I have been thinking a lot lately about civility. I asked a friend, who is famous for his joy, about how to stay positive and peaceful in today’s world. In response, he sent me an audio copy of Dr. Martin Luther King’s final speech known as his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. I have listened to it a half a dozen times this week and reread it almost as many times. Fifty years after they were spoken, Dr. King’s words haunt me, but at the same time, bring me incredible hope. In his final … [Read more...]
Fostering a Culture of Trust
"Truth accelerates trust." - Joseph Grenny. As organizations grow, trust becomes an issue that you see bubble up from time to time. It doesn’t matter if you are developing a small business or a specific division within a large company, trust is always something that takes time to grow alongside your organization. It may help to think about it in terms of a sports team. When you have just a couple of people in your organization, you will operate like a track and field relay team. You have … [Read more...]
Guest Blog: How to Escape a Boring Life and Write a Brilliant Book
Don’t die without embracing the daring adventure your life was meant to be. – Steve Pavlina When should I start writing a book? How do I begin? What are some of your tips? These questions among many others focused on writing stream my inbox weekly, instead of answering individually I asked one of my dear friends and an incredible author to share with you on today’s blog. Margaret Feinberg is author of dozens of books including Fight Back With Joy that have sold more than 1,000,000 … [Read more...]
Communicate For Change
“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” – James Humes There is a quote; I think it is by Richard Nixon, he said, "You know why politicians repeat themselves all the time? Because it works." Similarly, leaders have to do that exact thing. We cannot always say it in the same way or with the same medium, but we have got to constantly tell the story in multiple ways. As a point leader for Southwest Michigan First, my responsibility is to find ways to tell stories and teach … [Read more...]