It is time for a reader survey.   I have so many subjects to write about and so many thoughts to share with the growing readers of this blog.  But to ensure customer satisfaction, (I know the blog is free, but I still believe in satisfied customers!) I would like to collect the thoughts from the readers on specific subjects they would like to learn about.  If I can talk about it and have the knowledge to do so - I will post on it.  If I don't, but think it is an important subject - I will research and learn a new subject.  With all that being said: What topics and subjects would you like to read about on this blog?  The goal of this blog is to increase awareness of all the issues relating to leadership and generate a hunger to do personal study.  Chris Brady and I are thankful for the hard work of so many to share our book - Launching a Leadership Revolution - with others.   All the royalties from the book go to support charities in our communities and the royalties are growing!

Remember, this is our blog not my blog.  What subjects can we discuss to make it better?  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

This post is dedicated to Doug and Sheri Stroh.  They exemplify free enterprise principles at their best.  Doug owned a furniture business and Sheri worked on a commission basis before they joined the Team.  They have utilized the free enterprise system and developed into some of the best leaders on the Team.  Doug and Sheri are living proof that it is not where you start, but how far you go from where you start that counts.  Laurie and I are very proud of them.

Proverbs 1:14-16 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

Today’s verses teach against communism and spell out the punishment for anyone attempting such a man centered idea on earth.  Communism has failed wherever it has been attempted and has produced more misery than any other economic system.  Why have so many seemingly intelligent people supported this bankrupt system?  I think the answer can be traced back to a rejection of God.  The communist system is based upon the works of Karl Marx who drew his inspiration from Charles Darwin.  Darwin’s thoughts were so influential on Marx that Engels, speaking at Marx’s funeral stated, “Just as Darwin had discovered the law of development of organic nature, so did Marx discover the law of human history.”  I love the saying, “Wrong doctrine leads to wrong living.”   Darwin was wrong when it came to evolution of species to other species; therefore, Marx was wrong in using Darwin to develop an inaccurate view of human history. 

Communism is a system that abolishes private property and everything is owned by the state.  Communism believes everyone will work their personal best and put all the wealth in a pot to draw on equally among the citizens.  There are two major problems with this.  First, whoever is in charge of the state always takes liberties to ensure they stay in power and to justify why they deserve more than their fair share.  Lenin, the founder of Communist Soviet Union defined dictatorship as power that is limited by nothing, by no laws, that is restrained by absolutely no rules, that rest directly on coercion.   Second, no one wished to give their best efforts so someone else could gain at their expense.   Outside of threats, there was no way to motivate people to work.  The workers cynically explained, “They pretend to pay us and we pretend to work.”   Communism was based on an inaccurate view of man.  Communism believed man was perfectible and not fallen by nature.  Because of this, communist dogma insisted man would willingly work to benefit all mankind with no thought of personal reward and others would willing accumulate the wealth of the state with no thought of a special deal.  Both misguided thoughts were dead wrong!

I have the three P’s to explain what is wrong with Communism and what is right with Free Enterprise.  The first is Private property.  No system will work that is not based on the right to own property.  The ancient Greeks were the first group of people to develop the idea of property as a commodity.  Because of this, they were the first to deal with the inequalities of wealth created by different levels of performance.  Free enterprise believes inequalities are a given and slowing down the front of the train for the caboose only hinders the whole system.  Communism took a different approach.  They believe by taking all private property and giving it to the state that inequalities would be eliminated and a heaven on earth would result.  History has proven the fallacy of this evil concept.  The Bible—over 2000 years before Communist Russia—had clearly stated the result of these foolish ideas.  Private property is the bedrock of free enterprise and anything that reduces property rights also reduces freedoms.  If you thought you owned a field and worked hard for years to develop the best acreage in your county—imagine your shock if you learned it could be revoked at any time.   If the farmers knew it could be revoked at the states discretion—who would apply their personal best to the field?  Free enterprise gives the field and 100% ownership to the farmer; Communism takes the field and 100% ownership to the state with the farmer an employee of the state, Nazi Germany tolerated the farmer owning the field, but treated it as an irrevocable trust to be repealed at states discretion. 

The second is Power.  Every form of Communism ultimately falls into the hands of power hungry statist who desire control and perks.  Lord Acton’s famous quotation, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, applies here.  Because man is fallen there must be checks and balances in a system.  Communism’s errant view of humanity causes a centralization of power and their ideology becomes a cover for blatant power plays.   The state has no ability to motivate the citizens (employees) to work and implements threats, punishments or death sentences to coerce the people.  The French thinker of the 18^th century argued that proper instruction and legislation would enable and compel humans to attain complete virtue.  This man centered theory is the common heritage of liberalism, socialism, and communism and has failed wherever it has been implemented.  Why does it fail?  Because human beings convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.  This is why I don’t believe electing all Christian will significantly change our country.  Our country will only change by changing the mind, hearts and wills of the people by leadership not dictatorship.  Power is positional leadership—you will do this because I say so and I am in authority over you.   True leadership is teaching and serving and leading people to truth.  You cannot hit someone over the head with truth and expect to influence them.

