Leadership Lens

"How do you view leadership through your camera lens?" 

That was the question K-State's Staley School of Leadership proposed to professional and amateur photographers as they looked to refresh their building's artwork.  

The Leadership Lens initiative generated 86 images from 28 artists from Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon and Texas. From the entries, a juried panel selected 19 photos from 15 different photographers to refresh the hallways and conference rooms of the Staley building.  

There was a photo from the South Pole. Another showed a desolate desert scene from a world away. And even from among those unique, far-flung places, I had two photographs chosen for inclusion - taken by a farm wife in South Central Kansas. It just goes to show that there is beauty everywhere. It's in city skylines, but it's also found on an early morning down a dirt road in Kansas or reflecting off water at sunset. It's just a matter of opening our eyes to the wonder.

Last Friday, March 27, the Staley School of Leadership hosted a reception for Spirit of Leadership, an annual event  where alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff come together to reconnect, reunite, and re-energize around leadership. They also recognized the photographers whose work was chosen for display in the 2025-26 version of Leadership Lens.

They moved into the Staley School of Leadership building on the K-State campus in 2010. At that time, they chose photos to include in the hallways and conference areas. In 2017, they offered the opportunity to submit photos for a "refresh" of the space. (I had two photos chosen then. Click HERE for more about those photos. They auctioned those 2017 pieces off to raise money for programs at the Staley School.)

Last fall, they again offered the chance to submit photos and to focus on how leadership could be reflected in the images by submitting artist's statements.  

 

My artist statement for A New Day Dawns: The best sunrises and sunsets occur when there are clouds in the sky. The clouds create a unique texture of light, shadows and color to make the sky an interesting tapestry. As leaders, we may wish for blue skies and an easy path. But the “clouds” in our lives build our tapestry, too. It gives us empathy for others and helps us persevere. Likewise, milo is known for its resilience in difficult growing conditions. Success seems sweeter when we have faced obstacles and come out on the other side.

I took this photo of a sunrise over a milo field south of our house last fall. It now hangs in a second-floor conference room. 

The second photo chosen was taken at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge during a December 2021 sunset. It hangs in a second floor hallway at the Staley School.

Taken at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Stafford County, Kansas

My artist statement for Ripples:

I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.

 --Mother Teresa

Effective leadership radiates outward like ripples in water. The ripple effect underscores the power of small leadership actions in creating significant, positive changes. When leaders recognize small wins, practice active listening, demonstrate empathy and foster open communication, they can build a strong, cohesive and motivated team and make "ripples" in the world at large. 

The artist statements hang by the artwork. 

I was thrilled that several members of my family could join Randy and me at the reception. (Brooke had a birthday party for one of her best buddies.)

Eric's parents, Alan and Christy, also joined us.

It meant a lot to me that they all made the effort to be there.

 

There is art other than photography in the building, too. Susan and Kinley did their best statue impression.

 

Organizers of the event used the monarch butterfly as a central theme for the evening's festivities, handing out lapel pins.

 

It seems to be a lesson we could all use these days: Practice leadership by nurturing growth within yourself and others. Like the monarch butterfly, embrace and celebrate transformation.  

 

This Facebook reel shows some of the process of selecting and installing the new artwork. 

 

What an honor it was to have photos chosen! If you're ever on campus, check out all the artwork. 

 

Leftovers

This was on Jill's 1st birthday before the car was fully assembled. She was pretty happy!

The memories are not for sale. 

But we are passing along a kitchen, a work bench and a car to new owners. No, I'm not giving up cooking or driving. These particular items are vintage toys.

It's a reality check when your kids' toys are now considered "vintage." We have been slowly whittling away excess "stuff" from our house since we began the process during Covid. In this round of decluttering, we have hauled several vintage toys to Topeka where Jill can list them on Facebook Marketplace. Any money raised will go into the girls' accounts.

I must admit there are some "pangs" from this sentimental mom. And these Little Tikes toys can still take up real estate in my mind - just not in my basement. (I somewhat jokingly say that we need to get rid of some of these things while Randy is still physically able to haul them upstairs. But there's also some truth to that.)

Jill

Loading up her dolly for a ride.

The Cozy Coupe was our first Little Tikes toy. This gift to Jill from my parents was "driven" hundreds of miles by Jill and later Brent.

Cousin Blake in his car

My parents also gave cars to Jill's cousins, so my parents' great-grands put even more mileage on the cars as the next generation drove them around.

Kinley in the Little Tikes coupe

 

According to an internet search, the 1990s marked the peak of the Little Tikes coupe. The class '90s model - like the one Jill got for her 1st birthday - was often referred to as a Flintstone car because it was propelled by the driver's legs. By 1991, it was the top-selling "car" in the U.S. In 1997, 313,000 units were sold in the U.S., with another 100,000 in the UK. Our coupe stayed in the house, so it's still in decent shape even though both Jill and Brent - as well as Kinley and Brooke - put the miles on it. 

The design remained largely unchanged until 2003.

 

 

When Brent was 1, we added another "vehicle" to the fleet. It was a little two-wheeled Playskool "bike," also propelled by kid power. Jill had a slightly larger pink version, but it evidently didn't survive. We didn't find it among the toys in the basement. 

 

 

Jill also put lots of miles on a baby walker. Even Goodwill wouldn't take it. (I think walkers like this were banned because of safety concerns, but Jill certainly put lots of miles on hers.) 

 

 

We also hauled the Little Tikes workshop and kitchen to Topeka to be resold to new owners. Though I'm not sure what year we gave them to the kids, they did make for a memorable Christmas. Somehow, Jill's name got attached to the workshop and Brent's was on the kitchen. And while we are all about equal opportunity experiences, it wasn't exactly how Mom and Dad had planned. However, it's made for a funny memory that's been retold time and again. In fact, Jill said she might not remember it had the miss-marked toys not happened.  

 

Unfortunately, I have not yet discovered the plastic tub that houses the photos of the play kitchen and tool bench. 

The Little Tikes play kitchens from the 1990s had mounted corded phone and coffee pots. They had burners that clicked. There was a small sink area with a molded faucet. Not all the components survived, but we hope some child will still enjoy playing with it. We had plenty of pretend meals served from that kitchen at our house. 

The 1990s Little Tikes workshops were made of thick molded plastic and featured bright primary colors. The components included a hammer, saw, pegboard for hanging tools, and a storage area. Some of those "extras" actually survived, including the phone. 

 

The toys aren't the only paring down I'm doing. I've also been whittling down my kitchen supplies. However, I must admit that I am finding it difficult to part with my Grandma Neelly's square-shaped cake pans. Grandma Neelly sometimes used those for birthday cakes. I always wanted a homemade angel food cake, but others opted for other flavors. As I was looking through photos, I did find cakes she'd made featuring the square shape. In the photo below, he had the bonus gift of a few of his great-grands serenading him with the "Happy Birthday" song.

 

  

I took the pans out of the cabinets for awhile. But, I must admit, they went back in. It's silly, since I haven't ever used the pans since bringing them home from Grandma Neelly's house. (And I've made plenty of cakes since that time.) 

 

  

 

I know that even if I get rid of the pans, I'll still have the memories. We'll see ... They do take up less room than the toys.