September 12th is National Day of Encouragement. Here I have displayed a few of the books I used in retail management. We would change tactics through the seasons and years. They all had an interesting focus, or flavor of the week. I did find a few universal truths:
- Be an active listener. It helps with trust and communication.
- Continue learning. Learn about your team, about your projects, about your growth.
- Delegate. You need to develop and motivate your people with tasks to grow with.
- Deliver constructive feedback. Criticism needs to be given with care and empathy…and must be timely.
- Be happy. Have a good outlook.
That was easy and quick. Perhaps I should write a motivational book. I need a hook…
September 12th is National School Picture Day. Today is the day to smile. Because my mom was one to save things, she kept my classroom pictures-from kindergarden through fourth grade, all at Spring Bluff grade school in Winthrop Harbor. I then have my eighth grade Junior High class picture from Westfield school.
And I have my Senior yearbook with the obligatory classmates and teacher comments. We were the Zion Zee-Bees.
I don’t have any class pictures from college at Northern Illinois University. (I do have random pictures of parties, causing pranks, and general hooliganism.) However, there is one time that we did a time-honored college event. We protested. In our case, it was the Iranian Hostage Crisis. We went to Chicago, and the Iranian consulate, where with signs and chants, we asked for our 53 Americans to be set free. I have a newpaper clipping from that protest. I’m wearing the hat.
The school, Northern Illinois Univesity was great for giving us advice before we drove to Chicago. They explained legal awareness if, or rather when, we confront police-especially Chicago police. In Chicago, you follow Chicago’s rules. The college accepted that we wanted to speak out, and they embraced our enthusiasm and patriotism. It was part of the college life. There were no arrests that day.
Librarytomes 