The third is Press.  Because the Communist system did not work the press had to be controlled or else the truth would get out.   I have learned that anyone attempting to control the free flow of ideas is fighting a losing battle.  The communist had all the facts against them, but instead of admitting they were wrong, they attempted to control the press and keep the facts hidden.  Andropov, the former head of the KGB and successor to Brezhnev, had warned that relaxing controls on speech could bring the whole Soviet system down:

Too many groups have suffered under the repression in our country. . . . If we open up all the valves at once, and people start to express their grievances, there will be an avalanche and we will have no means of stopping it.

The only way to stop a genuine criticism is to address and fix the root cause.  In order to do this with Communism, they would have to scrap the whole system and admit their error.  This was too much to ask the fallen humans who had perks and power even though the people were suffering greatly from their errors.  Boris Yeltsin the first elected head of state of Russia took a trip to the US in 1989.  The journey for him demolished many stereotypes and clichés fed to him by Soviet propaganda.  After inspecting a Houston supermarket he exclaimed, “What have they done to our poor people?”  Any economic model that cannot be examined under the light of day and discussed freely is broken.  All communist countries control the press and determine the messages delivered to the people.   A free press would call out the propaganda and the whole communist edifice would fall.  My advice to all countries, business, and people is: Everything you do, be sure it can be written in the cloud for all to see.  If it can’t, then why are you doing it?  The Communist knew they were not following the principles they espoused and the truth will get out.  Communism fails not because it is a good idea poorly implemented.  Communism fails because it is a bad idea and anti-biblical.   A simple reading of the Proverbs would have saved a lot of pain and misery.

The last verse in this set of proverbs states, “. . . they make haste to shed blood.”   The Bible is again true to life.  The estimated global number of humans sacrificed on the altar of Communism is between 85 and 100 million people.  This is over twice the amount of deaths caused by the two world wars!  Lenin said, “In order to make an omelette, you will have to break some eggs.”  The problem with this is: Human beings are infinitely more valuable than eggs and we are still waiting to see the illusory omelets.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Definitions of Social Capital:

Social Capital - The degree to which a community or society collaborates and cooperates (through such mechanisms as networks, shared trust, norms and values) to achieve mutual benefits.

Social Capital - The value of a social network is that people can draw others to solve common problems. The benefits of social capital flow from the trust, reciprocity, information, and cooperation associated with social networks.

Social Capital - Skills and infrastructure that aid in social progress.

Social Capital - A "composite measure" which reflects both the breadth and depth of civic community (staying informed about community life and participating in its associations) as well as the public's participation in political life. It is characterized by a sense of social trust and mutual interconnectedness, which is enhanced over time though positive interaction and collaboration in shared interests.

Social Capital - represents the degree of social cohesion which exists in communities. It refers to the processes between people which establish networks, norms, and social trust, and facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit.

Social Capital - The relationships, human networks, language, etc., possessed by the individuals in the organization.

You guessed it.  Today’s subject is Social capital.  Social capital, Economic capital and Cultural capital make up the three types of capital in the world.  Economic capital is monetary and is the common form of wealth.  Cultural capital is the accumulated wisdom of a society like: engineering, music, architecture etc.  Social capital is the wealth created by tight interconnected relationships.  The Team community has incredible value because it has near unlimited Social capital.  Today’s society is becoming more and more autonomous and less involved in their communities.  The Team gets people involved and not sitting at home in front of the TV.  Even if you are with your family watching TV, you are still alone as everyone is passively being entertained.  I believe Social capital provides at least three major benefits:

The first benefit is a large community has people with skills in nearly every area of life.  This is a form of Metcalfe’s law, which is defined in Wiki in the following way.

Metcalfe's law states that the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of users of the system (n2). First formulated by Robert Metcalfe in regard to Ethernet, Metcalfe's law explains many of the network effects of communication technologies and networks such as the Internet, social networking, and the World Wide Web. It is related to the fact that the number of unique connections in a network of a number of nodes (n) can be expressed mathematically as n * (n − 1) / 2, which follows n2 asymptotically.  The law has often been illustrated using the example of fax machines: a single fax machine is useless, but the value of every fax machine increases with the total number of fax machines in the network, because the total number of people with whom each user may send and receive documents increases.  In fact, Metcalf's law measures the potential number of contacts, i.e. the technological side of a network. However the social utility of a network depends upon the number of nodes in contact. For instance, if Chinese and Non-Chinese don't understand each other the utility of network of users that speak the other language is at zero, and the law has to be calculated for the two networks separately.

