tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19868393333872172282024-02-19T04:12:35.472-08:00White Rhino Partners ChronicleIn this blog, I endeavor to share thoughts about issues that I find timely and compelling that relate to White Rhino Partners primary functions in executive recruiting and career counseling: leadership, business issues, recruiting trends, Renaissance Men and Women in the world, Service Academies and their graduates, helping military leaders transition to leadership roles in the business world. We also feature reviews of relevant books and profiles of client companies and candidates.The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-26547384980662393972014-11-20T06:44:00.000-08:002014-11-20T11:21:20.292-08:00Review of "Your Brand" by Michael Brito - Turning Your Company Into A Media Company<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the briskly paced <i>"Your Brand,"</i> <b>Michael Brito's</b> approach to explicating what a <b>Social Business Strategy</b> is and how to execute one for your company is straight forward and comprehensive. He offers a point by point explanation and step by step formula for executing on such a strategy of turning whatever business you may be operating into a media company that tells its own story effectively and in a dynamic and timely manner.<br />
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I was particularly gratified when I saw that a company that I know well, and use each day, <b>GaggleAmp,</b> was included in the list of necessary ingredients for a balanced diet of social media. GaggleAmp enhances and amplifies a company's ability to use its own employees to tell the company's story to their own individual social networks.<b> (pages 85-86)</b><br />
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<a href="https://gaggleamp.com/">GaggleAmp Website</a><br />
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This book is a <i>"must have"</i> for the persons who are responsible for organizing the way that their company authors its narrative and presents that ever-changing narrative to the world in a way that is consistent and compelling.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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Al ChaseThe White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-31410227608632693732014-11-03T06:56:00.000-08:002014-11-03T06:56:32.642-08:00White Rhino Partners Expands Its Executive Coaching Practice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"I am an executive coach who helps senior executives build extraordinary teams – either by developing existing team members or finding and hiring new members."</i><br />
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Over the past several months, I have received a growing number of requests to provide executive coaching services from men and women eager to improve their communication and leadership skills. I have worked with senior executives from Fortune 100 companies and Founding CEOs of start-ups - and everything in between. <br />
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Since the marketplace seems to be speaking loudly, I have made the decision to devote more of my time to coaching. I will continue to provide executive search services to client companies as required, but my goal is to work with client companies in an integrated way that incorporates both coaching and recruiting.<br />
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Over the next few months in this Blog, I will share case studies of clients with whom I have worked.<br />
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I am asking for your help in getting the word out about the increased availability of coaching services. If you have benefited in the past from my coaching or mentoring, I would ask you to think of two or three men and women executives who could use the wisdom and coaching of White Rhino Partners, and send them my way.<br />
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I have a growing list of clients in Boston and New York with whom I work on a face-to-face basis, but coaching via telephone and Skype is also an option, so geography need not be a limiting factor.<br />
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I can be most easily reached by e-mail at: achase47@gmail.com<br />
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Thank you for helping to spread the word.<br />
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Al<br />
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The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-74529956588623627162014-09-24T12:22:00.000-07:002014-09-24T12:22:14.886-07:00Obstacles Our Veterans Face In Transitioning Into the Post-Military Job Market: A Case Study<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some recent conversations with veterans seeking jobs in the private sector have reminded me of the timeliness and continued relevance of this article that I posted several years ago on The White Rhino Report.<br />
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In my <b>Executive Search</b> practice, <b>White Rhino Partners, </b>I am often asked by my client companies to find leaders and managers with very specific skill sets. It turns out that in many cases, some of the best candidates I am able to present to my client companies have honed their leadership skills which serving in the military - either as junior officers or more senior field grade and flag officers. As a result of this niche area of specialization, I spend a great deal of time with very talented and gifted candidates who are in the process of transitioning from a career of military service to a new career in the business world. Some make this transition directly; others do it by way of business school or some other graduate level program.<br />
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For many of these men and women, the transition is fraught with frustration and disappointment. A short while ago, I spent time catching up with a combat veteran who has recently completed an MBA from a top-ranked business school. He is still looking for the right fit as his first post-military job. In our recent meeting, he was very transparent and honest in sharing his frustrations, and he has consented to allow me to share with readers of <b>The White Rhino Report </b>some of his recent experiences in his job search.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Several weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a relatively senior human resources professional at a major defense contractor. As a veteran engaged in a post-military (and post-graduate school) job search I went into the conversation with some confidence—I understood the product and the customers that this firm was trying to reach. My record is a good one, and I recently graduated from one of the better business schools in the world. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I had reached out to senior executives at the firm who shared some elements of my background and they put me in touch with this recruiter.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">While right now the hiring environment in the defense industry isn’t the best, I had hopes that perhaps there’d be a fit somewhere in the organization.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">All of the confidence went right out the window, however, when practically the first words out of the HR executive’s mouth were along the lines of <i>“we can’t hire you, you don’t have any experience.” </i> As I have approximately eight years of military service, this was surprising to me, so I pushed back some, mentioning what the military-to-civilian transition folks tell you to highlight: leadership, responsibility, technical expertise, and the like. This recruiter then let me know that my <i>specific</i> military background wasn’t a fit for their organization, and that besides, I had no <i>“corporate”</i> experience. I admitted that this is indeed true, but I had an internship between my two years of business school, and in-depth coursework that I felt complemented the <i>“soft skills”</i> of my military background. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">This HR professional was unswayed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">This was a disappointing turn of events, and I asked if the recruiter would like to end our call, as I wanted to respect his time and the vibe I was picking up didn’t seem entirely positive. When he didn’t immediately get off the line I didn’t want to waste an opportunity to garner some feedback on my job search process—so asked, in his opinion, was I barking up entirely the wrong tree trying to approach companies like his with a background like mine. He said, <i>"Yes, we look for corporate experience,"</i> and he had doubts that with my background I’d be able to hit the ground running in his business and immediately start adding value. Times are tough and they don’t have time to train up novices. He was very generous with his time and gave some additional specific feedback and offered up some of his connections to help further my job search.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">This exchange took me a back—I know times are tough, but I had been confident that at this firm, in this industry, a veteran would have a chance to break in. Their CEO was a retired (very high ranking) military officer who had come straight out of uniform to the company—my thinking was that if they’re willing to do that for such a position as the CEO, then a lower level business person could follow suit. This whole experience leads me to question how vets can better position themselves and how companies can better capitalize on talent coming out of the military services.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">A good analogy would be an athlete switching sports. Imagine you’re a very good sprinter, excellent in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash, and that you enjoy the thrill of going fast. For whatever reason you’re leaving the spring squad. So you go out to evaluate your options in other sports. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Some options go right out the window—table tennis and Greco-Roman wrestling just wouldn’t be a fit. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Other options are possibilities, but would take a long time to transition—football or rugby would certainly capitalize on your speed, but the coach would have to take a risk and be willing to work with you to develop your skills.