AD Corner Archive
2012
Character Trait for the Month May: FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The old saying: "You only have one chance to make a first impression" is so true! You really never know where it will be or in what form it will be reflected. Will it be something you say, something you do, something you are wearing, or something totally unpredictable?  And further more to expand the point: First impressions can last a life time!
 
 Character Trait for the Month of April: Future
As our seniors prepare to walk across the graduation stage and some of our employees search their next career move; three points often come to my mind this time year:

1). You must have an intentional career plan if you want to advance in a proactive way. That doesn't mean that your plan has to unfold exactly as you lay it out; but it does mean that you have to be proactive and persistent in this competitive world. A reactive approach will be rewarded with reactive results. Only a very few, have very lucky results, with this short term approach.

2). What matters most is where you want to go rather than where you are right now. You have to be planning and working on "right now" what you want to be doing five years from now. Five years from now a flash of smoke is NOT going to align you with your career ambitions.

3). You have to excel at your current level of responsibilities and assignments if you ever want to bump up the ladder. You cannot wait until you get the perfect job to unleash your full potential; you have to lay it on the table now so that it will get noticed, no matter how small or big the task.

 Character Trait of the Month for March: COMMUNITY
We have had the pleasure of experiencing our men's basketball team successful run in the month of February and our exciting involvement with our James Justice State Farm Insurance/ESPN Slam Dunk Competition voting. Our community and fans have sincerely joined in to support and rally behind our college. It is truly exciting to see a community bond together with a college on any level and share the fruits of our work in a positive means. These successes, relationships, and bonding DO NOT come by chance or accident; they are from years of producing a quality product and then having a unique event jump to the spotlight. Thanks to our Team RedHawk coaches, from all of our sports, and staff for helping create a successful RedHawk brand within our community.
 
Character Trait for the Month of Februry:  LEAP YEAR 
Every four years our traditional calendar has a mandatory adjustment it makes to keep pace, which takes place with the additional full 24 hour day, February 29th. As you know this given year is referred to as Leap Year. I challenge you to consider using this 2012 Leap Year month of February as a time to make alterative and challenging adjustments in your thinking and reasoning within your day-to-day agenda. Maybe view this through the eyes of Walt Disney's quote:  "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down
new paths."
 
Character Trait for the Month of January:  FINISHING STRONG
 Finishing Strong is an attitude about choice.  Only you have the power to choose how to respond to the challenges in front of you.  Finishing Strong is a by-product of completing the task at hand; especially into the grind of the task where the rubber-meets-the-road.  The choices will be how your respond to the grind (and there will always be grind). Will you lie down, will you walk away, or will you choose to endure?  The choice is yours.  It's not what happens to you in the grind, it's how you choose to respond to the challenge/opportunity within the grind that matters.
 
2011
Character Trait for the Month of December: COMPOSURE
 
 I believe that our greatest reflective trait is composure. We, alone, decide how we respond to adversity and pressure in what we say and how we respond. No one can take that power away from us. It is ours alone. A composed person is the underlying foundation for a CHAMPION!
 
Charter Trait for the Month of November:  CONFIDENCE
 

 It is impossible to gain confidence without experiencing setbacks and obstacles. It is about learning from your mistakes and challenges, and then avoiding them down the road, holding yourself accountable; and then doing the advanced task right the FIRST time!

 

Confidence is a by-product of Trails, Tribulations, Failures, Rationalization, Analyzing, and getting Knocked Down with the spirit to get right back up! 

 
Character Trait for the Month of October:  GIVE BACK
I will be the first to admit that my collegiate and professional career has been a treasured livelihood. I have been very lucky to have been surrounded by outstanding people and exciting opportunities. These did not occur by chance; in fact, most of my successes are a direct result of "others" assisting and providing me the opportunities.

It is because of the kindness and the confidence that others have shared in me that has benefitted me so much. It is for this rationale that I have made it a strong commitment to "GiveBack" to others as they strive for success in their careers. I want to go the extra mile to assist others reach both their personal and professional goals. I encourage you to do the same.

