Chris Brady and my book Launching a Leadership Revolution is still selling briskly.  Hachette Books has decided to release a paperback version of our book in the coming months.  The hardcover versions will be discontinued, so time is running out on getting a hardcover edition.  We appreciate the support and encouragement from so many people.  All Grace Outreach has been able to support many deserving charities by your buying and promoting the book.  If you have not read our book, it is available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and the Team.  It is time to Launch a Leadership Revolution around the world!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I recommend everyone read the top selling book - Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson.  Although the story line is simple – there are many profound lessons that apply to life and business.  How do you handle change?  Are you still searching for the cheese where it used to be?  Are you going to where the cheese is today?  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

In the turbulent corporate world it is important to anticipate, recognize, and understand change.  Who Moved My Cheese? is a book which describes how to deal with change. 

Who Moved my Cheese? is a story about how two mice and two little men look for cheese in a maze. The cheese pictures what we want to have in life, whether it is a small income or a life of luxury.  The maze pictures where we spend our time looking for what we want.  Some people are content with what they have and resist change, while others are constantly looking for new opportunities.

The mice are named Sniff and Scurry.  Sniff sniffs out changes early and Scurry scurries into action.  The two little men in the parable are Hem and Haw.  Hem denies and resists change because he fears that something worse will happen.  Haw learns to adapt in time when he sees that change can lead to something better.  Throughout the book these four characters search and jog through the maze, occasionally getting lost.

On their journey the four characters barely survive until they finally see the “light at the end of the tunnel” and proceed to eat lots of cheese and are very happy.  Then things begin to change.  Sniff and Scurry soon notice changes in their environment.  Hem and Haw, however, think they are “out of the woods” and take the cheese for granted.  These two develop a comfort level in their newly found stash of cheese.  Gradually the cheese begins to dwindle.  Sniff and Scurry are not concerned.  They see that the cheese is not going to last forever so they put on their running shoes and search for new cheese.

Meanwhile, Hem and Haw do not notice the dwindling supply of cheese.  They are not alert to what the future holds for them.  When all the remaining cheese is finally consumed, Hem and Haw throw two huge fits like little babies.  This does not bring the cheese back, yet they remain unwilling to search for new cheese.

Change occurs and Hem and Haw are left behind.  Hem is bitter and reluctant to leave the cheese station in order to find new cheese.  He is very stubborn.  He is too set in his ways to make the necessary changes.  He thinks he deserved the cheese, and wants the cheese to be returned.  He is not interested in searching for new cheese.  His old cheese is the only cheese he wants and he refuses to leave the empty cheese station.  Many people stick with old ways of doing things because it is too frightening or difficult to change with the times.

Haw begins to be concerned that they are spinning their wheels. For a while he hopes that the old cheese will return.  He is afraid of venturing back out into the maze, so he waits with Hem.  Finally, after being very hungry from the lack of cheese, Haw, out of desperation, decides to go search for new cheese.  This takes a great deal of strength for Haw to face his fears and to leave Hem behind.  On his journey Haw leaves several notes on the walls of the maze as he learns new truths.  A few of the writings are:

The more important your cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it.

Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.

Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese.

The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.

Haw eventually finds his way to the new cheese. There he discovers Sniff and Scurry, who have already found the fresh cheese and have been enjoying it for some time.  Haw is sorry that he had not set out in search of the new cheese sooner.  However, he misses his friend Hem, who took himself too seriously.

This entertaining little parable is a quick read which illustrates that sometimes we get too accustomed to our cheese being in a particular place and fail to notice when the supply gets smaller or is about to disappear.  Then when we finally notice, we are often too frustrated to look for alternative sources of cheese, or else we eventually start looking while losing valuable time. 

Some people, of course, are more astute and prepare themselves for the inevitable after observing a dwindling cheese supply.  This book illustrates how some people foresee that they are going to need to make major changes in their lives.  Therefore, they start searching for new alternatives before the change actually has to be made.  When the change finally must be made, they are already prepared to take the appropriate actions.

This story is simplistic, but there are good philosophical points made throughout the book.  It points out these basic concepts:

1. “They keep moving the cheese.” (Change happens.)

