I can barely wait to push forward in sharing more about how impactful serving as bouncer for my friend’s sister was as well as how my working relationship developed with the maintenance supervisor who walked by my machine a few times each day. We’re not quite ready for that yet, though. First, we ne...
Working from 3:30p to 1:40a, at least Monday through Thursday with frequent Fridays and Saturdays scheduled for mandatory overtime, for most of my first two years in manufacturing was clearly part of God’s plan; I certainly wasn’t doing much planning of my own and that point. Any planning I had a ha...
Consistency nurtures seeds from bad situations, turning quiet efforts into visible growth and preparation for bigger roles. During my second year as a second shift manufacturing employee, I applied the same persistence I was developing during my shift to my new found love for working out. Throughout...
Through the midpoint of my freshman year in high school, I remember very few report cards that so much as a C - and I don’t think I ever got anything lower. While I never did a ton of studying, I did carry books home as needed and completed homework assignments. When the second semester of my freshm...
Before I go on, I need to be very transparent with you. As I began noodling around the idea of listing and sharing leadership lessons I’ve learned through my adversities, I was more than a little conflicted; I’m nothing special and I’ve certainly seen people face far more difficult circumstances tha...
As Cindy and I built the “FRAMEWORK for Applying The Values Advantage”, a comprehensive program designed to guidance organizations through the process of putting their core values into practice at every level, we wanted to be sure that it provided practical steps for defining and implementing specif...
The foundation we establish in every professional relationship supports the structure it’s based on. But without an allowance for adapting the framework as needed, that foundation won’t hold. In fact, construction standards in earthquake prone areas detail this specifically. An article called “Stren...
Assuming we’ve taken the time to establish a relational foundation, the most effective way we can integrate humility into the structure is by continuously investing in the framework. In most cases, the idea of investments ties to finances. For a long-lasting framework that truly leverages leadership...
I’ve referenced humility multiple times throughout our look at leveraging leadership growth; that hasn’t been accidental. Without intentionally building a humble approach into each, we can’t reasonably expect to develop real strength through great professional relationships - if we can establish tho...
We wrap up the first half day session of our Recruitment, Retention, & Culture course with a lesson called “An Ethical Culture with Real Diversity & Inclusion.” The terms diversity, equity, & inclusion have been smeared through the headlines over the last several years, with both praise and condemna...
I’ve often heard the phrase, “Your network is your net worth.” While I haven’t spoken to that from a financial perspective to this point, the strength we can each develop through great professional relationships will definitely yield success in just about any aspect of our lives that we’re willing t...
Throughout this look at the strength we can each gain by building great professional relationships, I’ve referenced several of the amazing leaders I’ve had the privilege of learning from. I’ve also worked with some absolutely brilliant people over the years. That said, those two traits didn’t always...
