Sunday At The Post

QUOTE/STORY OF THE WEEK...

“The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower, Order of the Day, June 6, 1944

The Meaning of the "D"

Ever since June 6, 1944, people have been asking what the "D" in "D-Day" means. Does it stand for "decision”? The day that 150,000 Allied soldiers landed on the shores of Normandy was certainly decisive. And with ships, landing craft and planes leaving port by the tens of thousands for a hostile shore, it is no wonder that some would call it "disembarkation" or "departed."

There is not much agreement on the issue. But the most ordinary and likely of explanations is the one offered by the U.S. Army in its published manuals. The Army began using the codes "H-hour" and "D-day" during World War I to indicate the time or date of an operation's start. Military planners would write of events planned to occur on "H-hour" or "D-day" -- long before the actual dates and times of the operations would be known, or in order to keep plans secret. And so the "D" may simply refer to the "day" of invasion.

A Town Lost...From Patriot Files

The small town of Bedford, Va. (population 3,000), awoke on D-Day to the news of the Allied landings in France. Bedford's teletype operator jumped when the machine began to clatter, and her heart sank as she read the first words:

"We regret to inform you..." One of Bedford's own has been lost. But the teletype didn't stop. Over and over came those heartbreaking words.

"We regret to inform you..."

"We regret to inform you..."

"We regret to inform you..."

Among the thousands of soldiers going ashore in France were 34 men from the town of Bedford, aboard Empire Javelin , a British troopship. Nineteen of them were killed in the first minutes of combat, when their landing craft dropped them into the water off Normandy. Two more were killed later in the day from gunshot wounds. No other town in the U.S. endured a greater one-day loss.

Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, was part of the first wave at Omaha Beach in WWII. Initially, 103 of them left the small town of Bedford -- now the site of the national D-Day memorial -- when the local National Guard was called up in 1940; 34 were still with the company on D-Day. Of these, 19 died in a matter of minutes and three more perished altogether in the Normandy campaign. Men lost ranged from the company commander, Capt. Taylor N. Fellers, from a wealthy Bedford family, to Frank Draper Jr., a fine athlete and soldier from the wrong side of the tracks. Long-time National Guardsman John Wilkes died as the company's top sergeant, while Earl Parker left behind a daughter he never saw. Both Holback brothers and Ray Stevens died, while Ray's twin Roy Stevens was one of the handful of survivors.

Just a memory of one small American town that went to war and died on Omaha Beach.

Click below for the Links of:

The names of all the men who lost their lives on D Day

From President Ronald Reagan’s Normandy speech: Ceremony Commemorating the 40th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1984

THINGS WE LEARNED LAST WEEK IN THE NFL...

1. New York Jets coach Rex Ryan will not back down from the Patriots; in fact, he welcomes the challenge. Ryan spoke Wednesday about how he didn't come here to "kiss Bill Belichick's rings.' Ryan has unique leadership skills, including an ability to engage his team, making them believers. Once the Jets learn Ryan’s defensive system, they will become more effective as a defense. I suspect early in the season they’ll make some mental mistakes, but once they grasp the package, they’ll be very good. This team under Ryan will play hard all season.

2. From Chad Ochocinco: “I’m not even going to lie to you, I’m going to say it. Last year, the offseason, I didn’t lift one weight, I didn’t run one route, I didn’t exercise. I didn’t do nothing because my focus was on getting out of a situation I didn’t want to be in. I’m not going to lie.” Well, that explains his bad season. I bet there are 31 teams calling Mike Brown, the owner of the Bengals, to make a trade offer. Every team wants a guy who doesn’t work hard, is not focused and has a carefree attitude. Wow, I feel sorry for Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.

THINGS I HEARD AROUND THE NFL LAST WEEK...

1. Talking to people around the NFL, not many felt the injury to Eagles running back Brian Westbrook would force him to miss regular-season game time. In fact, it might be best for an older back to miss training camp. He should be fresh for the season opener, which is critical for the Eagles. All established NFL running backs should not be playing play in the preseason, so there’s no cause for alarm.

2. Word I hear out of Denver is that the Broncos are very happy with both quarterbacks. However; Kyle Orton should be the starter when the season starts. Chris Simms is getting better with each practice, speeding his game up and making decisions faster. But Orton still has the upper hand.

3. I have not heard from anyone who works in Cleveland or talked to anyone who works for the Browns who’s happy with the offseason work schedule. Coaches are working until almost midnight in June, creating a very unhappy work place. Working until midnight in June is not a good sign. The morale in Cleveland is a little low right now.

4. There’s talk that the Jets might consider a trade for running back Thomas Jones, which might make sense at some point in camp once they have a handle on Shonn Greene’s talents. Also, I hear the Jets are working extra hard to make sure first rounder Mark Sanchez is signed and ready for camp. They plan on making sure a deal is done earlier rather than later, although it might affect other players in the top seven. Doing a deal early isn’t always a good thing for the teams -- just ask the Lions.

