Its about Respect and Rememberance

     May 30th is the day we will officially recognize and observe Memorial Day.  Interestingly, this day used to be referred to as Decoration Day and was the day we remember those who had given their lives in the nation's service and the day we decorated their grave sites.  Many towns hold services and in Bethel, Connecticut we hold memorial services and a traditional home town parade. 

     As a Vietnam Era veteran, I find it increasingly important to pay respect to those who have given their lives so I can enjoy the freedoms I am priviledged to have.  Maybe its my age, maybe its observing how young our people in the armed forces appear to be (we were too), maybe its about knowing how invincible and immortal they feel (great military training), maybe its now how much they love this country and are willing to lay down their lives to protect our freedoms. 

     We are all blessed to be in this country.  Anyone who has had to opportunity to visit other countries, to study other ideologies, to understand other cultures, knows the advantage of being an American and also knows and understands how the world has changed dramatically in how others see us as well.  All things considered, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. 

     I truly respect all of you who have served, are serving, or will be in the service of this country.  Its an awesome job, its incredibly rewarding, its dangerous, but you grow up with a whole different perspective of what your freedoms are worth and what you are willing to pay for them.  I am constantly reminded that freedom isn't free.  I have a very

high degree of respect  and admiration for your sacrifices and will make sure you are all remembered on this Memorial Day and every day I enjoy my freedoms.

What about the burning of the Quran

Image via WikipediaI found myself investigating the very core of my values when I heard about the pastor in Florida who is advocating an international day of burning the Quran.  At first I felt a strong disapproval, then slid into a feeling of agreement.  I started to feel as if "they" feel "they" can burn our flag, our Bibles, our books, why are "they " so upset about burning theirs? Isn't this about equal treatment?  You disrespect me, I disrespect you!  But wait!  Isn't our culture one which sets us apart from others?  Isn't our tolerance for your belief and for you to practice your religious beliefs a value which sets us apart?  Isn't it also our intolerance to actions which damage or cause injury to others as they practice their religion make us who we are?  I believe it is.  I believe our core values are the ones which set us apart from others.  I think the majority of us believe anyone is entitled to observe their faith and religion as they wish as long as it does not cause any type of harm to anyone else.  Alexis de Tocqueville in his book Democracy in America published in 1835, saw in America a balance of liberty and equality for individuals as well as community.  He observed the notion of Christianity and liberty so intimate in our lives that one cannot be conceived without the other.  He stated America is one of the freest and most enlightened nations in the world.  He stated this in 1835!  Burning books is not the answer.  We Americas have a high tolerance for many people and many beliefs.  We voice our disgust and anger at flag burnings and destruction of religious artifacts.  However, we don't join into that type of barbaric and uncivilized behavior.  Its what makes us who we are.  Its what makes us Americans.  Its what puts us above the fray.  Book burning is not the answer and past history has proven this fact.

Cover of Democracy in America (Signet Classics)

How much will you pay for your drop down oxygen mask?

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US airlines have been complaining about profits and loss of revenue and are thinking about innovative ways to get more money from their customers. The interesting thing is that they are driving their customers away with the petty way they are trying to save their business. We have some advice for the leadership of the major airlines companies and an easy way to increase customer traffic.


If you travel, and I am sure many of you have, you can almost recite the flight attendants messages, "...in the case of an emergency masks will automatically drop from above. Put your mask on first and then help children or others with theirs." The reason you do this is because if "you" are not panicking you will be able to help others later. If you don’t, you're out cold and then you add to the amount of victims. This is fairly sound reasoning and logical. So, why not charge for the use of the mask? The major airlines could take the leadership role and charge everyone $5 for potential use and make billions. Then, once they have forced them to pay for the mask...make the oxygen optional and charge for that too. Ok, you're probably thinking, what does this have to do with overall business strategy and being profitable? Actually quite a bit.

First and foremost, think about what airlines have forced their customers to do. First, you get charged for checking your baggage. This results in people packing carry on bags to the hilt and bringing with them on board. The result is less lost baggage, as recently reported by the major airlines, but increase in airline departure delays because of the need of more time for people to shove and push their way around while clobbering you in the head to get their bag into the overhead bin. And, flight attendants have increased their personal claims for back injuries helping to lift those heavy carry on bags. And what does the airline do, charge for carry on bags. Logically, I think, they are charging for a condition they created as well as problems in getting people seated so they can depart. This just doesn't sound fair to me.

Fixing the problem isn't as difficult as it may seem. It takes innovative leadership, an understanding of local culture, specifically US culture, and the presence of mind to think innovatively. Has it dawned on any of the CEOs that Americans will pay for quality service, for being treated with respect, and for comfort?

