I just finished a documentary on Netflix entitled, ’11-8-16.’

In three days…it will be one year since Donald Trump was elected as President of the United States.

I recall having dinner with our good friends, and solid Democrats, a year ago, and their assurance that Trump could not possibly win the Presidency.

During that, enjoyable dinner, I was the lone voice that asserted that Donald Trump could win.

My friend assured me that the ‘Blue Wall’ would prevent him from doing so.

The ‘Blue Wall’ was breached.

There are numerous reasons why we have a President Trump..but the documentary, 11-8-16, covers several very clearly.

For instance, coal mining communities, in Virginia and Kentucky and Southern Illinois…have been devastated by the economic downturn in the need for coal.

I grew up in Eldorado, Illinois…and coal mines are what built the town.  At one time the little town of Eldorado had three movie theaters and was a booming rural town.

When I graduated from high school, in 1975, my aspiration was to become a coal miner, as that was a job that had a good salary and benefits.

My little town did not have a lot of opportunities.

Today, Eldorado, has turned into an Antique Store Meca…as many rural communities have been forced to turn to Antique sales…do the lack of real economic opportunity.

Politicians, from both parties, have lied to us.

They have assured us that they cared for the poor of the land and the middle class…and soon after taking office…have ignored us…until the next election.

There is a profound disenchantment with our politicians, from both parties, due to their habitual lack of even attempting to fulfill their election promises.

And, so, the forgotten of the land…and the disenfranchised and the poor and the needy and those who had no hope….voted for Donald Trump.

The American people were so disillusioned that they voted for someone who blatantly lied to them about his concern for the middle class and the poor and the forgotten…because they had been lied to…so many times before.

President Trump’s history did not illustrate any examples of his care for the middle class…or his empathy with the working people of America…but rather clearly showed the opposite.

Yet, the mist and the fog was just to great…in the trust factor…

for Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton.

During my lifetime our Country has lauded and applauded the economic success stories of our land.

Money, equals power and prestige and voice in the critical decisions that comprise our government.

Even, on our current Board of Trustees for Southern Illinois University…economic success is the primary criteria in the selection of who sit’s on the Board.

Now, it does not take much examination to concur that most academic scholars…are not rich.

Capitalism drives politics.

Humanitarians are not the first choice for political leaders.

Bigotry and Misogyny and Xenophobia are on display in the current administration…and many who voted for our current President…are not of these awful proclivities.

They, are, however, beyond despair…with the multitude of lies…and broken promises…and forgotten dreams…that have been assured them by both political parties.

You know, we see the world, from where we live.

If I have been treated in a biased and prejudicial manner…I see the world as biased and prejudiced.

If I have never know anything but economic depravation…I perceive the world as a hard and extremely difficult place to survive.

If I am told that I am not the right color…or the accepted religion…or have the preferred economic status…or the correct education…I see the multitude of doors that are being shut in my face…and I look for an alternate leader…or an obscure political philosophy…that explains my situation.

Jonathon and Aaron and I enjoyed some beer at our favorite watering hole.

I have been there so many Saturdays, of late, that the bartender said to me, ‘Dragon’s Milk,’ and I responded in the affirmative.

I do not drink many…but I throughly enjoy the ones that I drink!

I am certain that what I enjoy, much more than the milk of the dragon, is the fellowship with my two, of my three, favorite people in the world…my sons!

I have noticed, over the last several Saturdays, that there is an old couple, about my age, that sits across from us.

Today, the bartender told us that the couple that I have observed, each Saturday, are regulars on Saturday.

I have referenced, before, my new, portable record player, and my growing collection of vinyl LP’s.

Today, Jonathon and I, made our way to Plaza Records, who were having a Mega-Sale.

Each time that I purchase an, old time, vinyl record, I am taken back to my youth when I was a member of the Columbia Record Club.

When I was a member of the Record of the Month Club…I purchased everything from Andy Williams to Boots Randolph, I played the Tenor Saxophone when I was in sixth grade, to Dianna Ross and the Supremes.