Character Trait for the Month of August: GRATITUDE

I've had the pleasure this past summer to travel to Oregon, Orlando, New Orleans, and New Mexico for both business and pleasure. I will be the first to admit that I have some great professional friends at other institutions and they are on some pretty impressive campuses. But, at the same time I've never forgotten what a great and sincere place we have here at Martin Methodist.

I encourage you, to join me, and to make this upcoming academic year, a year of gratitude and appreciation for what we have here (everything that we have we have worked very hard to achieve), who we have here (I'm very appreciative of the quality and loyalty of our staff), and the mission of Martin Methodist College (it runs a lot deeper than it even appears on the surface).

 Character Trait for the Month of May: FAITH
 
The month of May is a very unique time of each year. The month brings proms, conference championships, graduations, senior trips, blooming flowers, green grass, along the first smells and temperatures of summer. This time of year traditionally serves as an optimistic time of the year. With those thoughts - I would like to share with you a very special verse that has a special meaning that we can all gain wisdom and maturity from observing.

This verse was a special shared communication between my 14 year-old daughter and her long time girlfriend, Deanna, who passed away last month after a four year encounter with cancer. Deanna was also 14 years old. Deanna lived, experienced, and grasped more in her short 14 years than most of us do in forty years. Why and how could this be possible ? Deanna had faith; she lived it, possessed it, and taught it. This verse was one of the foundations of her internal strength that inspired us all!

Character Trait for the Month of April: EXAMINATIONS

The month of April on most collegiate campuses across America brings final examination time for our academician peers. Shortly after exams, we will depart our comfort zones of our campuses for summer and for many for jobs who will never return to their campus again for many years.

I ask each of us to take an immediate friendship examination. Reach out to our closest friends, both old ones and new ones, and view the world through their eyes for a moment. Give them a pat on the back, a lending hand, a thank you, or even a hug.

True friends are rare, don't take them for granted, appreciate them, and more importantly let them know that you appreciate them.
 
Character Trait for the Month of March: PLAY
 
When I think of the opposite of "play" . . . it isn't "work" - I believe it is more like "depression". I understand "play" to be: engage, amuse, participate, cooperate, and have fun. These are all things I hope to do while at "work". I rarely succeed at anything unless I'm having fun doing it. I'm reminded of this most often when I fly Southwest Airlines and observing their flight attendants. Their employees are encouraged to have fun while at work, to enjoy their daily experiences.

  Some say ability to express "humor" professionally in the workplace is an indicator of both; (1) managerial effectiveness, and (2) emotional intelligence. A light, playful, appropriate attitude is a true characteristic of creative individuals. I believe in this thought process. I believe that laughter is no laughing matter; it is a foundation for building a positive attitude and a successful career.

 
Character Trait for the Month February: HAPPINESS

I have a belief that is supported by some research and study. This belief may sound self-centered, but in reality it may very well be the exact opposite. My belief is . . . Put your own happiness before others. More specifically do something, monthly, that you sincerely enjoy; a perk for yourself. This has been proved to be very beneficial by several experts in the field of psychology. According to one expert, only 10% of our happiness hinges on external forces. The rest is up to you.

Unique thoughts:

· Children - imitate their parents emotions within months of their birth;

· Relationships - if you cannot be happy with yourself, how can you expect others to be;

· Yourself - give yourself a VIP treatment, you deserve it;

· Smile - when in doubt, smile, it is contagious, and it speaks volumes over laughter.

Character Trait for the Month of January: COMPASSION

For our New Year I'll bring to you an unique thought from Mr. Pink's book: "The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind; computer programmers who could crank codes; lawyers who could craft contracts; MBA's who could crunch numbers. But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind: creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers.

  These people: big picture thinkers, designers, inventors, artists, consolers, caregivers, and storytellers will now reap society's richest rewards and share in its greatest joys. We are moving from an economy and a society built on the logical, linear, computerlike capabiltities of the Information Age to an economy and a society built on the inventive, empathic, big-picture capabilities of what's rising in its place, the Conceptual Age."

