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Welcome to our Web site!
Hello to all our friends and family out there in internet
land! Here we are back again to bring you up to speed on everything
that has been going on since our last update, which we all know was entirely
too long ago.
Of course, there is no way to fill you in on all the
details. Kyla is of course keeping us on our toes, and every day is
different. We are members of the National Aquarium and go there often.
On one excursion, while looking at the shark tank, Rob asked Kyla if he
should get in the shark tank and go swimming. Kyla immediately
answered no, and when Rob asked her why, she promptly responded, "Because
sharks get you." I don't know where she picks this up, but she is
getting smarter and smarter every day.
Ivy is very busy at work, and on top of that is teaching
Kyla how to swim (she used to teach kids to swim in the summer). She
is also hitting the treadmill pretty hard every night, and Rob is very proud
of her because he can't run from one end of the house to the other without
at least one of his knees failing.
Rob's work has also stepped up quite a bit, and has stepped
up his workouts to try to relieve the additional stress. Between his
knees, cardio, and other health issues he is on more meds than Kurt Cobain,
but feeling pretty good.
Kyla is of course the queen of the castle. She talks a
blue streak, is very curious, and very independent. At least nine
times a day we hear, "no, I do it!" Most of the time Mommy and Daddy
fall asleep before she does.
Keep smiling!
Click here for
Rob's email or here for Ivy's.
 Rob's Soliloquy
Click here
for Rob's archive. Click here
for Ivy's archive. |
Kyla's
Korner
Click here
for Kyla's archives |
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Time to talk about something that has been bugging me for a while.
There seems to be a fundamental shift in the leadership philosophy, from
"do the right thing," to "don't let your people do the wrong thing."
I see it in government, in the military, and in society in general, and
it is really starting to scare me. There is subtle but important
difference between the two. Teaching your subordinates to do
the right thing will result in occasional missteps along the way, which
are not only necessary for growth, but sometimes lead to unintended
benefits. By forcing an environment of "don't screw up," we stifle
development and constrain innovation. Further, the fear of being
wrong prevents decisions in a timely manner, further increasing
bureaucracy and workload as things are constantly kicked higher for a
decision.
Technology has not helped. While the benefits of email,
cellular phones, and other communications are numerous, they have also
allowed a subordinate to virtually never be out of touch, subjecting
junior leaders to constant supervision, and often micromanagement.
This hinders their development, impacting the senior leaders of
tomorrow.
Leaders inspire people, build teams, and make decisions. They
hold their subordinates accountable, but don't squash their initiative.
They take praise from above and lavish it on their folks, but the
criticisms from above fall on their shoulders. Our current
prevalent strategy does not foster the growth of these people, but
instead creates managers scared of making a decision and constantly
over-supervising their personnel.
Maybe this is a good time to reflect on YOUR leadership style.
That's
how I feel... |
Taking time out of my busy travel schedule to drop
you all a line.
update. Lots to share so I will get right down to it.
As Daddy mentioned, I LOVE the aquarium. We
go every few weeks, and I really enjoy seeing the fish and the dolphins
and the sharks. But my favorite is the giant turtle. We will
spend most of our time trying to see the giant turtle from several
different viewing locations, and when we are not actually watching the
turtle, I am usually reminding Mommy and Daddy that I WANT to watch the
turtle.
In other news, I LOVE going to the pool. They
have a kiddy pool that I use, but I would rather be in the big pool
where I hop up and down like a bunny, and also occasionally run around
in circles.
I have also added several dollies to my collection,
and have added singing to my list of hobbies. And I enjoy playing
"ring around the rosey" at least twelve times a day.
I'm growing and learning so much every day that
Daddy says soon I will be driving.
Silly Daddy.
That's the view
from down here. |
Featured Photo
This reminds me of when I had to eat lima beans as a kid.
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