I bought my first Long Playing Album in Evansville, Indiana…and it was Good Times…with Sonny and Cher singing.

Today, I obtained; Muddy Waters and Billie Holiday and Janis Joplin and a Christmas Album.

They were gently used and on sale.

The enjoyment of taking the vinyl album out of it’s paper sleeve and placing it on the turntable then…gently applying the needle to the first groove on the disc…is the 1960’s all over again.

There is something calming…and a slower pace…and reminiscent of a less complicated time…that Vinyl gives to the listener.

We are all seeking a calm and more measured and more peaceful approach to the frenetic pace of our daily lives.

We desire a surety…and a reliability and a pleasant memory…that can be saved and perhaps relived.

The slow pace of the 33 an 1/3 Long Play Album…is a good place to start.

There is a comfort in the familiarity of a bar, ‘where everybody knows your name,’…if your know your limits.

Tradition adds meaning to our lives, that so rapidly pass…as the ‘weaver’s shuttle,’ and it is good to remind ourselves, daily, why we are here and where we have come from and where we are going.

‘Everyone in this world is somehow connected.  So why not just be nice to everybody.’   Richard Simmons

‘It’d be nice to be what they call a Renaissance man.’    George Takei

For well over a year we have been hearing the term, ‘Fake News’, this term is, by and large, coined or made popular by our President.

I encountered an old friend and former colleague, the other day, and she told me that, ‘ times were getting so bad…that the Lord was going to have to do something soon.’

She went on to say that, ‘poor old Trump is sure taking a beating.’

Also, that, ‘she had, had enough of Bill and Hillary…the eight years that they were in office.’

Now, without a doubt, our country is as divided as I have seen it in my lifetime.

Also, Hillary is old news…she did not win the presidency.

‘The former CNN news commentator and the interim chair for the Democratic Party, Donna Brazile…has said that the Democratic Primary was rigged against Senator Bernie Sanders in Hillary Clinton’s favor.

I do not doubt it.

I do know that news, that is based on verifiable facts, is not fake news.

When I was growing-up in the 1960’s the Nightly News with Walter Cronkite was exclusively focused on facts…or what is called hard news.

News commentary had a small place in the news of my youth…but was clearly titled as such…and there was no confusion.

Today, and for many years, Americans consume their news from the news agency that most agrees with their political or social beliefs.

The information that we receive from either a liberal or a conservative news outlet…is not the last word on verifiable fact.

Real news is news that can be verified by research and can be supported by two or more verifiable sources.

When our President tells us that all news outlets are fake news…other than the one that agree with him…is that all the proof that you need?

If our minister or spiritual leader informs us who is God’s choice…to lead our Nation…is that good enough?

When someone tells you that you are mis-informed…if you are not liberal…why?

Facts…science….verifiable empirical data…is vital to our continued existence on this planet.

It is extremely important to analyze what another is telling you and determine for yourself if it stands up to…a fact check.

On the old Dragnet television show, Jack Webb who played Sargent Joe Friday, would regularly tell a witness to a crime, ‘Just the facts..’

Our glaciers are rapidly melting.

Gun violence, in our country,…is at epidemic proportions.

Our dedication to a political party over respect for our fellow humans is unconscionable.

A massive tax cut that primarily rewards the rich in our country…while promising an extra hundred dollars per month to the middle class…is not a Christmas present.

Trickel Down Economics did not work under former President Reagan, who I voted for, and it will not work now.

Do you really believe that CEO’s and the movers and shakers of the Business Community are going to take their tax break money and reinvest it into American workers?  Will they suddenly leave the profoundly cheaper labor of; China and India and Vietnam, for the much more expensive labor of America…or will they simply bank the money or increase their stock holders dividend shares?

This massive reinvestment of Bail Out money that occurred in both the Bush and Obama administrations…after the Great Recession of 2008…certainly was not passed down to Main Street…but rather became ensconced on Wall Street.

My early years were spent in a fundamentalist church.

Fundamentalist had moral standards…that they swore to…and that they expected in a presidential candidate.

