Leadership Styles, Transformation, and Success in the Business World

With the news putting such an emphasis on autism and autism spectrum disorder, it is perhaps appropriate to discuss another disorder permeating our families and workplaces- Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).NPD is described as: “A personality disorder with a long-term pattern of abnormal behavior characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance, excessive need for admiration, and a lack of empathy.”  (1) Symptoms of NPD include: “exaggerated feelings of self-importance,” “excessive need for admiration,” “lack of empathy”  (1) Much like autism, the origins of NPD are currently unknown. However, unlike autism, there is also no known treatment. It is often said that, in families with individuals suffering from NPD, it is the only disorder where everyone is in therapy except the person actually suffering from the disorder.NPD causes marriages to fall apart, siblings to become estranged, and younger children to be left behind, without adequate levels of atten...

The history of reproductive freedom in the United States is a long and complicated one. Most people would say that the United States illegalized abortions until the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade. However, in reality, this is far from the case. Women would seek out female apothecaries to aid with their reproductive systems’ needs, especially in times of unwanted pregnancies. This tradition only changed when the male-ruled American Medical Association stepped in and decided women needed “proper” supervision. While women today once again get to control their reproductive systems, it is still under the watchful eyes of the AMA and threatened by the United States government. Contrary to popular belief, colonial governing structures and their laws did not prohibit abortion. In fact, colonists divided pregnancy into two distinct stages, much like we do today,-“unquickened”, or non-moving, and “quickened,” or noticeably moving. Women in this time period often ingested ...

In “Uneasy Lies the Head,” King Hussein of Jordan discusses straddling the divide between Jordanians and Palestinians, as well as Muslims and Jews. In doing so, he discusses life on the edge, straddling conflict, and ultimately discovering a role of biblical proportions-that of a peacemaker in a region torn apart by religion and ethnic conflict. Like King Hussein of Jordan, Pastor Bernie Miller of New Covenant Fellowship Church in Chattanooga, TN., has taken on a similar role, in the ethnically and religiously conflicted area of Chattanooga, TN. Spurned on by census data indicating the multiple ethnicities living in the area, Pastor Miller left a successful career in the music industry to follow his calling of creating a multi-ethnic congregation in an area often torn apart by hate. Pre-civil rights movement Chattanooga encompassed ethnic as well as economic inequality. As stated by former Congressman Moses Freeman, “Survival was really important back then. Black families made le...

The United States of American is a republic. A republic is a country governed by the rule of law and not of men. The rule of law “means that people are subject to a known set of written laws. This is distinguished from the rule of man, (which is) most notably exemplified by an absolute monarchy.”  (1)  In such a case, a person governing a nation “could issue any decrees he likes, (and) repeal or amend such decrees at any time.”  (1) The United States is also a democracy, but it is not a pure democracy. A pure democracy is defined as a country “in which the power is exercised directly by the people rather than through representatives.”  (2)  Athens represents an ancient example of a pure democracy because its citizens acted as the lawmakers, without elected representatives.  (2) Our founding fathers never intended for the United States to be a pure democracy. While treasuring the ideals of pure democracy, they nevertheless, felt the need to prote...

Grow Green Garden Center burst onto the Knoxville scene in 2012, as the only hydroponics shop in the entire city. With the home-grown knowledge of growing up in a Knoxville farming family, owners Charlotte and Ty Nance embarked on the lofty ambition of bringing the benefits of rural farming into the city. This goal, in order to be successful, would also need to include teaching residents how to create and cultivate their own urban gardens. Creating a self-sustaining lifestyle has become very popular in certain parts of the country. While some people have moved completely out of the cities and turned toward living off the grid, this is not an option for everyone. Grow Green Garden Center is providing the opportunity to create a “self-reliant” lifestyle while living in the city. Why would city slickers want to create a self-reliant lifestyle? It is more affordable in the long-term long term and can result in “a large stockpile of emergency cash or long-term savings.”  (1) Man...

Islam, Judaism, and Christianity currently constitute the three major religions of the world. They are distinguishable from one another through some major theological differences. However, one concept they all have in common is that they make certain things or people the object of ritualistic avoidances. Objects of ritualistic avoidance can more succinctly be described as people, things, or ideas that do not fit into an expected or “proper” category. For example, when an animal bleeds without stopping for several days, it is expected to die. However, women bleed every month, for several days, and nevertheless live. Because of this fact, women, in many religions and cultures, have become the object of a ritualistic avoidance. According to ancient texts of all three major religions, women are supposed to cover their heads and men are supposed to avoid them, except in marriage. Women are prohibited from co-mingling with men in mosques and Orthodox synagogues. In the past, men and ...