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">If it worked out, though, you could be a star and bring a lot to the team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Some coaches would look at your background and see a runner—and immediately suggest becoming a marathoner. They missed that you were a sprinter, and that it may actually be a more difficult and costly transition to go from the 100 meter dash to marathon than it would be to switch from 100 meter dash to the football field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Finally, there are options out there that require some measure of creative thinking. You as an excellent sprinter may also be an excellent bobsledder. But bobsled is just esoteric enough that you have never had the chance to give it a try, and additionally the coach has to recognize (1) that your talent would add a lot to his team and (2) the transition to bobsled may be a lot less costly than it would at first appear. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">In my conversation with the recruiter I was trying to make the case that I would be an asset to his bobsled team—he thought I should go out and start running marathons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><b>How then to bridge this gap?</b> I think that first it falls to the candidate to make clear what knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitude they’d bring to the company. Here all the standard resume and application advice applies—demilitarize the language, draw the connections as clearly as possible, talk to veterans within the organization to see if they have advice on how to make your case. But that can really only get a candidate half way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I think there does have to be some effort on the part of the hiring company to see talent for what it is—and this is really, really hard. The economy and business environment are such that it’s difficult to justify taking risks in hiring. My point here, though, is that lack of creative thinking when evaluating a potential military hires may present a greater risk than would first appear—the hiring firms are missing out on a significant pool of talent that is there for the taking.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9445962" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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My candidate makes some very valid points about the dual responsibility of bridging the gulf that often exists between veterans and hiring authorities. Bridges need to be built with effort on the part of both the candidate and the hiring company. To use a different analogy, veterans are often manacled by an inability to convey their potential value to an employer on the one hand, and the employer's inability on the other hand to extrapolate from the candidate's military experience and envision him/her solving analogous problems within their enterprise.</div>
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Companies need to do a better job of training their people to see the gold that veteran candidates bring to many open positions. They should do this - not out of pity or out of a sense of obligation, but because it is a sound business decision to recruit and hire the best and the brightest. And in many cases, because of their leadership experience under fire, men and women who have served in our military bring a maturity, sense of responsibility, work ethic, solid core values, people skills, communication acumen and cross-cultural sensitivity that are rare commodities in the business world today. When I asked a client of mine why he has come to value and to hire veterans, he smiled and said plainly: <i>"Because they know how to get shit done!"</i></div>
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So, on the corporate side, what can we do?</div>
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<li>We can educate ourselves and enter into conversation in response to the kind of honest sharing that my friend offered above.</li>
<li>We can learn from and support the many veteran-led organizations that have figured out how to bridge some of these gaps.</li>
<li>We can utilize current employees who have served in the military to better educate hiring managers and recruiters about how to properly evaluate candidates who are veterans.</li>
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In the coming days and weeks, I will be highlighting in this space many examples of organizations and companies that are leading the way in these efforts. We need not reinvent the wheel- we just need to get better mileage out of it and a smoother ride. </div>
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Oh, yes. If you would like to learn more details about the brave veteran who shared his story in this piece, with a view to possibly adding him to your company's leadership team, contact me and I will be glad to pass along his details. You just make be able to make your bobsled team that much faster!</div>
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The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-10520147111011929232014-09-24T11:26:00.000-07:002014-09-24T11:26:55.592-07:00Sobering Words of Advice for Transitioning Military Veterans As You Enter The Job Market - Sultan Camp's Article<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In a recent edition of <b>Business Insider</b>, recruiter <b>Sultan Camp</b> offers a very provocative article entitled: <i>"Thank You for Your Military Service - Here Are 9 Reasons Why I Won't Hire You." </i>Written from his perspective as a headhunter who places military veterans in a variety of roles, he offers nine warnings that should serve as a cautionary tale to each veteran who is preparing to enter the job market in what is still a challenging economic climate.<br />
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I will share the 9 Topics, and trust you to click on the following link to dig deeper and read the full article.<br />
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<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>You Can’t (or Won’t) Accept That You’re Starting Over</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>You Believe You’re Unique (Just Like Every Other Transitioning Person That Day)</b></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Your Resume Is Longer Than the CEO of Our Company’s (or Shorter Than a Recent College Graduate’s)</b></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>You Didn’t Proofread Your Resume</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>You Don’t Have a LinkedIn Profile (Or, Even Worse, It’s Not Complete</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>You Think Social Media Is For Kids or Sharing War Stories</b></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>You Didn’t Prepare For The Interview</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: black; line-height: 20px;">You Wrote a Thank You Note (But Only to Say Thank You)</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>You Don’t Know What You Want to Do</b></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hiring-veterans-tips-2014-1" style="background-color: transparent;">Full Business Insider Article Link</a></span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">Let me add my own observation to Mr. Camp's excellent advice. I would add Points #10 and #11:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><b>#10. </b>You did not utilize your<b> network of contacts</b> assertively enough or strategically enough to open doors for you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">#11 \</span></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 20.796875px;"><b>Prepare to tell your <i>"story"</i> </b>i</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">n short narrative </span></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 20.796875px;">vignettes, telling what you have done to solve a problem or seize an opportunity and telling how you have utilized your hard skills and soft skills to accomplish something meaningful. Weave these stories into the interview.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">Among the 9 Points that this article makes, I would highlight <b>#3, #4, #5 #7 </b>as particularly crucial.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><b>#3 </b>For most military veterans, <b>a two page resume </b>is appropriate, using the <b>Harvard Business School format. </b> It should be results oriented with data to back up claims of productivity rather than just a list of activities you have performed. You should be telling a story of what you accomplished, not just what you did with your time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><b>#4</b> Ask at least one other trusted person to join you in reading and re-reading and <b>proofreading your resume</b> to weed out errors and fine-tuning sections that are not clear and concise.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><b>#5 LinkedIn</b> - a full Profile with recommendations and endorsements is an absolute necessity in this job market. If you need help, I refer you to a fine book written by my friend, <b>Dave Gowel, </b><i>"The Power In A Link"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><a href="http://whiterhinoreport.blogspot.com/search?q=Dave+Gowel">White Rhino Report Review of "The Power In A Link"</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>#7 Prepare for the interview</b> by learning all you can about the company, the job, the culture, the background of the people with whom you will be interviewing. Use your network connections and their connections to learn all that you can so that you can make the case for yourself as someone who can solve the problem that needs to be solved by filling this open position.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Think of all of these steps of preparation as battlefield assessment, coming up with a battle plan and executing that plan. If a job offer does not result, then do an <i>"After Action Review"</i> to see what lessons you can learn so that you are better at interviewing the second, third and tenth time around.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">This is a battle you can win, but it takes preparation, courage, resilience and team work.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Best of luck in finding the next meaningful place of service and employment.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Al</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">achase47@gmail.com</span></div>
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The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-36040830620256533682014-09-24T11:14:00.001-07:002014-09-24T11:14:33.061-07:00The Directors Company Presents the World Premiere of "Almost Home" by Walter Anderson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Thursday evening marked the World Premiere of <b>Walter Anderson</b>'s play, <i>"Almost Home,"</i> presented by <b>The Directors Company </b>and Directed by <b>Michael Parva</b> at the <b>Acorn Theatre </b>on Theatre Row on 42nd Street. This new play is a crisply told story about a wounded Vietnam vet - a Marine sergeant returning home to the Bronx and to some undeclared wars on the home front.<br />
