Excited for new HOF class

Loyola has announced its new Hall of Fame class for 2013-14. The celebration will take place in May 2014. Click Here to read the article which will fill you in on all the new members.

Loyola launches new capital campaign

Loyola launched its new capital campaign - Bright Minds, Bold Hearts - on Saturday December 7th, with a interactive experience of all that Loyola has to offer.

Loyola Athletics was represented by several coaches and student-athletes and of course our mascot. Iggy. The new campaign will raise $100 million towards many important areas - a nice listing is available here. There is also a nice campaign kick-off video. Please consider your gift to Loyola. Go Hounds!

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving.

I hope you take some time to give thanks today.

Remember to thank all those who have help you.

Be sure to apologize to anyone you have wronged.

Enjoy.

exciting times for dc united... finally...

I was just reviewing this story from DC United's website. Not sure if you have been to RFK recently, but this is way past due. My brother and I went to see the Washington Diplomats at RFK many moons ago and it was not the best place. Don't get me wrong, RFK has great views from most seats and it has hosted so many great and memorable games (Riggo drills too) The problem with RFK is it is just old and does not offer the great amenities to the fans. This will be a big boost to the MLS and to soccer in general. 25,000 seats is great but I am a little concerned about the size of the stadium but hopefully it will be built with expansion possible. Overall - big time step for DC United - congratulations. if you would like to read the article here is the link - http://www.dcunited.com/news/2013/07/plans-for-world-class-soccer-stadium-announced

Panama to take on USA in Gold Cup Final

The fact that Mexico lost to Panama in the Gold Cup Semifinal this past week should be a wake up call the United States Men's National Team.

The incredible output of goals by the US the past few games has been impressive.  Panama is a good side and the US needs to be ready to play at the highest level.

This game is not as important as the games in the Hex but getting one foot into the next Confederations Cup would be a great step for the team.

With the head coach watching from the stands, it is up to the leadership of the players on the field to take the next step in putting the USA in the number one slot in Concacaf.

My prediction for the game is 3-1 final score for the US in a very similar fashion to the early semi and quarterfinal games.

The most impressive part of this run is the new found depth for the US Men's National Team.  Hopefully this is going to be the start of something big for US Soccer.

On a side note, as a DC United fan, I am very happy that the Black and Red finally are moving towards a stadium deal in the next couple years.  Soccer in the USA is getting stronger and I am excited to see the growth continue.

Go USA....

Heroic Leadership

Another loaner that I have been reading is Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney which came out in 2003.  He writes about the best practices of the Jesuits. 

I pulled the following items from the first few chapters and have been thinking about how to apply these to my work and life.

The first area that caught my eye was Four Pillars of Success that create leadership substance:

• Self-awareness
• Ingenuity
• Love
• Heroism

Lowney feels that without these four pillars your leadership will be misguided or you will lose sight of what is truly important.

Lowney states that you will succeed in becoming a leader if:

• understand your strengths, weaknesses, values and worldview
• confidently innovate and adapt to embrace a changing world
• engage others with a positive loving attitude
• energize yourself and others through heroic ambitions

The biggest takeaway so far for me is - You have to lead yourself before you can lead others.

Lowney used John Kotter HBS leadership paradigm which says
You must -

•         Establish Direction
•         Align people
•         Always Motivating and Inspiring
•         Produce Change - often dramatic

Lowney contiues to say that We are all leaders and always leading - good or bad.

Leadership comes from within - who i am as much as what i do

Leadership is never ending and ongoing

Vision comes from self-reflection
What do i care about? What do I want? How do i fit into the world?

So you need to be passionate about the mission and people will follow.

You have to remember also that - Leadership is a way of proceeding - it is a compass not a checklist.

Lowney talks about the Jesuits -Living with one foot raised - always ready to move - do you have speed, mobility and rapid response. Is this something that you do or are your feet planted firmly in your world?

It is important to Lead with love not fear 
It is healthy - creates loyalty, affection and mutual support - we are all in this together. - Mission and Vision at center.

Lowney continues to discuss going after opportunities instead of waiting for opportunities to knock. Do you wait for the knock or do you create opportunities? 

He also talks about how motivation comes from inside - individuals can motivate themselves - Leaders motivate themselves and this is seen by others and seeing this allows other individuals to flip their internal motivation switch.

Lowney says that Leaders:

•         are always teaching and learning
•         mold brilliant and eminent men and women
•         persevere
•         energize
•         innovate
•         devote themselves to excellence
•         remain open to new ideas, even in old age
•         honor the truth above their egos
•         influence others by their example, their ideas and their coaching

What does our company embody?

•         heroic goals and heroic virtues?
•         friendly companionship should be at the heart of our company

It is interesting to think that a leader does not have to be the one in charge.
Also - Leadership  does not always produce results.
And - Leadership is not always about defining moments.

An interesting question asked is -
Do we expect to only have a few leaders or do we expect everyone who is with us to be a leader?

What is your point of view on leadership?  Please share your thoughts with me.

