Do you know where you are?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by David

100_2873Sometimes we have to be told.

It can be to ground us or to inspire us.

And, in a word, it can simply refer to a land mass in the western hemisphere that separates the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It can be North, Central, Latin or South.

But to most of us, it is simply home. A home that is founded on liberty and freedom, ideals that should never be taken for granted.

Keep your spirit high. Face new frontiers. Spread your golden dreams.*

*Lyrics adapted from Golden Dream (by Randy Bright with additional lyrics by Lynn Hart, music by Robert Moline, vocals by Richard Page and Siedah Garrett)

Posted in Dreams, Encouragement, Inspiration, Meaningful | 2 Comments

Don’t wreck it

Posted on May 14, 2013 by David

20130514-065922.jpgAs leaders, we often want to “fix” a problem when we see one right in front of us.

Instead of fixing, can we turn it into a teaching moment? Handling a situation gently is much better than stepping in and wrecking the whole thing.

If you constantly tell your team members the answer to the question instead of teaching them how to discover a solution are you really leading?

“Give a man a fish . . . “

Posted in Attention to Detail, Challenge, Cure, Edify, Leadership, Learning, Teaching | 6 Comments

My cow is broken

Posted on May 13, 2013 by David

20130512-101528.jpgSo what do you do when your cow is broken?

On several occasions things didn’t go as we had planned. Either we didn’t have the right equipment or the right things were in the wrong place. Or the job required more people and we didn’t have the manpower necessary.

We had to improvise. We had to find a way to make good out of the mistake.

Amid the chaos a lone voice stood out suggesting a course of action. Everyone pitched in and it worked. We didn’t have much time.

Because our cow was broken!

Posted in Adjustments, Challenge, Leadership, Mistake, Teamwork, Unexpected | 3 Comments

It’s the service not the food

Posted on May 12, 2013 by David

20130512-011519.jpg

Not only were we being trained to be better leaders we also received broad instructions on what to do with it. So it was up to us to figure it out.

Fold the placards, place them on each table. Then place pens and postcards around the tables so that attendees could write notes to our troops who are serving overseas. We weren’t told how to do it. Just to do it and we could figure out what worked best.

It wasn’t just lunch. It was a lesson in thankfulness.

Posted in It's All About the Customer, Learn, Love Your Job, Serve, Service, Thankful, Wow | 6 Comments

It’s simple to feed them

Posted on May 11, 2013 by David

20130510-132419.jpgWhether you’re feeding five or five thousand, you still take it and make it simple to make it successful.

Pictured above is the small banquet room I helped setup for the 2013 Chick-fil-a Leadercast. I was part of a team that put out the tablecloths, assembled and placed the centerpieces on each table, and placed pens and post cards at each seat.

The logistics involved go back months and I’m sure it involved multiple departments in multiple companies.

Our simple job was anything but simple. But the job to be done was clear to all involved. And it was done without egos or power trips.

The job was broken down into its separate components and assigned to the right teams to complete it.

To feed five thousand. And it was simple.

Posted in Basics, Challenge, Details, Preparedness, Simplicity | 4 Comments