Ouch.

KU got kicked in the teeth.
The previously undefeated Jayhawks should feel humbled if not ashamed to lose so magnificently to a "rival" so historically bad they barely deserve the label. kstate (which is never capitalized) stole KU's pride in a schoolyard fight after boasting promises/threats of victory, then knocking the Jayhawks to the ground. Does one victory in a quarter century make it a rivalry? Well, it does now.

At the beginning of the school year, if I could have asked for one victory for football and basketball, they would have been wins against mizzou at Arrowhead and kstate at Bramlage. How ironic that KU would ultimately lose both games AND that those supremely damaging losses would be our only ones all year. Hats off to our rivals, who rose to the occasion when it truly mattered, leaving KU with very impressive one-loss seasons, but- oddly enough- no bragging rights.*

*...except, of course, for the bragging rights KU owns in virtually all other areas indicative of institutional excellence.

COMS 201: Intro to Leadership

Since I'm teaching a class on leadership this semester, it occurs to me that some of my students may be reading my blog. And since one of the assignments is for each student to keep a "journal" throughout the semester, it's likely they might refer to my blog as an example. With that in mind, this entry is written for the benefit of my students.

Your journal entries, especially if you choose to keep a blog like this one, should each be about as long as the paragraphs that follow. In other words, each entry should be long enough to introduce a topic, demonstrate an opinion and form a conclusion. For example, I might throw out a topic like, the recent South Carolina democratic primary, and talk about it from a leadership perspective...


Heading into the South Carolina primaries, Hillary Clinton was suffering some backlash from her husband's involvement in the campaign. While President Clinton's endorsement carries weight, especially given his wide popularity, it should be a given when you consider he's married to the candidate. So, to what extent does his campaigning help Hillary? Or more to the point, to what extent does his campaigning on her behalf undermine her efforts to be seen as a strong and independent leader?

Running as the woman who would be the country's first female President, she is having to overcome issues that more traditional candidates (i.e. old white men) would not, such as the double-edged sword of coming off as strong and assertive. Among male candidates, these traits are often construed as characteristics of a strong leader (positive). However, female candidates displaying the same traits are in contrast often viewed as overly aggressive or antagonistic (negative).

Barack Obama's significant victory in S.C. demonstrates, to me at least, that Hillary has been hindered more than she's been helped by her husband's support. Obama's remark during the New Hampshire debate only added fuel to the fire when he said in reference to the political power couple "I'm not sure who I'm running against." Hillary will need to find a way to become the more high-profile, personable and dynamic half of the Clinton couple. Overshadowing her husband may take some doing, but it will be much easier if and when he decides to play a more supportive role... by providing less support.

(Note: the opinion expressed here is mine, and frankly, is not the point. The point, rather, is to demonstrate how you can frame an opinion on a leadership topic. I do not intend to promote any candidate.)

LeaderShape 2008

Whenever I see a KU bus, I can't help but feel proud. It used to be that this sense of pride came from my experience helping KU build a new identity system, standardizing colors, logos and whatnot. I was even asked to be on hand to approve the paint color on the first bus when it was made. Now that I've attended LeaderShape, I see KU buses in a whole new way.

On Day 1, these big blue buses dropped off some 60 wide-eyed students to experience LeaderShape, an immersive 6-day leadership camp, for lack of a better description.

By week's end, the group had developed incredibly close relationships through a variety of team-building and vision-sharing exercises. They left the camp with great optimism and enthusiasm, and I'm confident that each one will become a powerful leader in his or her community, engaging others to create positive change. Watching them board the big blue KU buses, I felt pretty good about the things they were going off to accomplish.

So today, my perspective is changed. When I saw a KU bus on campus this morning, I couldn't help but think of the potential inside- the potential I witnessed at LeaderShape- the potential that exists at a place like KU and inside all of us. Now when I see a KU bus, I know those people are going places.

Sweet Victory

KU's improbable 12-1 season ended with a remarkable victory over #3 ranked Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The victory is without a doubt KU's biggest football win ever, making this KU's best season in history. Which is also to say, Missouri was able to beat the best team KU's ever had, during a season that witnessed KU's single worst defeat in history. Sweet Orange Bowl victory? Absolutely. Still Bitter? You bet. Here's to a 12-1 season. Let's not forget the one.