Death by Meeting

After reading the book Death by Meeting, written by Patrick Lencioni I am intrigued with how many organizations wipe out precious time in unproductive meetings. Meetings serve a vital role in any organization. Whether it is the small non-profit that struggles to survive living check to check or the large Wall Street Corporation meetings are a necessity of life. I think that Lencioni in this book summarizes that we need to stick to a process to handle these meetings for our organizations. Imagine if you had fewer meetings in one day and ones that are more productive. Imagine that after a meeting you have deliverable outcomes that each participant can act upon. With meetings that have meaning and purpose and outcomes we will see organizations streamline, especially in today’s economy. It is time for companies, organizations and groups to consider not doing meetings the “same old way” and begin turning over new ideas and functions for meetings.

If you have not had a chance to read this book I highly recommend it. Read it and see how you can change your mindset around meetings, and watch your organization save time which will equal money.

Bibs, Burp Cloths and Car Wrecks

The last week has been amazingly busy. Kara is preparing for a show with her business Tini Zucchini, which means that everything is very busy. Kara is fabricating lots of product to show and sell, the kids are continuing to be who they are and I am of course not being very helpful. The house needs cleaning, the cat needs feeding and the dog has to pee.

On top of all of this a kid side swiped Kara and the kids earlier this week, and apparently he does not want to tell his parents and is holding his insurance information hostage. So we have to get serious with the kid, finish the sewing, tame the kids, let the dog pee, feed the cat and I need to figure out how to be more helpful.

Just another week……..

By the way if you are interested in Kara’s business visit her website http://www.tinizucchinibaby.com/

President Elect Obama takes office tomorrow

Tomorrow is a historic day for America. The United States of America swears in its first African American President. Not only is President Elect Obama African American, but he also has a young family and a huge job ahead of him. I am intrigued with the Presidency as an office. I find myself thinking about what happens to the Bush’s? Who moves their stuff? Who moves the new Presidents stuff in? What is it like to be a kid running around the white house and growing up in a fish bowl of sorts? WOW!!!! This is going to be an amazing thing to watch. Not only will our new president need our prayers for the monumental tasks that he has ahead of him but he will need our prayers for his family, I cannot imagine that it is easy to have a 24/7 job and have some family time. I have a semi-normal job and a family and find it challenging to keep everything together.

President Bush, thank you for your service to our country, President Elect Obama my prayers are with you as you become our next president, God Speed.

School starts again

With the holidays over and life in our society getting back to the normal hustle and bustle I started school again today. A sociology class surrounding organizations and their structures, processes and outcomes which is always a relevant topic today. As I listen to the lecture I think about how this can be applied to business today. Is the professor speaking to us as a practitioner or just as an academic? Does my educational foundation get built upon theories and academia or am I learning about ideas that are relevant to today? Or are both of them interwoven?

I believe being an adult learner that I have chosen a school that is focused on teaching me as an adult learner normally with practitioners of what they are teaching. Tonight’s professor is actually more of an academic, but she is interesting. What I learn is relevant to today’s business environment which I believe helps me to learn.

It is amazing to me to see how much people want to go to school. As I took a break tonight I saw two very well behaved kids in the break room. It was amazing to me that people want their education enough to work during the day, go to school at night and fight for an education with the hopes that it will give them a leg up in society. Even if they cannot get a babysitter, they bring the kids along. Hats off Mom or Dad!! I must count myself fortunate to have a good job, and great family and still be able to go to school to better myself at what I do.

Kyle, The West Wing and 9-11

Tonight I was able to spend time with just Kyle. We watched a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse marathon and then we had bachelor food and he went to bed. Needless to say a couple of times during Mickey Mouse I fell asleep.

After Kyle went to bed I started my West Wing marathon. I am on season three and it started with a tribute episode to the 9-11 tragedy. I must say that it brought back some emotions from my time with the Red Cross. I remember that day well and the amazing response that was mounted by the Red Cross and many other agencies. I remember the pride I had of working at a place that helped people. I also remember the hundreds of people that came in to give blood at the Chapter I worked at in Whittier, CA and how the nurses all worked without breaks and until they were out of supplies and could not draw anymore blood donations.

WOW!!!! What a great time I had with the Red Cross for 12 years. It all started working to help save lives through blood donation and now I am back working hard to save lives encouraging blood donation with another great blood banking agency.

If you have not given blood lately or volunteered or even considered making a financial donation I would encourage you all of my friends to do so today!!!

Welcome to my blog. I hope this will be a place where we can exchange ideas on various topics. First a little about me. For the last 15 years I have been in various roles of leadership. From serving on board of directors of non profit organizations to professional life I have studied, lived and breathed leadership. By no means am I an y kind of expert, actually I believe that to be a good leader you have to always continue to learn and experience life.

My life experience has been unique, from working in a leadership position at America's largest disaster response organization (Red Cross) during some of the worlds largest disasters (9-11, Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, Rita, Wilma) to living as a husband (for the last 12 years) and Dad (last 8 years). All have come together to formulate my leadership experience, and now I am having some time to reflect and gather my thoughts. I hope to be able to post weekly topics on different leadership areas that can then be discussed. Please join me.