Early in my career as an administrator, I was exposed to the power of words and the impact they may have on people’s reputations. As a leader, you have the podium. What you say can make someone’s day or destroy a reputation. An example of this principle was clearly shown in one of the leadership…
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Timing is Everything
In my first year as commissioner of education I spent a full day in every one of the state’s 139 school districts, starting with a breakfast and ending with an evening town hall meeting. In that time frame, I met at two-hour intervals with representative groups of students, teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, and…
Communicate Early and Often
Over the years, I have had opportunity to observe, up close and personal, literally hundreds of chief executive officers. Almost all of them have had intellect. Almost all have had basic ability. Almost all have had desire. However, intelligence, experience, and personality are no guarantees of success as a leader. Many chief executive officers I…
Prior Success is No Guarantee of Future Success
In life at the top, it is “what have you done for me lately” that counts the most. Yesterday’s successes simply don’t transfer to tomorrow, particularly when a new playing field must be confronted. At almost every move as I stepped up the career ladder, I was greeted with skepticism. When I was named chancellor…
I MISS NED!
(I had the honor of giving the keynote address last night at 6th Annual Ned Ray Day in Dresden, Tennessee. Here is the entire text of my speech.) I miss his effective leadership… His caring heart… His ease along style… His impeccable integrity… His plain talk… His ability to reach across the aisle… The list…
Never Forget Who Brought You to the Dance
In most cases, continuing a relationship is easy. In fact, mentoring can, and often does, become a lifelong endeavor. Occasionally, however, there is an exception that tests one’s loyalty and allegiance. In my life, the exception was the one who did more than anyone else to launch my rise to the top. As the early…
Also Priceless: Supportive Friends!
No one ever makes it to the top without the support of friends, relatives, and/or mentors. Those who played supportive roles must not be forgotten in the ride to the top. As the years passed and my career expanded, I often paused to reflect on roles that others played in whatever success I had. One…
A Supportive Family: Priceless!
Few people make it to the top of their professions without a supportive family. Certainly, that has been the case in my life. The reason this is so important is that trials and tribulations accompany life in a fishbowl. Stated simply, life is often lonely at the top, and a supportive family can provide the…
Thank you, Dave!
With my father’s encouragement and my mother’s doubts, I started at age nine delivering the Chattanooga Times and the Knoxville News-Sentinel to a modest number of subscribers scattered throughout my hometown. Each morning, I would leave home before daybreak and ride my bicycle across town to pick up newspapers at the bus station and deliver…
Life is an Adventure
Life is a source of many mysteries, perhaps none more puzzling than why some people make it to the top of their professions while others, who appear to have all the right stuff, try but stumble and fail along the way. This mystery intrigued me more and more as the years of my life passed…