5. After the Michael Vick talk last week, the Rams indicated to me they are very happy with how Marc Bulger has come along and are optimistic about his future. Does that mean they’re passing on Vick? I’m not sure about that one -- yet.

BOOK OF THE WEEK...

One of the books on my desk is “The Daily Drucker: 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done,” from the words and wisdom of Peter Drucker. It’s a great way to start your day -- a quick daily read to refocus your thoughts with a fresh approach.

VIDEOS OF THE WEEK...

I love this time of the year, in part because of all the commencement addresses, which are always so informative. Here’s one from Matt Lauer of the Today show, speaking to Harvard graduates. It’s well done.

Here’s a Web seminar from my good friend Pat Lencioni of the Tablegroup applying his Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

One of my favorite writers is John Irving, and in this video he describes his process of writing.

LEADERSHIP IMPROVEMENT IDEA...

FROM CHRIS WINFIELD.... Chris Winfield is president and co-founder of 10e20. Chris is fascinated with search engines and especially with how to gain the most out of them. He’s responsible for overseeing all 10e20 campaigns and the strategic direction of the company. He’s been featured in numerous articles in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, the Boston Globe and over 100 other media outlets. Chris is also an editor at Threadwatch and a moderator at Cre8asite’s Social Media forum.

Do you consider yourself someone who’s “in charge”? Do you manage and motivate other people to accomplish a task or get work done, other than yourself? If so, you’re probably in some sort of managerial role.

But are you a leader? Believe it or not, there is a difference. Managers, well, manage people. They sort out what it is that has to be done, and then make sure the right people do it. Leaders, however, share a unique vision with people and supply the necessary values and skills to move people to really want to accomplish things; leaders touch people emotionally. If you consider yourself a leader, or are interested in becoming one, you must first understand that becoming a good leader is a process, one that never ends. Here are a few tips to guide you on your journey to becoming a better leader and manager.

Planning & Strategy

1. Understand what the core principles of being a leader are. It’s not about power, but rather about installing direction and influencing others to follow that direction.

