Playing Catchup...Yesterday's Activities

Let me get you all caught up on yesterday. I went golfing with my Dad, which was awesome and had a few ice cold brews at the conclusion. Nothing better than gulping down a cold one after a hot day on the links. After that I met up with my brother, Jim, at Best Buy and purchased a new laptop. It was necessary because well, I can't take my Mom's computer with me, and the one that I was previously using, doesn't really run...to put it bluntly. Following my new purchase, I went to Schenley Park and met up with one of my friends from Marietta College, Mike Scalise, and we played a round of Frisbee Golf and later crushed a pizza. All in all a great day.

While sluggin beer with Pops, we engaged in a conversation about leadership. I'm always anxious to hear the perspective of the subject from others, especially those who hold a leadership position.(He's a fire chief for the city of Pittsburgh) He explained that he molded his style after one of his commanders in the Navy. They both work strictly off of the rewards system. His story is as follows:

When enlisted, he and the rest of his squad work their tails off daily in the blistering heat while they readied the ship for deployment. After the last day of work before the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk was ready to set sail, his commanding officer called a mandatory meeting at the dock. When everyone arrived, the officer had readied a picnic consisting of grilled food, kegs of beer and pickup games, all as a result of their tireless work.

What I learned from this is that many times the work that we do will go unheeded but it doesn't mean that someone isn't watching and paying attention. Don't expect to be lauded for your efforts, but put forth a meaningful effort every time. Someway or another you will be rewarded. Sometimes it will be in the physical form such as the Navy picnic, other times it will be from silent gratification from the looks on the faces of those affected by your goodness and other times you will get personal pleasure knowing that you did make a difference.