It may sounds confusing, but actually is fairly simple.  One fax machine has no value because you cannot send or receive anything.  With an addition of one machine, now you have a value of 2*(2-1)/2 = 1.  Add one more fax machine and now you have 3*(3-1)/2 = 3.  Let’s do one more to show you the compounding effect.  Let’s increase to 100 fax machines interconnected.  100*(100-99)/2 = 4950.  Two fax machines produced a connectivity value of 1 and 100 fax machines produced a value of 4950.  If you are following me—this means a 50 increase in machines produced a 4950 increase in connectivity value.  The value of the community compounds exponentially with every person or item added.  The Team community increases at the same exponential rate.  There is a huge social capital value difference between a 100 people team and a 200 people team.  Run Metcalfe’s law and see for yourself.  Now you see why in the Information Age—leadership is the highest paid profession.  Those who will invest in their leadership ability and build communities will have company after company pleading with them to market their products.  Leadership is clearly the major competitive advantage in today's connected economy.

Laurie and I had a leaking faucet and instead of looking in the yellow pages, we called Jim Martin.  Jim is a former plumber and he gave us a recommendation on a good plumber to use.   The plumber did a great job and we were stress free because we knew they would do a great job at a reasonable price.  It is hard to put a price tag on the security of knowing any challenge you have – someone in your community is an expert in that field.  When you join the Team, you automatically begin to enjoy the benefits of Metcalfe’s law in the accumulated Social capital of the Team.  How much would you pay for this security?  This is one major benefit of social capital.

The second benefit is when life knocks you down—you have people there to encourage you through the pain.  The increase in prescribed drugs and counseling for depression is a national dilemma.  Why are people wealthier materially and enjoy more material things than ever before, but more depressed than ever before?  Aristotle said that human beings were political beings and needed interactions with other humans.  Our society is losing the ability for people to empathize with one another.  I read a study where people could endure twice the level of pain—by immersing their arm in an ice bucket—if they had someone with them to comfort them.  Life can be tough at times and it sure is nice to have a group of friends to encourage and uplift you when you get knocked down.   This is another aspect of social capital that is priceless to me and worth more than all the material rewards Laurie and I have been blessed with.

The third major benefit of a social community is the modeling and mentoring of people who have more success in specific areas.  There are so many conflicting opinions in life about what to do and how to succeed.  What I love about the Team community and the social capital developed is the ability to check the fruit on the tree.  Anyone can offer advice, but a community allows you to see the results of a particular way of thinking in their lives.  There are so many talented people involved with the Team that account for the social capital.  In nearly every area of life from: faith, finances, fitness, friends, and family, someone in the community has a system that is working in that area.  The beautiful part is—they are ready and willing to share anything they have learned with you.  This is why we have CD’s and recommend specific books for all areas of life.  I love the statement, "Learn from experience, preferably someone else's."  The books and CD’s have proven to be effective in providing the right information for people to change their thinking and behaviors.  What would it be worth to mentor with someone with the results in life you are looking for? 

I have just scratched the surface on the value of social capital.  I would say hands down that social capital is worth more than financial capital and can be converted to financial capital a lot easier than financial capital converts to social capital.  A billionaire with no social capital is not worth as much as a leader with social capital.  The future leaders of society will be the connectors who build social capital.  I hope this helps explain the value of the Team community and the value in developing your personal leadership skill.  Bring your talents and abilities to the table and you will exponentially increase the social capital of the Team.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Assignment:  What abilities and talents do you bring to the Team?   Are you connecting your skills with others to create a Team and bring Metcalfe’s law to fruition in your community?  What other benefits of a community creating social capital can you think of?

Ok! I have to get this off my chest.  I cannot remain silent any longer!  I am imploring people to get the real facts on the meaning of separation of Church and State.  In my opinion, this one of the frontline issues in the media war and as this issue goes—so goes the country.  The original definition of Separation of Church and State was based on protecting the local churches from a government sponsored national church.  This separation has been turned upside down to mean separation of any religious values from the state.  Can a society honestly survive while rejecting all religious values?  How far we have wandered from the founding principles on separation—based upon John Locke’s writings.  Just a cursory look at the history of Separation of Church and State will produce a major conflict in the real history from its interpretation used today.  Here is the Wiki entry on Separation of Church and State. 

