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Lessons from the Wetland Ecology

Last week my column was focused on education, and the week before that, the topic was city water challenges. This week these two topics flowed together when I heard Elizabeth Byers explaining the significance of the Kump Education Center Wetland. I n her introduction to the Kump Center Wetland for Master Gardners last Monday, Elizabeth acknowledged that we live in a time when Global Warming threatens the natural ecology that supports human life on Earth. Many species are becoming extinct because they have lost their natural habitat, and our species could be next. However, Elizabeth ...

Leaders should eliminate the ‘zinger’

A zinger can be described as a quick, clever, and sharp remark that often carries a humorous insult. Yet “humorous” can be in the eye of the beholder. While the person delivering the zinger may get laughs, what about the person being zinged? The same is true of sarcasm. Years ago, I delivered what I thought was a funny line. Afterwards, a kind person asked me if I knew what “sarcasm” meant. He then said it comes from “to scar” or “the tearing of the flesh.” Since then, I have worked hard to remove sarcasm from my repertoire. Another definition of sarcasm is “to mock, ...

We’re Losing the Backyard Brawl

Last month, CNBC released its 2026 rankings of America's Top States for Business. Ohio finished first, the culmination of a two-decade climb from 30th place when the study began. West Virginia finished 46th. Last year we were 40th. In twelve months, while our neighbor across the Ohio River ...

Trump’s taste for gold

During the height of the Gilded Age in the late 19th century, the wealthy celebrated conspicuous consumption and immense power. Every Christmas, on Park Avenue, the well-heeled saw it as an act of kindness to treat their poor neighbors by opening their drapes and giving them a peek at what they were missing. They meant it as a kind gesture, but also displayed how out of touch they were with the vast majority of Americans. Bugs Bunny, in a 1940's cartoon, displayed this social cluelessness by remarking, while basking in the sun on a beach, "I wonder what the poor rabbits are doing this ...

Randolph County Schools’ demographic realities

Last week my column about city water problems ended hurriedly with these two sentences: "As frustrating as these problems may be, they cannot all be blamed on government. Every generation must work together and learn from history to solve problems using kindness (civility) and intelligence." This week after watching school children get on a yellow bus for their first day of school, I plan to start with the above suggestions for solving our public-school problems. When I see new leaders being loudly blamed for problems they did not create, I realize that George Washington was right ...

Who is really responsible for development?

I write more on personal and professional development than any other topic. In my book The Busy Leader’s Handbook: How to Lead People and Places That Thrive, the first chapter sets the foundation for a person’s development. The two main components are self-awareness and coachability. Willingness is key to both: willingness to hold up the mirror to oneself and willingness to seek out coaches and coaching. Please think of the coach’s work in its broadest sense. A coach is someone or something we can learn from. As I was preparing to facilitate a workshop, it was apparent that ...