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<i>"Almost Home"</i> is the first drama written by Playwright<b> Walter Anderson, </b>former Chairman and CEO of Parade Magazine. Anderson draws from his own experience as a Marine sergeant in Vietnam and his roots growing up near White Plains Road to tell a very gritty and authentic Bronx tale. He knows full well that the men returning from 'Nam did not return to ticker tape parades, but to parades of nightmarish images and sounds beating an incessant tattoo of accusation and self-doubt inside their heads. One of the fellow veterans of Vietnam who collaborated with Mr. Anderson in fine-tuning this play was former <b>U.S. Senator Jim Webb,</b> who was in attendance at last night's opening performance.<br />
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The play is carefully and beautifully written, speeding along at a sparse eighty minutes. Within those precious minutes, Mr. Anderson weaves a complex tale of the homecoming of Johnny Barnett, who has been granted a 72-hour leave before having to report to Camp Pendleton, California. Mr. Anderson uses an economy of words and of action that propels the play at a brisk pace. The only exceptions are a handful of scenes between Harry Barnett, Johnny's father, and NYPD Captain Pappas that could be tightened up a bit.<br />
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Even before the actors take the stage, the audience has been successfully transported to the 1960s. <b>Harry Feiner's </b>splendidly gritty set reminded me of the flat occupied by Ralph and Alice Kramden in "The Honeymooners." From the enameled stove to the besmudged Frigidaire, we have a sense of time and place and even an approximation of which rung on the Bronx socio-economic ladder that the family occupies. The framed photo of JFK peering out at us from over the refrigerator reminds us that even though Kennedy is dead and gone, his legacy lives on in many ways, including the war that LBJ inherited when he took the oath of office aboard Air Force One in Dallas. <b>Quentin Chiappeta's </b>Sound Design kicks in and we are treated to a couple of period songs that reinforce the fact that we are back in the days when Camelot was being replaced by The Great Society. The costumes of <b>Michael McDonald</b> and the Lighting of <b>Graham Kindred</b> complete the picture.<br />
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In a prologue, the scene is set for tensions that will rise between Harry Barnett and his family and Captain Pappas. Harry, played with perfection by <b>Joe Lisi,</b> has been arrested for DUI. Mr. Lisi is himself a former Marine and former NYPD cop, so there is a deep and palpable genuineness to his portrayal of the WWII vet who struggles to hide his inner battles with alcohol and compulsive gambling. <b>James McCaffrey</b> sounds all the right notes as the smarmy and belligerent corrupt NYPD Captain who rules as 47th Precinct as if is were his personal fiefdom. Like a Mafia don, he values unquestioning loyalty and he expects it from Harry and Johnny, both of whom are in his debt.<br />
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Johnny returns from Vietnam, beginning to heal from wounds both physical and psychic. <b>Jonny Orsini </b>portrays the Marine sergeant in a bravura performance that is magnificent. He returns to the Bronx apartment in which he grew up to find his parents still squabbling as they have always done. He harbors secrets that he is reluctant to reveal, so he skims along the surface - distributing gifts to his parents and to his former teacher and muse, Miss Jones. He shares with them his tentative plans. The Marines have offered him a chance to become a Drill Instructor at Camp Pendleton or Camp LeJeune should he choose to re-enlist. But he has decided to attend junior college in Fullerton, California. His mother, the long suffering Grace Barnett, is played by <b>Karen Ziemba. </b> Ms. Ziemba has us believing that this traditional stay-at-home submissive housewife and protective mother is able to summon the strength to confront her husband and force him to unburden himself of secrets he has carried with him since returning from the Battle of the Bulge and a scarring POW experience. Grace wants Johnny to go to college, but not in California. Harry wants his son to stay in the Marines and make something of himself as a DI. Miss Jones wants Johnny to dream of limitless possibilities, as he had begun to do when he read the books she introduced to him when they were teacher and pupil.<br />
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The wild card in this equation is Captain Pappas, who shows up to make Johnny an offer he can't refuse. In exchange for forgiving debts owed to him by Harry and Johnny, the Captain has arranged for Johnny to attend the NYPD Police Academy and to join the elite Internal Affairs Department. He has ulterior motives, as always, With the immanent swearing in of reformist Mayor John V. Lindsey, there will be investigations of the goings on at Precinct 47 and elsewhere in the vast landscape of the NYPD. Captain Pappas wants Johnny to be his man inside the IAD to warn him of impending investigations. In a climactic scene that takes place on Captain Pappas' turf at the 47th Precinct House, Miss Jones confronts Pappas. Broadway veteran <b>Brenda Pressley</b> summons up several layers of attitude befitting a lioness protecting her cub from a predator when she lets loose with a tirade aimed at Pappas that draws from colorful vernacular from the mean streets. It is a memorable moment in the play.<br />
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Beginning with Mr. Anderson's inspired writing and Mr. Parva's clear direction, the quintet of actors tell the story of Johnny's homecoming in a compelling and moving way. It is clear that we are being told a complex tale of wars being fought in many theaters and at many levels. There are the literal wars from which both Harry and Johnny have received wounds and collateral damage. WWII and Vietnam have taken their toll and embedded secrets only reluctantly told. Then there is the undeclared war that breaks out in frequent skirmishes between Harry and Grace, and the asymmetrical conflicts between Johnny and each of his parents. The battle between Miss Jones and Captain Pappas is a tug of war for Johnny's very soul and future. I was reminded of the cartoons many of us watched back in the day - an angel perched on Johnny's right shoulder whispering words of encouragement to do the right thing. A demon lurking on the left shoulder screaming that Johnny would never be anything but a street punk. And those conflicting messages set up the final war - the civil war raging within Johnny's mind and spirit, wondering who he really is and who he is destined to become.<br />
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A further word about the performance of Mr. Orsini in conveying these swirling emotions. I have had the privilege of watching this actor develop since his days as a student at Boston's Suffolk University. I have seen him perform in film, on Broadway, Off-Broadway and <i>"in the Regions"</i>! It has been an arc of consistent growth and ever-deepening gravitas. In much the same way that he did in portraying a wounded warrior in the short film <i>"Cigarette Candy,"</i> Mr. Orsini has created in Johnny Barnett a man who is grappling at the most profound levels with volcanic eruptions of thoughts and feelings that are often at odds with each other. Within the space of less than an hour and a half, he successfully opens windows that allow the audience to see and feel anger, fear, doubt, self-castigation, guilt, gratitude, hope, despair, defiance, and ultimately intrepid determination. It is a bravura performance of the highest order.<br />
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The play will run in a limited engagement through October 12.<br />
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Schedule &amp; Ticketing:<br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ALMOST HOME</strong> will play Wednesday – Saturday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm.</div>
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Tickets are $46.25-$61.25 (including a $1.25 facility fee) and are available at <a href="https://www.telecharge.com/home.aspx" style="border: 0px; color: #fc542b; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Telecharge.com</a>, by calling Telecharge at <a href="tel:212-239-6200" style="border: 0px; color: #fc542b; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">212-239-6200</a>, or in-person at the Theatre Row Box Office (410 West 42<span style="border: 0px; bottom: 1ex; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">nd</span> Street) Monday – Saturday from Noon to 6pm and Sunday from Noon to 3pm.</div>
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For more information on <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ALMOST HOME</strong>, visit <a href="http://www.directorscompany.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #fc542b; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">www.directorscompany.org</a>.<br />
Follow The Directors Company on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/thedirectorsco" style="border: 0px; color: #fc542b; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">@thedirectorsco</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thedirectorscompany" style="border: 0px; color: #fc542b; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook</a>.</div>
The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-60642042846410876432014-09-22T13:25:00.000-07:002014-09-22T13:25:16.207-07:00Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Hits A Home Run At Fenway With "Shakespeare At Fenway"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last Friday evening, Fenway Park was buzzing with a new kind of drama and energy. The usual Fenway Grounds Crew had given way to the Groundlings who filled the seats along the first base line to enjoy <i>"Shakespeare at Fenway,"</i> presented by <b>The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company</b> as part of their 20th season celebration. It was a night to remember.<br />
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The idea for such an event - the first such endeavor to take place in any major league baseball stadium - had been planted by former <b>Boston Mayor Tom Menino,</b> who told <b>Larry Lucchino</b> that Fenway should host more cultural events. Our beloved former Mayor was clearly avoiding <i>"the insolence of office and the law's delay." </i> Friday night's festivities represented Menino's <i>"consummation devoutly to be wish'd." </i><b>Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner</b> threw out the first verbal pitch when he offered several poignant quotations that proved that there had to have been baseball in the days of Shakespeare: <i>"Fair is foul; foul is fair," </i> It was a chilly evening in Boston, but the enthusiastic crowd of several thousand were happy to bundle up for the Bard of Avon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Bundled Up For The Bard</td></tr>