The idea of separating the church and state is often credited to the writings of the British philosopher John Locke, which deeply influenced the drafting of the United States Constitution. According to his principle of the social contract, Locke argued that the government lacked authority in the realm of individual conscience, as this was something rational people could not cede to the government for it or others to control. For Locke, this created a natural right in the liberty of conscience, which he argued must therefore remain inviolable by any government authority. These views on religious tolerance and the importance of individual conscience, along with his social contract, became influential in the American colonies.

The concept was implicit in the flight of Roger Williams from religious oppression in Massachusetts to found what became Rhode Island on the principle of state neutrality in matters of faith.

The phrase "separation of church and state" is derived from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to a group identifying themselves as the Danbury Baptists. In that letter, referencing the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, Jefferson writes:

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

Another early user of the term was James Madison, the principal drafter of the United States Bill of Rights, who often wrote of "total separation of the church from the state."  "Strongly guarded . . . is the separation between religion and government in the Constitution of the United States," Madison wrote, and he declared, "practical distinction between Religion and Civil Government is essential to the purity of both, and as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States."  This attitude is further reflected in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, originally authored by Thomas Jefferson, but championed by Madison, and guaranteeing that no one may be compelled to finance any religion or denomination.

... no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.

I believe the original documents of the Founding Fathers and John Locke’s writings are very clear as to their meaning.  Religious toleration meant giving all the Christian denominations the right to worship God in the way they deemed fit.  There was a strong undergirding of Judeo-Christian principles that supported our laws, communities, and leaders.  No founding father imagined a separation of religious values from the operation of government.  I could prove this point in many areas, but let me stay focused and just pick the Ten Commandments given from God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. 

Why should we be shocked when a politician accepts bribes or embezzles?  Shouldn’t their defense be, “I separated my religious values from my political assignment.”?  If he was a Christian and brought his values to his job, then he would not steal, lie, commit adultery etc.  Only an inconsistent Christian would do what a consistent person would do who rejected Judeo-Christian values.   But if these religious values are rejected from government, then what values are left?  I can see the politician who consistently follows through on Separation of Religion and State.   They could state, “I will lie, cheat, steal, disrespect my parents, and fornicate with other people’s spouses and this is just the beginning of my value system for government work.”  Would anyone legitimately vote for this person?  If not, why would anyone honestly argue for separation of religious values from government positions?  The wall of separation should ensure government does not create rules of faith for religious groups.  If a religious faith violates the basic 10 commandments rules—our judicial system will intervene, because our judicial system is based upon the traditional Judeo-Christian faith.

Let me give an analogy of how people have turned the Separation of Church and State on its head and are applying the principle backwards to its original intentions.   The Dutch nation in the 13^th century was a hardworking, future focused group who built dams, dykes, and other barriers to separate the ocean from the low lying land.  The Dutch created this separation to allow them to reclaim the land and have farms where the ocean water previously had been.  The separation was designed to keep the ocean out of the farms—not the farmers out of the ocean.  Can you imagine if a century later the government argued against the Dutch sailing on the ocean?  The government would argue, “Our forefathers separated the ocean from the Dutch people and we cannot have any sailors sailing on the oceans.  This would violate the principle of Separation of Ocean and Dutch.  The Dutch people would rise in outrage against this disingenuous interpretation.  They would argue the separation was designed one way—to keep the ocean from the Dutch people, but not the Dutch from the ocean.  The Dutch have always been an ocean going people and would not tolerate this unconscionable interpretation.  But isn’t this exactly what happened to the Separation of Church and State?  It was designed to keep the State (ocean) out of the Church (Dutch people), but now keeps the Church and its values out of the State.

In the same way Americans have always been a religious people and should protest the wrong interpretation of Church and State.  I am disappointed that someone would argue such twisted logic, but I am more disappointed that the vast majority of the American people will swallow this confused thinking with hardly a word of protest.  I fear for our country if we reject the underlying principles of a good society.  What society can last long term—if the people elected are liars, stealers, adulterers, etc?  Our first president, George Washington said,

“Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

I could not say it any better than Mr. Washington.  He understood that a government would only be as good as the people it represents.  I believe the people elected are only mirrors of the people in total.  We must educate Americans as to the true meaning of the issues or we will become victims of revisionist spin.  It would have been inconceivable for anyone to spout the current views of separation only 50 years ago.  I love the yarn about the man asked - are you more concerned about the ignorance or the apathy of our current culture?  “I don’t know and I don’t care” was his answer. :)  The historical revisionist relies on the apathy and ignorance of the people in order to sell their inverted views of historical events.  It is time for the people to get convicted and educated.