2. “Get ready for the cheese to move.” (Anticipate the change.)

3. “Move with the cheese.” (Actually make the change.)

4. “Enjoy the taste of new cheese.” (Enjoy the fruits of change.)

There is a major difference between the two concepts of loyalty and fealty.  I am a very loyal person and when I make a friend, I intend to keep them for life.  I don’t make close friends quickly because I like to see a person’s character under pressure which takes time.  But when a person has earned my respect, they have also earned my loyalty.  I believe true loyalty and respect go together.  I am very loyal to Pastor Robert Dickie because he has earned my respect, trust, and love over the last decade.  Remember, Pastor started mentoring me when I was a broke engineer with bad relationships in every category – family, friends, and associates.  Pastor Dickie had no idea that God would ever bless me in my business and personal relationships.  I certainly had no idea what God had in store for my life.  I had a dream and surrendered my family, business and life to Jesus Christ.  He has done a much better job of getting results than I ever did! 

Loyalty must begin with the proper principles.  I am loyal to mentors because they are loyal to the true principles.  A leader should never ask people to be loyal to them when they are disloyal to God’s principles.  But even when this happens, a loyal follower should confront the leader personally and not just abandon the leader.  That is loyalty to the principle and to the person.  Go back and read the Biblical account of Nathaniel confronting David.  He didn’t attack David’s reputation with other people.  Nathaniel had the courage and loyalty to confront David with the truth in love.  David saw the error in his ways and repented.  This restored David and proved that Nathaniel was a true friend.  Nathaniel did not just leave when he thought David was off track.  I say all this to point out a couple of things. 

1.  Even when a follower sees something wrong they should not just abandon ship.  Laurie and I had our share of issues when we were first married.  Neither of us came from ideal conditions growing up.  The key principle was that both Laurie and I were loyal to each other and didn’t cut and run at the first sign of trouble.  We stayed in our bad marriage for over five years until we learned how to get it right.  Not a perfect marriage, but one that honors the God we serve and provides a loving environment for our children.  I shudder to think of what could have happened had Laurie or I not been loyal to our bonds of marriage and the principles we espoused.

In the same way a follower should not just quit on their leaders.  Maybe the follower is not seeing the complete picture.  Perhaps the top leaders see more of the mountain side and with the same view they would do the same thing.  Maybe the leaders don’t understand what you are seeing and you need to confront them because you are loyal.  Confront with truth and love to restore your relationship.  I have been attacked by some for staying loyal for over 3 years to Quixtar after confronting Doug Devos with a letter addressing the severe business issues.  The critics say I should have just packed it up and left.  Like Nathaniel, I believed I needed to confront the issue because there was a problem.  I followed the loyalty principle by confronting the owners with the issues to ensure they knew the true facts.  The more I (and others) confronted the owners, the more of a pariah we became.  I would do the same over again and have no regrets.  I would rather be loyal and be injured by others disrespect than be disloyal and injure others by my disrespect.

2. When a follower has confronted the leaders directly and views the mountain from the same vantage point as the leaders, then they must confront reality.  If the leaders know the truth and will not change, then loyalty to the leaders is no longer loyalty to truth.  This is where you must choose between God and mammon.   On August 9^th a group of IBOAI board members confronted the Quixtar Corporation with the intent of a peaceful separation.  Our principles were in conflict and after 3 and half years of confrontation we had reached an impasse.  The Board members were not going forward with the new Amway and the Amway/Quixtar managers were not allowing any further dissent.  Instead of a peaceful separation the Quixtar Corporation chose to terminate and litigate to the detriment of all parties involved.  Our peaceful settlement proposal was ignored, our stand still agreement was ignored and we were told to, “Do what you have to do” when Quixtar would not come back to the table and mediate reasonably.