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<b>CSC Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler</b> now shares a rare distinction with Red Sox Outfielder <b>Daniel Nava:</b> they both hit a grand slam in their first at bat at Fenway! The evening was a rousing success by any measure - or <i>"Measure for Measure." </i>The program that Mr. Maler created was a wonderfully entertaining patchwork quilt of ten iconic scenes from Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies, with an intermingling of Broadway tunes from shows inspired by Shakespeare plays. The evening was a perfect pastiche of high brow drama and low brow shenanigans. As Mr, Werner prepared to exit - stage right - he was accosted by a group of six actors portraying the Rude Mechanicals from <i>"A Midsummer Night's Dream."</i> They are <b>Larry Coen</b> as Nick Botom, <b>Peter Cambor</b> as Peter Quince, <b>Will LeBow</b> as Tom Snout, <b>Rick Park</b> as Francis Flute, <b>Paul Melendy</b> as Robin Starveling and <b>Mike O'Malley</b> as Snug the Joiner. This motley crew may have washed ashore at the L Street Beach, for they spoke the Queen's English in flawless Southie accents: <i>"Mistah Warnah, I hope you plan to re-sign Lestah!" </i>Play ball!<br />
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The program that followed included:<br />
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<b>Hamlet </b>- the soliloquy scene and confrontation with Ophelia. <b>Christian Coulson </b>and <b>Kersti Bryan </b>were brilliant and as unflappable as Big Papi at the plate in a World Series game. During their scene, a fire alarm was sounded and strobe lights illuminated the Park, but they soldiered on, not wearied by bearing the fardel of this burdensome interruption.<br />
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<b>Much Ado About Nothing</b> - Playing the reluctant lovers Benedick and Beatrice, <b>James Waterston </b>and <b>Bianca Amato</b> were convincing as the couple just figuring out how to get to First Base!<br />
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<b>Othello</b> - This dark tragedy was represented in two scenes. In the first, Desdemona and Emilia converse about man's treachery in love. <b>Kersti Bryan</b> and <b>Zuzanna Szadkowski</b> played off of each other in this moving scene that foreshadows Desdemona's murder. Later, <b>Seth Gilliam</b> as Othello and <b>James Waterston</b> as Iago powerfully discuss and argue the evidence of Desdemona's suspected infidelity.<br />
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<b>Romeo and Juliet </b>- In the famous balcony scene, <b>Rupak Ginn</b> as Romeo and <b>Jenna Augen </b>as Juliet delighted the crowd with their portrayal of the cursed lovers, whose family rivalry and mutual disdain surpassed even that of the Red Sox vs. the Yankees.<br />
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<b>Musical Interlude</b> - <b>Jason Butler Harner,</b> accompanied by the <b>Mill Town Rounders,</b> sang a song inspired by the lyrics from Tweflth Night.<br />
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<b>Twelfth Night</b> - Viola, disguised as Caesario, pleads the case for his master, the Duke, who is in love with the mourning Olivia. <b>Marianna Bassham</b> and <b>Kerry O'Malley </b>both were artfully deceitful in these delicious roles.<br />
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<b>Musical Interlude </b>- <b>Kerry O'Malley</b> - who sang the National Anthem from Home Plate just a few weeks ago - rocked the house with her interpretations of "Sing for Your Supper from <i>"The Boys From Syracuse" </i>and "So In Love" from <i>"Kiss Me Kate."</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>Macbeth - </b>In this scene from the Scottish play, <b>Jay O. Sanders</b> as Macbeth and <b>Maryann Plunkett</b> as Lady Macbeth begin to melt down as the blood shed when Macbeth murdered King Duncan begins to haunt both husband and wife. Not since Curt Schilling's <b>"Bloody Sock"</b> game in the ALCS in 2004, have we seen such a letting of the sanguinary substance on a baseball diamond.<br />
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<b>Taming of the Shrew</b> - When <b>Peter Cambor </b>as Petruchio confronted <b>Jenna Augen</b> as Katherine in order to tame her and disabuse her of her unladylike ways, I was reminded of 2004 once again. In this case, the scene was reminiscent of <b>Jason Varitek</b> in July of that year, taming that bitch, <b>A-Rod, </b>with a shot to the mouth with his catcher's mitt. In both cases - 2004 and 2114 - the crowd roared its approval of the fisticuffs.<br />
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<b>Musical Interlude</b> - <b>Max von Essen</b> delighted and enchanted the crowd with his renditions of "Were Thine That Special Face" from <i>"Kiss Me Kate,"</i> and the rousing "Something's Coming" from <i>"West Side Story."</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>Grand Finale </b>- All of the evening's performers returned to the stage to observe or to enact the play-within-the play scene from <i>"A Midsummer Night's Dream." </i>the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. Our Southie denizens - the Rude Mechanicals - re-appeared, now costumed as the characters they will play in the melodrama: <b>Larry Coen</b> as Pyramus, <b>Peter Cambor</b> as The Prologue, <b>Will LeBow</b> as Wall, Rick Park as Thisbe, <b>Paul Melendy</b> as Moonshine, and the indomitable <b>Mike O'Malley</b> as roaring Lion. Much merriment ensued. It was a perfect way to end an unforgettable evening. Thanks to <b>Paul Melendy's </b>distinctive enunciation, I will never again hear the world <i>"lantern"</i> without thinking about this moonlight night on the Fens.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Rick Park as Thibe<br />
Larry Coen as Pyramus</td></tr>
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Kudos to our home town team - <b>The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. </b> On this night, they bathed themselves in glory. <b>Ben Cherington</b>, GM of the Red Sox,<b> </b>could learn a thing or two from <b>Steve Maler</b> when it comes to assembling a winning team. Friday evening's cast was a cunning combination of home-grown talent and a few free agents flown in from NYC, LA and London. That is not a bad formula for rebuilding the Red Sox from this season's long-playing tragedy to next year's team that will strive once again to win the crown. Let us hope that the upcoming <i>"Hot Stove League"</i> will not prove to be <i>"The Winter of Our Discontent</i>"!<br />
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Go Sox!<br />
<br />
Al<br />
<br />The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-51250604643089967422014-09-22T13:13:00.000-07:002014-09-22T13:13:13.495-07:00A Charmingly Calculating Woman: Nora Theatre Company Presents "Émilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Steven Barkhimer as Voltaire<br />
Lee Mikeska Gardner as Emilie</td></tr>
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History as we tend to study it has largely glossed over the astounding accomplishments of <span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.3;">Émilie, La Marquise du Châtelet.</span> She was a collaborator with and lover of Voltaire. She was an intellectual sparring partner with the ideas of Sir Isaac Newton and Leibniz. She published a French translation of Newton's watershed work, <i>Mathematica Principia</i> - adding some of her own improvements to Newton's equations. She was a shining star of the Age of Enlightenment, yet her memory is dim in our age. Playwright <b>Lauren Gunderson</b> and Director <b>Judy Braha</b> have done their best to ensure that those of us who live and work in the shadow of the MIT dome do not forget her life and her work. The play, <i>"Emilie: La Marquise du </i><span style="line-height: 23.1111106872559px;"><i>Châtelet</i></span><i> Defends Her Life Tonight," </i>is part of the longstanding collaboration between <b>MIT</b> and <b>Central Square Theater </b>known as <b>The Catalyst Collaborative @MIT.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>The audience enters the performance space at Central Square Theater and is immediately swept into the world of the charmingly calculating woman that was Emilie. Mathematical equations based on her notebooks line the floor and run up the back wall. A complex and beautiful wooden structure that resembles an 18th Century scientific instrument covers the opposite wall, and becomes the place from which Emilie delivers several of her speeches - and the place where she keeps score on how her life is going in the realms of love and of philosophy. For this is a play about her striving to find the proper balance between her head and her heart.<br />
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<b>Steven Royal's</b> brilliant scenic design and <b>Chelsea Kerl's</b> sumptuous costumes help to set the stage for the telling of this tale of exploration and explanation of Emilie's elusive <i>"Force vivre."</i><br />
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The story is cleverly told as Emilie, long dead, has been allowed by <i>"space and time"</i> to return to defend her life. Cast members play several roles in flashbacks that highlight important chapters in Emilie's life and work. <b>Lee Mikeska Gardner,</b> Nora Theatre Company's Artistic Director, is a revelation as Emilie. She shows La Marquise in several lights - collaborator, coquette, dispassionate scholar, passionate lover. It is a <i>tour de force </i>performance that should not be missed.<br />
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She is very ably supported by a strong cast. <b> Steven Barkhimer</b> is mesmerizing as Voltaire - in his ascendancy and in his dotage. <b>Soporo Ngin</b> plays the young and alive Emilie with a gleam in her eye that hints of the complex calculations being solved in that fertile brain. <b>Lewis D. Wheeler </b>plays Emilie's cuckolded husband and several other roles with understated elegance and grace. <b>Michelle Dowd</b> plays the Madame and several other characters, and has a wonderful scene in which her vocal and emotional strength shine through.<br />
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The emotional center of the play for me was a simple moment near the end of the play. All evening, we have been looking at a simple formula that indicates Emilie's elusive <i>"Force vivre:</i> F = mc. With a flick of her wrist and a stroke of her pen, she transforms the equation into the familiar <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-weight: bold; line-height: 47.0399971008301px;">E = mc</span><span class="bps-article-supandsub" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold; line-height: 47.0399971008301px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">2</span></span><br />
