The First Gentleman
To a big round of applause, in response to a question about how she figured out what the first lady should do, she said, “It won’t be long until you’re asking what the first gentleman should do.”
Clanking of the Gears
How did you stand the constant wave of invective and strange stories about your family? “You mean like our daughters are aliens?” she said. “I think that the management philosophy should be “treat people with dignity and respect,” but today there’s no civility—people on the Internet can be anonymous and there’s no filter. “Americans can say what they want, and so that chorus of criticism is really a kind of sacred music, or at least the clanking of gears of democracy.”
Literacy Is Essential
"I believe that every child in America should learn to read," she said. "I believe that literacy is an essential foundation for democracy. And from my own experience as a reader and a librarian, I know that books have the power not just to move people as individuals, but to shape our journey as a country."
Participate in this interactive one-day event on August 21, and you’ll learn how intersecting ADA, FMLA, and workers’ comp regulations impact your policies and procedures and what you MUST do to adapt.
Don’t Bounce It
When George was about to throw out the first pitch in the World Series, Yankee Derek Jeter was prepping him. “Be a man, throw from the mound,” he said. “But don’t bounce it; they’ll boo.” Then she saw the president alone on the mound, and she thought, this is his job, and this is the job of every American—to stand on his or her own pitcher’s mound and throw. (“The first pitch was a strike,” she adds.)
We Don’t Need a Sniper
SHRM CEO Hank Jackson asked the former first lady, “What can we in HR do to help with your causes.” Bush replied, “Help vets find jobs. They particularly need your help in translating their military duties into civilian terms.
“Take one soldier who wrote on his résumé, ‘Special Skills: Sniper.’ Most employers are going to pass over that résumé, thinking, Hmmm, we don’t need any snipers.”
“Can you help that soldier translate that military skill into civilian terms like focused, disciplined, courageous?”
Join us on August 21 to understand more about your intersecting leave law obligations and much, much more!
How about the day the White House was turned over to the Obamas. “That was a moment of solemn pride,” says for former first lady. “The Ship America tilts left or right but stays on course.”
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we hear from Tom Friedman, another keynoter, plus an introduction to our upcoming webinar ADA, FMLA, and Workers’ Compensation Summit: Understanding Your Intersecting Leave Law Obligations.