By David Daggett on 9/29/2008 6:46 AM

Elementary Leadership

     All the recent news regarding the financial markets makes us think about our kids’ future, as well as our own. We recently attended a parents’ night at our kids’ school - actually, we went three times!

     Perhaps the most interesting part of the parents’ nights was a speech on developing children to reach their full potential. The lessons we heard apply to all of our organizations, pursuits, and even the financial markets.

     The presentation was artfully targeted to urge appropriate parenting leadership, which also seems to apply to leadership in general. The principles included a balance nurture, structure, and latitude. Providing all three principles becomes a difficult commitment in the face of challenges in our fast paced world but are essential for success.

     Nurture includes the desire of all people to be wanted and loved. Nurture is essential to give individuals a sense of belonging. Nurture is developed by showing love and respect, both directly and by example. This is an essential aspect in creating healthy people, organizations, and satisfying lives.

     Structure is the framework and expectations people have for their pursuits, responsibilities and ventures. Structure includes rules and guidelines that are required to be followed. It also includes process management protocols, as well as behavioral standards. Over time, structure becomes the values and culture of our organizations, and is reflected in all we do.

     Latitude is the freedom within the structure to use judgement to experiment and learn. Given this latitude people and organizations will have failures and setbacks. These are the areas for more growth and learning. If there are appropriate nurture and structure then the learning and growth are appreciated, accepted and raise performance to higher levels.

     Authoritative leadership within these three levels provides the best opportunities for future successes. Virtually every neurodevelopmental and psychological study supports these elements as building blocks for success.

     Balance between nurture, structure, and latitude is important. With the latest investment bank debacles it appears that the balance between structure and latitude were out of wack. We can imagine how nurture was probably out of balance too. Perhaps a few lessons in elementary leadership would benefit our political and financial leaders.

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By David Daggett on 9/22/2008 6:56 AM

Two Wheel Safety

      Motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, mopeds, and all seem to be becoming more popular. The number of registered motorcycles alone has gone up seventy-five percent in the last ten years according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

      Experts expect all forms of cycles to continue to increase in popularity due many factors including the high price of gas. Accordingly, all motorists need to be mindful of cyclists on the road, and cyclists need to exercise good safety habits.

      Nationally, North Carolina ranks eighth in motorcycle deaths, and the number doubled over just the past five years. Traffic deaths declined nationally last year reaching the lowest rate in ten years, however North Carolina had the largest increase of any state, up 121 over the prior year. In fact, most states have seen an overall decrease in traffic fatalities in recent years - North carolina is one of a few that has experienced an increase.

       We previously discussed bicycle safety in See and be Seen. Interestingly, the same rules and principles apply to bicycles, motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters. Most importantly, when you are on the road you are a vehicle under the law just like any other vehicle. This means obeying traffic lights and signs, staying on the proper side of the road, not cruising past lines of motorists stopped in traffic, and all other rules of the road.

      We are likely to continue to see an increase of two wheelers on our roads. We need to work together to increase the safety on our roads to decrease injuries and deaths. It is up to all of us to practice safety daily, respect each other, and make North Carolina roads safer for everyone.

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By David Daggett on 9/15/2008 6:54 AM

School Safety Reminders

      More than 50 million children returned to school this fall, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington, D.C. That means more traffic, busier rush hours, and a greater need for patience while driving.

     

        At this time of year drivers are likely to encounter things like stopped school buses, children on bicycles and scooters, and more pedestrian traffic. Unfortunately, this may sometimes translate into more accidents involving our young people.

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By David Daggett on 9/8/2008 6:55 AM

Recent Highway Safety Reminders

     Holidays always seem to be a good time for reminders of highway and driving safety. Labor Day is the end of the summer holiday weekend for many people. This year, our North Carolina Highway Patrol urged drivers to slow down, and had several initiatives in place to promote safety.

     In addition to focusing on aggressive driving and other safety measures, the Highway Patrol continued to emphasize their "Click-It or Ticket" campaign for seatbelt safety, and the "Booze It & Lose It" campaign against drunk driving.

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By David Daggett on 9/1/2008 5:38 AM

Our Incredible Community

     This past week was a very moving one for Greensboro and Winston-Salem. The communities’ response to Matt Gfeller’s fatal injury in a high school football game was incredible, and became a reflection of all of us.

Double rainbow over Reynolds High School - Monday August 25

     Of course we hear and read about tragedies on a regular basis. But most of those are what we usually consider to be within the risks of life and are just "news." This incident was described by doctors and other experts as one in a million. It was completely unexpected. When the "one in a million" hits close, we all take it personally.

     The signs of care, support, and concern through all sectors of our community were striking. We were all one, and we were all in this together. We all were in this together because we all care. We certainly can never know how the Gfeller family really feels, but certainly they know that we care.

     It seems many different factions of our community felt this incident in their own ways. Our Lewis and Daggett team had personal contact with more than 14,000 high school students across the triad this past year in our Safe Sober Prom Night program. Each one of those young people are precious to us.

     On a personal note, I have known Lisa and Bob Gfeller for more than 20 years. They are fine, honorable, spiritual, happy, loving, good people. They too have shown us how to handle a tragedy with honor, class and grace.