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The audience responds with a knowing "Aha!" Emilie turns, breaks the fourth wall and proclaims: <i>"I don't know what that means, but you do!" </i> In that moment, with those simple words, she helps us to grasp the truth that she has laid the foundation for scientific understanding that is now common knowledge in our century. It is a wonderful and moving moment.<br />
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This play, which caps the 10th anniversary celebration of <b>The Catalyst Collaborative @MIT</b>, also signals a strong beginning for the leadership of Artistic Director Gardner.<br />
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The play will run at the Central Square Theatre through October 5.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
<br />
Al<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.centralsquaretheater.org/">Central Square Theater Website</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: #2f2d2d; color: white; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Tonight, Emilie du Châtelet, leading physicist (before there was such a word), card shark and all-around bad ass during the Age of Enlightenment returns searching for answers: Love or Philosophy? Head or Heart?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #2f2d2d; color: white; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-67795946826189630402013-05-29T12:52:00.000-07:002013-05-29T12:52:05.032-07:00The Long Crimson Line - Harvard and the Military: A Salute To Our Nation's Newest Officers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have just returned from <b>Harvard Yard,</b> where four members of <b>Harvard College's Class of 2013</b> took the <b>Oath of Office</b> to become officers - two Marine 2nd Lieutenants, One Navy Ensign and one Air Force 2nd Lieutenant. Congratulations go out to the following:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>USMC 2 Lt. Brian Fuey</b> of Portland, Maine</li>
<li><b>USMC 2 LT. Gavin Pascarella </b>of Corona, CA</li>
<li><b>USN Ensign Colin Dickinson</b> of Garden City, NY</li>
<li><b>USAF 2 Lt. Courtney Diekema</b> of Holland, MI</li>
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Also honored was <b>Midshipman Christian Yoo</b> of Bronxville, NY, who will be commissioned at a future date.</div>
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The ceremony was poignant in a number of aspects. On the one hand, Harvard University and the military have had a long tradition of partnership gong back to the days of the Revolution. Monuments abound on the verdant campus to Harvard war heroes - on both sides of the River Charles and the bridges that span the stream. On the other hand, in the fervent anti-militarism that arose on many college campuses during and after the Vietnam War, Harvard expelled the military from the campus - denying ROTC and military recruitment from taking place within the ivied walls. In the past few years, the pendulum has slowly swung back to a more balanced position, and with the steady encouragement of Harvard alumni who have served their nation as soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, ROTC is once again alive and well at Harvard. Much of the credit goes to the courageous stand of <b>Harvard's 28th President, Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust.</b></div>
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Dr. Faust was present at today's ceremony - her presence and words offering a signal indication that Harvard women and men who choose to serve their country in the military are once again held in high esteem by this hoary institution. In her very moving remarks, Dr. Faust quoted liberally from a commencement address that had been given in 2011 by then <b>Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen. </b>Here are some of Admiral Mullen's words which Dr. Faust shared this morning:</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>"Yes, you all understand quite well the sacrifices demanded by military service.<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">What I am suggesting is that we in uniform do not have the luxury anymore of assuming that our fellow citizens understand it the same way.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Our work is appreciated.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Of that, I am certain.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">There isn’t a town or a city I visit where people do not convey to me their great pride in what we do.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Even those who do not support the wars support the troops.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">But I fear they do not know us.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I fear they do not comprehend the full weight of the burden we carry or the price we pay when we return from battle. This is important, because a people uninformed about what they are asking the military to endure is a people inevitably unable to fully grasp the scope of the responsibilities our Constitution levies upon them.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Were we more representative of the population, were more American families touched by military service, like that of the Hidalgos or the Huntoon families, perhaps a more advantageous familiarity would ensue.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">But we are a small force, rightly volunteers, and less than 1 percent of the population, scattered about the country due to base closings, and frequent and lengthy deployments.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">We’re also fairly insular, speaking our own language of sorts, living within our own unique culture, isolating ourselves either out of fear or from, perhaps, even our own pride.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The American people can therefore be forgiven for not possessing an intimate knowledge of our needs or of our deeds.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">We haven’t exactly made it easy for them.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">And we have been a little busy.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">But that doesn’t excuse us from making the effort.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">That doesn’t excuse us from our own constitutional responsibilities as citizens and soldiers to promote the general welfare, in addition to providing for the common defense.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">We must help them understand our fellow citizens who so desperately want to help us."</span></i></div>
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Dr. Faust went on to add that because of the fact that our military constitutes only 1% of our population, most of us do not understand the burden that our veterans bear - the full price that they pay for having served us and our nation. She issued a challenge for each of us to do more than merely saying a perfunctory: <i>"Thank you for your service," </i>to our men and women who have served, but to dig deeper and to find concrete ways to offer help in facing the challenges of re-entry into the civilian world. She also took time to share brief stories of some of the women and men currently studying at Harvard who are veterans, including current students at the College, Law School, Business School, Kennedy School and School of Medicine.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Once the new officers had repeated their Oath of Office and received their Commissions, they presented Dr. Faust with a very symbolic gift: an engraved empty cartridge shell of very large caliber - perhaps a mortar round. How fitting, for surely she has been on the receiving end of plenty of flack and <i>"friendly fire"</i> for her vocal support of welcoming the military onto the Harvard campus once again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">It was a wonderful days for our nation, for a storied university and for the families and friends of the new officers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Serve with honor, my friends!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Al Chase</span></div>
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The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-45021301141272600672013-05-28T10:40:00.000-07:002013-05-28T10:40:30.533-07:00After Memorial Day - Helping and Hiring Veterans Who Are Still With Us: A Warrior Profile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many of us spent the weekend reflecting on the memory of the men and women who have served our nation in the military and who did not return home alive or whole. I attended a very moving service at <b>Harvard's Memorial Chapel</b> hosted by the <b>Harvard Veterans'</b> organization. <b>Col. Everett Spain</b> led us through a litany of Harvard men and women who have paid the ultimate price for freedom - from the Revolution to Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Across the nation, parades were held, speeches were given, wreathes were laid and flags were flown. It was altogether fitting and proper that we should do so in their memory.<br />
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Now that the <b>Memorial Day </b>weekend has passed, it is time to turn our attention to the veterans who remain with us, many of whom are struggling to find the right place to serve and to work when their time of service as active duty military has come to an end. I am working closely with a large number of men and women in this category. I will use this space in <b>The White Rhino Chronicle</b> from time to time to draw your attention to specific veterans, and in doing so, ask you to work with me in exploring opportunities for these men and women to find their next place of service in the private sector, social sector or government service.<br />
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Today, I pleased to make you aware of a gifted U.S. Army veteran who is transitioning out of the Army and into the Private Sector. I have asked <b>Colonel Dowd</b> to tell part of his story, so that readers of <b>The White Rhino Chronicle </b>might begin to grasp his unique qualities that could easily be translated into a leadership role in a business.<br />
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I asked Colonel Dowd to select several stories that describe leadership challenges he has faced during his Army career. I am pleased to share those stories with you today.<br />
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<b>+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +</b></div>
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<b>Fort Rucker Training Battalion</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I commanded a helicopter training
battalion at Fort Rucker, Alabama from 2003 to 2005. During that time, we flew more helicopter
hours than any battalion in the Army and, for the vast majority of our
operations, flew safely and effectively.
