Skip to main content

It's A Zoo


Sometimes leadership can feel like a real zoo and a leader has to get away from it all and escape from the zoo of leadership. I had that opportunity yesterday when I spent the day at the Como Zoo with the kids. It is always fun to spend the day with the kids.
If you are not from Minnesota we have two zoos in the Twin city area. One is the Minnesota Zoo and one is the Como Zoo. The Como Zoo is smaller but it is free and is run on donations. There is also a small amusement park attached. Plus there are multiple picnic areas. All of this makes for a great day on a small budget.
One of the polar bears from Como Zoo
Picture taken by my daughter
We enjoyed the animals; we saw the seal and the polar bear from the flood stricken Duluth zoo. The only animal we didn’t see were the wolves. They were in hiding. Before we finished seeing the animals we went out to the car and had our picnic lunch in a grassy area near some gardens. After lunch we went back to finish with the primate section. They are building a new outdoor facility for the gorillas.
After finishing with the animals we spent time in the amusement park. My four year old son tried his hand at a couple of the bigger rides accompanied by his 14 year old sister. He survived the Pirate Ship ride but didn’t last on the good old Tilt-a-whirl, he was crying so they let him off the ride. He still went on another ride but more for his age and we shared a car in the bumper cars and rammed his sisters a few times.
It was a fun time and we came home exhausted. Just as leadership can be a zoo leisureship can also be a zoo if you spend it at one having fun with you kids.
Today we ventured out to the Mall of America. That is for another blog and another day.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Where Have I Been?

 The title of this article is apropos since I haven't blogged in almost 12 years. I plan to start this blog up again and try to blog on a consistent basis. I will also be broadening the topics that I write about. Be sure to subscribe so you can get notifications about when I post. So what have I been up to since that October day in 2013 when I made my last blog? Let me recap for you. When that post happened I was in the middle of my Toastmaster journey and I'm happy to say that I crossed the Toastmaster finish line by earning my DTM. I didn't continue in Toastmasters after that since I changed jobs and took my leadership skills to Mathnasium and started running a Mathnasium in Blaine MN in 2016. I got the opportunity to blend my education degree with my MBA and use it as the Director of the Mathnasium in Blaine. I also had the opportunity to be the director at one in St Louis Park and one in  Andover. I ran these until 2023 when I decided to go back into the classroom and t...

Team of Rivals

 Today I'm going to give you a book review. My favorite books to read are non-fiction books about baseball seasons, baseball players, presidents, or history. The book I'm currently reading and almost done with is "Team Of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin published in 2005. This book is 754 pages and I have 23 pages left so I think I can give you a good indication about the book. This book is really a retelling of the political career and presidency of Abraham Lincoln as told through extensive research into diaries and memoirs of those who worked closely with Lincoln. I have really enjoyed this book and the writing of Kearns. She is able to piece together all of her information about Lincoln's presidency and life during that time. She gives us up close narratives of the behind the scenes at the White House and his cabinet especially during the civil war. More often than not Presidents will give cabinet spots to friends. This book shows that Lincoln surrounded himsel...

The Audience

Any time you give a presentation it is not only the presentation that is important but the audience may be just as important. It is the audience that you are selling your idea to and presenting the information to as well. It is important to make sure you are meeting the needs of your audience. In that regard you need to understand the types of people that could make up your audience. We are looking at the concept of SOW and REAP. The SOW portion was the presentation itself and it included Substance, Ownership and WOW Factor. The REAP is the audience, starting Monday I will address what the R stands for. First lets look at the principle of sowing and reaping. The idea is that whatever you sow that you will also reap. If you plant corn you should reap corn. In our little scenario if you plant a quality presentation with great ideas you should be able to reap success. If you present a bland and boring presentation your will probably put your audience to sleep and your idea and present...