Darrell Thomsen

Saxon White Kessinger, penned a poem, “The Indispensable Man” comprised of a few words with so many second and third order effects. An excerpt reads, “Take a bucket and fill it with water, Put your hand in it up to the wrist, Pull it out and the hole that’s remaining, is a measure of how much you’ll be missed.” In the work-a-day world, one could see this poem’s first order effect as a metaphor addressing pride and arrogance using humbling words that declare the truth that, as

Living in a less urbanized location, some call it the country, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing a wide range of wildlife be it deer, bear, beavers, or birds like majestic eagles, hawks, falcons, turkeys, and of course vultures. Vultures, what a nasty bird, feeding on the bodies of the broken even while life exists in them. A nit-picking leader is like a vulture feeding on their people, and yet they see themselves as mighty eagles. How SAD! Nit-pickers spend more time SE

Make A Difference Enthusiastically “You made my day,” said the weary employee to the junior leader who walked by with a cheerful disposition and offered words of gratitude for him as a person, and for the positive difference he made to the organization. Somehow, the wearied employee caught a second wind, perked up, powered up, and pressed on with a spring in his step, and a tune in his heart, because he started quietly whistling a song by the band Bachman Turner Overdrive (BT

The best advice I ever received came from a team member who happened to be a most valuable team member serving with me as my assistant director for matters pertaining to futures, capabilities development, and integration. The advice came at a critical time during an intense global telephonic conference call where I introduced a unique approach, truth if you will, that would affect the entirety of our organizational operations across the globe. The advice was short and to the

Recently, I was sitting at a restaurant where they served both a buffet and the freedom to order from the menu as well. What freedom to choose! As I sat there, watching people approach the buffet became my entertainment. You should try it sometime.  There were “a little bit of this and a little bit of that” kind of people. There were the “reach across and grab it before anyone else can” kind of people. There were the “let’s think about it for a few minutes,” and the "what pai

Words can be used as weapons for wounding or help for honing, and wise leaders learn the difference. We all have those memories where something someone said to us left us with sense of worth or worthlessness. I remember one of my alcoholic stepfathers who was evil personified, spoke these words to me, “the best part of you was thrown out when you were born.” Wounding words for certain. These unwise words totally razed my sense of self-worth, and my actions and grades reflecte

Leadership is not merely a courtesy one gives; it’s a commitment one lives. I have spent the majority of my years walking in and out of facilities through doors provided by those who designed and built the structures. The attention to detail in the architectural design coupled with the rigid commitment by the builders to follow the design provides hope for those who desire to enter or exit the facility. I applaud their efforts, but who provides hope in and for humanity? I sub

Here’s a truth for you, “Leadership is a call, not a comfort.” Choosing to lead is a decision to live on “the cutting edge,” and by cutting edge, I mean the edge that cuts! Now physically, as many do, I, too, have suffered numerous cuts over the years, some by my own hand and some by the hands of others, but no matter what the cause, the consequences were the same, stitches! While stitches can’t heal the body, they certainly serve as a mechanism to assist the body with the he

An old proverb reads, "The beginning of strife is like letting out water so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out." Whenever I think of these wise words, I am reminded of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that occurred when the walls of the water containment systems broke. The destruction escalated exponentially and nothing or no- one could stop the destruction left in its wake. But, according to the wise words above, there is someone who can stop the "quarrel" before

At the age of fourteen, I took a job remodeling houses to gain experience and earn an income. My mother and father were recently divorced and I, who was dubbed the “man of the house,” had a serious knowledge deficit and a steep learning curve in order to fulfill my man of the house responsibilities. I had to grow up fast! My opportunity to remodel houses gave me some positive and painful experiences. One such experience involved replacing a degraded deck. In the process of de

If there is one reality that every leader can count on no matter what their level of leadership, it is, people are going to say things, do things and encourage things that will hurt you, forcing you to respond in some sort of way. Notice I didn’t say react! We’ve talked about that in an earlier newsletter. Suffice it to say when a leader reacts, they are no longer leading they are being led by the circumstances whatever they may be. A leader who responds is one who understand

Mediocre leadership is like drinking lukewarm water every day, no fizz, no flavor, no fun! It is the “ho-hum mundane,” the “same stuff, different day” mentality, which is often described as the “rut of routine.” When this atmosphere is prevalent in the workplace environment it is a tell tale sign that a leader is stuck in a leadership rut. Mediocre leaders live with the mindset best expressed in deep south vernacular, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” which makes sense if you

A well-spoken compliment is to a wilting person what a cool drink of water is to a thirsty runner, “LIFE.” I learned this one day while sitting alone in a restaurant eating lunch without my cell phone because I had left it on the charger in my office. I hate it when I do that, don’t you? But isn’t it funny what happens to you personally when you are alone with no phone and no one with which to indulge in an engaging conversation; your ears wander, like a kid in a candy shop,

New years resolutions can better a person or become the bane of their existence. When a resolution becomes one’s bane, resolve wanes and failure gains. However, when a resolution serves as “bettering” mechanism, over time a person can become the best version of themselves. This is the goal of any resolution, but how does one choose the right resolution? Choose the one that has the greatest impact on yourself and others, and may I suggest, as a leader, that you resolve to the

Several years ago, I ran across an Indian proverb which caught my attention while preparing to speak at a holiday event. This experience caused a pause in my otherwise wildly busy day. I had been running and gunning since 4:30 am, with no break to that point nor any possibility of a break in my foreseeable future.  I couldn’t take a break because I was leading a team of “go getters” who seem to run tirelessly through the day. They had a plan, a purpose, and a passion to “get-

The Christmas season is a most special time of year for some and a most troublesome time for others. “Why,” might you ask? The answer, life’s experiences! Experiences in a person’s life, good or bad, leave indelible marks on an individual’s human-spiritual domain (HSD). Simply put, the HSD is that internal component, informed by one’s body-mind-soul-spirit, that captures, analyzes, and assigns values to whatever one experiences whether positive or negative. I am reminded of a

I was once asked, “With so many decisions leaders make daily, what would you say is one of the most important?” I thought on her question for a moment and responded, “Don’t let the challenges of leadership choke out the joy of leading!” She asked, “why that answer,” to which I replied, “The gift of leadership is a blessing, not a burden.” If a leader decides leading is a burden, then it becomes a chore, and the joy of leading diminishes exponentially. Her facial expression de

The one voice you can never turn off is your own. If you do not believe that statement, you should check your pulse. Any person who breaths, fully understands the blessing or burden of self-talk. That internal voice is ever in dialogue with itself inside our minds and hearts tattooing a positive or negative self-image. The one thing I know for certain is this, people will live or die simply by the internal dialogue they hold inside themselves. Self-talk will undergird or over

“You should aspire to do something bigger and better than this” said the one interviewing the young teen, who decided to take matters into his own hands and chose to dole out justice as he saw it should be at the moment. In his mind, he decided as the perpetrator that he had every right to execute judgement, destroying the guy’s car who had just unloaded a full bag of football field marking chalk all over and into the interior of the “new kids” car. The young guy had been for

Back when I was a young teenager living with my cousin in law, a Senior Marine stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, I remember training to become a lifeguard. The training was both exciting and rigorous with several tests required along the way. I successfully progressed to the day we performed the “in water rescue” of a flailing drowning person. The goal was to swim up underneath and behind the person, secure them in our right or left arm and sidestroke to get to the shallow w