We did, however, endure a challenging four-month period during the
summer of 2004. At this time, were well
into the Global War on Terror (GWOT) and the Army had been forced to change
some of its assignment policies.
Normally, I would have a cadre of instructor pilots (IPs) for whom this
was a third or fourth assignment, having thoroughly honed their skills in the
field. It was important to have senior,
experienced IPs because a new flight training regimen called for students to
conduct the bulk of their training in large, complex combat aircraft rather
than in small, simple trainers. This put
a premium on instructor experience since he or she would fly “single pilot”
with raw recruits. In 2004, because of
the new assignment policy, we began to receive IPs for whom Fort Rucker was
only their second assignment, their first being combat in theater. This created two problems: first, the new IPs were inexperienced and
second, they were used to the frenetic, harried pace of combat in which
everything has to be done extremely quickly.
This resulted in a spate of accidents, most minor, but three of which
resulted in significant damage (but thankfully, none in deaths). As the leader I had to develop a way to cope
with an inexperienced cadre while at the same time maintain the demanding pace
of training, training that had to be of particularly high quality since many of
the graduating students were going directly to combat. My staff and I developed several approaches.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first step was to make a concerted
effort to convince the new pilots that their new environment did not require
the urgency that their recent combat experiences had demanded. I personally met with each of my pilots on a
regular basis to assure them that, though it was important to use our time
wisely and move our students through training as efficiently as possible,
timeliness did not have the “life or death” nature that it did when they were,
for example, conducting medevac missions or airlifting supplies into a battle. If training got behind, no lives were at
risk, no missions would fail. Driving
this home took repeated and constant coaching.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Second, I decided to forego training my
own set of students for a time and instead begin a “quality control” program
during which I would ride in the back of randomly selected training flights. This was a bit of a sacrifice for me as I
found that I enjoyed teaching young men and women the science and art of
flight. (In fact, over the course of my career I found that, a bit to my
surprise, the thing that came to me most naturally and for which I earned the
most positive feedback was teaching. I
returned to the United States Military Academy to teach in the mid-1990s and
then taught senior officers at the Air War College, as discussed below.) The purpose of these rides was to coach my
pilots directly, encouraging them to slow down and reduce the risks they had
been taking. My intent was not to look
over their shoulders to critique every aspect of their instruction, but instead
to help them set a focused, measured pace.
Obviously, I was not able to accompany every flight, but the knowledge
that I was out there among them, encouraging them to resist the temptation to rush
to meet every timeline associated with the flight training, seem to make a
difference.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally, while coaching and quality
checks were good, what my IPs really needed was additional training. However, there were no funds or aircraft
allotted for training IPs beyond the generic instructor pilot they
received. This training was designed
mainly to prepare IPs to instruct aviators in the field, which was in some ways
much different from training students at Fort Rucker. In the field, they would work with
experienced aviators to hone their existing skills, while at Fort Rucker they
instruct brand new students who know nothing about flying. My IPs needed specific training tailored for
the unique challenges presented by Fort Rucker training.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My requests for additional training
time for my inexperienced IPs were turned down.
There was simply no additional
funds for allowing this. We developed an
innovative approach, taking time and
funds “out of hide” to develop a “green platoon” or training organization
through which all first-time IPs would progress before being allow to train
students. This required careful
planning, a thorough review of available resources, close coordination with maintenance
personnel, and a readjustment of student-to-instructor ratios throughout the
battalion. In the end, we were able to
carve out a first-class training organization that gave my IPs the additional
training they required.<o:p></o:p></div>
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These measures were effective. The battalion’s safety record improved
quickly and dramatically. The Army often
fails to quickly adapt to changed circumstances, institutional inertia and bureaucracy
encouraging a reliance on the “tried and true”.
This was a good example of bucking that trend, as my staff and I were
able to quickly develop an effective solution to a significant problem by
circumventing normal channels and being imaginative with the resources was had
at hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Afghanistan</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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After
attendance at the Air War College, I knew that would be sent to either
Afghanistan or Iraq. One of the positions that interested me was
“Advisor, Minister of Defense, Afghanistan” and I volunteered to fill
it. I prepared by taking the Air War College’s Arabic elective (I
knew that Farsi was a better choice, but the closest the AWC had was Arabic)
and I also studied Farsi through the Rosetta Stone program. I spoke
to many who had served in Afghanistan and developed a long list of books and
websites to study in preparation for this deployment.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Upon arrival in
country in June 2008, I traveled from Bagram Air Force Base to a base in a
Kabul suburb, arriving in the dead of night after an hour-long, surreal trip
through the Afghan countryside. Every aspect of my initial
experience in Afghanistan was disorienting: the terrain, the
language, the extreme heat (117 degrees was the high that day), the food, the
odors, and so on. But my discomfiture was just beginning. I
soon discovered that the position I thought I was going to fill had long been occupied.
