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One of my favorite leadership professors often reminded his MBA students, “Leadership is not something that can be taught. Leadership is something you have to learn from experience.”   This newspaper’s editors exemplify the kind of positive leadership that benefits all Vermonters. For example, providing ideas for stemming Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), which afflicts even the…

One of the most fulfilling aspects of my work as a strategic growth consultant to nonprofits is advising the emerging generation of optimists running charitable and educational organizations in Vermont. Nonprofit directors today must navigate an ever-changing political, social and economic landscape, in addition to juggling fundraising, marketing, and meeting donors’ increasing demands for quantitative…

As a celebrity server for the Rutland Community Cupboard’s annual fundraiser at Southside Steakhouse last week, I gained new appreciation for the demanding work of restaurant professionals.  The great ones make the not-so-great stand out even more.      The celebrity server event is a signature fundraiser for the Cupboard, a nonprofit that is a key food…

As a celebrity server for Rutland Community Cupboard’s annual fundraiser at Southside Steakhouse last week, I gained new appreciation for the demanding work of restaurant professionals. The great ones make the not-so-great stand out even more. The celebrity server event is a signature fundraiser for the Cupboard nonprofit that is a key food source for…

A recent Rutland Herald editorial headlined “Bad boys” summarized an alarming uptick in social media posts threatening violence to women, but the term “bad boys” would probably thrill the puerile punks the Herald described. To wit, Urban Dictionary defines a bad boy as “a teen romance (character) who wears leather jackets and ripped jeans. He…

A recent Herald editorial headlined “Bad Boys,” summarized an alarming uptick in social media posts threatening violence to women, but the term “bad boys” would probably thrill the puerile punks the Herald described.  To wit, Urban Dictionary defines a bad boy as “…a teen romance [character] who wears leather jackets and ripped jeans.  He…has a…

If visitors need additional evidence that our region is a wonderful place to raise a family, they need look no further than these photos from the second annual Truck-or-Treat event on held Sunday, Oct. 20, to benefit Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum.  Organizers, including Wonderfeet Kids Museum’s founder and Board Vice President Paul Gallo, emphasized that beyond…

If visitors to Killington need additional evidence that our region is a wonderful place to raise a family, they need look no further than these photos from the 2nd annual Truck-or-Treat event on October 21, to benefit Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum.  Organizers, including Wonderfeet Kids Museum’s founder and Board Vice President Paul Gallo, emphasized that beyond…

This is to express my disgust at the inflammatory op-ed in the October 9 edition of the Herald, in which the writer attacked Mayor Michael Doenges, Rep. William Notte, the members of Rutland Forward, and the Rutland Young Professionals.   Not only did the writer come off as a haranguing hatred-filled heckler, but there was no…

The opening lyrics of “Teach Your Children,” by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, resonate as profoundly today as they did five decades ago.   You, who are on the roadMust have a codeThat you can live byAnd so become yourselfBecause the past is just a goodbye Teach your children well… The song’s inspiration, Graham Nash’s encounter…