Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Knowing best and Getting Others to do it.

Knowing Best and Getting Others to do it.

Well I picked up my 48 Studebaker Pickup that is on the S-10 Chassis and drove it home. The Registration says it’s a 46 Studebaker. (Is that a problem?) It cruised like a dream. I’m so excited. Still a lot of body work to do. I can’t decide if I want to prime and paint it in a traditional sense or seal with a clear coat and preserve the look of the rust patina. I am leaning towards the latter.

Linda came home and I didn’t hear the car. Usually the dogs alert me and I make a big ta-doo over her being back and she likes that…. Well today I didn’t and she thinks I don’t appreciate her as much as I should. Women! Still I really like her and when I carry on it is genuine. She is such a force. Even the dogs walk in awe of her….When she sits down to eat one crowds up on either side….It’s her karma plus an occasional scrap from the table….What do they say about random reinforcement?

I have to get working on my One Act Play….I finished with lesson one for the most part and now I have to push through lesson 2. I already wrote them in rough draft and had a bunch of stuff dumped in there…..One of the administrators came through and was not impressed. This will never fly she said in so many words… What can I say? These ladies have been such a great help assisting in getting ready I have to restrain my typical gruff response, characteristic of my well-earned reputation for being a "arsh locher"… bow my head in contrition, smile and fix the problem.

Even Leger, who is one of my friends and supporters, tells me I’m abrasive and have a lousey bedside manner. She claims I’m protecting my voice but that’s a euphemism for acting like a smirky snit. I was born with the jerky gene and I can’t help it….I could claim my lack of sensitivity is a consequence of my age but I've always been difficult. In the military this was not seen as a deficiency but rather a quality…As long as "The Old Man," kept everybody on a roll everyone took it for granted. I was successfull in my chosen profession, but wearied of forever pushing, coaxing and cajoling others to measure up to what they were capable of. When I could get someone to rise above themselves and shine that was a real high. I didn’t always succeed but I got some units to moving that many thought hopelessly mired in the mud.

By nature I’m not a stand up front and wave the flag sort of person…I love it when others with ability step up and I can turn my attention to the things I love to do. However, one of the things I learned early was there are plenty willing to presume the mantle of leadership who should not be wearing it. In the military that can get you killed. As much as I would have liked to carry the machinegun, the thought of some of the actors in my platoon, being in charge was too frightening to contemplate. That is a message I try and tell people….especially when they are capable and want to step back….If you aren’t willing to lead you are destined to follow a star of lesser brightness. That can be bad news for everybody.

Sometimes however you luck out and get to follow someone who is at least as qualified for the job than you are. I have a definition for leadership. It is knowing best and getting others to do it. It is both of these variables working together that constitute a leader. You have to be able to exercise reason and come up with an optimal course of action and at the same time be able to get others to sign up and follow you down the path. Some have one or the other of these qualities but not both….Sorry, you have to have the set to be a leader…Amen