Presbyterian Senior Living : Blog
Giving voice to the topics that mean the most to those who matter the most.
The term family is one of the most beloved words in the English language. At its best it evokes images of warmth, acceptance and belonging. There are many illustrations of family, and I would like to share a few that have meaning for me.
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The subject of change may be the most popular topic in the study of leadership. After all, if the world was a static place, there would be no need for leadership. The evidence and language of change is all around us – climate change, the need for political change, educational change, social change (positive and negative), technological change, demographic changes – pick almost any topic, and the change is the focal point of discussion. We live in a world of change – but this is nothing new. All of human history has been marked by how people live and adjust to the next wave of change. Those of us who are old enough to remember the 1960’s recall the Bob Dylan classic “The Times They are a Changing” with lyrics that could be applied to events of almost every decade that has followed.
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There are two thoughts that I would like to share on this National Poetry at Work Day. The first is related to how an appreciation for the value of work is passed from generation to generation. As a heavy equipment operation for Detroit Edison, my father worked at a job that required demanding physical labor day after day. I never once heard him complain, even when he worked all day in sub-zero conditions in the brutal Michigan winters. As a child, the enduring image of my father’s commitment to provide for his family was his black lunch bucket. As I grew older I realized the toll that work took on his body. When I asked him about what drove him to work so hard, he simply said, “We’re men, we work”. My Mother was no slouch, matching him step for step - running the household and keeping six children in line. It is no wonder that all of the Proctor children grew into adulthood with a strong work ethic.
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December is known as the gift-giving season. The experience of gift giving at this time can be stressful. It can also be a source of enjoyment or humor, especially if you can take a step back and consider the gift giving process beyond the cost or length of the list to be completed. I would like to provide you with a few of the insights I have gained over the years related to gift giving.
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The art of telling a good story is a gift shared by many great leaders. Last month my friend and colleague Larry Minnix retired as the leader of LeadingAge after 16 years as CEO. At his retirement celebration, many people referenced his ability to tell a story as one of his many outstanding talents. His southern drawl was an asset as he fashioned stories about seniors and caregivers as real people, with real needs – a departure from the normal Washington, D.C focus on statistics and future projections. Sometimes his stories included farm animals or a cousin named Bubba. Whether the stories were literal or a parable of sorts, he effectively carried the message in his own unique style.
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This month marks the start of the 11th year of Reflections on Leadership. In the beginning I recall a conversation with my Mom when I sent her the first couple of issues. She said that she thought the writing was pretty good and asked me how often I intended to send these out. When I told her that it would be a monthly publication, she remarked, “Well, it just seems that a topic like leadership is fairly narrow.
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