Information from Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney Loyola Press (c) 2003 

Are you winning everyday? Maybe Lou Holtz can help...

A friend shared the book by Lou Holtz - Winning Every Day - The Game Plan for Success - and it is an easy read and has some basic and fundamental messages that can help you succeed in what ever you are doing.

The book is written by football coach Lou Holtz and it is full of short vignettes from his life in coaching.  During his time as a young coach he started to develop his personal philosophy and he did admit to borrowing some ideas.  In general I think you would enjoy reading the book as it is simple and to the point.

He offers up ten steps and the book follows along these steps.

The steps are

                The power of attitude

                Tackle adversity

                Have a sense of purpose

                Make sacrifice your ally

                Adapt or Die

                Chase your Dream

                Nurture your self-image

                Foster Trust

                Commit to excellence

                Handle with Care

 

As you read through the text it is clear that Holtz feels that you need to be responsible for your own actions and by your example you will be come a leader.  If you can not lead yourself, how can you lead others?

The best takeaway for me was the acronym - WIN - which means - what's important now?  Think about it for a little bit and it will show you that you need to focus on what's important now and by prioritizing and putting things in the right places you will be successful.

Do the little things well and the big things will fall into place.

What do you think?  Let me know your POV....

Benghazi is a Scandal

Even more evidence is starting to leak out of the Washington area regarding what is looking more and more like a cover up.  The whistle blowers testimony has been eye opening and puts the ball back in the White House’s court to respond.

The talking points have been hashed over and over.  The intelligence community presented these talking points and it looks as if Susan Rice will be the fall person at this time.

What is the truth?  Do you think it will every rear its head and see the light of day?  I think all Americans should call their representative and senators and demand that all the material be put forward and reviewed.

4 Americans were murdered.  

It was not that long ago.

It was not a protest. It was a cold blooded attack.

We did nothing. We should have defended our embassy.  We look weaker because of that.

This is not about politics is it? This is about doing the right thing.  Too bad no one in Washington seems to know what that is.

At least the lady at the IRS apologized for being political....

What do you think? What is your POV?

Getting back to normal

I have read the statement - getting back to normal - so many times in the past few days.

It is a great discussion to have with your friends.  What is normal now?  Reading so much information about the amazing people who reacted so quickly to aid the bombing victims in Boston.  Who knows how many more people would have died if the quick response did not happen.

The terror of bombings is so frightening.  The lives that are ripped apart and the overwhelming pain is almost to much to understand.

There sobering numbers of deaths caused by bombers in the world can be found at this link.

http://www.psmag.com/politics/deaths-from-terrorism-55855/

Extremely sad stuff.  Thousands of people taken away for some cause or another.

I remember watching the great movie Gandhi and the line - an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

How we react to this recent bombing will no doubt show what kind of people we are.  I hope we react with justice that is tempered with peace and that we continue to try to lead by example in the world.

God bless all that were hurt or killed by the terrible terrorist attack.

Let me know your thoughts...

IPad - which one should IGet?

I am ready to do it.  I have been thinking about an IPad and need some help. 

Which one is the best?

I am always around a WiFi connection. 

Should I get a keyboard?

I am not sure...

I think I could get along with the original IPad but the newest IPad seems to be excellent.

http://store.apple.com/us/buy/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad

Let me know your experience... thanks. dg

York Road Initiative

Loyola has been working with the York Road Communities to build a better business, living and learning environment.

The York Road Initiative (YRI) started in 2008 as part of the strategic plan for the university continues to grow.

It started with a listening project to find out from the community felt were the strengths and weaknesses of the area.

The YRI is now working on incubation of new businesses and trying to engage the community in being more involved in the development process.

To find out more about the YRI - check out the website.

http://www.loyola.edu/department/yri/about.aspx

Let me know what you think about this and if you would like to get involved...

Chicago

I was shocked to here how many people have been murdered in Chicago over the past few months.

I saw an article that really made me think that we are not focused on the right way to control gun violence in the US.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&id=8977635

This story talks about gangland violence of Al Capone.

It is worse now then it was then.

What do you think of that? 

Cutting the budget

With all the talk going on in DC about the budget cut that is taking place you would think that this is the end of the world.

According to Politico (http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/sequester-pain-starts-with-drip-ends-with-torrent-88276.html) it is going to be a slow process of really understanding the impact of the cuts.

People are going to realize that they are going to have less service from the government and have to do more for themselves.  The scare tactics are crazy and I hope that the two parties in DC can figure out how to get the USA working again and create new revenue from new employees paying taxes and not increasing the taxes of people who are working now...

Let me know your POV... dg

Keeping Your Focus

Hey everyone ever have a day that seems like nothing is going your way.  What do you do to keep your focus and complete the things you have to get done?

How many of you take the time to write down a list? or do you use your outlook task list?

I am a person who tends to make lists and try to get everything done as soon as possible.

I work with many college students who sometimes struggle with staying focused on the means that get them to the ends.