 I still do not understand how the Quixtar managers thought termination was a workable plan.  If a large church were to terminate the two popular co-pastors without the approval of the church congregation – what do you expect the congregation to do?  If the Church Board mistakenly assumed the co-pastors had started a competing church and announced this to the congregation without ever retracting their error – what would happen to the Church Board’s credibility and trust?  The Church Board clearly was not following truth or they would have admitted their error on the competing church.  If the congregation had any loyalty at all to the co-pastors and truth they would object to this Church Board action.  If the Church Board then sent threatening emails (we will excommunicate you from our church) to the congregation asking them to choose the Board or the co-pastors new church (that didn’t exist) - then they must expect people to choose truth over threats and lies.  When the congregation does not choose the Board, the Board then sues the former pastor’s for alleged interference with the Church’s business?   The co-pastors are incredulous.  Not only are they “fired”, but are they now to be held liable for the incompetence and the emotional decisions of the Church Board?  Sadly, this is the closest parallel I have found to describe the lack of leadership understanding that the Quixtar managers have displayed.

Continuing to stay in an environment where the principles of truth are no longer followed is not loyalty, but fealty.  Fealty is choosing to stay in a situation, not because of principles and truth – but for convenience, fear, money, or sloth.  When Nathaniel confronted David, he knew he was risking his name, finances, and life.  David had the power of life and death over Nathaniel.  If Nathaniel was not truly loyal to David he could have chose the easy route and slid into fealty instead of loyalty.  Fealty determines to follow the leader even though they have confronted the leader and know the leader is wrong or never confronted the leader out of fear and cowardice.  The follower sacrifices their principles on the altar of peace and affluence, not realizing the price they pay for compromising their character. 

Loyalty is a must for any team of people that are striving to accomplish great things.  Fealty must be rooted out or it is a cancer that will grow in the organization.  This is such an important subject and separates the true leaders from the ambitious pretenders.  Ask yourself, why do you follow your leaders?  Do you follow for financial gain regardless of the principles?  If you do – you are not displaying loyalty, but fealty.  Do you follow the leaders because both of you are loyal to the principles of truth?  If you do then you are loyal and will follow even if sacrifices are necessary.  Let every person examine themselves.  Loyalty or Fealty?   Convictions or Conveniences?  As for me and my family, I choose Loyalty, Convictions, and Truth regardless of the cost.  Laurie and I are proud to be associated with a group of leaders who have proven by their actions to be loyal men and women.  I believe we have assembled a team of people who can restore Truth into our culture.  I believe we have a group of people who will stand for Truth even when it hurts.  This team of leaders will never surrender their loyalty for fealty regardless of the personal cost.  I truly believe that the team has been assembled to do something great.  Pastor Dickie used to read to me from the book of Esther the verse, “Perhaps you have been brought into the Kingdom for a time such as this.”   I believed God then and I still do today!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward 

Here is a portion of an article on Loyalty and Fealty by Jeffrey Grandz.

Good leaders understand that there is a difference between real loyalty and a related but different concept--fealty.

Give me loyalty, not fealty

Both loyalty and fealty share some things in common; they call for allegiance, faithfulness, and fidelity. But they differ in one remarkable respect. Loyalty embraces the concept of allegiance to an authority to whom such faithfulness is lawfully and morally due. Fealty, on the other hand, describes the fidelity of a vassal, slave or feudal tenant to his lord and master or, in modern parlance, the unqualified fidelity of a person to his or her boss.

Fealty is dangerous in corporations as well as in other social organizations. It leads to unethical, corrupt and often illegal actions spreading to the many rather than the few, to covering up those actions sometimes to the point of obstructing justice. Loyalty, on the other hand, is a positive dimension of business since it provides a force of energy that binds people together in the pursuit of worthwhile goals.

Fealty can be coerced or bought. Consequently, when the power relationship no longer exists or a better "deal" is available elsewhere--from another employer, or a prosecutor offering a more lenient sentence--the bond of fidelity is snapped. This is not an act of disloyalty but, rather, a belated recognition that the bond was composed only of self interest. The more enlightened that self-interest, the more individuals will act in ways that are beneficial to them.

Loyalty is made of sterner stuff. It is built on sound moral foundations, of which lawfulness is one but is not the only one. People who are bound by common values and moral beliefs are not easily deterred from supporting each other. They are neither discouraged by adversity nor deflected by better offers.

