boss Archives • DAVIDPDX

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CUTTING WOOD WITH A CREW

February 22, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Like most kids growing up on the Oregon coast, like most people with a fireplace, I’ve spent time cutting wood. My brother and I hauled and chopped rounds my dad sawed from the logs washed up on the causeway connecting Hwy101 to the sand dunes. The old man was the boss. He said we could […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, bad boss, big picture, blame, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, boss, cast aspersions, cast shame, committed, cutting, cutting wood, failures, Gerald Ford, good boss, good citizen, good president, good soldier, incompetence, interested, job, lie, president, shame, wood, work, writer, writing

MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS

September 29, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The new boss comes in to change things, to do what the old boss couldn’t do. Whether it’s changing the order of operations, the culture, or cutting expenses, it’s a job someone has to do. If you’ve worked in a place during the transition from the old ways to new, you know what happens: People […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: achievement, Authority, baby boomer, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, boss, build trust, buy in, challenge, education, emotional stability, history, innovation, kids, learning, loyalty, manipulate history, millennials, misinformation, museum, new boss, old boss, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, retirement option, right message, suicide, travel, trust, unstable, writer, WWII

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES? KNOW THEM WHEN YOU SEE THEM

August 2, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The first time I saw leadership qualities was with the Boy Scouts. Scout Master Jones led the troop right up until he took all the gear and left town. If a scout master isn’t a leader of young men then I don’t know who is. That’s when we got the new leader and things got […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: boss, Boss man, co-workers, dead, death wish, drop dead, happiness, hate, hater, hatred, in common, isolation, leadership, leadership qualities, misguided, misunderstanding, qualities, quality, resentment, value, wishing death, work crew, workers

TRAUMA BONDING RELATIONSHIPS, SO FAR

March 21, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Who has had a trauma bonding relationship? Anyone who played sports, broke up with the same partner a few times, you get the idea. If you’ve ever rented a place in a bad building, worked for a bad boss, or eat in a middle of the road restaurant instead of trying someplace new, you’ve had […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: ambitious, average food, baby boomer, bad boss, bonding, BOOMER, boss, critical, education, food, good work, land lord, leadership, man, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, relationship, restaurant, Starbucks, trauma, trauma bond, trauma bonding, writer, writing

FOLLOWING ORDERS WITH FELLOW FOLLOWERS

March 6, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Following orders seems simple at face value: Someone tells someone what to do and the second someone does it. Done deal? Not so fast.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: all volunteer army, Army, boss, bullied, bully, caregiver, cowing down, face value, fear, fellow followers, followers, following, following orders, germany, historical, historical reference, karma, loss, mai lai massacre, orders, Parkinson's, powerful position, senior care, soldiers, testosterone, volunteer, war, WWII, young men

WORKING HARD, SETTING GOALS

December 3, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Working hard is not the problem. The problem is working with someone who hasn’t got it figured out. Work is over when the job is done. Sounds easy enough?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomers, BOOMER, boomers, boss, hard work, organized, persecuted, working, working hard

SOFT LIFE WITH HARD EDGES

August 28, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Living that soft life, but still need something to yell about. It’s either too soft, not soft enough, anything but just right. And that spells hard times in bold letters. Hard times for a soft life?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: assisted living, blog, blogger, blue collar, boss, car centric, Communication, generation, hard edge, hard times, highlander, humiliation, insurance, leadership, life tools, progressive insurance, safety ratings, soft life, toyota Highlander, writer, writing

WIDOW MAKER: A LOGGER’S NIGHTMARE

April 7, 2024 by David Gillaspie

My Grandpa on my mom’s side was her step-dad, though as kids we never knew it. Why? Because it didn’t matter. He was married to Grandma and she was a boss. Besides, he was the best choice between the three. One was a yeller, the other was far away, and Grandpa was just right. He […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, boss, cancer, Dad, dying, fool killer, grandma, grandpa, intervention, logger, Marine, Mom, Renaissance Man, stand up, stood up, veterans, widow maker, wife and kids

HORSE, RIDER, YOU, ME, AND SECRETARIAT

November 27, 2023 by David Gillaspie

Horse rider? It sounds like a strange thing to call someone, but I’m not calling. Instead, I’m referring to what I like to say is the magical formula to every successful relationship. When you go to the stables and saddle up, no one is confused about who is who in the role playing department. You […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: boomerpdx, boss, brave horse, David Gillaspie, essential questions, good horse, higher power, horse, horse rider, horse whipped, husband, jackass, kids, lone searcher, married people, my plan, other plans, parents, relationships, rider, rider horse, secretariat, super horse, wife, writer, writers, writing

ANGRY MAN YELLING: WHEN TO LISTEN

June 29, 2022 by David Gillaspie

An angry man is something you come across if you live long enough. Age fifteen was my breakout. I’d heard anger before, but not like the one at fifteen. Since then I’ve heard many men show their anger. What to do when they get in your face?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: angry, angry man, angry men, bad boss, boss, business owner, Dad, Jan 6, Mom