T.A. Wilson & Associates

As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, I’m reminded of how it was done back home in Syracuse. There would be those who would visit the cemeteries to place flags on the graves of solders, along with the official proclamations by the mayor. But what I remember most of all was the parade. Twice a year the city had a parade, Memorial Day and Veterans Day. It was an awesome thing to see when you were young. I remember the solders marching past in their uniforms and at time thinking how cool it would be to be a solider. I never really thought about the reason for the parade and why they were marching. When you’re young you don’t think about the reality of being a soldier and the wars that they fought and the anguish they were part of and witnessed. You just saw the fancy uniforms and how they marched in perfect unison. Now that I’m older and have had the opportunity to understand the true meaning behind Memorial Day I can’t help but be in awe of those who fought and died so that we can enjoy the freedom we have.

As a history buff, I have often lost myself in reading about famous battles such as the battle at Thermopylae, the Alamo, Gettysburg, Guadalcanal and the Battle of the Bulge. The fact that there were men who were willing to give their lives in the support and belief in freedom can’t shouldn’t be lost. While for some Memorial Day, signifies the unofficial start of summer, it’s still a time for us to reflect on what being a soldier means. I won’t spend a lot of time discussing it but suffice it to say those who make a choice to put their lives on hold and put on a uniform do command our respect. When we consider that today we have an all volunteer army it’s is indeed astonishing that young men and women are willing to step forward and do what they do. 

While May 5, 1868 is said to be the official establishment of Memorial Day it was actually celebrated on the 30th of May that same year. Each state and town has it way of celebrating it with the most common of laying of flowers on the graves of soldiers. While we think and remember those who have fallen, we must also consider and remember those who are still in harm’s way. There are thousands who are away from friends and families, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, faithfully serving and standing guard so we may happily attend our backyard barbeques and family gatherings. I don’t think they begrudge us enjoying ourselves, in fact I think they wouldn’t have it any other way, perhaps wishing they could be home with their family and fiends enjoying the celebration.

So when you lift that beer, or take a bite of that hotdog, take a brief moment to thank those who aren’t able to be with their family. Just take a small moment in time to think about what they are doing and have done to allow us the freedom we sometimes take for granted.  I don’t say this to make you feel bad, just to cause you to consider that we pay a price for everything we have and we should take nothing for granted. We have our freedom because there were those who answered the call when those freedoms were threaten and were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that we could continue our way of life.

Keep not only those who laid down their lives in your thoughts, but also those who still live and stand tall, and pray they may return home to their families safely.

Happy Memorial Day and enjoy your summer.

What is with people and cell phones? Why do they think everyone wants to here their business? I’m sitting in a coffee shop and getting the full low down of some woman’s entire wedding plans as she is discussing all the inane details with a friend for everyone to hear. Why she doesn’t take this call outside is beyond anyone’s comprehension.

Right now I know about how a member of the groom’s family will be making special dishes for only some people of the wedding party and not others, that her husband to be is upset with her for warning people about his nefarious womanizing brother.  Not to mention where they will be staying and when they will be living for their honeymoon. This is information that I don’t need in my life but because of her misguided belief that she thinks everyone should know she is getting married she is inflicting this protracted self-inflating conversation on those of us who just want to enjoy our coffee check our email,  or read the newspaper.

I’m not advocating for the elimination of cell phones. It’s just that the ubiquitous use of them has resulted in people suffering under the delusion that somehow any call they get on their cell phone is one that needs to be shared with all within earshot. I’m convinced this has happened because cell phones themselves are relatively cheap and just about everyone has one. There was a time when they were the toys of the rich not to mention the size of a brick. In fact that’s what the first portable cell phone looked like a brick with an antenna sticking out. You had to have money to afford the phone and pay the roaming charges.

I suppose we can blame Star Trek because all the phones look like the communicators Capitan Kirk and Mr. Spock carried. But since Star Trek was one of my favorite shows, I refuse to blame them for the crassness of some people who just don’t have the common sense to realize that those around them really don’t want to know that Aunt Bessie is coming to the wedding. After all they only used their communicators as intended to have Scotty beam them up. Which gives me an idea, maybe there is an app I can download on my phone that will allow me to beam this person to a location where someone will really want to hear what she has to say. If only.

© Timothy A. Wilson All Rights Reserved

Recently I wrote about the doorman strike in New York. In a recently published Op-Ed piece in the New York Times James Collins pointed out: “they provide an extra layer of face-to-face social connection that is not strictly “necessary,” but is tremendously gratifying nonetheless.” These comments reminded me of statements I’ve heard about top managers and company leaders.

Similar to tenants who depend on their doormen for that “face-to-face social connection” a growing number of senior managers have defaulted to their staffs looking to them to provide that level of connection with employees, becoming overly dependant on carefully scrubbed management reports, or on surveys results that rarely are enacted.

While the size of the company can be a factor that prevents senior management from getting to know all their employees, it doesn’t prevent them from gaining an understanding about what their employees have to deal with while working at for their company perhaps taking a hint from the CBS program Undercover Boss would provide some guidance and assistance in that area.  

This show provides a great example of CEO’s of well known companies going out into the field – undercover – to find out what it’s like for the people who work for them. No filtering of information they are getting it straight the real deal as one would say.

If you’re a leader in your company getting to know what you’re people have to deal with on a daily basis just to meet the demands you put forth to help make the company profitable is extremely valuable. Having that information filter through doorman like managers is a luxury that you should skip because there is nothing like getting it directly trust me, you’ll be much better leader and manager.

© Timothy A. Wilson All Rights Reserved.