Wednesday, July 22, 2015
May 2015 Flickr Upload
Wow, I think I'm starting to stay caught up a bit. I know, I still have June, but that will be quick in coming...Did a bunch of organizing out on the Flickr site yesterday, and got these uploaded too. Here are my faves and you can see the entire upload here....
We went to the drive-in, and they met all their friends and went running around. This was the first time that had really happened - anywhere we've gone. It was sweet, and sad, and made me happy. By the end there was close to 10 of them running around, and even though they were mostly 014's friends, they included 011.
8th Grade Spring Concert - Mr. Hickman had had a lot of trouble with his leg this year, so there were not many concerts, but he did finally get a 6th - High School one put together. He's such a hard worker, and a serious trooper!
I think this ended up being the only concert this year for the 6th graders....
8th Grade field trip to Washington, DC. Directly under the left pillar, is a very tall guy in pink with shades... 014 is the head that partially covers that guy. If you squint, you can see it better....
Birthday celebrations! We celebrated 020s and my brother's (we won't mention numbers out of respect for the elderly...) but were saddened that Gadget couldn't make it for his birthday too.
New pitot cover for the 172. Looking good! A friend of ours, we swear owns stock in the company, because he is all the time telling us how amazing they are. He's right!
014 at awards day. He ended up with several. Yup, that is Mr. Dale handing them out.
The 4 of us went up to Crystal Mountain for the Beer and Brat fest. It was very yummy! Gadget and I went up to get the property all squared away, and then MS & T flew up and went with us and spent the night. It was so much fun!
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Dating your kids.... Interesting thoughts...
This is not mine, but something I found. It is not a new idea, but I do really like how it is worded, and I like how he also equates it to how managers and leaders should behave. As we, as a society, move more and more toward the service industry, we have seem to lose more and more every day the concept of what service actually is. I see so many businesspeople who are rude, arrogant and disrespectful not only of their own clientele, but also of their staff. If you ask me, this is not a recipe for success.
So, here it is...
So, here it is...
From the EOS blog
Date
Your Kids by: Clark Neuhoff
The
best parenting advice I ever got was to date my kids. For all the parenting
mistakes I made, I took this one to heart and to this day I have strong
relationships and open communication with my adult children. The idea is
simple. I asked for one hour each week and I’d buy (of course). They pick the
place and time, they just have to talk…about anything. Their agenda not mine, I
just needed to hear what’s going on. My promise was not to lecture.
Here’s
why it works. It’s a safe place, it’s about them and we developed the
discipline and trust before the crises occurred. To build solid relationships
that are based on trust, it takes time invested and it doesn’t happen by
itself.
Great
Managers Date Their Teams
This
is a perfect illustration for how we become great managers and get the most out
of our people. The EOS journey is about becoming your best. We challenge each
of our clients to become their best, and part of that is being “good parents.”
Just have a few rules, repeat yourself often and above all be consistent—walk
the talk. As managers, we also need to have regular meetings with our people to
build relationships and stay connected, especially in this digital virtual
world.
Maybe
you’re thinking, “Well, I talk to my people every day…” “When I need something
I just go ask them…” or, “Just last week I had some open time so I popped in
and gave Bill 30 minutes to give me an update.” There are several weakness
here. We may talk to people, but is it focused on them and their needs or just
what we want? Is it driven by your schedule, when it’s convenient for you? Is
it random? If you only get a few times a year with the boss you certainly want
to be prepared, not surprised!
The
Greatest Management Weakness
A
manager’s greatest weakness is missing the opportunity to strengthen your
relationships with your people, and it’s simple to correct. By scheduling these
one-on-ones, you show that you value them and their time, you’re committed to
their success over the long haul, you build trust by saying you’ll be there and
showing up. Will things come up and be rescheduled? Of course, that’s life. But
you’re committed to staying connected. You’re willing to share with them your
most precious and perishable commodity, your time.
Commit
to Your Commitments
I
met weekly for coffee with each of my kids. When my youngest was in junior
high, he picked Starbucks every Monday evening at 7:30. Every Monday morning he
would ask, “Are we going out for coffee tonight?” Yep, Son!
After
literally months of this same question every week, in spite of fairly
consistent execution on my part, why did he keep needing to ask? Then it hit
me. He knew how important my schedule was, and being there for my clients. I
had trained him for all 12 years of his life that there is a schedule but if a
work thing came up you dropped what you’re doing and responded. I served the
all-powerful calendar. I confess (and I’m not proud of it) that I even bumped
some family commitments for work things. He understood that it’s just how it
goes sometimes. But I was missing the opportunity to show him just how valuable
he is to me.
So
the next Monday morning when he walked by on his way out the door and asked,
“Coffee tonight Dad?” I told him I wanted to show him something. I turned my
laptop around and pointed to a green box at 7:30 on Monday evening that said
Ethan-Coffee. Then I showed him that little repeating arrows circle. He had
made it on to Dad’s calendar—forever, right there among all the work stuff! For
the rest of high school he never had to ask again.
Simple
things can demonstrate value, build trust and strengthen relationships. This
will produce greater accountability and better results.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
April 2015 Flickr Upload
As always you can see the entire upload here and a few of my faves here...
My sister always makes Jello Eggs for Easter. They now "demand" it. Whenever I tell them we'll be going over for Easter, it is the FIRST question they ask "Will Aunt Kelli make Jello Eggs?". How can she refuse....
My brother, son and Father all being goofy... The apples don't fall far....
My foot, in Reflexology class. So much fun, so cool!
This year 011 decided to run track. Our first foray into school sports. It was educational. He did not do as well as he had hoped, but he did learn a lot about himself and what he wants to change for next year. Glad he's not giving it up. They ran 6th graders in with the 7th & 8th graders, so it made for some long nights.
After the County Math fair, I got a chance to see his locker. He is somewhat willingly indulging me...
What we love to do! I love how you can see the reflection of my suit in this picture!
But this is a better shot of the planes.
The crazy Gray Hair'd Hooligans. Love these guys, they are awesome, even the one that is missing!
For class we did an Herbology Week. On the last day we went to Mounds State Park and walked around to identify various herbs in the wild. It was a ton of fun.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
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