Equipping Leaders for Life

This past week in one of our advisory boards, we were discussing the topic of “integrity”.  The question was posed, “Are you and your business operating with integrity?”  Now, I don’t know about you, however, I am guessing a high percentage of the folks reading today’s newsletter would answer this question as “yes”.  However, before we answer this too quickly, let’s think about it a bit further.

First, we must define what “integrity” means.  The Merriam Webster Dictionary de­fines “integrity” as:

1. an adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY
2. an unimpaired condition: SOUNDNESS
3. the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESS

Now, let’s break that down a bit further:

• Incorruptibility – de­fined as being incapable of corruption: not subject to decay or dissolution: incapable of being bribed or morally corrupted.
• Soundness – free from injury or disease: free from flaw, defect, or decay, free from error, fallacy, or misapprehension.
• Completeness – having all necessary parts, elements, or steps: brought to an end.

Well, I don’t know about you; however, when we start to look at “integrity” through this lens, these are some pretty high standards to uphold.  As a matter of fact, could anyone of us truly operate in integrity 100% of the time looking at these definitions? (more…)

When you read the subject header, “Do you have a personal board of advisors,” what came to mind? Chances are, some didn’t even open this email as they associate a “board of advisors” with bigger businesses. Many companies have formal advisory boards made up of trusted advisors and thought leaders in a particular industry. They are focused at allowing the leadership of the company a third party sounding board to aid in casting vision and developing big picture strategy. While the concept may be similar, this isn’t the intent of my question. The question is more centered around “you” and your “personal” board of advisors.

Reflecting back on my years in corporate positions, I would tell you that I definitely had great members on my teams who I bounced things off of and even shared a bit of my personal struggles. That being said, due to our working together and, in some cases, having these people report directly to me, it wasn’t easy to maintain a high level of transparency with these individuals. Additionally, since they were in the fire with me, they didn’t really provide that independent third party prospective that is so important in identifying potential blind spots. (more…)

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a Truth@Work webinar with Donnie Smith, CEO, Tyson Foods. Let me simply say, WOW!   In today’s culture, it’s sometime difficult to discern wise counsel when it comes to leadership.   There is an abundance of information and people claiming to have “best practices”, however, do they truly have “fruit on the tree”? So, when you get an opportunity to listen to someone like Donnie Smith, it is truly impactful.

Given this and as a testament to Donnie’s humility, he began the presentation by acknowledging right up front that he’s just another man and there is nothing special about him.  With his southern accent, he says, “Donnie Smith is just eat up with normal. There is nothing special about me, but there is something special about the Lord I serve.”

Much of the context of the webinar was about how Tyson Foods has created a “faith-friendly” culture. If this is of interest to you, I am more than willing to share more on this topic with our partnership with Truth@Work. However, today, I want to focus in on a couple of key points Donnie made that stood out to me. (more…)

If we were to honestly do an assessment of the “heart” of your business, which of the following scenarios would best apply?

“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time:…a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness;…paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on…”

Stated differently, we might list words like: “untruthful, discontent, worry, impetuous, hard driving, immorality, idolatry, fits of anger, emotional outburst, & selfish ambition.”

Wow, tough stuff huh!

Or, is it possible this describes the “heart” of your business?

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard-things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”

Stating this a bit differently, we might list words like: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and others oriented.”   Yes, for those who are familiar with the Bible, these are the “fruits of the spirit” and the passages above are taken from the book of Galatians 5:19-23 MSG. (more…)

What’s the difference in these two pictures?

If you study these two pictures, you will find many things that are different. For example, the books, reading glasses, chair in the background, taller grass along the edge of the pond, and likely many other things.

For our followers, you likely know that this is a view off of our back porch which tends to be my summer office/reading area. The books in the picture represent my most recent reading.   This morning, in preparation for the front coming through our area on Labor Day weekend from the hurricane, I found myself focused on the difference between a “sunny” and “cloudy” day.

A bit more context, I received a Facebook message from an old colleague of mine this morning. This past year, the company I previously spent the majority of my corporate career (I left 4 years ago) was acquired by a major competitor. Unfortunately, as it typically goes in an acquisition, there are efforts to centralize and downsize the combined entity. This has resulted in many people making a decision not to relocate therefore severing their relationship with the new company. So, in some aspects, I guess you could say that it’s a “cloudy” day for a lot of these folks. (more…)

Equipping Leaders for Life

Watch this brief, 5 minute, video to learn more about the latest with our business.  We are nearing our fourth year and, while a lot has changed, our core purpose remains the same.  Check us out and give us your feedback!

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In his book, Bringing Out the Best in People, Alan Loy McGinnes discusses “12 Rules for Bringing Out the Best in People”. These rules are:

1. “Expect the best from people you lead.
2. Make a thorough study of the other person’s needs.
3. Establish high standards for excellence.
4. Create an environment where failure is not fatal.
5. If they are going anywhere near where you want to go, climb on the other people’s bandwagons.
6. Employ models to encourage success.
7. Recognize and applaud achievement.
8. Employ a mixture of positive and negative reinforcement.
9. Appeal sparingly to the competitive urge.
10.  Place a premium on collaboration.
11. Build into the group an allowance for storms.
12. Take steps to keep your own motivations high.”

While McGinnis’ book had many excellent points, Rules 5 & 10 are the ones which caught my attention: 5) If they are going anywhere near where you want to go, climb on the other people’s bandwagons. And, 10) Place a premium on collaboration. I’ll let you pick up a copy of the book to better understand McGinnis’ context and purpose behind these rules as it relates more specifically to motivating others. My intent is to share more of how it struck me personally upon reflection, which is a bit of a tangent.

Have you ever been around people who need to be the originator of their own ideas? Some might call them “mavericks”, people having their own brand and never following the herd. Others may refer to them as being Rascals, people that continually go against the grain. Well, I don’t have anything against Rascals and, in fact, I believe that I am a Leading Rascal according to Chris Brady’s book Rascal: Making a Difference by Becoming an Original Character. That being said, I do see a tendency in these types of people and would offer a word of caution. Sometimes, a “maverick” get’s so attached to his own ideas and strategies that he misses the “bandwagon” going in the direction of the desired destination. The reasons for not “jumping on the bandwagon” vary: unconscious thoughts, pride, selfish ambition, lack of belief, and more. However, the results are normally the same in which they are playing Russian roulette attempting to create their own ideas and miss precious time and energy which can be acquired through climbing on other’s bandwagons and creating synergies through collaboration.

This is the reason, we have recently partnered with a couple of organizations: Truth@Work and LIFE. Truth@Work is a 501c3 that develops, products, programs, and services designed to aid Christian business leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs and executives in living out their faith in the marketplace. “LIFE is a learning experience unlike any other – primarily housed in the form of easy to use audio CD’s and books – it takes a consistent and effective approach to each area of life. The core program of LIFE focuses on these 8 F’s of life: Faith, Family, Friends, Freedom, Finances, Fitness, Following and Fun.” With Arnold’s vision of Equipping Leaders for Life, both of these organizations have over a decade of proven results and we are experiencing the fruits of jumping on their bandwagons. Truth@Work and LIFE are well on their way to becoming the top leadership and personal development partners worldwide with national recognition by many of the world’s top leadership experts. Best of all, they love having others jump onto their bandwagons and join their convoy of building a community of leaders of influence.

So, while Truth@Work and/or LIFE may or may not be bandwagons you would like to associate, clearly there are synergistic relationships lying right in your path. Will you take advantage of these bandwagons or continue to be a “maverick” needing to have your own brand and never following the herd?

Have a FANTASTIC day!