I was saddened when former President Clinton was a participant in the Monica Lewinsky affair.

I am outraged at the numerous accusations that are coming forward, daily, toward many actors and power brokers…in Hollywood.

When I was, quite, a young…I heard a friend of my stepfather…speak in a sexually harassing manner to my mother…I have never forgotten the sickness in the pit of my stomach…that I felt…when this occurred.

No woman, or man, should have to undergo verbal or physical sexual harassment by a more powerful figure in the hierarchy that they work in.

So, let the facts take us where they lead.

Gut feelings…are not worth much.

I heard a prominent newscaster say that, ‘Obama made a chill run down his leg,’ when referring to the emotional inspiration that he experienced…during former President Obama’s first candidacy for the Presidency.

President Kennedy, a hero of mine, nevertheless, is judged more by…what might have been…than by what he accomplished.

Former President Nixon was a brilliant man.

He wrote one of my favorite books, Leaders, and it contained more insight regarding foreign policy…than I had ever read.

President Nixon…was forced to resign…rather than be impeached…for lying about a third rate burglary in the Watergate Hotel.

Senator Jeff Flake is a profile in courage.

He has sounded an alarm…much as the canary in the coal mine would signal when the livable oxygen has run out…before you soon die of asphyxiation.

Senator John McCain…is a war hero.

Senator McCain is giving a warning, in his twilight days, of the dissolution of the American Dream.

Senator Bob Corker is speaking what many Senators are thinking…privately.

I am almost 50/50 in my votes for republicans and democrats.

I, as I know we all want, to have responsible leadership that includes all members of the human family…and not just those who are like me.

My friend of 45 + years, Jeff Lestz, has a feature article in the London Business Journal entitled, ‘The Journey of Jeff Lestz From Homeless Orphan To Millionaire CEO of Genistar.’

I met Jeff in 1971 when he was living in a hippie commune that was off the Royalton Blacktop near Elkville, Illinois.

I was attending a little church in Elkville that was welcoming to the hippie community and had recently seen an influx of 40 or more hippies, mostly from the Chicago area.

Jeff, who is Jewish, as many of the hippies were, came from Chicago, where he had been homeless and and orphan and institutionalized for a time.

Jeff, had lost both his father and mother , tragically, and had not known…for some time…anyone that loved or cared for him.

As we became good friends, I noted that he had a sweet spirit and a great desire to serve his fellow man.

Jeff spent time in my home…when he and I were still in high school and he enjoyed my mom’s colloquial sayings.

I spent time in his foster home with his foster father Michael.

I remember when he began dating his wife, of over 40 years, Margo.

Margo, is one of the most lovely and sweet people that I have ever met.

I recall when Jeff began to sell insurance for Metropolitan Insurance Company.

He tired to get me a job there…but they did not like my attire.

I have witnessed Jeff Lestz help countless thousands of people to achieve financial freedom.

You may recall that the Blues Brothers said, ‘ That they were on a mission from God?’

Jeff, truly is on a mission from God!

A little over a year ago, in Leeds, England, I was privileged to visit with a group of prospective sales associates…for Genistar…Jeff’s company.

There were numerous ethnicities represented in the eager audience.

Before the meeting began, Jeff spoke with each person…individually.  His brilliant smile and open and inclusive manner was engaging.

Jeff has the unique gift of projecting to those that he is speaking with…that they can achieve the same success that he has…if they are willing to perform the hard work that is necessary to do so.

The visit was exciting…what Jeff said to the audience was inspiring…it was a a Horatio Algier Moment!

When I stayed at the Hippie Commune….in Elkville…in 1972…Jeff and his foster father Michael showed me where to shower…and it was a makeshift shower in a corn field…that was gravity fed from a wash tub that was on top of the structure…and there was no curtain.

They assured me that there was no problem…as long as the corn had not been harvested.

To, today, where Jeff is an international speaker on christian financial freedom and christian principles of money management.

My life long friend..Jell Lestz…who Mary Jane and I have visited numerous times in Europe…and hope to again…soon!

A Brooks Tale

Pauly and Danny lived down the street.

