www.goalminds.com  

Not so long ago, this nation was admired by all the world. Not only did we have a huge selection of goods, we lived in a society where people cared about each other. Not in a welfare sense, but in a neighborly sense We took a healthy interest in what was going on in the neighborhood. We spoke to our neighbors, and offered help when help was needed.

Such caring was demonstrated most recently in the tragedies of the hurricanes in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. At the same time, though, we were hearing harsh words and personal attacks daily on the television and radio. People are not shy about attacking our president, sometimes viciously. It seems to be a national sport.

Is it any wonder, then, that international “Hate America” campaigns are gaining momentum? It is not President Bush’s fault. The fault lies in each one of us. If we hate each other, why shouldn’t others? If we cannot tolerate a different opinion or approach to a problem, how can we survive? If we can’t “get it together,” how can we expect respect for our nation, which is still the greatest nation on the planet? Sure we have faults. We have seldom agreed totally on anything. But, we did know how to be cohesive and collaborative. Everything was not black or white, red or blue, and we understood how to stand together and disagree without being disagreeable.

We are displaying behavior that is teaching our children that it’s okay to slap each other around, act hateful, and say mean things about each other. Some of our commercials are violent in a “humorous” way. Surely we are not modeling behavior that the rest of the world wants to emulate. How can we be a leading nation under these circumstances.

Our military forces can win our wars with bullets and missiles. It’s up to the rest of us to win the minds and hearts of the rest of the world. We have seen that charity does not do that alone. We need to lead by example–an example that as worthy of being followed.

Hate is spreading and we tolerate a great deal of it here against fellow Americans. It’s time to take personal responsibility to stop participating in it.

I invite you to comment. Please click on the “Comment” or “No comment” link and space will be provided. Thanks.

“Lincoln wrote for the ear. Most politicians and academics write for the eye. Lincoln often spoke or whispered out loud before putting his Faber pencil to paper. He was fascinated by the sound of words. . . . even his written communications…
“Lincoln’s pattern was to speak or read his addresses slowly. The average person speaks at about 150 or 160 words per minute. Lincoln spoke 105 to 110 words per minute. His lower speed was an aid to hearers, especially in an outdoor environment without the aid of the technology of loudspeakers.”

Do those few words and thoughts excite you to learn more about Lincoln’s eloquent manner of speaking and writing? Then, I would recommend THE ELOQUENT PRESIDENT, A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words, by Ronald C. White, Jr. {New York: Random House, 2005).

Do you need further encouragement to read this book? How about these questions posed by the author: How did Lincoln, a person with so little formal education become our most eloquent president? Why did he often stumble when attempting to speak extemporaneously? What were his habits and methods of writing speeches? How did Lincoln develop his rhetorical skills? To find the answers to these questions, among others, you’ll have to read the book.

I’m working on a new book! This will be primarily for military men and women who are transitioning from the military to civilian life. It is based on the same principles as Take Charge of Your Life.

If you have stories you would like to share about challenges you overcame in the miitary, going into retirement, or medical discharge I’d like to hear from you. We can discuss using your story. Maybe you’d like to tell about how military life didn’t turn out as you expected. I’m interested in that, too. It does not matter how long ago the events occurred, we can probably learn something from you.
If I use your story, I will acknowledge your contribution in the book and give you a complimentary copy. I’d love to hear from you.

Queen Power hosted a Take Charge of Your Life teleclass on I was the guest speaker. phone call. Audio and transcript are available now at www.goalminds.com/takecharge.html

Academia, businesses, and government are focusing on leadership issues. When there is a glaring vacuum, we rush to fix it. Leadership development is just that: a developmental process. And most politicians were not born with leadership abilities. How is it in your business? Who are the leaders in your industry? In your organization or business?

Are you closing the last sale, focused on your most recent performance, or preparing for the next? Are you looking back and saying with regret, “If only….” Instead of gathering information about the next client, the next audience, or the next job interview?

In some instances, it’s a good idea to prepare “Lessons Learned” to benefit most by the past experience.

What did we do?

What went right?

What could have been done better? How?

The next time, I will….

And then move on–focus on the future–the next time and in the years to come. How is your industry changing? How will you and your business change? Do you have a strategic plan? Take time to think–it could be the difference between success and failure.

“Our lives are what our thoughts create.” — William James

Following are my thoughts on using active duty military personnel in domestic disasters. Feel free to post a comment at the end of this note. The latest initiative concerning natural disasters in the US is to change laws and policies concerning the use of active duty military forces. One idea being broadcast now is to devote certain active duty troops to US only support and even to place them under the command of National Guard Commanders. In my view, placing Federal active duty troops under the command of a state Governor would be a drastic mistake.

How often do we have a natural disaster like Katrina? Okay, Rita followed close on it’s heals, but how often does that happen? What will these domestic disaster troops be doing between disasters? Waiting for the next disaster? When I was in the War College, it was said that our inclination is to fight the last war. The focus is on what happened in the past rather than being forward thinking and developing scenarios of the next challenge. Yes, we need to definitely learn from the past. But aren’t we learning in Iraq that the previous battlefield exercises did not match the urban warfare we encountered? Yes, special units were prepared. And many had to be retrained quickly. What will the next conflict look like? How many mountain climbers are we training? How many spelunkers wear a uniform? “What can we learn from Star Wars.” We have been preparing for chemical/biological and even nuclear warfare for years. What does cyber warfare look like?