2. Do you have the character traits to be a successful leader? If not, can you learn them?

3. There are different ways of managing people; Develop a leadership style.

4. As a leader or manager, you’re constantly soaking up information. Know how to properly collect that information.

5. Know how to use proper coordination between people and technology.

6. As you build your machine, know how to maintain it.

7. Constantly analyze progress.

8. Be prepared. Not every disaster will involve nature, but the process of preparation can be the same.

9. Use prevention methods keeping filth out of not only your trash cans but out of your employees as well.

10. If a bomb does drop, be ready to recover from it and move on.

Team Building

11. Know how to hire good employees.

12. During the interview process, make sure to ask the right questions.

13. Compensate: know when and how much to pay your team.

14. Build trust; this has to work both ways (you trust your team and your team trusts you).

15. Develop and communicate your vision so the team can help achieve goals.

16. Show commitment to those goals and ask the same from your staff.

17. Understand the core value of employee inclusion and its effects.

18. Interdependence -- making sure your employees are sharing responsible principles.

19. Guide your team by being a strong influence, and let yourself be influenced by other leaders.

20. Control the climate or the feel of your organization.

Communication

21. Make sure you are aware of proper etiquette especially among other business elite.

22. Ethics play a huge role in both the workplace as well as your company’s image in your industry.

23. Strong public speaking abilities will help you get the message across to larger groups.

24. Keep your employees up to date with things they need to know.

25. Don’t be shady with your team.

26. Be aware of not only your body language but everyone else’s as well.

27. Improve your listening skills.

28. Speak clearly and concisely.

29. Develop your ability to negotiate.

30. Make sure to keep your cool when dealing with difficult situations.

Build Trust & Confidence

31. First, be sure to really understand the definition of trust.

32. Try to believe in your team and work extra hard to find the good in people.

33. Reduce your sense of competition as well as the same within the company.

34. In order to accept new people, things and ideas into your life, you need to have an open mind.

35. Appear more credible and real by allowing yourself to show a little vulnerability.

36. Be prepared to face your fears, because doing so will conserve your energy and empower you.

37. Know your strong points and when to use them.

38. Work hard to improve on your weak points and shortcomings.

39. Look at yourself in a different way.

40. Exude confidence and your charisma will draw people to you.

Time Management

41. Setting goals will help you focus on getting important things done first.

42. Have an action plan you can use to achieve those goals.

43. Stop procrastinating and you’re attitude about work will change.

44. You can’t do it all yourself; know when and how to delegate work.

45. Get rid of any and all kinds of distractions while working.

46. Keep track of your life by writing things down.

47. Learn to say no; you’ll save lots of time focusing on the most important tasks.

48. Just like in college, you can’t party and study at the same time. Try to keep a schedule.

50. Know your bad habits (and how to break them).

Being Responsible

51. Show character by being responsible for your actions.

52. Be responsible for your name, brand and company.

53. Make sure you practice what you preach.

54. As a responsible leader, you must always be aware of what you’re saying.

55. Create responsible employees, but also be responsible for their actions.

56. Assume responsibility, even if something is not your fault.

57. Take care of your health. If you don’t care for yourself, why would anyone think you care at all?

58. Teach responsibility to others, including your children.

59. Constantly work on building a strong team.

60. Showcase social responsibility.

Never Stop Learning

61. Continue to build your leadership skills by reading management and leadership books.

62. Subscribe to some of the many business and management magazines on the newsstands today.

63. Keep a leadership blog to document your learning.

64. Don’t feel ashamed to take some online leadership courses; it’s always good to brush up on things.

65. Attend management seminars.

66. Find yourself a mentor; their wisdom will prove to be priceless.

67. Hone your skills through community involvement.

68. Don’t be afraid to learn from your employees and associates.

69. Embrace new technology, for it will only help you grow smarter.

70. Understand and learn from yourself.

Become a Role Model

71. Maintain a positive attitude -- always.

72. A great leader portrays strength before power.

73. Lead by example.

74. Demonstrate acts of chivalry.

75. Treat customers and co-workers with respect.

76. Be sure to dress for success.

77. Always encourage others; they will probably encourage you back.

78. Be calm and show patience in your efforts.

79. Know how to properly manage life’s disappointments both inside and outside of work.

80. Value all life.

Know When to Be Real

81. Show your employees (and customers!) that you really do care about them.

82. Know that it’s okay to share your emotions from time to time.

83. Allow people to see your shortcomings.

84. Try not to sugarcoat things because you’re afraid of conflict.

85. Do not lie to your employees about what’s going on.

86. Times will come when you have to put your foot down and correct employees when they are wrong.

87. Be sure to look and learn from your employees’ vantage point.

88. Promote job “ownership,” even if it entails seeing the ups and downs of business.

89. For everybody’s sake, make sure you have a life outside of work.

90. Have fun at work! It will show.

Give Back

91. Make it a point for you and your business to donate to charity.

92. Or start your own charity or benefit.

93. Help your employees learn and develop.

94. Good leadership means sharing your knowledge.

95. Give raises to your team; just be mindful of how you do it.

96. Recognize good performance and award it.

97. Give your employees discounts and perks.

98. Use your skills and knowledge to write a book.

99. Reach out to youth and become a teacher.

You may be thinking to yourself, “How can I learn to be all of these things?” You can’t, at least not all at once. Understand that becoming a better leader can only be done by growing, learning and practicing. It will take a lot of time and even more effort and is not going to be learned overnight. Just make sure each and every day, at work and in your personal life, that you take the time to better yourself as a person and strive to make the world around you a better place as well. People will start to take notice, and before you know it, you’ll be well on your way to becoming the great leader you always wanted to be.

ARTICLES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED THAT AREN’T WORTH MISSING...

America’s safest cities...This non-descriptive article would appear to have nothing to do with the NFL, or Plaxico Burress. But one of the many reasons New York City ranks No. 1 is because of the “Mayor’s Law,” which is the charge that faces Burress. That’s why many in and around New York feel that Burress, if convicted, will not escape jail time.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK FROM THE POST...

“Matt, You better hope he doesn’t try the Super Bowl Shuffle with the Glock in his sweatpants in the windy city. He’ll take out MacMahon, the Fridge and the ricochet might head your way…yikes!”

From “BRoo” on NFP writer Matthew Bowen’s Story: “Bears Thinking Burress?”

REMEMBER WHEN...

Today, I’d like to share a story about how I became a fan of Robert F. Kennedy. It has nothing to do with politics because I’m neither a Democrat nor a Republican; I’m an American. My favorite professional football team growing up was the Washington Redskins. I started out as a Green Bay Packer fan because of Vince Lombardi, who became head coach the same year I was born. Had to be an omen, right? When Lombardi left the Packers in 1969, moving to Washington, I shifted my loyalty to the Redskins. When he died in 1970, I remained a ‘Skins fan until 1984, when I started working for the 49ers.

So, how does all this tie in? Good question. I never really had much interest in school growing up as a young man. In fact, if you look at my notebooks, all you might find are football plays doodled all over them. But I was not a doodler like former President Kennedy. He could doodle while paying attention; I never paid attention. I just doodled. One day in the sixth grade, my teacher suddenly asked if I had given any thought to whom I had selected for my biography project. I had no clue, had not even been paying attention, but since my beloved Redskins played in RFK stadium — and I knew RFK was famous — I blurted out RFK. Hence, my love affair began.

