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The last time I wrote, I shared a story about my son’s dream. He dreamed that our house had airbags and wheels. He dreamed that transforming our house into a massive moving automobile would allow him to live the life he knew here in Knoxville and live next to his aunt in Oklahoma. My son’s dream reminded me of the importance of visualizing for learning, motivating and staying on track. Since then, I recommitted to taking time out of my day to stop and envision outcomes. But it hasn’t been easy. My son seems to do it effortlessly. Why is it so hard for us to dream?

In 1519, Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of Mexico under Spanish rule. Upon landing in South America, Cortez ordered his men to “burn the boats”. There was no turning back and conquering the new land was the only option for survival! Failure meant death! Do you think it motivated his soldiers to fight harder? Do you think he gained their commitment? Absolutely!

The theory says that “when everybody grows, there isn’t less of anybody; there’s more of—and for—everybody” (Jamesin, 1994, p. 3). Jamesin says it’s like taking one candle and lighting another: there’s not less light because you’ve given some away—there’s more.

It’s time for Tennessee agriculture and forestry industries to develop new crops of leaders in their fields.
 
The Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership, an agency of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service (IPS), the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and other partner agencies have developed the Tennessee Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program (TAFLP). TAFLP provides leadership and networking opportunities for farmers, foresters and the agriculture community.
 

He was straight from the sandlot. Ballcap cockeyed. Game face on. Dust-covered head-to-toe with dark streaks where it mixed with sweat. His bat and attached glove are resting on one shoulder. The baseball in his other hand is battered and frayed. He’s wearing a Band-Aid on his right elbow as a badge of commitment and sacrifice. The poster’s caption says, “Play to Win.”

It was a gift from my 8-year-old daughter. She said, “When I saw this, I had to buy it. This is you, Dad.”

I recently read Reality-Based Leadership by Cy Wakeman, and the thing that stuck with me the most was the subject and title of the first chapter: “You are the source of your suffering, and that's the good news.”

The reason that is the good news is because it is empowering. If we are the source of our suffering—at work, at home, in life—then we are also the one with the power to change and/or eliminate our suffering. It is not up to our boss, our coworkers, our families or any other external person—it is up to us.

With the Fourth of July holiday just behind us, after we have eaten the hotdogs, indulged in the apple pie and vanilla ice cream and oohed and aahed over the fireworks (or drone display in some places), let’s stop and reflect a little on the actual purpose behind the holiday. We celebrate the fourth as Independence Day, the day the Declaration of Independence was signed by the 13 colonies. The Declaration was drafted principally by Thomas Jefferson, who would become the third U.S. president in 1801. 

Sometimes it seems we choose characters for our leaders over leaders with character. 

This week we celebrate our country’s Independence Day. It reminded me of a quote attributed (though I have not been able to confirm) to George Washington. He is quoted as saying, "Character is the bedrock of success, for it shapes our actions, earns us respect and inspires others to greatness."  

In another quote, he wanted to maintain “the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”

This year’s theme for the Association for Talent Development’s annual conference was Recharge Your Soul. The theme was consistently reinforced in various sessions and other conference activities. The message may have been worded and delivered differently, but the key takeaway was that incorporating rest (or breaks) is essential and required to improve our performance.

You may have noticed an increase in topics related to mental health, burnout, stress or compassion fatigue. This is not by coincidence as we see from various research studies. 

I recently attended a conference for women in leadership hosted by the UT System. There was a track of programming designed around the book, “Leadershift” by John C. Maxwell. 

One of the topics from the book centered on transformational leadership and its importance, particularly in the workplace. The text explains how transformational leaders feel things others do not feel. For example, a different world cannot be built by indifferent people. Passion creates energy and tenacity in people. It should fire up leaders and those who join them.