Life Changing Events

In 4th grade, I was given a letter to deliver to my parents. I opened it because I thought I was in trouble and did not want my parents to know. They had enough on their hands. My mother used to say that she did not want the police to bring any of us home. In other words,” don’t get in trouble.” The letter asked my parents to approve my attending a special school for unusually bright students. Tests showed that I had an unusual “comprehension” ability. I did not want to go to another school or away from my friends, so I destroyed the letter. Did that change my life? Most certainly.

Years later, I worked at a Jewish summer camp for Chicago’s poor and underserved kids. One Friday night, in a small Wisconsin town, I went with a friend for ribs. The small town was putting on entertainment, including food and dance. However, this was a Jew-hating town with a public sign at its entrance that said boldly NO DOGS OR JEWS ALLOWED! We were warned not to go into this town, but we did so anyway. As a teen, I knew no fear, so the sign only lit my fire. In fact, the warning and the sign drew me almost as much as the ribs.

We immediately attracted attention, and the crowd formed a pyramid with the mayor and two police at the front. My friend and I were forced to retreat into the drugstore behind the counter. I grabbed two bottles of wine to use for protection as the angry crowd gathered.

Within a few tense moments, our camp director broke through the crowd, turned toward the mayor, and punched him squarely on the jaw, knocking him to the floor. He motioned us to come, and we walked behind him to the pick-up, waiting with its motor running. He never said a word as we drove back to camp. That event was also life-changing, and it taught me much about leadership.
Sy

Author: Sy Ogulnick

Sy Ogulnick received a BA from UCLA, Teacher’s Credential from Los Angeles Board of Education and completed phase I (Master’s portion) in a Doctor of Behavioral Science program at California Coast University. Sy leased and operated a summer day camp in LA. He and his wife then purchased virgin wilderness land in Northern CA, where they built and operated a coed summer camp. They moved to Las Vegas, NV, and purchased, built and operated a community children’s program for families staying in a major resort casino in Las Vegas. They have created programs for children nationwide that employed many people and in the process developed successful training programs for personnel. This led Sy to lecture on how to train staff and the creating of community within the workplace. Sy was then invited to speak at professional conferences on how best to hire and train employees, which led to his becoming a consultant in the art of improving relationships in a work environment and eventually to his epiphany that “Leaders are the primary problem and the answer to the personnel issues that arise in the workplace.” Sy has written numerous papers on the subject of interpersonal relationships, leadership and power. He has lectured throughout the United States, has been interviewed by the media and has appeared on many radio and TV talk shows View all posts by Sy Ogulnick