Instead, I was going to a position that had been vacant for some time, even
when other qualified Colonels had arrived in theater. I soon
discovered why. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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My new job was to
be the primary advisor to the Chief of the Afghan General Staff and
their only four-star general. While my US two-star general boss was in
theory his advisor, I was to have daily contact the Afghan general,
communicating the US general's advice and recommendations to him. A
Tajik in a largely Pashtun Afghan government, the Afghan general’s incumbency
in this highly visible position acted as a counter-balance to the powerful Pashtun
Defense Minister. My Afghan general was the quintessential Mujahidin:
a protege to the famous Massoud, the "Lion of Pansjir", he had
fought the Soviets and the Taliban with cunning and charisma. He had a
reputation as a superb tactician, knowing the men and terrain of Northern
Afghanistan like no other. He was bold, aggressive, dynamic, a guerrilla fighter
without equal. His men adored him and
his leaders trusted him. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unfortunately, he was wholly unsuited for his
position. He had no education beyond
some high school, no formal military training, no travel beyond Afghanistan,
and no experience with large organizations. As the Chief of Staff of the
Afghan Army, he was expected to build, train, and lead into combat a force that
had more than 100,000 soldiers and airmen (the Afghan Army Air Force was also
his responsibility) and that cost the NATO allies billions of dollars. He
was a superb small unit leader but had none of the management or grand strategy
skills that would be required. He had
resisted the counsel of his previous advisors to empower subordinates, develop
and publish a coherent schedule of his activities, develop long-range plans and
communicate them to his leaders, develop and stick to budgets, instill and
monitor supply accountability, assign manageable tasks with reasonable and
feasible timetables and then hold subordinates accountable for achieving them,
and so on. These all flew in the face of
his instincts and experience. Empowered subordinates might turn on him,
long range plans make no sense in a world where getting through the winter was
the main order of business, published schedules could be compromised, and clear
communications left no room for necessary obfuscations. In fact, the
Afghan Chief of Staff came to see his US advisors mainly as a source of special
favors, such as landscaping for the defense ministry grounds and a private gym
for VIPs, and not as a source of wisdom for how to run a large and growing
Army. My two-star US general, also relatively new to his position,
decided that he was going to change this. And this was the reason
that the position of the Afghan Chief of Staff’s advisor had remained
vacant: those arriving before me had maneuvered away from what was
likely to be an impossible job. It was
left to me to fill the only position left vacant at the end of the annual
summer turnover.</div>
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My boss told me of his plan to
“turn the Afghans around.” He wanted me
to turn aside unnecessary requests and, at the right moment, aggressively push
on my Afghan<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a> the reforms necessary to succeed in a
position of such responsibility. He
instructed me to, for the first two months or so, make myself part of the
Afghan inner circle. I was to travel
with him wherever he went and by whatever conveyance he used, whether it be by
battered pickup truck or ancient Russian aircraft. I was to dress as he did, moving about
without all the normal US protective gear.
I was to learn his language. In
the end, I was to earn his trust and confidence. These
I did and more. I traveled with him to the “roof of the world”,
a pasturing area for nomads in an extremely remote area on the Chinese border
where I must have been the only American within 500 miles. I helicoptered with him into an outpost under
besiege by Taliban as he flew in to rally the troops, encouraging them to hang
on until reinforcements arrived. I rode
with him on the dangerous “Ring Road”, joining him in braving IEDs in unprotected
vehicles. I picked up Farsi, achieving a
200-word vocabulary that was growing daily.
I worked hard to earn his trust by living the way his staff lived,
taking the same risks and enduring the same conditions. But I failed to win my Afghan general’s
trust. There were several reasons for
this. </div>
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I was markedly different from my
predecessor. He had been a short,
instinctive, aggressive, vocal Marine officer who had been an infantryman and a
combat veteran. The Afghan general was
able to relate him in ways that he could not with me, a tall, thoughtful, relatively quiet Aviator
who had not before seen combat. The
Marine had also delivered for the Afghan general, obtaining funds for landscaping
improvements to the ministry’s grounds. In
accord with my boss’s orders, I was not aggressively pursuing approval for his
requests, which now included laundry facilities and a VIP gym. Then, when I began to share with him our
thoughts on how he might improve his inept, corrupt staff that was failing to
help him execute his unbelievably heavy responsibilities, I could see that he
became increasingly uncomfortable with me.
Crisis came when, while en route to a NATO conference on allied strategy
in Afghanistan, my boss tried to communicate the strong sense that major
changes in his staff’s operations were required. He countered by stating that the problem was
actually with his US advisor—me!—and that he thought it best that I be
replaced. This stunned us both, but
turned out to be a very clever and effective gambit. The Afghans are nothing if not survivors. Though my boss initially resisted this
blatant deflection, he was forced to make it by his boss, the NATO four-star
general, when the Afghan four-star appealed to him directly. </div>
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Why would I include such an
episode in this narrative? While it
appears on the surface to be an episode of failure, it represented one of the
most important and useful experiences of my life. It has made me a better person and a better
leader. To this point, though no
“water-walker”, I had never before come close to failing in an Army assignment.
Before, no matter how difficult the circumstances, I had always succeeded,
always accomplished my mission, and certainly never been fired. This was a humbling and traumatic experience
that, in the end, taught me some good life lessons. Coping with this difficult experience taught
me perseverance and resilience. It drove
home Kipling’s famous verse that reminds us that we should “… meet with Triumph and Disaster; And treat
those two impostors just the same.” I
leaned on my faith that had long taught me that things are not always fair in
an unfair, fallen world. It also made me
more tender towards subordinates who struggled; perhaps in the past I had been
hard on those in difficulty, jumping to the conclusion that success inevitably
results from good honest effort. Taking the sting out of this episode, my boss
gave me one of the finest efficiency reports I have received. While he was forced to remove me, he believed
that I had done extremely well in an impossible position. He saw my commitment, effort and drive. He confided in me that it has been, in
retrospect, an impossible situation and that he knew that others had shied away
from tackling this difficult assignment.
In the end, though a painful chapter in my military career, it made me a
better man and Soldier.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Air War
College Faculty</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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After returning from Afghanistan,
the Army assigned me to the Air Force’s Air War College (AWC) at Maxwell Air
Force Base. I was assigned as a member
of the faculty and taught a variety of subjects, including leadership and grand
strategy. During this two-year
assignment I had several challenging and rewarding experiences.</div>
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Having recently returned from
Afghanistan, I was regarded as the resident “subject matter expert” on the
conflict there. At first, this surprised
me. Surely at this respected educational
institution there would be academics with expertise in this area or at least
other service members who had recent, relevant experience. It turned out the civilian faculty members
had no Afghanistan expertise or experience whatsoever and, though the Air Force
did have officers on the faculty who had recently been to Afghanistan, their
jobs had not given them daily, close-up experience with the situation on the
ground there. So I become the de facto expert. This brought with it some interesting
challenges. When our grand strategy
course got to the modern era, we needed someone to present a two-hour lecture
on the history, politics and culture of Afghanistan and the NATO strategy
there. That duty fell to me. I researched, wrote, and rehearsed this
high-profile presentation for several weeks.
Given that I was an inexperienced instructor and lacked some of the
lofty academic bona fides possessed by my colleagues, I was concerned about how
my lecture would be received. By all
accounts it was a tremendous success, as evidenced by the immediate reaction,
the written peer and student reviews, and perhaps more importantly by the fact that
this lecture came to be in great demand.
In the next six months I was asked to present it to a church group, a
trade group, an AWC alumni group, and at a 50th anniversary reunion where the
guests of honor included Vietnam War POWs.
</div>
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Based partially on the success of this lecture, I was
asked to spearhead the Air War College’s inaugural Grand Strategy Program, a seminar of
hand-picked officers who would pursue a more in-depth and rigorous exploration
of the history, development, and application of Grand Strategy. The AWC is organized into small 10-12 person
seminars that work together through a standard AWC curriculum. Over the past few years there had developed a
demand among some students, many of whom had already earned advanced degrees,
for a more demanding, more flexible course curriculum. A civilian professor and I worked together to
produce a pilot program loosely based on Yale’s famous Grand Strategy
Program. We developed a challenging
reading list, recruited professors willing to provide instruction above and
beyond their normal course loads, invited a series of interesting guest
speakers, and required the students to produce a series of much more demanding
and extensively researched essays. The
inaugural AWC Grand Strategy Seminar was a huge success, based on feedback from
participating professors, AWC administration and the students themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also while at the AWC, I led two Regional and Cultural Studies
(RCS) groups overseas. The RCS portion
of the AWC curriculum requires small groups of students to study a particular
region of the world to better understand its culture, economy, politics and
defense circumstances for six weeks.