Danny was my age and Pauly was two years younger.  Pauly was one of those kids that was always in a good humor.

Pauly laughed at everything that I, or anyone else said, and, as a rule, I laughed along with him.

We were playing cowboys and Pauly wanted to play with my toy gun.

I told him to not to touch my gun or I would have to hit him with it.

Pauly laughed…as usual.

The game went on, in the highest of spirits, until Pauly…touched my toy gun.

I responded by hitting him on his head with the butt of the purloined instrument.

Pauly stopped laughing.

A bump arose on his poor little head…the size of an egg.

Pauly, announced, through tears, that he was going home.

I told him to be certain to tell no one of our disagreement.

He said that he would not tell.

Later that afternoon my Mom asked me why that I had hit Pauly with my toy pistol?  I told her that he had disobeyed my request to not touch the gun…and that he had laughed.

Mom responded that Pauly laughed all of the time.

I replied, ‘ I know.’

As I was sleeping…the night of the touched gun incident…I heard a voice say that, ‘I was as mean as the devil.’

The voice was clear and concise…and my conscience hurt.

Pauly’s Mom accompanied him to my house…the next day…and I apologized and he accepted.

I have a dim memory of thinking about my house in Chicago, so many year ago, and it reminding me of the television sitcom, of the time, Leave it to Beaver, and pondering that my mom looked somewhat like June Cleaver and that my friends reminded me of, Lumpy and Wally and the Beave.

My friend, who lived at the opposite end of the street, Steve, had marionettes, and I was intrigued by them.  Steve was older than I and his sister was older than him.

I had a crush, on Susie, Steve’s sister.

Steve, could make his numerous marionettes do anything.  It seemed to me, that he could bring them to life.  He seemed to have countless hours to devote to my puppet pleasure.

Steve and Susie’s mother was, Ivy, and she was a small woman who smoked cigarettes…one after the other.

Ivy was a tough little woman and she was my mom’s best friend.

Ivy cursed and drank and said just what she thought…and she was fabulously interesting.

Ivy’s husband, and Steve and Susie’s father, was named Bob.

Bob was a mechanic and quiet…almost mute.  He smoked, as well, incessantly.

Living next door to us, in Sauk Village, a Chicago suburb, was Helen and her husband…who called me Doc.

Helens’s husband was named George and he had a perpetual sore back.  Periodically, when we were all sitting in the adjoining back yards of our close houses, I administered a back rub to George.  He raved at my chiropractic skills.

Later, when we had moved to Eldorado, Illinois…Helen wrote my mom that she, soon, was going to send me a new bicycle.

I am still waiting on the new bike.

A big car parked in front of my house…one day.

I was told that I must stay outside while a woman and my mom talked, adult matters, in the house.

It was hot and I noticed the the car had several girls in it.

I asked them if they would like for me to get them a glass of water…as I knew that they must be as hot as I was.

One of the young women in the car, remembers our first meeting, as she is the mother of two of my brothers and two of my sisters.

Dad, dressed in a motorcycle hat and a leather, motorcycle jacket.

Springfield, Ohio “69”

He rode a Harley Davidson and he carried a gun…which was illegal at the time.

He was a mechanic and he worked on Semi Trucks.

When he came home, in the evening, he placed me on his shoulder and it seemed that I was the most important person in the world.

Mom was sad…much of the time…it seemed with my best efforts…I could not cheer her up.

We rode the Harley on a significant trip and I remember riding in the middle…between mom and dad.

We stopped at a restaurant that also sold books.

I took a book back to the table that we were eating at…and said that I was going to read it.

Mom laughed and told me that I must take the book back where I had found it as we were not at a library but rather the book that I had was for sale.

We vacationed in Eldorado…which seemed exotic to me.

Grandma Askew lived in a little house with a big front porch and a mean dog named Nugett.

Grandma and her sisters, Wanda and Vema and Guelda…were all Pentecostal.

I found out that mom had also been Pentecostal…before Chicago.

The Richardson’s were Grandma Askew’s next door neighbors.  Debbie was my good friend…when we visited Grandma.

