Link Me Up, Scotty - Leadership Edition

I've worked in a a culture that rewards long hours to the detriment of family life for many, many years. This article (and the study it describes) made me think about the ways in which we present our professional selves to the world, and how best to balance our responsibilities to ourselves, our families, and our employers. As a former colleague of mine used to say, you can't coach speed, but the expectation that everyone work 60-80 hours a week is ridiculous. If associates find a way to meet their organization's expectations without doing that, then more power to them, no matter how disingenuous the method.

H/T John the Scientist
______________

Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin is a badass among badasses.I want to be her when I grow up.

H/T Sister Carolyn
______________

Another example of how America's medical establishment is just plain bad at talking about end of life, and end of life choices, in addition to surreptitious conversations about assisted suicide. I wish we could treat this subject like adults into of scared little kids. Everyone dies. Everyone. To pretend otherwise never ends well.
_______________

I've been married for most of my adult life (albeit not to the same person), and I found this essay on marital respect gave me something to think about. While I do make an effort to treat the Smart Man with respect (this is not hard - he is eminently deserving of my respect), sometimes I fall down on the job and get snarky or make a hurtful comment. It would behoove me to keep the idea that doing things in a way different than my own is not necessarily wrong. Words to live by.

H/T Brother Larry
______________

Ken White over at Popehat discusses his clinical depression and anxiety with surprising candor and compassion. I am very happy that he received the help he needed, and has found some equilibrium in his life. But my middle of the night musings still center around a huge amount of regret that my Moe-Moe couldn't ask for the help she needed.
______________

Here is a fascinating essay called Solitude and Leadership given by William Deresiewicz to the plebes of West Point in 2009. There's something to be said for aspiring to more independent thinking, more concentrating, more reading of books. I'm as guilty as the next person of being distracted by social media to the detriment of my own effectiveness, and I aspire to do better in this area.

H/T John the Scientist
______________

The Wall Street Journal reports that

Tax receipts surged in April to generate the largest monthly U.S. budget surplus in seven years, the latest sign that climbing stock values, hefty corporate profits and rising incomes for wealthier Americans are improving the nation's budget picture.

Of course they do, since they're so obviously such a bastion of liberal thought and are so well known as Obama's toadies in the mainstream media. /sarcasm

H/T Brother Paul