I was able to catch the last half of both NFL conference championship games yesterday. Good games...yes, but also a lesson in representing your organization.
The widely seen live interview of Richard Sherman at the conclusion of the Seahawks win may become a training video in how to represent your organization.
Most folks know the Miranda rights statement -- "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." In today's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube world everyone has the ability to brand themselves more than ever. This idea has me broadening the Miranda state to what you say will be used against you in the court of public opinion.
Mr. Sherman's comments have been all over sports, and other, news. What he said, and the manner in which he said it, is being judged by sports pundits, website comments, and bloggers everywhere. The trouble is Mr. Sherman's comments reflect on the Seahawk organization as well.
If what your employees say can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion, how do the daily conversations of your employees reflect upon your organization?
Monday, January 20, 2014
January 2014 paddle
The January paddling trip was a bit of a make up for the cancelled trip in December. We had cancelled our big trip in December due to excessive snow at our paddling destination. This make up trip was to be in the original location.
About 8 or 9 were slated to attend the trip, but sickness and other issues kept it to 6 of us. We met in Van Buren for lunch at the Float Stream restaurant. The Float Stream is an iconic restaurant that my grandfather first took me to when deer hunting as a kid.
The day prior we had decided to forego camping and actually stay in a hotel the entire weekend. We were afraid we might lose more people if we didn't. It turned about to be a good decision because it rained all day Friday. We drove by our planned campsite late on Friday afternoon and it was indeed a sloppy mess. I'm confident we would have rutted up the place had we tried to park vehicles there.
Saturday morning we returned to the Float Stream for breakfast before heading to our put in at Paint Rock. Getting there was a challenge as the creeks had risen from all the rain. We crossed the same creek several times. It continued to get larger, faster, and deeper as we neared the river.
Once on the river it was a nice, quick float. The river was up so we were making great time.
We stopped just above Chilton Creek for a quick break and were in Van Buren shortly after one. I was trailing the pack and arrived in Van Buren to learn that one of the guys had flipped his kayak just before the bridge.
After he changed into dry clothes, we had lunch, and shuttled vehicles, it was back on the river. We ended our trip at Big Springs.
For Sunday we intended to paddle from Van Buren to Big Tree, but the water was too high for a safe take out at Big Tree so we did a quick morning paddle to Big Springs instead. Paddling into the morning sun made it a challenge to see, but it made for nice photos.
Overall it was a great trip. I'm ready to go again.
About 8 or 9 were slated to attend the trip, but sickness and other issues kept it to 6 of us. We met in Van Buren for lunch at the Float Stream restaurant. The Float Stream is an iconic restaurant that my grandfather first took me to when deer hunting as a kid.
The day prior we had decided to forego camping and actually stay in a hotel the entire weekend. We were afraid we might lose more people if we didn't. It turned about to be a good decision because it rained all day Friday. We drove by our planned campsite late on Friday afternoon and it was indeed a sloppy mess. I'm confident we would have rutted up the place had we tried to park vehicles there.
Saturday morning we returned to the Float Stream for breakfast before heading to our put in at Paint Rock. Getting there was a challenge as the creeks had risen from all the rain. We crossed the same creek several times. It continued to get larger, faster, and deeper as we neared the river.
Once on the river it was a nice, quick float. The river was up so we were making great time.
We stopped just above Chilton Creek for a quick break and were in Van Buren shortly after one. I was trailing the pack and arrived in Van Buren to learn that one of the guys had flipped his kayak just before the bridge.
After he changed into dry clothes, we had lunch, and shuttled vehicles, it was back on the river. We ended our trip at Big Springs.
For Sunday we intended to paddle from Van Buren to Big Tree, but the water was too high for a safe take out at Big Tree so we did a quick morning paddle to Big Springs instead. Paddling into the morning sun made it a challenge to see, but it made for nice photos.
Overall it was a great trip. I'm ready to go again.
Monday, December 16, 2013
December Paddle
In 1996 three of us took our first venture into cold-weather paddling. We met early on a Saturday morning with one boat, drove to an outfitter, rented another boat, and spent a beautiful Saturday on the Eleven Point River. That night it started misting rain around 8pm then rained steadily starting about midnight. The temperature dropped as well. Thankfully the rain stopped long enough on Sunday morning to cook, eat, and clean-up breakfast.
The tent seemed to weight a ton as I tossed it the bow of my boat. It rained steadily for about the first 2 or 3 hours of our float that morning. Once the rain ended the temperatures fell more and the wind picked up. By the time we reached our take-out temps were around freezing and it was spitting snow.