Isn’t it time that the citizens of this country become more self-sufficient? Let our corporations take up the burden of training their personnel how to handle emergency situations in their areas. Let them make a commitment to the common good. They have shown that spirit in providing supplies and money in these disasters. What if they had a plan in place to provide some brainpower and personnel, as well, and train them in advance. They could step in beside FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and others in an organized way. The National Guard has a mission. Let civilians be their back-up. Let the active duty military continue to focus on the defense of all of us against foreign aggression.

Have you ever had a problem where you just felt stuck? There seemed to be no way out, no “wiggle room.” Imagine how the people from the Houston, TX area felt the past few days. Sitting in their pickup trucks, cars, and SUVs, My aunt, Reba, was one of those people trying to drive from Baytown, which is east of Houston, to San Antonio,which is west of Houston almost 200 miles. They tried side roads, feeder roads, access roads, nothing worked. They even tried to enter Interstate Highway 10, which is the major route to San Antonio in good times, when they opened the east bound lanes to westbound traffic. Since this was uncharted territory, they missed the first entry point and were forced into more traffic. When they tried to enter via what is usually an exit, an officer turned them back. Why? That was his orders! Stymied after spending 8 hours in their cars just trying to leave the Houston area, they turned around and went home.

What do you do when all the doors seem to be closed? Retreat, pulling back, is always an option. We usually see that as defeat and NOT an option. If you have a strategic objective, an overall strategy, and a plan, falling back may make a lot of sense. It gives you time to regroup and rethink critical issues. In Reba’s case, the situation had changed somewhat during the 8 hours on the highway. The storm had weakened, the direction of the storm seemed to be veering away from their area, and they were running out of gas with no place to refill. No one had foreseen the massive gridlock.

When you find yourself stuck, after you’ve tried everything you can think of, sought help from others, checked with authorities, and still don’t see a solution, consider pulling back. Often just letting go of the problem allows your subconscious mind to go to work on the issue. You can tackle the issue at another time with a fresh mind.

“That’s what you get for thinking.” It sounded like the woman was near panic as she spoke with a TV reporter by phone. “We live in about the middle of Galveston Island and thought we could ride it out,” she said of the approaching Hurricane Rita. “But then we decided that we would rather not be dead.” She seemed to be saying that she and her spouse would have been better off to follow the crowd and evacuate. There are times to be an independent thinker, of course. No one wants to be just one of the herd, following the leader. We are thinkers! Even so, once in a while, we all make mistakes as a result of our decision-making process.

There are times when it is best to yield to the advice of people who are better informed and better educated in areas that we are not. It’s not easy for hard-charging leaders to yield. It is a lesson to be learned. Hopefully, they got out safely.

(My own daughter and her family chose not to leave their home in the western outskirts of Houston.)

Ever wonder who’s in charge where you work? How many times do you see people who report to two or more bosses? Even when you think you have one boss, sometimes that boss is over ridden by a higher power. We work through those problems when they occur, trying to keep everybody happy.

When it comes across the TV screen in a very public way with the Mayor of New Orleans saying one thing and the Disaster Relief chief saying another, it makes one wonder. Who IS in charge? Which leader should we follow? Where is the chain of command? What, no organization chart?

Perhaps there should be a new mandatory course for high school seniors explaining the separation of powers: city, state, Federal and the chain of command in disaster situations. No doubt, the Mayor is the leader of his city–until he calls in the Feds. Then he loses control. If he needs help to bail out his city, it would be wise to at least consult with the experts before making a public pronouncement.

Even when we Take Charge of our own lives, it is wise to enroll other people, to let them know what we are thinking and planning and even ask them for feedback. No person is an island. No one knows it all. It is not demeaning to collaborate. Instead, it exhibits a certain amount of self-confidence.

Planning a vacation? Try Nessebar on the Black Sea. Recently I was treated to a visit to Bulgaria by friends I met in a Rotary Club,
Dr. and Mrs. Gazdov. What an exciting learning experience it was. I was amazed at how very little I knew about the country and its
people.

Bulgaria is in a strategic location near the Turkish Straits; it controls key land routes from Europe to the Middle East and Asia. Of
all those over age 15, 98.6% can read and write. Most English-speaking people in the country are British. The people are warm and
friendly.

The most interesting things I discovered were the antiquity of the country and the process of building on the past.

According to The World Factbook, the Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th
century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place
in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy
in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent in 1908. The US struggle for independence was very brief by comparison.

Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People’s
Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began
the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption,
and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into the European Union. The country
joined NATO in 2004.

I would highly recommend a visit for your next vacation.

Recently I was asked to present a communication seminar for a singles group. The activities leader planned many interesting events, but noted that the group just didn’t seem to develop rapport with one another.

During the course of the seminar, I asked the group what were their greatest communication challenges. Here’s what I learned.

1. Starting a conversation where there is no anticipated agenda.
2. Making friends on a group trip.
3. To be less out there asking for phone numbers.
4. Knowing someone else listens to me.
5. Covering up my discomforts by attacking rather than asking for a change.
6. Trying to maintain a conversation with someone who only gives short, one word answers. Can’t draw them out.
7. Expressing myself thru writing.

MOST ANNOYING: People who talk constantly, ask questions, and don’t wait for an answer.

Perhaps you can relate to some of these these challenges, whether or not you are single. In the coming days, I’ll discuss these challenges and provide some tips to overcome them. In the meantime, if you have personally found yourself facing these challenges and want to comment on how you overcame them, please use the comment button.
Thanks.