 
2010
 
Character Trait for the Month of December: DETAILS

For any big event, occasion, project, and/or any successful effort the attention to the "details" is the foundation for success. When striving for excellence the failure to attend to the details and special needs on any task will most likely lead to having to resort to "short cuts" and "compromises" as the task needs completion. In my opinion, an individual's attention to details is their barometer for success.
 
Character Trait for the Month of November: EXPOSURE
 
Early in my professional career I was given some of the best personal and professional advice that I have ever obtained. Former UT football Coach Johnny Majors told me, "To have a sincere opportunity to be successful within any profession, you have to surround yourself with people that share the same values as you and that think like you." And boy did he hit the nail on the head. I have witnessed many failures that were largely a direct result of people NOT taking the initiative to expose and surround themselves with like minded people.
The writer of Proverbs observed that sharp people sharpen one another, just as irons sharpen irons. If you want to be a sharp thinker, be around sharp people.
 

Character Trait for the Month of October: PLANNING

Most people spend more time planning their summer vacation than planning their lives.

It is may sincere belief that our destinations in life should not be left up to fate. Fate is defined as "by chance" or "luck". Destinations, goals, opportunities, careers, and relationships all need to be planned and evulated for us to maximuize who we become and what we accomplish.
 
Character Trait of the Month for September: FRESH START - NEW BEGINNING
 
"No river can return to its source, yet all rivers must have a beginning." - Proverb
With the start of our new academic year everyone has reported to campus with smiles on their faces and with new energy. What a great time to be on a college campus! These young men and women have such great opportunities ahead of them and they live in a world of unbelievable resources.
 
Character Trait for the Month of August: CHANGE
 
"The things I don't like - I change them. The things I can't change - I change the way I think about them." Unknown
 
Character Trait for the Month of May: REPUTATION
 
"Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us." Thomas Paine
 
Character Trait for the Month of April: ENGAGE and EMPOWER
 
As our Final Exams of the semester are rapidly approaching, I often wonder at what time in our students lives do they actually realize the full purpose of final exams, as I see them and if others have the same rationalization as I do. I believe that the unfolding of collegiate final exams are a multi-facet event. It brings together the leadership of an instruction with the team of followers to test if they sincerely understand the purpose of the previous months work as the instructor had desired.

  The end result(s) are not necessarily the final grade, although important it is; the final achievement to be obtained is: has the student withstood the challenge to become further "Engaged and Empowered" from the leadership of the professor to lead and take the next step successfully. Only time will tell, but history is proven to us that the final exam grade is a pretty good indicator.

 
Character Trait for the Month of March: LUCK
 
The month of March brings me to think of the "Luck of the Irish" in refering to St. Patrick's Day celebrations. I am sincerely NOT a believer of "luck" as when it is defined as the reciever of good fortune by chance. I believe that "luck" is a sincere by-product of preparation. When a person prepares well, plans well, and looks to produce a proactive end result, then good fortune "luck" is a very likely by-product of these efforts.

  I believe that looking to the future WITHOUT an ultimate goal in-sight then your chances for good fortune is highly restricted and the chances of achieving that goal or end-result is highly unlikely.

 
Character Trait for the Month of February: RISK

"You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." Unknown author

Our RISK taking is often met with our human defensive mechanisms of fear and apprehension. Taking RISKS is the prelude to our achievements and successes when paired with careful pre-evaluation. This is true with relationships, travel, job performances, and exercise; as well as other proactive initiatives.
 
Character Trait for the Month of January: GIFTS

As the holiday season was approaching I remembered what I enjoyed the most about the season. My enjoyment often stretches all the way to Christmas Eve with my last minute, and often first minute, pursuit of the perfect gifts. My joy of the holiday season is experiencing the sensation of "giving". The drawing in of the holiday season most often finds people to be more open to giving and sharing. And with the holiday season just passing, an interesting quote recently caught my eye. "Whether you admit it or not, a "gift" is your way of expressing how you feel about another person."

