Institute News

I found the Firefighter’s Prayer and Statue in New York City to be very moving. We have a great privilege to work with first responders who run the risk of not coming home because of the inherent dangers that go with their service. I’m grateful that there are public servants who consider these risks and are willing to put their lives on the line for others. 

While it’s not the same, anyone stepping up in a leadership role must take risks. Sometimes those risks could potentially result in loss. 

The University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service (IPS) will receive $2 million recurring from the state to establish a dedicated local planning function, assisting Tennessee’s cities and counties with economic development, zoning and infrastructure planning.

I have been asking myself this question often lately. Between the COVID pandemic and now the political landscape, we have had to navigate many unsettling and uncertain times in the past five years. How do we make good decisions with so many unknowns? How do we provide reassurance when we don’t know what the future holds? How do we continue to expand our work without guarantee that we will have the resources to continue? I have been contemplating these questions lately. Here are some thoughts:
 

Just this last week, someone in a lunch meeting said, “Let me plant a seed…”

It’s a phrase I’ve probably heard hundreds of times before. My grandfather planted the seeds that led to a love of woodworking and woodcarving. My father sowed seeds that led to speaking in public, a love of animals and, when I was 40 years old, fly fishing.

The seed Drs. John Smalling and Bill Hicks started grew into a doctoral degree many years after being planted.

The 2025-2026 scholarship applications for the Mary & Jack Jinks’ Scholarship and the Marie & Jim Murphy (CTAS/COAT) Scholarship are now available. The fillable applications are below. 

The deadline for applications is Friday, June 6, 2025.

Mary and Jack Jinks Scholarship

Servant leadership has gained significant traction in both public and private sectors as a practical approach to leadership that prioritizes the needs of others, fosters community and empowers individuals to perform at their best. Within the University of Tennessee's Institute for Public Service (IPS), which focuses on delivering expert training, consulting and research to support government officials and businesses, servant leadership plays a critical role in meeting the customer service needs of its stakeholders.

Have you ever waited at a railroad crossing and marveled at the graffiti messages written on the shipping containers and box cars going by? I like to try to figure out the intricate words created with a can, or cans, of spray paint and someone’s imagination. Invariably, even with the slowest moving trains and my best efforts, the cars go by, and the message disappears down the track along with any understanding I hoped to gain.

Sometimes I wonder if other people struggle to get the message too. 

If you’ve never read Winnie the Pooh books or watched Winnie the Pooh videos, you’re missing a wealth of life lessons about kindness, friendship and simply getting along with others. It’s been many years since I watched Winnie the Pooh videos over and over with my daughter and even longer since I read the books.

This past week at the TNCPE (Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence) conference, several of us heard my friend David Jones tell the story of his recent challenging experience. You might have heard it, too, as it was aired on multiple media platforms in-state, nationally and internationally.

The short story is that he was travelling from South Carolina to Johnson City for his daughter’s wedding. He was determined to walk her down the aisle.

I recently re-watched all three seasons of Ted Lasso. While the series is centered around sports, it’s about much more than that. It’s really a show about learning to become a leader. Much has already been written about the many lessons the show imparts along with countless lists of leadership themes and quotes, and I won’t attempt to re-invent these here. But one repeated theme from the show that resonates with me is “Be a Goldfish”. The main character, Ted, at one point says to his team, "You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It’s a goldfish. Do you know why?