Happy Holidays!
Jeff's Blog
Traditional Holiday
Have a wonderful, traditional holiday!
Awkward Moments
An update from President/CEO Jeff Andresen.
YMCA Core Values
The other day I was sitting in a restaurant and a friend asked me “why is the YMCA referred to as a movement?” Frankly, I had been calling the Y a “movement” for so long that I just assumed everyone considered it as such…. I guess I was mistaken.
Traditions
The other day I mentioned to someone that I had recently started a tradition. The look on their face conveyed a bit of skepticism, so I felt compelled to validate my history of success as a “tradition-builder”.
The Older I Get
Lately I have noticed a pattern. The older I get, the more I tend to say things twice. I don’t really know when it happened. I think it was a somewhat organic process, which occurred over time. Or maybe I just came to the subconscious conclusion that saying something once was inadequate. Saying things twice adds a level of emphasis that seems to put my mind at ease. I have no idea where it puts the person’s mind that has to listen to me, but that is not a mystery I plan to spend any time investigating.
Lima Beans
I don’t know about you, but I have always found saying “I’m done” to be very liberating. As a child, being able to say “I’m done” was a big deal. Making this announcement not only gave me a sense of accomplishment, it established my preliminary position on my current status. I liked establishing my position early, and I typically felt strongly about it. Often I would push back my booster seat, rip off my bib and announce “I’m done.” This announcement would be accentuated by a spastic uplift of both arms, like a calf roper at the national finals rodeo.
Empowering People
For some crazy reason, I recently decided to attend a few management technique conferences. This is rare for me. Usually my conference attendance is sporadic at best. I have found that if I spend two days listening to hyper-energetic speakers spouting off the latest management technique buzz words and sound bites, I need to allow at least 8-10 months for self-reflection so that I can quietly consider my conference takeaways at my own leisure.