Then, after this period of study, the group would travel to the region
for two weeks to study the subject first-hand.
These trips can be particularly challenging since each group must
arrange its own travel, lodging, and itinerary.
This is not a big deal in some of the so-called “tame” regions such as
West Europe or South America, but can be quite daunting in such areas as my
choice of West Africa, where grinding poverty and a lack of development present
perhaps the most complex challenges of all RCS trips. On my first trip we visited Ghana and Sierra
Leone. On the second, we visited Liberia,
French Guinea, and Sierra Leone. The
obstacles we overcame there were extreme weather conditions, exotic illnesses,
complex travel arrangements including UN helicopter, ferry, overland convoy, small
propeller plane, and privately owned skiffs for hire. These trips were designed to produce groups of
senior officers who better understand the intricate and subtle folds of the
political and cultural terrains of these regions and who have the confidence
and savvy to cope with the challenges posed by some of these areas. It was extremely satisfying for me to guide
these students as overcome all the obstacles they faced. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I include this story because, as
noted above, it turned out I am pretty good at teaching. Though I do not necessarily relish public
speaking, I find that can face this challenge and succeed. Many
of the students I taught at the AWC had been working at the tactical level for
the first fifteen or so years of their careers.
They had been working so hard and pursuing excellence so vigorously that
they did not have the time to consider the big picture. I enjoyed tracing the arc of some important
theme through history, helping the students to understand how seemingly
disparate events and historical figures interacted and the mistakes military minds make
in mistaking tactical battlefield success for victory in war. Forgetting that success in war is the
exertion of the will on the enemy, not necessarily capturing this or that
landmark and not producing a certain number of casualties.</div>
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<b>+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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I am grateful to Colonel Dowd for his service to our nation. I am also struck by his extraordinary moral courage in being willing to do the right thing even at the risk of his own advancement. <b>If you know of a company that could use this kind of passion, integrity, decisiveness, flexibility, creativity and energy, please contact me so that I can put that company in touch with Colonel Dowd. </b> He would prefer to keep his family living in the Southeast U.S., but will consider other appropriate leadership opportunities.</div>
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Contact me at: achase47@gmail.com</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Al Chase</div>
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The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-74046410427540890582013-05-23T10:44:00.000-07:002013-05-23T10:44:57.114-07:00A Challenging Call for Servant Leadership - Review of "The Leader's Code" by Donovan Campbell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj676ym1dpEFnTHUka2JRPMjf9UlkrLGJSN2pHoHd64602qoTBchwWMHhH5Jsn0CmWJ8hb6mtImDBm7684z1KfQtVS2IilT26GeVfLsQqxX9Yu192KCM3MF5ucJcZLhzdENFVE26a1Shagu/s1600/Leader's+Code.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj676ym1dpEFnTHUka2JRPMjf9UlkrLGJSN2pHoHd64602qoTBchwWMHhH5Jsn0CmWJ8hb6mtImDBm7684z1KfQtVS2IilT26GeVfLsQqxX9Yu192KCM3MF5ucJcZLhzdENFVE26a1Shagu/s1600/Leader's+Code.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Donovan Campbell</b> has built upon the success of his first book, <i>"Joker One,"</i> and has turned his focus to examining the nature of effective leadership. <i>"The Leader's Code - Mission, Character, Service and Getting the Job Done"</i> is all about developing a mindset and a heart for servant leadership.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The author uses stories from his own experience in the <b>Marines Corps </b>and in the world of business - sometimes to point to success and at other times to confess to failure on his part to always act like the kind of ideal leader he is advocating for in this book. Campbell's transparency is one of the great strengths of this work.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The organization of the subject matter is logical and helpful. Campbell breaks down effective leadership into its component parts - <b>Mission, Humility, Excellence, Kindness, Discipline, Courage, Wisdom, Virtue.</b> Within each chapter he shares vignettes from the lives of leaders - either as examples to emulate or to avoid. He then offers questions that encourage the reader to engage in personal reflection on t he topic covered in the chapter, and then he caps off the chapter with a succinct summary.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This book is a much-needed addition to the growing stack of books that purport to teach leadership. This author has lived and continues to live what he preaches in the book, which sets it apart from many of the other volumes in this genre.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I recommend this book strongly to anyone who aspires to lead others with integrity and effectiveness. I have been privileged to have known Donovan Campbell since his days as an MBA student at <b>Harvard Business School, </b>from which he graduated with top honors as a <b>Baker Scholar. </b> I have seen him wrestle with both the theory and the execution of the principles outlined in this book. This is not ivory tower theorizing, but real leadership lessons refined in the cauldron of the battlefields of war and of business. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Enjoy</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Al</span>The White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1986839333387217228.post-32017654581151741272013-05-20T09:17:00.000-07:002013-05-20T09:17:04.575-07:00A New Blog To Complement The White Rhino Report - White Rhino Partners Chronicle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAa3iUqe9IsFT-71yLGMkcjBA5KS6sjZP50zMyrdKbsUF0sd3QqFoGou2xK5FXsysIGzlbgUb15VOmLUXlXARQTUYr76qknuqLEus421ol-Ung4ReNLZMEzZJO0VnXHLk_xbZxAqPgl4_U/s1600/Log+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAa3iUqe9IsFT-71yLGMkcjBA5KS6sjZP50zMyrdKbsUF0sd3QqFoGou2xK5FXsysIGzlbgUb15VOmLUXlXARQTUYr76qknuqLEus421ol-Ung4ReNLZMEzZJO0VnXHLk_xbZxAqPgl4_U/s1600/Log+book.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
With this inaugural post, I introduce a new Blog - <b>White Rhino Partners Chronicle</b> - that is being created as a complement to <b>The White Rhino Report. </b> From now on, I will use this Blog to highlight issues that are primarily relevant to the professional part of my life - recruiting, career counseling, leadership development, Renaissance Men and Women in the business world, transitions from military leadership to leadership in the private or social sectors, professional book reviews. In addition, I will use the Blog to make readers aware of specific searches that we are undertaking, or to share success stories from recent searches, consulting engagements and career counseling relationships.<br />
<br />
I will continue to write posts in <b>The White Rhino Report </b>that are of a more personal nature - the arts, sports, fiction book reviews, faith, travel, language. On occasion, when an article stands at the intersection of both worlds, I will cross-publish that article in both Blogs.<br />
<br />
Over the next few months, I will republish in <b>WRP Chronicle</b> articles previously posted in the <b>The White Rhino Report</b> that I deem worthy of repeating or refreshing. I look forward to continuing to dialogue with readers of both Blogs.<br />
<br />
If you would like to be aware of new article in both Blog, feel free to add <b>WRP Chronicle</b> and <b>The White Rhino Report</b> to your <b>RSS reader.</b> Or, send me a note and asked to be notified on new posts. I will continue to post links to new articles on <b>FaceBook </b>and <b>LinkedIn.</b><br />
<br />
Thank you for your loyalty and readership.<br />
<br />
Al ChaseThe White Rhinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08510080328755228237noreply@blogger.com0