culture

Mardi Gras 2015 – In the books

February 17, 2015

In these last 5 years of working Mardi Gras as the Chief of Police, I’ve experienced many changes. I’ve also seen that the most important things remain constant. 1. The people in the City of Thibodaux are amazing & know how to celebrate safely. 2. The staff at the Thibodaux Police Department are committed to community policing. 3. The members of the various Mardi Gras krewes cherish cultural value & Cajun tradition. 4. Max and I still look forward to our annual […]

The Eulogy: 2014

December 31, 2014

The Eulogy: 2014 Over the last few days I’ve witnessed so many who’ve cursed or eulogized the last year; yes 2014. Instead of rejoicing in the 365 days of life God allowed them, they dismiss the gifts of grace in hopes of happenstance instantly or magically changing their circumstances. What makes a person believe that the tick of a second-hand tock is going to erase the hardships, the failures, the could-have-beens, the should-have-beens and the never-have-beens? Good things happen, bad things happen, […]

Crucibles of Leadership (part 4)

December 9, 2014

The Essentials of Leadership In our interviews, we heard many other stories of crucible experiences. Take Jack Coleman, 78-year-old former president of Haverford College in Pennsylvania. He told us of one day, during the Vietnam War, when he heard that a group of students was planning to pull down the American flag and burn it—and that former members of the school’s football team were going to make sure the students didn’t succeed. Seemingly out of nowhere, Coleman had the idea to preempt […]

Crucibles of Leadership (part 3)

December 2, 2014

Geeks and Geezers We didn’t set out to learn about crucibles. Our research for this article and for our new book, Geeks and Geezers, was actually designed to uncover the ways that era influences a leader’s motivation and aspirations. We interviewed 43 of today’s top leaders in business and the public sector, limiting our subjects to people born in or before 1925, or in or after 1970. To our delight, we learned a lot about how age and era affect leadership style. Our […]

Ferguson & Public Engagement | What are they good for?

November 29, 2014

What’s the best time to plant a tree? – 30 years ago. What’s the next best time to plant a tree? – Today In general, law enforcement has made for horrible horticulturalists. We’ve not tilled the soil of community engagement as a practice. Now we wonder why no one understands us. When an incident like Ferguson erupts, the pundits hurry to fend off allegations from a civilian population incessantly asking for answers. I’ve had so many tell how they’ve unfriended people on […]

“If Not Us, Who?”

November 27, 2014

“If Not Us, Who?” My heart weighs heavy in this week before the important decisions contemplated by a civilian grand jury in another state. After nearly 25 years of serving my community and country, I see the potential for an occupationalrevolution. The potential for substantially significant cultural change. While most revolutions are spurned through violence, this cannot be one of them. Soon, events born in violence will again effect this country. Not just for today, but years to come. Regardless what you […]

%d bloggers like this: