MSI Press Blog

  Reverse evaluations—when team members assess their leaders—reveal more than performance metrics. They expose the leader’s relationship with truth. The Fear Behind Avoidance Weak leaders avoid reverse evaluations because they confuse feedback with judgment . They fear exposure, loss of control, and the collapse of the illusion that authority equals perfection. When a leader’s identity depends on being right, every critique feels like a threat. So, they: control the narrative, silence dissent, and call loyalty “unity.” But unity built on silence is brittle. It cracks the moment reality intrudes. The Strength Behind Welcome Strong leaders, by contrast, understand that feedback is not a verdict—it’s data. They see reverse evaluations as mirrors, not microscopes. They invite critique because they: trust their competence, value growth over comfort, and know that credibility is earned through responsiveness, not defensiveness. Strong leaders don’t fear being seen. They fear being stagn...

  Precerpt (excerpt prior to publication from the forthcoming memoir,  In with the East: A Mary Poppins Kind of Life  by Dr. Betty Lou Leaver Town Meeting              No description of Acton would be complete without a regalement of the annual town meeting. In Acton, governance wasn’t just a matter of policy—it’s a living tradition. While many towns across America have adopted city councils, charters, and professional administrators. Acton has held fast to a form of government that dates back to colonial New England: the Town Meeting–Selectmen model.              This isn’t just a quaint relic. It’s a deliberate choice rooted in scale, history, and civic philosophy.          Acton was incorporated in 1830, carved from the western portion of Shapleigh. From the beginning, it embraced the town meeting format—a syste...