made it to that level of play. Yet, that was when he discovered the phrase: Find a Way. And, he became an NFL played despite those around him trying to help break his fall should he not make it.

He then related how when he was depressed and down about the cancer and was telling his children about it, his daughter came to him and repeated the words that he had taught her about how to deal with life, Find a Way. It encouraged him to give 100 percent of himself to the fight and hold nothing back.

The interview resonated with me.

Why?

I feel that sometimes I forget to Find a Way when confronted difficult situations or problems in my life. I am content to find an excuse for less than spectacular performance in overcoming obstacles. I find that more and more I am not willing to expend the emotional energy to Find a Way.

I was so intrigued by the interview that I have purchased the book and will be reading it.