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Leaders have impact on employees

How employees perceive things often depends on their leader.  I often speak to organizations that are undergoing a merger or consolidation. (This is happening a lot right now.) In my presentation to the group, I will usually talk about the many benefits of joining a larger system. For example, it gives them access to capital and technology. It lets them leverage their size to save money on supply chain purchases. It helps them standardize things, grab best practices, and create a lot of consistency in the care they provide. Sometimes people aren’t positive about a consolidation. ...

100 Days reflections

Richard Nixon was in a fighting mood on Feb. 16, 1973, during a meeting with acting FBI Director Patrick Gray and John Ehrlichman. With Watergate heating up, the President was full of bile and vindictiveness against “leakers.” “This country, this bureaucracy,” Nixon continued, “It’s crawling with, Pat, at best unloyal people, at worst treasonable people.” This could sum up President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in tone and style. When he was not banning journalists, his Attorney General was arresting judges. Moreover, the lack of discipline and the rush of emotion ...

We cannot just watch lawlessness

In the last 100 Days we have seen people imprisoned and deported without due process in court, and we know that unelected Elon Musk has taken away tax dollars from government programs established by our elected representatives. Citizens should not tolerate more violations of our basic freedoms and Congress needs to call a halt to this process of dismantling the most successful democracy and economy in the history of the world. We must not forget the importance of ensuring due legal process for everyone to avoid the unjust imprisonment of anyone. Also we need to resist taxation without ...

Strong connection

Thousands of lifelong friendships have been born on the campus of Davis & Elkins College. At a holiday dinner for international students this past December, Lisa and I met two first-year students whose bond immediately captured our hearts and curiosity. Despite only one semester on campus at that time, their connection was already strong and inspiring. Leona Gemmel and Alina Vallentgoed are psychology majors and student-athletes. Alina hails from Assendelft in the Netherlands, and Leona grew up in Bonn, Germany. They met during orientation for international students and quickly struck ...

Tools of the trade

I had the great pleasure to go to the Media Innovation Center at West Virginia University last week and attend an enlightening presentation on the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in new reporting. You hear a lot today about artificial intelligence, or AI. Just about every digital product or electronic device advertises some AI feature. There are AI-generated news stories now, AI-generated images, videos, and even podcasts. AI has the same problem that many different phrases have in that it has become an empty bag one can put whatever they want into it. Ask five people what AI ...

Reality still has a vote, even in politics

Reality has a vote. That is one lesson administered to the body of politics in the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second administration. After the president gleefully announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2, stock market prices fell sharply, and the bond market became, as Trump put it, “yippy.” So after just one week, on April 9, he put the Liberation Day tariffs on a 90-day pause. Perhaps contributing to this choice was automaker Stellantis’ April 3 decision to lay off workers in five U.S. factories. That can’t have been what he expected to ...