It explains why many people do work for which there is little extrinsic reward, why they serve their countries or churches or other social movements as volunteers or in poorly-paid positions; why they choose to work for companies that pursue socially responsible and responsive policies; why they are attracted to companies that have reputations for treating individuals and groups with dignity and respect, who are committed to their development, who provide employees with the opportunity to speak up and speak out about things with which they disagree, who have good whistle-blowing policies and who do not tolerate leaders who do not support these value-driven actions.

Here is a true inspirational story by Jaye Lewis that describes the power for good that teachers/mentors have in a person’s life.  If you are in a leadership role, then you have the platform to make a difference in others lives.  Are you using your leadership to pour belief and love into others?   Many people think leaders do the most work, but I would say leaders do the most for others so they can do their own work.  Your leadership results will be directly proportional to the deposits you make into others lives.  A leader cannot be hid because they are surrounded by others leaders developed by those deposits.  As a leader, focus more on helping people see the greatness in them rather than your own greatness.  Remember, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."  This will make all the difference!   I hope you enjoy this true story.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward  

Steve, a twelve-year-old boy with alcoholic parents, was about to be lost forever, by the U.S. education system. Remarkably, he could read, yet, in spite of his reading skills, Steve was failing. He had been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade to grade. Steve was a big boy, looking more like a teenager than a twelve year old, yet, Steve went unnoticed... until Miss White.

Miss White was a smiling, young, beautiful redhead, and Steve was in love! For the first time in his young life, he couldn't take his eyes off his teacher; yet, still he failed. He never did his homework, and he was always in trouble with Miss White. His heart would break under her sharp words, and when he was punished for failing to turn in his homework, he felt just miserable! Still, he did not study.

In the middle of the first semester of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things, as the day wore on. His heart was not in school, but in the woods, where he often escaped alone, trying to shut out the sights, sounds and smells of his alcoholic home. No one checked on him to see if he was safe. No one knew he was gone, because no one was sober enough to care. Oddly, Steve never missed a day of school.

One day, Miss White's impatient voice broke into his daydreams.

"Steve!!" Startled, he turned to look at her.

"Pay attention!"

Steve locked his gaze on Miss White with adolescent adoration, as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.

"You all did pretty well," she told the class, "except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but..." She hesitated, pinning Steve to his seat with a sharp stare, her eyes searching his face.

"...The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!"

She just stared at Steve, as the class spun around for a good look. Steve dropped his eyes and carefully examined his fingertips.

After that, it was war!! Steve still wouldn't do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn.

"Just try it! ONE WEEK!" He was unmoved.

"You're smart enough! You'll see a change!" Nothing fazed him.

"Give yourself a chance! Don't give up on your life!" Nothing.

"Steve! Please! I care about you!"

Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it!! Someone cared about him? Someone, totally unattainable and perfect, CARED ABOUT HIM??!!"

Steve went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, he took one look around. Both parents were passed out, in various stages of undress, and the stench was overpowering! He, quickly, gathered up his camping gear, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time...his schoolbooks. Grim faced and determined, he headed for the woods.

The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all sparkle and smiles! God, she was beautiful! He yearned for her smile to turn on him. It did not.

Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve hurried through the test, and was the first to hand inhis paper. With a look of surprise, Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Steve walked back to his desk, his heart pounding within his chest. As he sat down, he couldn't resist another look at the lovely woman.

Miss White's face was in total shock! She glanced up at Steve, then down, then up. Suddenly, her face broke into a radiant smile. The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first test!

From that moment nothing was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still changed. He discovered that not only could he learn, but he was good at it! He discovered that he could understand and retain knowledge, and that he could translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to excel! And he continued this course throughout his school life.

After high-school Steve enlisted in the Navy, and he had a successful military career. During that time, he met the love of his life, he raised a family, and he graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. During his Naval career, he inspired many young people, who without him, might not have believed in themselves. Steve began a second career after the Navy, and he continues to inspire others, as an adjunct professor in a nearby college

Miss White left a great legacy. She saved one boy who has changed many lives. I know, because I am the love of his life.

You see, it's simple, really. A change took place within the heart of one boy, all because of one teacher, who cared.