The weather didn't dampen our spirits then and we've continued the trip on the same weekend each year, although I now leave on Thursday morning. Over the years we've had average weather, unusually warm weather, and an ice storm. Thankfully the year of the ice we got to camp before it got really bad.
This year marked the first time we've ever cancelled a trip due to weather. Significant snowfall was forecast for our destination, but it looked like we could get there on Thursday with no trouble. The texting started about 5:30am that morning because the weather was coming in more quickly than expected and the snowfall forecast was on the rise. One of the group described it as being "crazy" versus "irresponsibly crazy" in terms of leaving their families with such impending weather. Our destination received enough snow to make the roads quiet dangerous.
At home thought we got nothing. So my usual paddling partner and I headed out for an afternoon on the Missouri. Wind chills were in the low teens at the start our trip and, of course, we had a headwind.
The drip rings on my paddle accumulated ice from the flow of water down the paddle. My gloves and paddle jacket had ice pellets on them. The side of the kayak had a fair bit of ice.
This may have been the coldest temps I've ever been on the water. With the right gear you can stay toasty warm.
The tent seemed to weight a ton as I tossed it the bow of my boat. It rained steadily for about the first 2 or 3 hours of our float that morning. Once the rain ended the temperatures fell more and the wind picked up. By the time we reached our take-out temps were around freezing and it was spitting snow.
The weather didn't dampen our spirits then and we've continued the trip on the same weekend each year, although I now leave on Thursday morning. Over the years we've had average weather, unusually warm weather, and an ice storm. Thankfully the year of the ice we got to camp before it got really bad.
This year marked the first time we've ever cancelled a trip due to weather. Significant snowfall was forecast for our destination, but it looked like we could get there on Thursday with no trouble. The texting started about 5:30am that morning because the weather was coming in more quickly than expected and the snowfall forecast was on the rise. One of the group described it as being "crazy" versus "irresponsibly crazy" in terms of leaving their families with such impending weather. Our destination received enough snow to make the roads quiet dangerous.
At home thought we got nothing. So my usual paddling partner and I headed out for an afternoon on the Missouri. Wind chills were in the low teens at the start our trip and, of course, we had a headwind.
The drip rings on my paddle accumulated ice from the flow of water down the paddle. My gloves and paddle jacket had ice pellets on them. The side of the kayak had a fair bit of ice.
This may have been the coldest temps I've ever been on the water. With the right gear you can stay toasty warm.
Friday, November 1, 2013
October Paddle
What a great weekend to be on the river!
Zack was wanting to do an overnight, but we had to find a buddy boat. After a few emails, Twitter posts, and some scheduling we were blessed to have Rhett and Madeline join us.
We put in during the mid-afternoon on Saturday and eased our way down stream on a short jaunt from Aker's Ferry to Pulltite.
Along the way one must always take a brief respite to paddle into cave spring.
The night/morning was the coldest Zack has experienced on the river. It was also the first time he stayed in a tent alone. He claimed his sleeping bag didn't do its job.
Unfortunately at the 9.13 mile marker Rhett and Madeline took a spill. Madeline was a trooper, never making a peep about the cold water. Thankfully the air temps weren't too bad and we were in full sun.
Looking forward to paddling in November before the big trip in December.
Zack was wanting to do an overnight, but we had to find a buddy boat. After a few emails, Twitter posts, and some scheduling we were blessed to have Rhett and Madeline join us.
We put in during the mid-afternoon on Saturday and eased our way down stream on a short jaunt from Aker's Ferry to Pulltite.
Along the way one must always take a brief respite to paddle into cave spring.
The night/morning was the coldest Zack has experienced on the river. It was also the first time he stayed in a tent alone. He claimed his sleeping bag didn't do its job.
Unfortunately at the 9.13 mile marker Rhett and Madeline took a spill. Madeline was a trooper, never making a peep about the cold water. Thankfully the air temps weren't too bad and we were in full sun.
Looking forward to paddling in November before the big trip in December.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
What did Deepthroat say?
The student transfer situation in the St. Louis region has been interesting to watch. I've repeatedly said it's been great to be one county out from it. I've also been impressed by some how some of the leaders have handled it. I don't envy them.
In the last few weeks the Children's Education Alliance of Missouri has become a player in the situation as they reached out to families and were getting lots of press opportunities. They've been noticeably absent in discussions around HB253. It seems they might be interested in the loss of services to kids caused by HB253.
Or it could be their primary funding is from the guy backing HB253.
Like Deepthroat said...follow the money.
In the last few weeks the Children's Education Alliance of Missouri has become a player in the situation as they reached out to families and were getting lots of press opportunities. They've been noticeably absent in discussions around HB253. It seems they might be interested in the loss of services to kids caused by HB253.