Also, I visited with my cousins, Brenda and Billy.

Billy showed me his Monster Magazines and Brenda was so nice to me…and pretty.

I slept on the living room couch…at Grandma’s and Nugett…slept in the chair that was next to the couch.  In the middle of the night he would growl…and I did not bother him.

Grandma Askew’s family called my dad, Junior.

I thought that was so strange.

We usually attended a church service, when we were visiting in Eldorado, and the sermons were so long.  I fell asleep…as did others.

I heard Jack Archer sing.  He had a beautiful tenor voice.

Later Jack…became my pastor…for several years.

Life seemed very different in Eldorado…than Chicago…I did not realize the changes that were in store for…Beaver and June Cleaver.

We had wonderful Christmas’s in Chicago.

There was a great Christmas Tree and Laughing Santa and Christmas cookies and many gifts.

Christmas became special to me…during this time.

When we moved to Eldorado, not long before my mom and dad’s divorce, Santa visited our house.

I could not believe my good fortune!

I love Autumn.

I am setting on my screened in porch and it is 51 degrees but it feels like 48 degrees with a wind of 9 mph.

Now, I realize that many of you are hearty and enjoy the cold…I was once in your ranks…until I got old.

Yet, I throughly enjoy writing these blogs on the porch.

I gaze out at our little pond…and watch the fish jump and the beaver faithfully, and in a workmanlike manner, perform his Dam building, and see the Blue Heron retrieve fish in its great beak… and feel inspired!

Between my, almost daily, sojourns to the lovely campus of Southern Illinois University and my communion with nature…in my back yard…I seem to never be out of subjects to write about.

Some of them, I realize are similar, but with subtle variations.

What a gift life is!

The daily enjoyment and appreciation of this marvelous gift is something to be savored and enjoyed as retrospectively and slowly as possible.

Remember, no one can cause your to do anything that you do not want to do.  You are given one life…and it is yours to manage as you see fit.

Please, do not submit your free will to a religious or political leader…but rather…think for your self.

Of course, all of us must follow the laws of our land and the rules of the road and the regulations that govern our employment.

But, as far as your thinking and your direction and your motivation…let that be the fruits of critical thinking and analysis.

Do not sub-contract your ideas and your life direction to another…God gave you a brain to use…so use it!

‘The guardian angel is an angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group, kingdom, or country.  Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity.  The concept of tutelary angels and their hierarchy was extensively developed in Christianity in the 5th century by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.’

‘The theology of angels and tutelary spirits has undergone many refinements since the 5th century.  Belief in both the East and the West is that guardian angels serve to protect the person God assigned to them, and present prayer to God on that person’s behalf.’     Wikipedia

The concept of Guardian Angels is not only well represented in Christian thought, but also in Judaism and Islam.

‘For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.’   Psalm 91:11   KJV

‘He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be they shield and buckler.  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day.’   Psalm 91:4-5   KJV

I watched a great Halloween movie, the other night on Netflix, called A Dark Song.  Toward the conclusion of the movie there was an excellent depiction of a massive Guardian Angel…that literally filled the room depicted in the film.

Have you ever experienced an extremely difficult time…and the difficulty or worry or terror…was resolved to your satisfaction…and peace?

Have you felt a calm assurance that God was in control of your life and including your most dire problems and concerns…including health and relationship and work and financial and spiritual?

I have always believed that I have a Guardian Angel.

I have difficulty in making the connection that God is watching me personally…but the concept of a Guardian Angel…makes perfect sense to me.

When I am most worried about family or health or the terrors of the world surrounding me…and I have temporarily forgotten God’s care for me in the past…I suddenly have the distinct impression…that God has always taken care of me.

I think that we often travel through this world and trust our hard work and dogged determination has yielded great gains for us.

We believe that our cunning and conservative ideals and fiscal prudence has brought us financial security and comfort and a nice life style…that we deserve… due to our pulling ourselves up by our boot straps and soldiering on.

When in reality…the kindness of Heaven…and the protection of a loving God…has assisted us…more than we will ever know…in this life.

