Nothing but Random Thoughts.....

It was difficult to come up with a "topic" for my blog this week, so I'm just going to settle on some random thoughts....

* I think a huge part of "leadership" is having a "servant mentality" where you're committed to doing whatever needs to be done. The best leaders I've been around don't get hung up on titles and job descriptions; they get hung up on results. They get hung up on making their team better. You see, leadership isn't about having people work "for" you...leadership is about "working with" others. Nobody works "for" me. We all work together. We all have different duties but we're all on the same team.

* One of the things I feel we as a human race are lacking is the ability to genuinely be happy for others when they have success. My admin team and I discussed this on Monday and I threw out a number that I think only 20% of humans are truly happy for others when something positive happens. That might have been optimistic. I'm making it a personal mission to make sure I do my part to step away from jealousy the best as I can to simply applaud and be happy for others that are doing well. Not everything has to be a competition....we don't have to tear others down to try and build ourselves up. It just doesn't work that way.

* Last week on November 5th, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the importance of grandparents again. November 5, 1995 is the date that my Mammer (paternal grandmother) died. She is the first grandparent or loved one that died during my lifetime. I was devastated. She and I were very close. She taught me many things and I still think about her all of the time. All four grandparents played a huge role in my upbringing, especially since my parents were divorced. Pappy passed away in February 2004 and Pop died in September 2009. I'm lucky to still have my 95-year old Mammy alive. She actually visited us in York back in September and it was wonderful to spend some quality time with her. Grandparents are special....if you still have them around, cherish them. If you are one, know what an impact you can have on your grandchildren.

* I have so much admiration and respect for retired and active military. Their bravery, commitment above self, and sacrifice truly amaze me. I cry like a baby every time I watch one of those videos that shows soldiers coming home and surprising their families. The term "hero" gets thrown around way too much when we talk about athletes. Athletes aren't heroes. Soldiers are heroes.

* As we enter the holiday season with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful time together. I truly mean that...you see, I'm capable of being genuinely happy for others!