Supporting youth through Operation: Military Kids

Here is the first video I've created that does not totally irk. O.K.--there are some lighting problems and maybe a weird audio thing here and there. And I've learned that you can never shoot enough B-roll--you can tell when I was scraping the bottom of the camcorder.

I was honored to be able to meet these children of deployed military troops--and proud to work for an organization that partners with others to reach out to these young heroes.

Minnesota doesn't have the built-in support systems that states with military bases have, so Operation: Military Kids makes a big difference

Next time you meet a military kid, thank him or her for the sacrifice. Nobody wants the troops home more.

Performance Reviews When I'm the Boss

It’s performance review time in my office—time to submit my self-evaluation to my boss, who will then write up her take on my year. My boss is very honest, which has led to a lot of growth for me. Growth, however, can be painful.

Performance reviews create an opportunity to reflect and then set some goals, but most of us don’t enjoy them very much even if they are good for us. This probably explains why most families don’t do them. Nobody is making us do them.

But imagine: Unlike work (unless you’re the boss), you can decide how you’re going to do your family’s annual review.

My first Family Performance Review involved very little paperwork. There was just enough paper to get a fire started.

We roasted hot dogs in our wintery backyard and told each other what we did best last year. Maybe we’ll do it again next year – maybe we’ll write down some of the bad things (at work we call those “unmet goals” or, worse, "learnings") and we’ll throw them into the fire.

Writing down a few family goals to post on the fridge shouldn’t hurt too much either. Whoever participates gets a s’more for dessert.