I certainly am not proposing a national church and strongly support the true interpretation of Separation of Church and State.  I am not proposing mass elections of Christians as they will only have the support if the people are behind their actions.  But I am proposing the individual responsibility of Americans to educate themselves on the historical issues. How can we possibly vote without an understanding of the underlying issues accepted or rejected by the candidates?   I strongly believe if we get the American people right, the politicians will miraculously get it right! :)   I do not believe in one person telling everyone else how to think.  This would not be freedom, but demagoguery.  I am encouraging everyone to read and think through the issues themselves.  Our republic will not survive without a literate and educated citizenship.  Only a people, that does not know its history can fall prey to a charlatan selling a false interpretation of its history.  Please share this article with others and be part of the solution and not part of the problem.  We are a blessed nation and we must accept responsibility to carry on this blessed tradition.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Assignment:  Were you aware of the true history of the Separation of Church and State doctrine?  Have you heard a twisted version espoused by the media?  What are you doing to separate the truth from fiction?  Pass this article on to others and encourage everyone to read the history for themselves.

The Team takes its media war very seriously.  Experience has proven the validity of the Biblical statement, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”  The stated goal of the Team is to lead people to truth in every area of their life.  No one on the team claims to have a monopoly on truth, but the goal is to be continuously learning.  When you add your energy, efforts and thinking to the Team; we add to our ability to make a difference.  The Team tracks all the CD’s and books, pamphlets, etc, from every community and recognizes the media war champion.  An organization that is moving CD’s and books is educating people and changing the way a person thinks.  Albert Einstein said, “The significant problems we face in life cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created them.”  If we wish to solve our most intractable issues we must get a better look at the root causes.  By listening and reading – your thinking improves – which improves your ability to assess the root causes of challenges.  This is not a minor thing, but the major thing.  Challenges and setbacks happen to everyone, but winners learn how to think through the issues to accomplish a positive outcome.  This is why the media war is so important to me personally and why I love leadership development so much!

How do we win the media war?  What part can you play in winning the media war?   Are you reading and listening every day?  Are you sharing the CD’s, books, and DVD’s with others?  No one person can win the media war and help improve the thinking of our communities, but all of us together can win the media war.  The materials are available – the leaders are capable – will you make yourself available?  In a letter to Charles Yancey, Thomas Jefferson said, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."  We must educate the people of our countries to continue enjoying the freedoms bestowed upon us.  The Team must and will play a big part in developing an educated electorate and principle centered people.   Will you play your part?  Will your Team be in the top 20 media war organizations?  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Assignment:  Give an example of where the Team media has made a difference in your life or someone in your leadership community.

The Louisville Major Convention was the most incredible leadership convention ever put on by the Team leaders.  Every single speaker gave their best performances and delivered the best leadership development material being offered in the country today.  Every leader on the Team has a story from a major convention and how their leadership changed after attending.  My question for all the great people reading this blog is: What was the breakthrough moment at the Louisville major for you?  There were so many moments for me personally at this event.  Up until the Wednesday before the event, it was questionable whether there would even be an event!  To have well over 20 thousand people show up and the enthusiasm in the two halls was overwhelming for all the speakers.  That was absolutely the best crowd Laurie and I have ever spoken in front of and I know the other leaders would agree.  What are your thoughts on why the majors are so inspiring?

We are only two months away from the major in St. Louis.  I cannot wait to see everyone and I hope you are out there each one reaching one your ticket.  Every leader knows another leader who should enjoy the experience of a Team major function.  Have you each one reached one your ticket yet?  The Bible states, "It is more blessed to give than receive."  Please share the value of the majors for you and your special moment in Louisville for all of us to learn from.  Leadership is about continuous learning and then getting together with others to share what you have learned.  The Team leaders display this attribute and this is why every major continues to get better.  St. Louis will be the best one yet and we will learn more about the future of Team leadership from the visionary leaders on the Team.  Get ready for a great 2008!!  The future is bright.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Assignment:  Please share your breakthrough moment from Louisville and why a new person should attend the St. Louis event. 

Here is the birth of Jesus Christ; the first Christmas story, as taught from the Bible.

References:

Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-20.

The Conception of Jesus Foretold:

Mary, a virgin, was living in Galilee of Nazareth and was engaged to be married to Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. An angel visited her and explained to her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. She would carry and give birth to this child and she would name him Jesus.

Mary’s Believes in Faith:

At first Mary was afraid and troubled by the angel's words. Being a virgin, Mary questioned the angel, "How will this be?" The angel explained that the child would be God's own Son and, therefore, "nothing is impossible with God." Humbled and in awe, Mary believed the angel of the Lord and rejoiced in God her Savior.

The Birth of Jesus:

While Mary was still engaged to Joseph, she miraculously became pregnant through the Holy Spirit, as foretold to her by the angel. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, he had every right to feel disgraced. He knew the child was not his own, and Mary's apparent unfaithfulness carried a grave social stigma. Joseph not only had the right to divorce Mary, under Jewish law she could be put to death by stoning.

