Leadership, teamwork, democratic workplace
In Eastern Europe, during communist rule, a befuddled tourist found himself on a city bus without a ticket. As happens, the bus police boarded, demanding to see tickets. The tourist, along with a few villainous looking individuals was escorted off the bus. “The fine is 5 kopecks,” said the guard. “Plus 15 kopecks for…
“Glue Player” (GP) or Glue Guy (GG) is a recent management phrase borrowed from basketball and baseball usage dating back to the late 1970s. The term describes someone in a team “who holds everything together, often without seeking recognition for their efforts.” GPs have other attributes: they “lead from behind.” They let the stars…
When October ends, I find Americans outdoing each other in dressing up in scary costumes and consuming Gargantuan amounts of sugar. Other cultures have different ways of marking a somber time of year. My cousin’s photo, taken in a typical “forest cemetery” reminds me of an All Souls Eve I spent years ago in…
A Wolf saw a Goat feeding at the summit of a rock, where he could not get at her. “Why do you stay up there in that sterile place and go hungry?” said the Wolf. “Down here where I am the broken-bottle vine cometh up as a flower, the celluloid collar blossoms as the rose,…
Caption: Rego’s Neighborhood, NYC. Writing about Saul Zabar – in the preceding blog – prompted me to reflect on a related story from 2010: Rego’s Smoked Fish. On one of my several visits to New York from North Carolina, Saul had me ride along to see a smoked fish supplier, Rego’s, that used to do…
Saul Zabar’s death on October 7 2025 at age 97, brought back memories of my interviewing him about his unique leadership of Zabar’s – the incomparable grocery/deli at W. 80th and Broadway. Over numerous decades, under Saul’s leadership, the store drew thousands of Manhattanites and tourists. As one food critic put it, “on Saturdays…
Many years ago I had a secretary. She was a graduate of NYCs Katherine Gibbs School which trained executive assistants. A Gibbs graduate back then was guaranteed a decent job. At the time, most executives had at least one secretary. I hired her in 3 minutes. Once she started, my office and I were never…
Once in winter, a flock of wild turkeys made its circuitous way across farmlands and through forests. There were two dozen, young and old. One turkey, Tom by name, somehow mangled his foot and could not keep up. He called to the flock and asked them to slow down, but no one responded. When the group…
April 19, 2026 It must be catching: Ben Wylder, writes of his experience at the Ashland, Oregon DMV. For the full accolade go here. An extract follows: “I don’t know if anyone else in Ashland has had this experience, but as an Ashland newcomer, I feel utterly compelled to report something that I did not…
The Fable of The Weeping Bald Man and Some Partridges by Odo* of Cheriton** “Against Rulers Feigning Justice” “A bald man, his eyes streaming with tears, was killing partridges. And one partridge said to another: ‘Behold the man – how good and saintly he is.’ And the other asked: ‘Why do you call him good?’…