Archive for Work
August 13, 2008 at 8:55 am · Filed under Daily Life, Economy, People, Work
My kids just starting attending a private Christian school. Since my wife teaches there, we are able to put both of our girls in for free, which is nice. I’m really impressed with this school. My first impression is that parents are truly involved. The school has a program in which parents have to achieve a certain number of points each year choosing from a whole bunch of different activities in order to continue on the following year. Some of these activities include sitting in on your child’s class for an hour, maintaining a section of landscaping on the grounds (adopt a ground), teaching a class, attending parent-teacher meetings, helping with fall festival, etc. Yes, parents can get busy and forget about how important involvement in the school is and specifically the education of their child, but I think it goes deeper to something else.
These parents are paying some good money to get into the school. And in addition to those hefty tuition payments, the parents (whether property owners and renters) still have to pay for public schools through property taxes (renters pay through the lease payment). Though taxes are necessary, they become a hidden fee that you don’t see come directly out of your bank account each month. And that is my point.
When you have to put your money directly from your wallet into something you believe in, you darn sure are going to make every effort to ensure that it is put to good use. In the case of the school, parents show up. They spend time talking with teachers. They get on committees. They want success.
Unfortunately, when our monies are taken through backdoor channels like withholding taxes, electronic tithing (which I do), and property taxes, we can lose connection to that money and its purpose. If every American that now paid withholding actually had to pay it out of pocket like we do for gas in the car, there would be an uproar when it rises exponentially. The thing is, we just don’t see it. If we did, I think we’d each take a little more responsibility with how that money is being used. If public school parents were required to pay for their child directly and not through the property tax system, more public school parents would get involved (and not just in how good the football team is or who is the best chearleader). The effect would be more pressure on the school boards to do the right things and not the politically correct things. Teachers would see the trickle down effect of that. Kids that really want to be there would get a great education. Kids that don’t would save their parents the cost of the tuition and could pick strawberries for all I care. There appears to be enough of that work out there that we now need illegals to do.
So how involved are you?
Head on over to Ethos for Watercooler Wednesday. You’ll find some good folks there.
July 15, 2008 at 3:04 pm · Filed under Daily Life, Mind, Work
I receive Dan Miller’s 48 Days email newsletter each week. He is a wonderful communicator focusing on the message of going for your dreams as it relates to your occupation. He often prompts us to try new things and get out of ruts that we so often get stuck in. His latest book “No More Mondays: Fire Yourself — and Other Revolutionary Ways to Discover Your True Calling at Work
“, is great. This week his newsletter contained an old and familiar line from Old McDonald’s farm. Instead of cows and chickens, Dan share’s some neat tips about how to engage people when you write, speak, or even while you’re at work. Using EIEIO, you get the following:
- (E) - Entertain
- (I) - Inspire
- (E) - Educate
- (I) - Inform
- (O) - Outrage
Says Dan:
I see so many people and companies speak or write without including any of these elements. They tell people their personal story or the features of their new product. All the while, their customers, coworkers and bosses are waiting for something that will Entertain, Inspire, Educate, Inform or Outrage them. If you’re trying to move up - just follow Old McDonald’s formula. You’ll be amazed at the success you’ll unleash.
December 5, 2007 at 8:59 am · Filed under Blog, Work
My latest endeavor is a job change to a Nashville based GIS firm called GEO-Jobe GIS Consulting. I’m managing sales for the firm and I’m having a great time. We just got “The GEO-Jobe Blog” up and running and it is one to check out if you are at all interested in maps, GIS, and GPS.
October 20, 2006 at 4:00 pm · Filed under Fun, Travel, Work, moBlog
If you arrive at Nashville too late (say, after midnight) you will be greeted with the need for an exit strategy. Recently, while attempting to leave the airport terminal, the security gate area, where exiting passengers must pass through, was gated shut. The nearby cleaning crew said that we needed to get the airport police to come “rescue” us. The only problem: there were no police to be found. We were all tired - it was 1 am after all. Frustration hadn`t officially kicked in yet - it was beginning to simmer just beneath the surface - when out of the blue came a man dressed in blue to help us out of our dilemma. We were all stunned when he reached us and pressed a simple red button which unlocked the gate and allowed us passage. Kind of reminded me of the Staples commercial with the “easy” button.
October 18, 2006 at 4:00 pm · Filed under Travel, Work
24 F today in Flagstaff. Very chilly but beautiful.
October 16, 2006 at 4:00 pm · Filed under Travel, Work
What a great time to be in Flagstaff. This is a view from the du Bois Conference center at Northern Arizona University. The air is crisp, the sky is blue, and the food great.
September 5, 2006 at 4:00 pm · Filed under Work
Goodbye, Nights and Weekends?? Most Americans believe the 9-to-5 workday is disappearing, according to a survey by Management Recruiter International. Of the more than 3,500 executives polled, 61% said the traditional workday hours will disappear. No one will look forward to weekends because they will no longer exist. As more people gain more control over when and where they work, neither the workday nor the workweek will have a distinguishable beginning or end. This is another of those blessing/curse things. We welcome the flexibility that technology allows but the breakneck speed many of you know in business is further blurring the line between work/home/family/leisure.
Already workers from the factory floor to the executive suite are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Many professionals like real estate agents have convinced themselves that to be competitive they must be available 24/7. Many have cell phones, lap tops, and pagers within reach at all times. A May survey by the Gallup Organization found that 43 percent of respondents had no summer vacation plans at all.
Watch this blurring of lines in your worklife. The natural cycles of work and leisure and taking time for the weekly Sabbath will not disappear without leaving a devastating trail. If you just exhale in your breathing, you will turn blue, pass out and die. You must take time to inhale the clean, pure, wholesome air to continue living. If you just work and never take time for leisure, you will pass out in some form: there will be family, emotional or physical death. The company may not create the boundaries; you will need to create your own.
Labor Day is a great time to reflect on the blessings we have in this country in being able to choose and to experience the fulfillment that comes from meaningful work — and rest.
From Dan Miller’s 48 Days.
August 31, 2006 at 4:00 pm · Filed under Health, Work
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August 9, 2006 at 4:00 pm · Filed under Travel, Work
The ESRI show in San Diego was flocked to by 13,500 people this year. It was held at the convention center. This year the show showed how GIS is used as a communication means across communities and around the world. This big globe was visible from inside the exhibit hall.