The plan: Allow for free bag check-in up to 50 lbs, per adult, regardless of the amount of bags. Allow for only one carry on per person and have it be a specific size, no exceptions. Preferably this should have a maximum size of the typical overhead sized carry-on, again no exceptions. Increase the cost of the ticket to a reasonable level that would cover the current add-on charges. Now, add some leg room, and offer a few amenities for free such as soft drinks and water. I can almost guarantee you will fill flights, you will gain customer loyalty, your customers will speak highly of your brand and your customer base will increase. I think it’s fairly obvious your ROI will be exceptional. Or, you may want to consider how much airline CEOs are willing to pay for their own oxygen masks.

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Its time to TAKE THE LEAD!!!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Over the past few weeks we have seen the tide and power of leadership shift back and forth from the leaders to the followers. I think we all were a bit amazed to see the controversy erupt in some of the Health Reform town meetings. Well, maybe some of us were not so surprised. Prostesting from senior citizens!!! How uncivilized and rude. But wait...isn't this the anniversary of the worlds largest gathering of a peaceful people called Woodstock. Isn't this the time of long ago when the New York State Thruway was closed because of the thousands of people that gathered at Yasgur's farm for three days of peace and music. http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/reinventing/articles/woodstock__40_years.html?CMP=KNC-360I-YAHOO-BULL&HBX_OU=51&HBX_PK=woodstock

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40 years ago a huge gathering of humanity created an historic event in a certain place and time which will forever be etched into history, and for some, mark a turning point in there own personal, private and public lives. The whole world shuttered as this gathering grew to emmense proportions and became the largest free music event with peace and love that ever existed or ever will exist. The fact of the matter is the world changed after this event. Stars became political leaders. Some by default. Some not wanting this awesome responsiblity. No concert after this on this scale in this type of location would ever happen again. No one was capable of leading that type of event again. Leading...interesting term. Woodstock led an army of hippies, dippies, weathermen, socialites, free lovers, peaceniks, warmongers and young adults into the future with, surprisingly, a new recipe for growth, prosperity, "can do" attitude and a bonus recipe for great brownies. So, what does this have to do with the new culture of the new world, new mellinium and this new era of protests by seniors. PLENTY!!! They are the woodstock era people and they have come to lead us again through their protests and leadership style which is not afraid to be candid, if not more honest in their opinions. And get this...Senator Specter has the nerve to say that this is not the voice of the people of America. I think its time for this Senator to practice his leadership skills and do come active listening because he will become a follower and follow all the other deposed politicians right out the back door. The tide has shifted and the rip currents can be treacherous. As Lee Iacocca said, "Its time to lead, follow, or get out of the way." Or even better, as Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM stated, "If you're in charge, take charge." Woodstock, who would ever have thought the impact it was going to have today.

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The shifting tides of Leadership

I recently read an article by Richard Stengel, Managing Editor of Time Magazine, about Sarah Palin's leadership style. He describes her style as, "she is the textbook example of Weber's charismatic leader, who uses personal appeal and magnetism and a disdain for traditional structures as a route to power. Hers is the opposite of the legal-bureaucratic style and seems based on intuition, emotion and frontier values." Richard also states that "we don't write about leadership in a theoretical way-every week we write about leadership in real time involving real events." Inspirational leadership is what most people remember. You only need to think about the leaders you would follow. It would be for your personal reasons of how they

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made you feel. Did you become angry and eager to make/force a change? Did you become more educated and ready to jump in and do some research to inspire others to take action. Did you feel safer? Did you feel less secure? What was that feeling stirring in you veins making your heart pound a bit harder and your senses become more attuned to your surroundings. It wasn't theory. It was and inspirational leader that you took the time to listen to. Someone with conviction, commitment, and a drive that, perhaps, instilled in you a sense of well being and of progress. Or maybe they made your blood boil and your sense of patriotism rise to heights you never thought you had. I can think of leaders that did that for me and I can think of the times of my life in which that happened. We all are at a point in time where the essence of leadership will dissected in the future and through hindsight we'll make course corrections. We all are at a point where we all will move forward. We all are at a point where there is

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no backward...never was, ever, at any time. So the real question is, what type of leader will you follow or even more importantly, what type of leader will you be. Will you reach out and grab the brass ring? Will you dedicate your life to taking steps to improve? Will you learn, mentor, coach, act and be accountable for your actions. What are your values? What will you do and how do you want to be envisioned? What do you want people to say about you? There are a plethora of questions to answer, personal blocks to overcome, steps to take, and opportunities to lead. I leave you with this thought...many leaders have come and gone, many have been taken apart by the press or their adversaries, but a very small number of the population can say they actually ran for the President of the United States of America, or for the Vice Presidency of this great country of ours. Think about it...what will your legacy be as a leader?