Note: Photos of Guardian Angels are from Google.

I had a lovely walk around Campus today…including a tour around Campus Lake.

When, I passed the Log in the Lake…and could not help but notice the Cooperation being enjoyed by the turtles and the geese that were occupying the shared space.

I read an engaging and enlightening essay by Maria Shriver, this morning.  In it she said the following: ‘Success.  I’ve made big misjudgments here.  I used to think that if I were the anchor of a network show that I would feel successful.  Same with publishing a best-selling book.  I was wrong.  Success, I’ve learned, is an inside job.  I didn’t grow up with that message, but I now know it to be true.  The people who I now think are the most successful are the ones who have beautiful loving families.  They are the ones who are loved and are loved.  Who toil quietly and patiently on the front lines of life.  Who recognize that a modest life is just as meaningful as one lived in the spotlight.’

I can remember thinking, early in my life, that I must endeavor to become someone of noteworthy accomplishments and high position, or station, in life…for my life to have true meaning.

However, it has been my experience that the greatest satisfaction in life comes in the quiet times…when no one is watching…and no one is taking notes.

Our life’s journey presents many and varied challenges.  Hidden among these challenges are tests or pop quizzes…if you will…that examine our ideas and our compass as the direction that we are traveling.

I stood up for my friend and former Chancellor, when she was terminated, and I feared for my job security…because it was threatened.

A campus leader told me that, I was in line for a promotion…and the subtext of the pronouncement was…to back off supporting Jo Ann.

I refused to turn my back on my friend…and I did not get the promotion.

I often told my supervisors and others…that I have to be able to look at the face that stares back at me in the mirror each morning…and…’to thy own self be true.’

I had a friend and fellow churchman, Dean B., who resigned a good position with a company, many years ago, rather than do something that they had asked him to do which he felt was unethical.

I walked out of a meeting, with men who were higher than me in rank and authority, when they began to speak disparagingly about individuals in my department.

They said that I had misunderstood them…I told them that I wish that I had.

Our lives are similar to a fine handcrafted clock.  There is a balance that is required…for them to work properly.

When a leader says demeaning and derogatory statements about; women and minorities and the disabled and media and we shut our eyes and say…yes but we are going to get tax cuts?

When the truth is laughed at in the streets…and lies are embraced…what is the conclusion of the matter?

Often,  I have been told to not rock the boat…just do my job…go along to get along…

I attempted to followed this advice when it affected no one but me…but when others are affected…it is time to open you mouth.

I have worked with some who benefited greatly by saying just what their boss or the person in power…wanted to hear.  Is that the real purpose of life?

Cooperation is essential to all facets of life.  Understanding others who are unlike us and working with them and appreciating them…is the oil that makes the clock of life work and run efficiently.

Cooperation is not the tamping down of your ethics and understanding of right and wrong…the submersion of your humanity…in order to obtain some additional money or fame or fortune or notoriety and acclaim.

When I first became a supervisor, at SIU, in 1979, I quickly noticed that many of the members of my crew were not only older than me…but also brought with them a wealth of life and professional experiences.

I had a gentleman, Joe S., who had been the Chief Credit Officer for Martin Oil Company for 25 years.

Another crew member, Ken H., had been a salesman for Bluebell Lunch Meat, in DuQuoin, Illinois for 30 years.

I was 21 years old.  I had student staff…that were older than me.

Another member of my housekeeping staff was, Rufus H., who was a minister.  Rufus, expounded to me…the first night that I met him…that he would not tolerate prejudice or bigotry…and that he would not ‘set at the back of the bus…as Rosa Parks had already paid the price!’

When Rufus completed his impassioned statement…I told him that not only was I not prejudice…but that it was my honor to have him as a member of the crew and that I took great pride in producing Crew Supervisors from my staff.

Rufus smiled and said that he had heard that about me and that he was glad to be working with me.

When I became Superintendent of Building Services, the last 13 years of my carer at SIU, I was humbled at the support that was afforded me by almost the entire staff of 350 people.