Joseph’s Dream

Although Joseph's initial reaction was to break the engagement, the appropriate thing for a righteous man to do, he treated Mary with extreme kindness. He did not want to cause her further shame, so he decided to act quietly. But God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to verify Mary's story and reassure him that his marriage to her was God's will. The angel explained that the child within Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that his name would be Jesus and that he was the Messiah, God with us.

Joseph’s Obedience

When Joseph woke from his dream, he willingly obeyed God and took Mary home to be his wife, in spite of the public humiliation he would face. Perhaps this noble quality is one of the reasons God chose him to be the Messiah's earthly father.

Joseph must have wondered in awe as he reflected on the words found in Isaiah 7:14 foretelling this event, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (NIV)

The Roman Census:

At that time, Caesar Augustus decreed that a census be taken, and every person in the entire Roman world had to go to his own town to register. Joseph, being of the line of David, was required to go to Bethlehem to register with Mary. While in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Probably due to the census, the inn was too crowded, and Mary gave birth in a crude stable. She wrapped the baby in cloths and placed him in a manger.

An Angel Appears to the Shepherds:

Out in the fields, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds who were tending their flocks of sheep by night. The angel announced that the Savior had been born in the town of David. Suddenly a great host of heavenly beings appeared with the angels and began singing praises to God. As the angelic beings departed, the shepherds decided to travel to Bethlehem and see the Christ-child.

The Shepherd’s Worship the Savior:

There they found Mary, Joseph and the baby, in the stable. After their visit, they began to spread the word about this amazing child and everything the angel had said about him. They went on their way still praising and glorifying God. But Mary kept quiet, treasuring their words and pondering them in her heart. It must have been beyond her ability to grasp, that sleeping in her arms—the tender child she had just borne—was the Savior of the world.

The Magi See a Star:

After Jesus' birth, Herod was king of Judea. At this time wise men (Magi) from the east saw a star, they came in search, knowing the star signified the birth of the king of the Jews. The wise men came to the Jewish rulers in Jerusalem and asked where the Christ was to be born. The rulers explained, "In Bethlehem in Judea," referring to Micah 5:2. Herod secretly met with the Magi and asked them to report back after they had found the child. Herod told the Magi that he too wanted to go and worship the babe. But secretly Herod was plotting to kill the child.

The Magi Bring Gifts:

So the wise men continued to follow the star in search of the new born king and found Jesus with his mother in Bethlehem. (Most likely Jesus was already two years of age by this time.) They bowed and worshipped him, offering treasures of gold, incense and myrrh. When they left, they did not return to Herod. They had been warned in a dream of his plot to destroy the child.

God gave a gift of his only Son for our sins.  When we give gifts it is symbolic of the Ultimate Gift God gave to us.  Have a Merry Christmas!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

As we celebrate Christmas 2007, may we not forget our men and women in uniform, many in distant lands—who will not be  able to be home to celebrate Christmas with family and friends.  They need our prayers, as well as our respect and appreciation for their sacrifice.  My dad was a paratrooper and Green Beret and was part of the first group of Green Beret’s sent to Vietnam.   Please share any friends or family members who are serving our country and will not be home for Christmas.  I would like to thank all of them for doing what they do so we can do what we do!  This is a beautiful poem by Jeff Giles of the 30^th Naval Construction Unit and captures our thankfulness for their service. 

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed around the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know,

Then the sure sound of footsteps outside on the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, my wife, and my child.

‘What are you doing?’ I asked without fear,

‘Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!’

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.

To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light,

Then he sighed and he said ‘it’s really all right

I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night.’

‘It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I’m  proud to stand here like my fathers before me

My grandpa died at ‘Pearl on a  day in December,’

Then he sighed, ‘That’s a Christmas Grandma always remembers.’

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘Nam’,

And now it is my turn and so, her I am.

I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue . . . an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all  time that this flag will not fall.

‘So go back in side,’ he said, ‘harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.’

‘But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,

‘Give you money,’ I asked, ‘or prepare you a feast?’

It seems all too little for all you’ve done,

For being away from your wife and your son.

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

‘Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will  trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.’

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN

30th Naval Construction Regiment

OIC, Logistics Cell One

Al  Taqqadum, Iraq

It is Christmas Eve - everyone is finishing their Christmas shopping and preparing for family get togethers.  Many families have traditions and memories that are shared during the holiday season.  What is your most memorable Christmas experience?  Was it a surprise present?  Playing games with the family?  Singing Christmas songs?  Snow ball fights with the cousins?  Something else?  What are your most memorable experiences during the Christmas seasons? 

