TBL May 4, 2007

Today I want to talk about how much I dislike “my”. Along the same theme as yesterday – annoying people - this entry is about people who assert their power by taking personal possession of things and people they do not own. For example, yesterday morning we were walking to work with a Navy JAG who was going to a class in a neighboring building. She had served on an aircraft carrier and in the course of conversation made the comment “my pilots would do…..”. She doesn’t own the pilots! As a part of human nature we typically don’t like being possessed by others, so when someone does it, it is aggravating.

We will all be leaders in our careers. When we are, we should talk about those people we lead in terms of “our team” not “my team”. Using the words we and ours is much more effective and professional.

TBL: Perception is important. Don’t be perceived as someone who uses language to show ownership where it doesn’t belong.

Here is a great reply to yesterday’s blog:

We had a mentoring program at work. As part of the program individuals were asked how they learned from their bosses. More people reported learning more of what NOT TO DO from their boss than learning what TO DO.

So if someone says that someone is useless, you should say

"They are not useless, they can always be used as a bad example!"

Well….All Good Things Must Come to an End!

Tonight is our last on duty for the Navy. Tomorrow we go home. I have been doing this annual thing for the Navy for the past 15 years. I have never had so much fun. The sights and experiences and travel companions combined to make it a big success. For those of you who have been following along, the pictures have told the story. However, there is an untold part to the story. Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 to 4:00 we were working. We had a big task – identify the barriers that are keeping our navy reservists from effectively mobilizing and contributing in a difficult time in our military. The people over here are closer to the war than we are back home. As I listened to the Armed Forces Radio each morning I heard again and again about a father or mother who would not be coming home, about a new memorial to the 80 people who have died from one unit. We accomplished our task – our work will be brought back to our admiral who will be in a position to effect immediate change. I’ve got more pictures tonight and they show more fun, but don’t be mistaken, those of us in uniform know the importance of our work and we know that the next telephone to ring with a call to the global war on terror could be ours – and we’ll gladly go.

For our last afternoon in Naples, we climbed Mt. Vesuvio (Vesuvius to us). It is the volcano that erupted in the year 79 AD and decimated the civilization in Pompei. Here are some pictures of the scenery as well as some fun we had on our last night out for dinner.

Thanks for following along. The Bottom Line will now be reverting to some daily advice sans photos. Hope you hang around.



This is a "blood" orange. I first saw one on a trip to Naples about 7 years ago. They look real freaky, but taste quite sweet.


Here are a handful of pics from our hike up Mt. Vesuvius. For those that have hike up Diamond Head, this is much steeper and more rugged. Steam was coming out of the crater. It was a hazy day, so pictures aren't as good as what we saw.






Like I said, this is a dirty city. Pictures like this could be taken on almost any block. Yuk!