In 2008, I asked my direct reports to work confidentially with Human Resources (HR) to evaluate my leadership. Instead of filling out a written survey, HR interviewed each of my managers, and prepared a composite report that reflected their overriding themes without violating confidentiality. Before …
Days of August
I worked in Europe as an ex-pat for nearly ten years. One of many differences between Europeans and Americans is their vacation or holiday preferences, as the Europeans describe their time off from work or school. Most Europeans take their extended holidays during July and August, then return to …
Criminals Can Apply
One of my early managerial positions was managing US crude supply. I had five supervisors working for me. One of my supervisors administered all US crude oil contracts. It was an important operational job given the large number of contracts and the required legal expertise. When that manager retired …
Air Travel
I am an experienced traveler, both as a businessperson and as an individual. This year, even with Covid, we traveled to Canada twice, England, France, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, and Botswana. Last spring, I drove my father and uncle to California to visit family, a 4,000-mile road journey. I am …
Athletics
I recently returned from ten days at the World Athletics Championship held at the University of Oregon’s renovated Hayward Field. For track and field enthusiasts, like me, this was a cornucopian feast. For the first time, the championship was held in the United States and thanks to philanthropy, the …
Cardinal Joseph Zen
Since the very earliest recorded human history, publicly standing up for beliefs may have resulted in physical or mental suffering, perhaps even death. Scripture recounts opposition to Hebrew leaders, prophets, and early Christians. Jesus’ preaching and arguments with Jewish leaders led to his …
Virtual Worship
During most of my life, Sunday mornings were spent in church. I would wake up early Sunday morning, exercise, shower, dress, eat, and drive to church. Until recently, I dressed for Sunday worship in a coat and tie, even during the wickedly hot Texas summers where I grew up and worked. People dressed …
Uvalde
After my sophomore year of college, I worked for Conoco Oil Company as a roustabout at a heavy oil project near the Texas-Mexican border. I enrolled in Southwest Texas Junior College and lived in the dorms at the Uvalde campus. I took two elective courses and ate my meals at the college. In the …
Workplace Comedy
Comedy shows about work are on the rise. The first TV show that comes to mind is The Office, an American mockumentary sitcom about everyday office life set in Scranton (PA). It aired for nine seasons (2005–13) and can still be viewed on reruns. Since I worked in an office all my career, the show was …
Safari
It has been more than two months since my last blog. On April 24, 2019, I published my first blog and until recently, I published at least one weekly blog. I felt the need to take a writing break and scheduled a sabbatical during my five week Covid-postponed travel. I wanted to fully enjoy this …