Often, there are events in our young lives that help shape our beliefs and ideas. Forty-one years ago yesterday, before my mother came to wake me for school, I could hear the television from my bedroom. Those distant voices seemed real, yet it was hard to determine if they were still a part of my half-awaken dream. All I kept hearing was, “They shot him like they shot his brother.” While I slept, someone took the life of a man who was viewed by many as the person who would help unify a shattering nation. That man was Robert Francis Kennedy.

The memory of hearing those voices from the television are still fresh in my mind. I can remember walking down the hallway of our home toward the living room in hopes that what I was hearing was, in fact, a bad dream. My father was in the living room, his eyes glued to the television, hanging on every word coming from the reporters who were on the scene at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles as they tried to explain the awful event that had just transpired.

Two days later, I watched the funeral train ride from Boston to Washington, observing the painful look on so many faces that left a lasting impression on a soon-to-be eight-year-old kid from New Jersey.

In Mary Chapin Carpenter’s eloquent song, ‘Stones in the Road,” written in 1994, she describes the scene of the RFK funeral train and the events in the United States shortly after:

“When I was ten, my father held me on his shoulders above the crowd
To see a train draped in mourning pass slowly through our town
His widow kneeled with all their children at the sacred burial ground
And the TV glowed that long hot summer with all the cities burning down
And the stones in the road flew out beneath our bicycle tires
Worlds removed from all those fires as we raced each other home”

You’re never too young to have your heart touched. You may not know it at the time, but one day, it will be alive in your soul. Carpenter must have a piece of RFK living in her spirit, evoking the memory of that day 41 years ago today when she penned those powerful words.

My two sons always ask me, “Why do you collect all these photos of him? Why do you go to eBay and buy the weirdest RFK stuff?” My answer: “I don’t know.” The more I read about RFK, the more I like. With every book, he becomes real and alive, having all the human qualities — good and bad — that all of us possess. I’ve grown to love his vulnerability, his willingness to admit he was wrong, his capacity to show his pain and suffering. He demonstrated in his life the power of love, and the joy of faith, the force of hope, the pain of sorrow and the courage to ask why. The ever-evolving person that RFK became throughout his life is the reason that draws me closer to being able to finally presenting an answer to my children’s question.

Today is a day to honor a man who left this world too soon, with too many unfulfilled dreams, too many people to unite, and mostly, too many of his children never able to feel the power of his love.

Eulogy for RFK delivered June 9, 1968, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York

WE PAY OUR RESPECTS…

FROM THE PBS “AMERICAN EXPERIENCE” — LETTER FROM A SOIDER TO A LOVED ONE

France, July 22, 1944

Darling:

…Yesterday I had to visit all the units again, to get statements for my report. The regiment is in contact with the enemy, so such trips always have their skin-prickling moments. I got back pretty tired about 7 o’clock, just in time to get a phone call from the CO of one of Sirrine’s battalions, also in the line, requesting me to come up to discuss personal problems of his body-guard, a fine young fellow who had simultaneously received word that his sister, an army nurse, and a brother, a flyer, had both been killed in the So. Pacific, and that his remaining brother had been critically wounded with another division here in France.

While up there, I hit the favorite hours for Jerry’s activities, and, frankly, pretty nearly had the pants scared off me, with samples of shelling, mortar-fire, and strafing. I got back at midnight, having driven the jeep myself all day (my driver being on guard) slipping and slewing through mud axle deep whenever I got off the surfaced roads, which was frequently. I hate to admit it, but after a day like that, I feel my years. Yeah, man! War is a young man’s game!…

News on 90th has been released. Maybe you know something now of what the boys have gone through: constant contact with the enemy since D-Day. They’ve taken their losses, too. Somebody says “Old Bill got it today.” “No!” you say. “Son-of-a-bitch!” And you go on about your business, with a little more emptiness inside, a little more tiredness, a little more hatred of everything concerning war.

There is a certain cemetery where some of my closest friends in the division lie. I saw it grow — shattered bodies lying there waiting for graves to be dug. Now it is filled. The graves are neat and trim, each with its cross. Occasionally I visit it when passing by. Always there are flowers on the graves: Sometimes a potted geranium has been newly brought in; sometimes there is a handful of daisies. The French people, especially the children, seem to have charged themselves with this little attention. Our bombers are roaring overhead just now, in the hazy afterglow of sunset. In a few seconds I’ll hear the crunch of bombs — a good-night kiss for the Nazis. There they go!

The war news is good; but we’re fighting over optimism. I suppose people at home are elated; the boys up front are still in their fox-holes.

I’ll try to write at least a note every day or so. Take care of yourself. I’m fine.

Love,
John

We honor the men and women from every war who gave their lives for our great country.

Have a great Sunday.

Follow me on Twitter: michaelombardi

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