HOW TO MAKE A PUMPKIN PIE

OUR FAVORITE PLACE

....Piata Unirii in Timisoara, our favorite place to be ....so many memories there - the girls played there for endless hours on summer nights and went to gymnastics there, we sat at the terasa and drank luke-warm Romanian beer with friends, sat on the benches and talked about life with Raoul ....yep, our favorite place.

CHEERS!

....we had a Brunch this morning in our community and the girls were toasting our success!!

HALLOWEEN '09

This was the first "real American Halloween' for the girls (at least as far as they can remember) and they had a BLAST, trick-or-treating and being American kids in America! Here they are (and Rudy too) all gussied up. Emma was a "70's disco girl," Mikie was a pirate, and Rudy was her side-kick. Sofia was a princess (aren't all little girls??).

BUCHAREST TIME

REDNECK PHOTOS

.....we're from SC, so we can say it!

THE FAM.....

LEADERSHIP THOUGHTS: 13

It's been a while since I've stumbled across anything that really "hit me," and then I saw this. I am always amazed how the simplist of ideas are usually the best and the most over-looked because they don't look complicated enough!

Simple, Under-appreciated Leadership Tools
30/October/09


This is a time of extraordinary technological advancements, yet what I find inspiring is the way leaders can make an extraordinary difference using simple tools everyday.

These tools are not particularly remarkable in themselves. You are familiar with most, if not all of them, but familiarity is no guarantee that you are maximizing the power of these tools. Each of them tools has been of particular help to one or more of my executive coaching clients. I trust you will find an idea here that will help you be more organized, think smarter, foster team alignment, and become a more influential leader.

Checklist
$175 million. That is the financial savings realized by Michigan hospitals once they implemented a very simple tool, according to the Heath Brothers in a March 2008 issue of Fast Company magazine.

The tool is a simple checklist. Developed by Johns Hopkins physicians and implemented in intensive care units, it is credited not only with reducing costs by millions of dollars, but may have also saved up to 1,500 lives. And you thought checklists were only for grocery shopping.

Sometimes checklists are avoided simply because they are considered too simple. But where assuring and documenting the completion of multiple actions is critical - think taking off and landing a 737 - the checklist is the best tool around. Are there places in your business where routine actions completed more consistently would boost performance?

Tickler File
This productivity tool has probably helped me more than anything else since I became a small town mayor and had to keep track of lots of events and appointments without the benefit of an assistant. The type of file that I have is one described in Getting Things Done by Dave Allen.

It consists of 43 folders, one for each day - that is 31 - and one for each month. Invitations, directions, agendas, etc. are placed in a file that I reach for the day they are needed. The files are rotated so I always have exactly what I need for the next 30 days going forward. Anything further than that is put in a monthly file, which are also rotated.

Meeting Agendas
Agendas are the basic tool for planning and conducting a meeting, and no meeting should be without one. Essentially, an agenda is a plan about the the meeting’s purpose, content, and process. Purpose is about the results expected, content is about the range of topics to be covered, and process is about the what participants do (e.g. inform, discuss, decide). Effective leaders ensure an agenda exists for any team meeting, any sales call, any time people are brought together for any business reason - preferably prepared in advance and written. That agendas can be used flexibly and in unlimited formats does not mean they should not be used. Even if a meeting created on the fly, the first question asked should be “what’s our agenda?”

Name Tags
When you are part of a project, a committee, a nonprofit or association board, chances are you won’t know or remember everybody's name - even if you’ve been meeting these folks once a month for the last year. And having to ask for names becomes embarrassing.

People work best together when they have effective relationships and that starts with knowing everyone’s names. If you are in charge of a group where participants aren't likely to remember everyone's names, then provide name tags or name tents.

Post-It Notes
Post-it notes. What a great invention, maybe not up there with the wheel and fire, but pretty darn close. Post-it notes are under-appreciated as a tool for visually organizing thinking, either on your own or with a small group of people, such as your executive team.

When you capture ideas on Post-it notes, then you can move and group them in ways that you just can't do if you are capturing ideas on a flip chart or a simple piece of paper. For example, you could have everybody in your team each do their top three priorities, one priority per note. When you lay these on the table, then you can see where there is overlap and where there are unique contributions.

In addition to simple categorical groupings, organize the notes a step further by giving each of the ideas a rating on two different dimensions, like a scale of one to five for cost and then a scale of one to five for ease of implementation. Using those ratings, you can then arrange the notes on an XY chart - a very useful visual for determining priorities. (Post-It® is a trademark of 3M)

Mind Maps
Mind maps are another visual thinking tool easily used by individuals and small groups to capture and organize ideas. Human beings think by associations. A mind map takes a core idea and links other ideas to it in a very holistic way. If you are unfamiliar with this technique, Google “mind maps” or check at Wikipedia and you will find lots of information about how to do mind mapping. There is plenty of great software out there too, although a simple sheet of paper will do.

Handwritten Notes
Leadership is about influencing people, and that means connecting to people in a way that stands out. Want to show appreciation to a hardworking employee, important contact, or a special customer? A handwritten note is incredibly powerful. Organize your desk and workspace so note cards and stamps are easily available.


***
by Tom Stevens (c)2009
Tom Stevens helps leaders create and sustain exceptional organizations. To contact him, visit www.ThinkLeadershipIdeas.com or call 800 727-9788

THE BIG BOOTS

These big boys stand proudly in front of North Star, a local mall here in San Antonio. They are quite an attraction.... I often see people taking photos of themselves and family in front of them. Everytime you whiz by on the 410 Loop, there they are!

MAX'S IDEAS TODAY

Max (as people tend to call him - Lucado, you know) spoke this morning at church about humility.... an interesting topic for a man who is clearly internationally famous and is a "household name" in many circles. He represents humility, and one would never know he is who he is. That makes attending Oak Hills a joy!

Here is the list he gave to keep us on our "humble toes":

1. Assess yourself honestly - have a sane estimation of your capabilities by the light of faith that God has given you.

2. Don't take your success too seriously - because our hearts are prone to proudness.

3. Celebrate the significance of others - consider others better than yourself.

4. Don't demand your own parking place - be sure to sit in the seat of the unimportant.

5. Never announce your success before it occurs - "one who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off" I Kings 20:11

6. Speak humbly - don't let arrogance come from your mouth.

7. Live at the foot of the cross - the cross is our only reason to brag.