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Am I selfish or selfless?  The answer to that question will determine our leadership trajectory.  Is it about us or about others?  We decide daily. Community Leadership I had the opportunity to speak at the Electric Cities of Georgia’s Economic Development Summit this past week.  The topic…Community Leadership.  It’s the why behind this blog and a concept that I wholeheartedly believe in.  Community leadership is “the ability and willingness to better others and the worlds we live in.”       The core of the presentation was built around ten actions of Community Leaders (which I’ll share in a future post).  “Actions” was chosen intentionally, because leadership is a verb. 

Cultural Monoxide is the silent killer of organizational culture.  This is not a scientific phenomenon, just a looming threat to our abilities to build quality culture within the workplace.  It will suffocate and disrupt the heartbeat of who desire to be as an organization.    Carbon Monoxide The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines its counterpart in the science world as carbon monoxide (CO), “an odorless gas that can kill you.”  Pretty straightforward.  Science wasn’t my strong suit, but I do know that it is a dangerous fume generated from burning gas.  If the toxic fumes are not ventilated properly, the results can be deadly to those who are exposed.  Cultural

We choose our attitudes.  Not others, but WE.  It’s a daily decision that determines our direction.  Positive or negative, we choose where the needle of our internal compass points us.    We Choose Our Attitudes This past Thursday, our local business association held its monthly luncheon.  At these luncheons, the Acworth Business Association recognizes their School of the Month.  Usually, the routine allows the principal to bring their teacher of the year and they celebrate all the good going on in their schools.  Then my buddy Todd Lollis presents the school with a $300 check and on to the next segment of the program. This one was different. 

Leaders can find ourselves physically present, but absent.  There, but not there.  Existing in a space and place, while being non-existent.  Present, But Absent As we begin to prepare our lives for career possibilities, the easiest thing to do is cross certain ones off our list.  The ones we are not willing to do.  Willingness carries you far in a career, so being aware of what we are unwilling to do is a powerful tool in the selection process.  One profession I checked off my career choices was being a substitute teacher at the high school level.  This decision was grounded in the grief that my buddies and

Me, my, and I are words that can speak loudly about the character of a leader. The frequency of their possessive use in a leader’s vocabulary can be an unfortunate identifying mark of one’s leadership style. Every time I think about this concept, one specific moment comes to mind.  I have had the pleasure of serving on the Acworth Business Association Board of Directors for about twenty years.  We hold monthly luncheons and invite speakers to come in to address the membership. The speakers range from subject matter experts in a particular area of business, leadership communicators, and politicians.   In this case, it was the latter. Me, My, and

The “blood round” is a great tester of grit.  Both the pressure and associated stakes are extremely high.  It’s a critical juncture between sweet victory and agonizing defeat.  The Blood Round My son Grant wrestled in the Georgia High School Association’s State Wrestling Championships this past week in Macon, Georgia.  He is in his sophomore season at Allatoona High School here in Acworth, Georgia. If you aren’t familiar with wrestling, there are two formats of tournaments, dual and traditional. In a dual format, you are bracketed as a team.  The traditional format allows for each wrestler to compete individually against other wrestlers within their weight class. The traditional

What would the world look like if we were, “All out of legends?”  The day when the good guys grow tired and weary.  When those who sacrificed so much for others finally fade into the sunset.  All Out of Legends I often keep notes on my phone of potential blog topics.  It’s a list of random things that are my go-to on a night I can’t conjure up a topic.  In scrolling through the list, I found this gem. This particular note was thumbed in while watching an episode of Yellowstone.  Rip, who is one of the main characters in the series, visits a real-life cowboy named Billy

Leaders can often find ourselves restrained by many little things. A lot of little stuff that keeps us busy, but not productive. Those things that can hold us captive from what could be. Restrained by Many Little Things While on my morning walk the other day, I was listening to a podcast that referenced Gulliver’s Travels.  If you haven’t read it or watched the movie, here is the synopsis.  Lemuel Gulliver goes on four voyages that each have their own special adventures.  The first thing I pictured when I heard Gulliver’s Travels was a scene from one of those voyages.  He found himself shipwrecked on the island of

Articulating a vision is an art.  One that requires a unique ability to see further than others can.  A superpower gifted to few, but followed by many.  Articulating a Vision  On Monday, we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr.  There is no better example of a leader casting vision of what could be and should be than in his historic I Have a Dream Speech. Dr. King saw something no one else could from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that day.  There were people that HEARD the speech who desired to see a day in which “Little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands