Politics
On Prudence
Over the last five years, we have learned that a significant portion of this blog’s readers are Millennials. With that fact in mind, I thought that it might be useful for those of us who are not Millennials to occasionally read leadership reflections from members of this very misunderstood generation. ...
Cultural Oxygen
Our children are breathing toxic air. I’m not talking about air from pollution. I am talking about cultural oxygen. Peggy Noonan, one of the most thoughtful public intellectuals in our society today, makes precisely this point when she notes that “…a nation has an atmosphere. It has air it breathes...
Charlottesville, et al.
Our campus Chaplain talked to me about a student from California who had inquired whether I was going to issue a statement about Charlottesville. By the time this piece is made public, every one of my readers will know about the events in Charlottesville. They will have read or listened...
Empathic Leadership: An Interview With Robert Brownell
MORE ABOUT Robert Brownell Robert Brownell was re-elected in 2016 and is currently serving his fifth term. Supervisor Brownell serves the citizens of Clive, Johnston, Urbandale, Windsor Heights, Grimes, Polk City, Alleman, Elkhart and a portion of Sheldahl that is part of Polk County. Brownell’s experience in government began as a...
The War to End All Wars
One hundred years ago, on April 6, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson went to the Capitol to secure support to commit the United States to what became known as World War I. Anyone who visits Washington, D.C. today and tours the historical sites will see a memorial to “The World War,”...
Freely Speaking
Over the last several months, readers have spoken to me about the topic of free speech. The last election cycle was as much or more polarizing than any other of this generation. Protests after the election, before the inauguration, and during the still young tenure of our new President seem to...
A Caution To All Who Experience Electoral Success
There is always a euphoria that accompanies any major electoral success. Since the beginning of American electoral politics, those who win inevitably declare that they have received a mandate from those who voted them into office. And the 2016 election was no different. As political pundits dissect what went wrong...
Leadership Through Advocacy: An Interview With Molly Hanson
MORE ABOUT Molly Hanson Molly Hanson is a 30-year old Des Moines native with a passion for the outdoors and conservation in Iowa. She attended Johnston schools and the University of Northern Iowa where she graduated with an Earth Science degree and a minor in Geology. Molly has worked in the...
Character Counts: An Interview With Scott Raecker
MORE ABOUT Scott Raecker Scott Raecker serves as Director of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University (formerly known as Character Counts In Iowa) – a position he has held since the work of the center was founded by former Governor Robert D. Ray as a lasting legacy...
Moral Leadership Outlook: An Interview With Doug Gross
The first blog post on my site, besides "About My Blog", is titled "Leadership Matters For A Changing World". In it, I quote James Davidson Hunter's book, To Change The World. My new video interview series has taken inspiration from it as, I believe, it deserves much more thought from...