I often will ask them how the keep track of what is due or where they need to be, etc.  Many times they do not have a good answer.

I would love for you to share your thoughts on how you keep organized and keep things moving along.

Enjoy the weekend and please share your point of view.... dg

Baltimore - What a year!

The small town of Baltimore MD had a tremendous year.  The Loyola Greyhounds made the NCAA tournament for the first time in men's basketball since 1994.  The Greyhounds followed that up with women's lax winning the Big East Lacrosse Championship and the men's team won the NCAA National Championship (a first at the division I level for Loyola.)

The O's also had their best season in quite some time.  The team was a real boost the town and it made for a real feel good story.

Then of course the Ravens. What can you say they are one of the best NFL franchises and they turned last year's disappointment at the Patriots around and made NOLA Baltimore South.  A tremendous year for Baltimore and hopefully it is just the start.

Good luck to all the Baltimore teams in 2013!!

Gun Control and Immigration Debate

Things are heating up again in Washington as the call for reform in gun control and immigration take front and center.  The interesting bipartisan immigration effort has some people on both side of the aisle wondering what the deal is going to be.  It appears clear that the immigration battle will once more hinge upon the funding to secure the borders of the United States.  The gun control debate is one that looks as if it will be just a new twist on old laws that are just not enforced.  Whatever the outcome on both of these measures, do not expect to see too many changes in reality.  The trafficking of illegal immigrants will continue.  The ability to obtain guns through the black market will continue.  I do not have the answers to these large questions but it is good that they are being discussed.  One can hope that someday our borders will be secure and people will be able to gain entry the greatest country in the world legally.  I also hope that someday we will wonder how all the mass shootings that took place ever happened.

I hope you are active and discuss these things with your children.  Your opinion is important and you should share it.  Hopefully bipartisanship will become more commonplace.  If you ever get a chance to read about the last days of George Washington's presidency, you will discover that one of the reasons he stepped down was he started to dislike the growing partisanship of states-rights proponents and federalists.

Please share your POV....

So you searched yourself and now what do you do?

So now that you have searched yourself on the internet and found out about your online brand, what can you do if you are not happy with what you have discovered?

If you found pictures or postings about you that you do not like, check out your privacy settings on social websites.  Are you getting tagged when you do not want to be tagged?  Are you in a picture that is not flattering?  You may not be able to clear it all up, but you can do a couple things to help.

First, change your settings to control what is posted about you and who can search for you.

Second, ask people to remove unflattering items. This does not mean that they completely gone but it will make it harder to find.

Third, start writing reviews of products and books that you like (or do not like) as these things will show up in a search as well.

Fourth, blog or post about things you like.  These are all searchable and the more positive items you have the better.

Do you have other ideas that work in cleaning up your online brand image?

Please share them here...

MLK Day of Service

Today, two of my children were involved with a service day at school to honor the memory of Martin Luther King.

So proud of them.  They helped paint bowls that will be auctioned off for an organization called Empty Bowls.

What did you do today to remember Martin Luther King?

Please leave your comments to let me know...

Can you name all the presidents?

I took the swearing in of the president today to talk to my son about the presidents.

We tried to name them all going backwards.

How far back can you go?

Here is a link to a list of all the US Presidents

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents

Let me know how you did...

God Bless America
Land that I love
Stand beside her
and guide her
Through the night
with the light from above...

Weekend is a time to...

It is still early enough in January to take some time and come up with a resolution.

If you did start a new resolution, please share what you decided to do and how it is going so far.

Some people say that you should not make resolutions but should rather set goals.

What is your POV on resolutions? or are you a goal driven person?

I work with college coaches and athletes and they tend to be more goal oriented.  Some times they will have a new resolution, but it is usually oriented to achieving one or more of the goals that have been set.

Have a great weekend and if you get a chance please share your POV...

Working on your brand

When the news about Hostess going out of business came out and people panicked when they realized that Twinkies might fade into nostalgia.  I stopped and thought for a bit about the power of brands and how much emotion a name or a logo can stir up in people's mind and trigger action. In this case, the action was hundreds of people rushing to the store to buy all the Hostess products they could find.

So as I tossed my Twinkie wrapper into the trash can, (I actually missed the shot, but that is another story) I was thinking about how brands have the ability to trigger an emotional reaction.

How can you work on your personal brand to elicit reactions from people? Reactions both positive and negative but passionate ones that create dialogue and possibly even inspiration and action.

I was having a conversation that other day with a co-worker about brand image and we talked for a while about our personal brand and how we can help make our stronger brand by working on our online appearance.  (I hope I didn't lose you with that exciting sentence.)  I really take a few minutes to look you will get a great understanding how you appear on the internet.  This will really make you think about your personal brand. Is it a brand that someone would want to buy?  Does your brand create action or elicit a passionate response?

Take a minute to google or search yourself online.  What did you find? Hopefully all good and positive stuff.  But if you found things you do not like what can you do?  We can talk about that next time.

Until then, I would love to hear your point of view...