Or it could be their primary funding is from the guy backing HB253.
Like Deepthroat said...follow the money.
August Paddle
For the past several years I've donated a canoe trip for four to our scholarship auction. The purchaser and I agree on a date and off we go. Months ago we agreed on this weekend.
The plan was to camp at Pulltite on the Current River, but local flooding had kept the river closed all week. The Courtois was going to be our alternate location. We attempted to camp at Bass, but flooding there was pushing campers to higher ground. Finally we ended up at Huzzah Valley.
Upstream from where were had gotten 2.5 inches of rain on our arrival day making the outfitters nervous. On Saturday they weren't touching any canoes and decided to put in rafts during the afternoon.
We decided to paddle from Berryman to Bass. The water was up and moving nicely. There were 4 of us in 3 boats, so 2 solos and one tandem.
Based on conversations with the guys I mistakenly thought they had a bit of experience in canoes. Their experience was on slow moving water with mostly long pools and a few ripples. The speed of the current and obstacles quickly revealed their paddling ability. They were army paddlers and I was starting to get worried. The solo was doing okay, but the tandem was struggling.
For the most part I stayed close and on the inside of any strainers to lead them in the right direction. At least until they got a bit ahead of me. The river was mostly open with a low limb sticking out along the right bank. They hit it of course and over they went.
Getting the paddles and boat were quite a challenge, but finally I got to the boat and emptied it with the help of one of them. He then attempted to paddle it solo. When we finally got organized the tandem crew decided to switch bow and stern positions.
As we came into the Blunt's slab I got ahead to check it out. The water was right at the top of the slab, but there is a safe place to get around on the left side. I pulled over and got on the bridge to direct them to safety. As I was pointing to their left they went right, hit a tree, and went swimming again. I caught the boat as it came into the slab and pulled it on top.
After that I took one of them in my boat for the final four miles of our trip. The final leg was filled with rafters than had been put in just after lunch. The rafts can typically bounce off trees and rocks, but we did come upon a boat hung up on two root wads. That's were the throw line comes in handy. We got the raft free and finished a nice day on the river.
Back in camp on of the guys noted that he now knows why you need to wear a life jacket on the river. The water was too swift to stand if was over your waist. He also wondered what they would have ever done to get the boat.
Overnight the Huzzah dropped about a foot, so on Sunday we headed to Harper's slab to start. The guys made it safely down and were more inquisitive about how to handle a boat.
Despite their troubles, it was a nice two days on the river. There's no time like river time.
The plan was to camp at Pulltite on the Current River, but local flooding had kept the river closed all week. The Courtois was going to be our alternate location. We attempted to camp at Bass, but flooding there was pushing campers to higher ground. Finally we ended up at Huzzah Valley.
Upstream from where were had gotten 2.5 inches of rain on our arrival day making the outfitters nervous. On Saturday they weren't touching any canoes and decided to put in rafts during the afternoon.
We decided to paddle from Berryman to Bass. The water was up and moving nicely. There were 4 of us in 3 boats, so 2 solos and one tandem.
Based on conversations with the guys I mistakenly thought they had a bit of experience in canoes. Their experience was on slow moving water with mostly long pools and a few ripples. The speed of the current and obstacles quickly revealed their paddling ability. They were army paddlers and I was starting to get worried. The solo was doing okay, but the tandem was struggling.
For the most part I stayed close and on the inside of any strainers to lead them in the right direction. At least until they got a bit ahead of me. The river was mostly open with a low limb sticking out along the right bank. They hit it of course and over they went.
Getting the paddles and boat were quite a challenge, but finally I got to the boat and emptied it with the help of one of them. He then attempted to paddle it solo. When we finally got organized the tandem crew decided to switch bow and stern positions.
As we came into the Blunt's slab I got ahead to check it out. The water was right at the top of the slab, but there is a safe place to get around on the left side. I pulled over and got on the bridge to direct them to safety. As I was pointing to their left they went right, hit a tree, and went swimming again. I caught the boat as it came into the slab and pulled it on top.
After that I took one of them in my boat for the final four miles of our trip. The final leg was filled with rafters than had been put in just after lunch. The rafts can typically bounce off trees and rocks, but we did come upon a boat hung up on two root wads. That's were the throw line comes in handy. We got the raft free and finished a nice day on the river.
Back in camp on of the guys noted that he now knows why you need to wear a life jacket on the river. The water was too swift to stand if was over your waist. He also wondered what they would have ever done to get the boat.
Overnight the Huzzah dropped about a foot, so on Sunday we headed to Harper's slab to start. The guys made it safely down and were more inquisitive about how to handle a boat.
Despite their troubles, it was a nice two days on the river. There's no time like river time.
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