The Dean of CASA, Elaine Vitello, telephoned me a couple of days into my tenure and told me that she had never seen her custodial staff so happy and full of life and that they could not be confined in their joy that I had been named Superintendent.

Humbled is not an adequate word to describe how I felt…I was not worthy of these fine professionals support…but I was going to try to live up to their expectations…with God’s help.

Throughout my career…there was one certainty…and that was the supreme honor that I had in being allowed to manage such an excellent and diverse group of professionals.

We all have feelings.

We all can be hurt.

We all respond to genuine kindness.

We all recoil at vindictiveness and meanness and vitriol that is focused at us…from a supervisor or manager or leader that, somehow, feels that by virtue of their title…they have become smarter or wiser or more proficient than the excellent staff that they have been blessed with.

I have had staff tell me that they were thinking of committing suicide.

I have witnessed men leave a meeting with me…weeping…only to return to tell me that the stress that they were under at home…was virtually unbearable.

Often colleagues are battling chronic illness…both physical and mental…and they are presenting themselves in a professional and workmanlike manner…only to be disparaged and discouraged and talked down to.

There is an axiom that I lived by for my entire career.

Praise a person in public…from the mountain top…for all to witness and hear.

Constructively criticize a person…only in private…begin with a positive affirmation of something that they do extremely well…and end the meeting with another positive comment regarding their strong work related qualities.

As my friend and colleague, Jody, told my wife several years ago…Jay can ‘chew you out…and you do not even realize it until well after you have left the meeting with him.’

When you are employed…much of your waking hours are spent in dedication to your job.

It is vital that supervisor and managers and administrators are trained in the proper manner in which to treat the staff’s that they are responsible for.

A good leader…can  make your life wonderful…and a bad leader can make your life…Hell.

It is never about the supervisor or the administrator or the leader…it is about the human and professional that is subject to to the life changing edicts of either a good manager or leader or administrator or a bad one.

I was speaking with a friend, a few days ago, about leadership.

I was thinking about; leaders, and good administrators and good managers…the other day…as I often do.

I was a manager for over twenty-five years.

It was easy to gravitate toward people who shook their heads in agreement with everything that came out of my mouth.

It is challenging to listen to constructive criticism or ideas that differ from your own.

I discovered early in my career…that often those who smiled and heartily agreed with me…were undercutting me when I was not present.

And, those who had differing ideas from mine…and constructive criticism…often had my best interest at heart.

As the Superintendent of Building Services…I had an open door policy.  Many managers say that they have this policy…I have seen few that implemented it.

Whether…members of my immediate staff or crew supervisors or Building Service Workers or student custodial staff…all members of the organization and all customers that we served…were equally important to me.

My Motto was that if you put people first…excellent work will follow.

To this day… when I hear of a member of my former staff…being mistreated…it enrages me!

The former motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, said, ‘I really do not care how much you know…until I know how much you care…about me.’

To value another person’s worth…not only as a human being…but as a professional…is compelling.

When I was a member of the University Community, those leaders that projected to me…their admiration and respect and value of my accomplishments…I worked for countless hours…for free!

Southern Illinois University has a rich and elite history.

The reasons for SIU’s  enrollment decline are numerous.

Some University Leaders were dismissed, without cause, when they were just beginning to turn the Great Ship around.

There was, for years, a lack of the proper attention paid toward the high school students in Southern Illinois…for recruiting.

Former Chancellor, Don Beggs, told me, when he became Chancellor…that he was shocked to find that there was little to no budget for advertising for the University.

During Chancellor Beggs time…we had over twenty-two thousand students.

The Sate of Illinois…abdicated it’s fiscal responsibility to us…for years.

Yet, there is a uniqueness and an inherent quality of excellence in the DNA of SIU…that must be treasured and protected…at all costs!

If a Leader cares about you…you will feel it in ‘your bones.’

Platitudes and gratuitous statements fall on deaf ears…when they are not backed by the demonstrated…time…and listening….and concern…and listening…that it takes to truly lead a diverse people…who only seek…someone to value them.