On Leadership – 1

I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership lately and trying to define just exactly what it means.  I do know that effective leaders don’t have all of the answers – sometimes they don’t have any! – but they do have a passion to search for the answers even when others give up.

When Christine Met Buffy

Two weeks ago at PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support), we were saddened by the passing of a dear client, Charles. His adorable cat Buffy, now homeless, immediately came to our offices while we searched for an appropriate foster home or adopter. Our office kitty, Tabitha, wasn’t thrilled. Fortunately she’s learned that the downside to living at PAWS is having an “occasional” overnight guest.

With our foster volunteers full, things weren’t looking good.  Then all of a sudden Christine, a 73 year-young senior, visited our office. She told us about the passing of her cat Abraham and how much love and joy he had brought into her life.  Sensing a possible love connection, Tara, a case manager at PAWS, took Buffy over to Christine’s house.  Wearing a cat sweater and with her hands full of cat toys and treats, Christine was overjoyed when Buffy poked his whiskers out of his cat carrier and cautiously checked out his “possible” new pad.  At first Buffy was shy, so we all agreed to give them some alone time.  I’m happy to report that when Tara called back after a few days, Christine said simply, “we’ve fallen in love!”  

With the official adoption papers now signed, Christine is a new client of PAWS where she and Buffy will receive ongoing to support so they can both live happily ever after.  Way to go, PAWS! (www.pawssf.org)

It’s All in a Name: A Little Bit of Lipp

It started in the nursery where the little tag said, ”Baby Lipp” and the consequences of being named after a facial feature were beginning to make themselves known.  From those first few hours  in the nursery when that nurse - always to be known from here on as that nurse - commented on my newborn chubbiness and declared to the world that I was a “fat lipp,” I’ve been subjected to every clever pun ever devised around a person’s last name.

The worst was the camp counselor who thought he was Don Rickles (this was 1972 after all) and said to me, making sure all the other kids within a 1/4 mile radius could hear, “don’t give me any lipp, Lipp.”  Even the dimwitted kid standing next to me, the one who ate the shellacked macaroni in craft class and got splinters from shoving Popsicle sticks up his nose, even he thought it was dumb. Did that guy really think he was being original?

Of course I complained to my parents who, as they rattled the ice in the bottom of their cocktail glasses said, “Just be glad we didn’t name you Harry.”

But now, with the publication of my new book in October, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Recruiting and Managing Volunteers,” (Alpha/Penguin) I think the name Lipp works beautifully with my new blog – LippSERVICE. And yes, if that camp counselor from 1972 is reading this, I plan to give you all plenty of Lipp!