     We can all be proud of our community. We care about each other. We pull together when we needed. We understand the importance of community support. And to the Gfellers, we will continue to be with you.

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By David Daggett on 8/25/2008 6:54 AM

A Pink Evening

      Saturday night was a special night at Ernie Shore Field for the Winston-Salem Warthogs and our community. It was "Pink in the Park" night,  a benefit for breast cancer research, and a celebration of    breast cancer survivors.

      Our Lewis and Daggett team had a large contingent in attendance, and we were a corporate sponsor of the event. A night at the ballpark is always a great time for family fun. Our group had a great time, and it appeared that everyone else did too.

      Members and supporters of our local Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation were a delight to work with. They had a true passion for the cause and put all their efforts into making the evening a success. Likewise, we were proud of the passion our L & D team displayed at the ballpark helping out and promoting the cause.

      Of course, pink was the color of the evening. We were struck by the number of men and women who wore pink to support the cause. The survivors group shared a commonality, a "never give up" attitude, and an appreciation for the event.

      The Warthogs organization did a terrific job of hosting the event and giving support to the cause. The players even wore pink jerseys! The whole event served as visible recognition of and support for the families, patients, and survivors of breast cancer.

      We were proud to be part of the event. Our staff even got me to wear a pink shirt for the first time! After all, it was for a good cause :-)!

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By David Daggett on 8/18/2008 6:45 AM

Never Give Up

      Wow! The Olympic Games have been spectacular - and we are only half way through! It seems everyone is watching and talking about the events. Perhaps we all "participate" in our own way. And, there are metaphoric lessons for all of us.

      Did you watch or read about the men’s 4 x 100 freestyle rely? How do we respond when the chips are down? Do we keep going or do simply give in.

        Jason Lezak gave us something to remember. To set the stage, he was swimming the anchor leg of the relay and was a body length behind when he started. The French team had the lead and had their former world record holder in the water.  The chances seemed slim.

      Lezak is rather unknown. At 32, he was the oldest of the male swimmers. He could have been content and happy with a silver medal. He could have just gone hard, and no one would have questioned him. It seems that just being content wasn’t the plan for Lezak.

      With 50 meters, one length, to go, Lezak, the USA, and Michael Phelps’ dreams were still a body length behind. At 25 meters it still seemed out of reach. Then, Lezak dug deeper. Could it be possible? Yes, at the end by eight one-hundredths of a second he did it. His split of 46.06 was faster than the world record at the distance of 47.50.

      We all probably need to watch our tongues at times. French swimmer Alain Bernard, who was overtaken by Jason Lezak in the final 50 meters of the race, had said in an earlier interview when asked about their competition: "The Americans? We're going to smash them, that's what we came here for." We better watch what we say!     

      The lessons also include teamwork. None of us can do it alone. Even Michael Phelps needed the extraordinary efforts of teammates to swim into the record books, and sports immortality. Don’t we all need the support of others?

      This next week is sure to bring more lessons. Please stay tuned. We’ll likely review more lessons next week.

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By David Daggett on 8/11/2008 6:51 AM

Always Finish!

     The Olympics are here and have started. We always enjoy watching the Olympics. Moreover, there are always lessons that we learn.

     With the games starting this past weekend I was reminded of an incredible story of "Finishing." Derek Redmond injured his hamstring during a heat for the 400-meter race in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. His father helped him from the ground then went on to help his son finish the race. He came in dead last, but he showed to all of us that finishing is important.

     When Derek's father reached his side, he said "I'm here, son, we'll finish together." In an interview after the race, Derek said "I wasn't doing it for the crowd, I was doing it for me. I'm the one who has to live with it. Whether people thought I was an idiot or a hero, I wanted to finish the race."

     Finishing is important, and sometimes we all need a little help. We try to always remember, and do that, here at Lewis and Daggett. More importantly, we are so proud of our clients who "Finish." We discussed Amazing People earlier this year. Diane and Grady stopped by this past week - they look great! They are using their computer more, and still have those great smiles. They certainly know how to "finish."

     We are fortunate to be able to work with people who are seriously injured, disabled, or hurt at work who still know how to finish. They, like Derek Redmond know that finishing is important, and have personal honor in knowing that they keep going.

     The Olympics are sure to be inspirational and exciting. We can’t wait to see the important lessons yet to be learned from this year’s Olympic games.

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By David Daggett on 8/4/2008 6:55 AM

Buckle Up

     Please help us keep our children, families and friends safe. Failure to wear safety belts is a greater contributing factor in deaths than any other safety related behavior in our lives.

Children in our L & D Family

     In North Carolina it is now the law that all passengers, both front and back seat, must wear seat belts.

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By David Daggett on 7/28/2008 6:47 AM

Don’t Be Distracted

      "Distracted Driver Awareness Week" was held last month in an effort to educate motorists on safe driving. According to a report by the National Highway Safety Administration, about 80% of accidents are caused by driver inattention. The report also said that about 65% of all near-crashes involved some sort of driver inattention.

 

      Did You Know?

• 98% of Americans claim to be safe drivers
• 72% of all drivers admit to partaking in some form of distracting behavior while driving
• The most common "distracting behaviors" include: cell phone use, eating, drinking, changing the music in the car

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