Leadership, teamwork, democratic workplace
“NOW it happens that in America a man who goes up hanging to a Balloon is a Professor. One day a Professor, preparing to make a Grand Ascension, was sorely pestered by Spectators of the Yellow-Hammer Variety, who fell over the Stay-Ropes or crowded up close to the Balloon to ask Fool Questions. They wanted to…
The word, bumptious, has found recent currency, mostly in political discourse, but the Trumpian allusion is not what I’ve in mind. Nor will this be a plea for others, always others, to be kinder and more considerate. Rather, I’ll explore the seeming lack of courtesy (rudeness) which is central to being bumptious. What promotes rudeness?…
While reading Senator John Kennedy’s book, “How to Test Negative for Stupid” (2025) I harked back to Bierce’s biting commentary on American politicians. Bierce had no use for fools, so he would have been delighted to meet Mr. Kennedy, an Oxford graduate, a native of Louisiana and a top notch lawyer. Mr. Kennedy tells, in…
Recently, I blogged that the “Glue Player” (GP) or Glue Guy (GG) is a new management phrase derived from basketball and baseball. 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 shine while making…
A Bear, a Fox, and an Opossum were attacked by an inundation. “Death loves a coward,” said the Bear, and went forward to fight the flood. “What a fool!” said the Fox. “I know a trick worth two of that.” And he slipped into a hollow stump. “There are malevolent forces,” said the Opossum,…
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…