vikas mittal

Yesterday evening, a deranged individual walked into an office building on Park Avenue in New York City with a weapon and killed multiple people and injured more.  I know there will be lots of diagnosis and research into what happened and what could have or should have happened. Here are a few preliminary thoughts from me.   I think CTE is real and scary.  I suspect that we will see the end of football in our lifetime.  Or at least a significant change to the game that reduces head injuries. I don't know what caused the person to do what he did.  Not sure we will ever know fully why.  But I suspect that there will have been signs of him reaching out for help.  We have to figure out how to better identify and support those asking for help.   That may be one of the most important things we need to figure out as a society. As a profession, law enforcement should be viewed in the eyes of the sacrifices made by individuals - including the person t...

Earlier this week and again yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art .  It really is a remarkable place - beautifully designed and just impressive.   Every time I go through a museum, I wonder what will be remembered from our generation.  (Would then even have a physical museum or will it all be virtual - maybe even virtual reality?)  What everyday things in a household would people look at in a thousand years? What statues would continue to exist?   I hope the things that remain showcase our humanity and love for each other, not just instruments of weapons and dehumanization (e.g., furniture from corporate board rooms).  Lots of good literature to remain - not obvious of future generations that will decide what to preserve and what not to.   I have to admit though, as wonderful as it is inside, the tree-lined walkway in front of the museum may be equally impressive.  The trees provide shade a...

I took most of Wednesday and yesterday off from posting.  A young person tragically lost his life and the memorial service was yesterday.  It was and will continue to be sad for a while.  My heart goes to the family. I know these are cliches...   HUG YOUR LOVED ONES.   TELL THEM I LOVE YOU. Perhaps the only thing I know in life is that you can never do those two things enough.

Going to skip posting much today - lost a family member over the weekend and it is hitting everyone hard.   Hug your family, talk to your parents and children, and say I love you .

I was asked today about some of my past implementation experiences and some common struggles.  Many of the major, potential-stoppage-type issues came from one thing - communication .  Or more accurately, a lack of communication . In today's world, people know about transformations, programs, policy changes, and projects before they begin.  People are forming opinions - it will solve ALL my problems  or it will create endless problems for me .  In reality, neither are true and the truth lies in between those sentiments.   Communication programs start with the goal of building 'awareness'.  But people are already aware and with the limited information provided, already formed opinions.  My recommendation is simple - communicate as early as possible with as many details as possible.  People can handle it.  And it starts  to build 'accurate awareness' of the changes.   And if you can, let people have a mechanism to prov...

  Tuesday is a new day of the week.  Yesterday, I did a F45 workout (strongly recommend this for strength training and love the rapid pace), ate great meals and slept 8 hours.  A healthy start to the week. In my younger days, I would frequently meet up with friends on Monday night - kick off the week right and share in the pains of the " Monday ".  If the night got away from us and became a midnight, 1am, 2am, later night, you never caught up in your rest and sleep until the end of the week. Lesson: Secret of a good week starts with a good Monday.

Like many public service organizations and community centers, the New York Public Library  is continuously facing budget constraints.  (Although, the current proposed budget does have a funding increase for the NYPL to open on Sundays*.)  I have been visiting my local Hells Kitchen branch ( Columbus Library ) for over two years, and when I go during the day, I have noticed that the library goes into energy conservation mode.  They dim the lights in areas that are not used and even turn off the air conditioning.  I don't know if all branches do this or what the culminated savings are, but it is impressive that they are doing everything they can to maximize their dollars (plus be good environmental stewards).  Applaud their efforts and their attempts to control their own future.  #smallthingsmatter Separately, I would also call out that the NYPL have many many resources available that folks may not even think about.  A non-exhaustive list includes: ...

Good morning / afternoon / evening / night  to any and all followers.   THANK YOU for coming to by website. In the past, I have stated that I will begin to post more often only to stop after a few posts.  So this is my next attempt at posting my thoughts and experiences.  And will include links that may be helpful to you  as you navigate this amazingly beautiful, albeit crazy-at-times, world.  Some posts and links will be humorous, some intense, and some deeply personal.