Institute News

Leadership is the role or position of guiding and directing others. The capacity to lead, and the act or instance of leading. The title leader is often given, but are all people labeled as leaders, leaders? A true leader knows how to bring out the best in those that they lead. I have known great leaders, and I have known leaders who thought they were great. A great leader understands that we are all different. We bring different values and experiences to the table because we have lived different experiences and may have different values.

Today we are having an office holiday potluck luncheon. I spent yesterday afternoon today making a hummingbird cake. It’s going to be great! 

I know it’s going to be great because I followed my grandfather’s tried and true recipe. It has been tested and refined. I’m confident in the outcome because I have followed the recipe in the past myself and it has produced great results. That’s important because Granddad was known to occasionally leave out a secret ingredient or two! 

The Tennessee Agriculture and Forestry Leadership (TAFL) Program selected participants to be a part of the inaugural cohort that starts in 2025.

Participants making up the first class are:

Jim Bledsoe, Jamestown

Last month I participated in the IPS Leadership Team retreat held at Montgomery Bell State Park. One of the first items in our agenda was a team activity titled “The Big Picture.” For two hours the group worked on painting a canvas that represented what IPS does: Making lives better for Tennesseans. The picture we had to paint was a depiction of IPS’s presence and impact throughout the state, highlighting all of our agencies’ services through different landmark buildings, objects and symbols. The purpose of the activity was team bonding. 

I’m writing this on the day that, in Tennessee, we all fell back. Daylight savings time ended at 2:00 a.m. this morning. 

I was sure grateful for the extra hour of sleep. The Tennessee/Kentucky football game and an untimely (is there ever a good time?) water heater leak kept me up way past my bedtime. 

Eric Amos, who has served as the Tennessee Language Center’s interim executive director, will assume the role permanently effective immediately.

“I’m grateful for the outstanding job Eric has done as the interim director of TLC,” said IPS Vice President Herb Byrd III. “I’m fully confident that he will continue with outstanding leadership as the new TLC executive director.”

I was recently invited to attend an event hosted by the UT Alliance of Women Philanthropists at the UT Gardens in Knoxville. I did not know who else would be attending, or what to expect, but having had the opportunity to explore the Jackson gardens, I was eager to check out the Knoxville location as a fan of horticulture.

This is the season when haunted houses pop up in most populated areas of the country. Many folks are happy to spend a few dollars for a good scare. But how do we deal with fear the rest of the year?

Someone interviewed the late race car driver Ken Block. They asked him, “Do you ever get scared?” His reply was a sheepish, “If you’re not scared, you’re not going fast enough.” I’m not sure that fear, speed, and a car are combinations I would want to experience! 

The last time I wrote, I shared a story about my son’s dream. He dreamed that our house had airbags and wheels. He dreamed that transforming our house into a massive moving automobile would allow him to live the life he knew here in Knoxville and live next to his aunt in Oklahoma. My son’s dream reminded me of the importance of visualizing for learning, motivating and staying on track. Since then, I recommitted to taking time out of my day to stop and envision outcomes. But it hasn’t been easy. My son seems to do it effortlessly. Why is it so hard for us to dream?

In 1519, Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of Mexico under Spanish rule. Upon landing in South America, Cortez ordered his men to “burn the boats”. There was no turning back and conquering the new land was the only option for survival! Failure meant death! Do you think it motivated his soldiers to fight harder? Do you think he gained their commitment? Absolutely!