I was talking with a friend about his son's recent tour in the military. He shared with me some of the sacrifices that men and women make to serve their country.
Meet Ian. But it better be quick, because he is moving. This executive is going to invest in another part of the mega corporation in which he is a leader.
We have driven by it hundreds of times. It's just a local dive with a small sign out front. Not wanting to fight the crowds on a Friday night, we decided to take a chance on the little hidden restaurant. What we found was a wonderful surprise.
I recently received a text that said, "STOP TEXTING and enjoy your weekend!" A leader and friend of mine was reminding me that some things are more important than work.
You can tell a lot about someone when you are on a trip with them. We recently took a trip with a small group of friends. We call each other the Redwood Friends.
He had no reason to do it. There was literally nothing in it for himself. Fred (not his real name) had invested in this leader who was an integral part of his team.
The goal of many of those in the work force is to amass as much money as they can, as quickly as possible. They envision and pursue a financial portfolio that will allow them to retire at an early age.
Sometimes you find strong leadership right under your nose. My sister-in-law, Charlotte, has been leading for a long time. She is incredibly civic minded and has a heart for education among other things. She has been leading an uphill battle to begin a charter school in her city.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Normandy region of France. It gave me a new perspective of what happened during the WWII freeing of France by the Allies. Specifically, we walked the Omaha and Utah beaches.
Kamal has been working for a large International Hotel conglomerate for over 22 years. His job is to provide transportation for the people who stay in the hotel.
They live in chronically cramped quarters where privacy is near non-existent. They work long hours with incredibly high expectations of performing with excellence over and over again.
"It is impossible to get it right all the time." This leader was describing a dilemma that her team was facing. She continued, "But we are better together than any one of us alone."
He had no idea. He thought things were good or at least on track. They were not. His team was frustrated, his peers annoyed and his clients were threatening to leave.