I can still remember the day I woke up in a panic. It was November 24, 2008, around 4 o’clock in the afternoon. For a moment, I thought I was late. For the previous four and a half years, my life had been planned out by college football coaches in fifteen-minute blocks. Meetings, workouts,...
Generosity is defined by Strata Leadership as ‘Managing resources to freely give.’ Most of the time, when we think about generosity, we think of giving our finances or our time to those in need. But generosity—and freely giving—can go much deeper. This month’s Character magazine asks a simple but...
Our children’s deployments were in their rearview mirrors. We were chatting, and I asked them if there was something that made them extremely thankful. Ironically, there was something both our son and daughter agreed on: being able to take a shower without shower shoes on. Talk to any...
Everyone has one of those drawers in their kitchen, office or garage. You know, that drawer…that is the landing place for all the stuff we don’t know exactly where to put. The one benefit of that drawer, if there is a benefit, is that it provides one place to hide our disorderliness so that...
Cautiousness is defined as “taking time to ensure the right decision is made or action is taken.” In our American culture’s view of what it takes to be successful, cautiousness is often undervalued in the same way that meekness or humility or deference are undervalued and seen as fear or weakness....
Aristotle once said that “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” Although he didn’t have to deal with sluggish Wi-Fi or face lengthy traffic jams on the freeway, I’m sure Aristotle’s time shaping medieval scholarship lent to many opportunities for patience-building. I can just picture the...
I’ll start with a question. What are you looking for? There’s a simple truth that’s easy to forget. Generally, people find what they’re looking for. Where you expect to find kindness, kindness is often found. Where you look for disappointment, disappointment is easy to come by. When you don’t like...
We have a shortage of respect. The words “offended and offensive” are used more today than they were in decades past. We see it in our news, where almost every other story is about someone being offended by what someone else did or did not do. We see it in our discourse. Social...
Respect is treating others with honor and dignity. The more I think about respect, the more I realize it is a hard word. I have discussed respect with several people and gained a greater understanding of how challenging it can be. When I look back in my life, I see times that I have not offered...
Loyalty is the character trait for July. The Urban Dictionary defines loyalty as making something or someone a priority and doing so in small and discrete but meaningful ways; staying true to someone or something even when other things call attention and a way of showing support for a person or...
There are certain character words that when you hear them, they immediately resonate. Loyalty – Demonstrating commitment to others. When you hear the word Loyalty, what are some thoughts that create visions in your mind? A loyal pet that greets you when you return home. A loyal brand that you...
In a recent staff discussion a director recognized two team members for exemplifying this month’s character trait of loyalty. The first example is a member of the team who is choosing to work around the need to provide care for her dad as he is aging and encountering health issues. She adjusts...