I find it very fulfilling not only to give a well thought-out purchased "gift", but to also receive one the most valuable "gifts" a person can have to give and that is the "gift" of their shared time.

As a result, in 2010 I hope to be able to share my time with more people that desire a need where I may be able to be of assistance.
 
2009
 
Character Trait for the Month of December: FIRMNESS
Firmness stands for determination and persistence, for the connection between principles for perseverance, determination, and resolution. Leadership cannot take place without the insertion of Firmness. The true leader is able to differentiate in the Firmness that can cause stubbornness and inflexibility; and the Firmness required for others to follow to be successful!
 
Character Trait for the Month of November: MARGIN

As we enter this holiday season of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a New Year, our plates seem often "overfilled" with work, family, and other personal commitments. I am reminded of important, meaningful advice that was once given to me. That advice was to make sure that you always leave a "margin in your life". Meaning . . . we must leave a margin for error. We must leave time and resources to correct the errors that pop up in our lives. We do not live in a utopia world where all systems work to perfection everyday. When we do not have the time and resources to correct our errors, then the dominos of failures are lined up to take a fall with us.

Be careful this holiday season; do not "overload" your finances, your friendships, your workload, and your priorities. Leave a margin for error, a margin of communications, a margin of understanding, and a margin for replenishment. It will be advice well noted.
 
Champions of Character Trait for the Month of October: FRIENDSHIPS

One of the unique opportunities and/or challenges of "going off" to college is the engagement of new friends. Some acquaintances develop into lifelong friendships and some become mistakes. In reality, each of us only posses a very few sincere and true friendships within a lifelong contacts of acquaintances. Rather than dwell on the misfortune that can rise from friends gone bad; I would like to focus on the values of a sincere friendship. A true friend has NO stereotype to build from in looks or gender. A true friendship is a bond, an understanding, a sharing, and a commitment to one another, an "I've Got Your Back Covered" mentally.

There is no "cookie cutter" means to create friendships, however, it evolves from a chemistry of trust and a sincere understanding, appreciation, and/or love of one another. Friendships evolve from a mutual respect for one another and will grow into a personal connection that often cannot be explained; nor forged.

Choose your friends carefully, so that you may treasure and honor your friendships forever!
 
Character Trait for the Month September: REMEMBERING

The indescribable emotions from 9/11 cannot be preserved in history; however, the loss of lives and property, in conjunction with the events of heroism and the American resilience is something that all of America (small town to big town) should never forget.

Director of Athletics, Jeff Bain addresses his soccer teams and the visiting team prior to the start of afternoon games on September 11, 2001. "We are gathered here with countries from across the world to play this game today. You student/athletes from other lands have come to America because of our freedoms. We will not let these outside forces, demonstrated this morning in New York City; deprive us of our freedoms in which we have built our nation. I encourage you, today, to compete against one another, respect one another, and to embrace one another. When you leave here today, I ask you to better understand one another. For our world as you knew it yesterday . . . will not exist tomorrow."
 
Character Trait for the Month of August: FAMILY

As our students prepare to embark on our campus for this new academic year, many of them will be departing their immediate family for the first time. The thought of them leaving their very own personal bedroom for a new dorm and roommate brings anxiety to most families. But in reality, they are temporarily leaving one family to build a new family. In fact, we create many "families" in our life time:

Immediate household family;

Extended blood family, outside of home;

Social friends family;

Work family;

Church family;

School family;

The experiences, lessons learned, friendships, and relationships (and how we react to them) from all of these"families" help make-up who we are! "Family members" are born and introduced to us. "Family members" die, move, and are divorced from us. However, each "family member" has it's own unique "mark" that they leave on us!

We are proud to have your son and daughters joining our MMC family. It will be an experience that will make both of us stronger and wiser!

   
   
 
 
 
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