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.”
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!
The theory says that “when everybody grows, there isn’t less of anybody; there’s more of—and for—everybody” (Jamesin, 1994, p. 3). Jamesin says it’s like taking one candle and lighting another: there’s not less light because you’ve given some away—there’s more.
It’s time for Tennessee agriculture and forestry industries to develop new crops of leaders in their fields.
The Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership, an agency of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service (IPS), the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and other partner agencies have developed the Tennessee Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program (TAFLP). TAFLP provides leadership and networking opportunities for farmers, foresters and the agriculture community.
He was straight from the sandlot. Ballcap cockeyed. Game face on. Dust-covered head-to-toe with dark streaks where it mixed with sweat. His bat and attached glove are resting on one shoulder. The baseball in his other hand is battered and frayed. He’s wearing a Band-Aid on his right elbow as a badge of commitment and sacrifice. The poster’s caption says, “Play to Win.”
It was a gift from my 8-year-old daughter. She said, “When I saw this, I had to buy it. This is you, Dad.”
I recently read Reality-Based Leadership by Cy Wakeman, and the thing that stuck with me the most was the subject and title of the first chapter: “You are the source of your suffering, and that's the good news.”
The reason that is the good news is because it is empowering. If we are the source of our suffering—at work, at home, in life—then we are also the one with the power to change and/or eliminate our suffering. It is not up to our boss, our coworkers, our families or any other external person—it is up to us.