I can remember when I was given a three-speed bike for Christmas.  My mom and dad did not have a lot of extra money with five children, but mom found two at the Goodie Barn for a great bargain.  The bikes were German engineered and they had a shifter in the middle like you would see on a car.  My older brother and I couldn't wait for spring to ride them!  No one in the neighborhood had a bike like the three-speeds; everyone wanted to ride those bikes.  Life is made up of the special memories you accumulate.  Remember to enjoy some memories with the family this holiday season and don't forget the reason for the season.  Hope for all people - the birth of Christ - peace and goodwill to all people.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

This proverb is dedicated to Bill and Jackie Lewis.  This is a young couple who have made major changes in their lives by changing their association.  Laurie and I are very proud of this couple for the example they are setting in their community and family.  Bill and Jackie have grown into leaders and servants by tying into the Team training program.  They would be the first to tell you that you can do it too!

This proverb contains a very important principle for success and Godliness.  As Christians we are called to be in the world, but not of the world.  Because we are in the world, we will be enticed to do wrong.  The first line of defense is to not willingly go into bad situations.  I have read that Billy Graham will not go into a house or hotel room alone with a woman, except his wife.  I think this is a good policy.  Billy is avoiding even the appearance of sin and ensuring that no enticement to sin can occur.  Pastor Dickie states that sin is to miss the mark.  Sin is like a fire—it may start small, but it cannot be controlled once it is started.  The best defense is to not light the match of sin when it is offered to you.  The rule should be to never go near a fire that you know can burn you.  If we can avoid the enticement, then we have a responsibility to do so. 

The second line of defense is to say just say no.  This can be easier said than done with peer pressure and wanting to conform, but it must be done to follow Biblical principles.  When someone is doing something off track, they usually have a desire to get others involved to ease their conscience.  If you have children—you’ve probably heard—but everyone is doing it!  Following Biblical principles is not a popularity contest, but it is a discipline contest.  Say no and then extricate yourself from the environment that is causing the temptation.  Proper association with other Godly people will reduce the enticement of sin in your life.  An old southern saying states, “If you hang out with dogs, you will get fleas.”   One of my first mentors used to say, “If you put two geniuses and one idiot in a room for a day—when you come back, there will be three idiots.”  I always laugh at this one, but I realize the truth in the saying.  It takes a lot of positive associations - to make up for one bad association.  I have learned to control my association as much as humanly possible.

The Bible states clearly that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  This is not an excuse to sin, but a fact of our fallen nature.  We must choose to feed our spirit and starve our fallen human nature.  Look at your life.  What areas of your life do you know you need to change?  What better time than today to ask Christ to forgive you and repent of your sins.  All of us must turn from our sins and follow Christ example.  Will we reach perfection?  No—we will not, but that does not mean we shouldn’t be striving to hit the mark set before us.  When I fail—I look to Christ and ask God to forgive me.  What a wonderful gift it is to know we are forgiven in Christ.  The great preacher D.L. Moody once said, “The Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible!”   Are you reading God’s instruction manual for life or are you following the world’s path?   Your choices will make all the difference in your life and leadership.  Remember, when tempted by sin—consent thou not!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Assignment:  Share how good or bad associations have made an impact in your life.  How does association influence the messages going into your thought life?

The following article is dedicated to Dean and Teresa Frey.  Dean and Teresa are excellent examples of courageous leadership.  Dean and Teresa follow Biblical principles in their life and display the courage of their convictions.  Winston Churchill said courage is the most important attribute of a leader, because without this one—none of the others matter.  Thank you Dean and Teresa for your courageous examples of leadership!

The longer I lead people; the more I realize the importance of courage.  Courage is following through on the principles you hold dear even when it hurts.  Anyone can espouse great principles, but influence begins when you model the principles.  Remember, people buy into the leader before they buy into the leader’s vision.  An important question to ask yourself, “Are you the type of leader people should follow when principles are put to the test?”  In other words, are your principles just words or your core convictions?  If they are your core convictions—then in surrendering them—you surrender your leadership!   I read a couple of quotes that teach the principles of courage.  One memorized quote can keep your resolve firm in times of duress.  I have made it a habit to sum up discussions into one-liners that captures the essence of the subject.  Joseph Joubert said, “There are single thoughts that contain the essence of a whole volume, single sentences that have the beauties of a large work.”  With this thought in mind, let’s discuss the single thoughts that capture the essence of the whole concept of courage.  Notice how each of these quotes captures different aspects of courage.

Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstances – Bruce Barton

He that would be superior to external influences must first become superior to his own passions – Samuel Johnson

Obstacles will look large or small to you according to whether you are large or small – Orison Swett Marden

Courage is convictions in action – Orrin Woodward

What the superior man seeks is in himself: what the small man seeks is in others – Francois La Rochefoucauld

All the significant battles are waged within the self – Sheldon Kopp

True courage is a result of reasoning.  A brave mind is always impregnable – Jeremy Collier

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear – Mark Twain

Courage is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared – David Ben-Gurion

The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not fell them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper – Aristotle

What you have outside you counts less than what you have inside you – B.C. Forbes

If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say, “I will be bigger than you.  You cannot defeat me.” – Ann Landers

To have character is to be big enough to take life on – Mary Caroline Richards

Little minds attain and are subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them – Washington Irving

These are phenomenal quotes on the attributes of courage!  Have you displayed courage in your life?  Have you experience courageous leadership examples that helped you have courage before?  Can you give me your definition of courage and a time you experienced courage in action?  How about an example where lack of courage hurt an organization, community or country?   A courageous example strengthens the resolve of others around them.  Please share a courageous or uncourageous example in your life and the results of the example to help teach others.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

One of my favorite quotes is, “There are only two ways to fail: Listen to no one or listen to everyone.”  When you are new to a job or business, it is important to find mentors who will encourage and guide you through the rough waters.   Having a mentor is important so choose wisely.  Ensure you are listening to someone who has achieved the future results you desire.   Everyone will offer you their opinion, but sort through the noise and follow your mentors with results.  When you become a leader, the challenge is more subtle.   As a leader, you must be humble enough to hear the truth from your team.  When you stop listening, you stop learning.  It is important to have a subordinate who can speak openly with you.  In the Biblical story – David was blessed with a Nathaniel to speak openly with him and call him out in love.  Every leader needs a Nathaniel to graciously keep the leader living up to the high calling of leadership.  

Robert Greenleaf said, “Even the frankest and bravest of subordinates do not talk with their boss the same way they talk with colleagues.”  I am not suggesting subordinates blast their superiors, but I am suggesting that leaders should find wise counselors who can speak candidly.   Warren Buffet is the greatest leadership investor of the modern era.  When Warren Buffet speaks about companies, other people should listen.  Warren said, “Of one thing be certain: if a CEO is enthused about a particularly foolish acquisition, both his internal staff and his outside advisors will come up with whatever projections are needed to justify his stance. Only in fairy tales are emperors told that they are naked.”   I love the animal fable below, because it captures a priceless truth in business.  Most people and organizations do not confront reality.  Instead of addressing reality and thinking through the issues – they pass the buck and cast blame.  I have never seen a long-term success that will not confront reality and accept responsibility.  Here is the animal fable teaching a timeless leadership principle.

Once upon a time a severe plague raged among the animals.

Many died, and those who lived were so ill, that they cared for

neither food nor drink, and dragged themselves about listlessly.

No longer could a fat young hen tempt Master Fox to dinner,

nor a tender lamb rouse greedy Sir Wolf's appetite.

At last the Lion decided to call a council. When all the animals

were gathered together he arose and said:

"Dear friends, I believe the gods have sent this plague upon us

as a punishment for our sins. Therefore, the most guilty one of

us must be offered in sacrifice. Perhaps we may thus obtain

forgiveness and cure for all.

"I will confess all my sins first. I admit that I have been very

greedy and have devoured many sheep. They had done me no

harm. I have eaten goats and bulls and stags. To tell the truth,

I even ate up a shepherd now and then.

"Now, if I am the most guilty, I am ready to be sacrificed. But I

think it best that each one confess his sins as I have done. Then

we can decide in all justice who is the most guilty."

"Your majesty," said the Fox, "you are too good. Can it be a

crime to eat sheep, such stupid mutton heads? No, no, your

majesty. You have done them great honor by eating them up.

"And so far as shepherds are concerned, we all know they

belong to that puny race that pretends to be our masters."

All the animals applauded the Fox loudly. Then, though the

Tiger, the Bear, the Wolf, and all the savage beasts recited the

most wicked deeds, all were excused and made to appear very

saint-like and innocent.

It was now the Ass's turn to confess.

"I remember," he said guiltily, "that one day as I was passing a

field belonging to some priests, I was so tempted by the tender

grass and my hunger, that I could not resist nibbling a bit of it.

I had no right to do it, I admit—"

A great uproar among the beasts interrupted him. Here was the

culprit who had brought misfortune on all of them! What a

horrible crime it was to eat grass that belonged to someone else!

It was enough to hang anyone for, much more an Ass.

Immediately they all fell upon him, the Wolf in the lead, and

soon had made an end to him, sacrificing him to the gods then

and there, and without the formality of an altar.

Assignment:  How many different moral lessons can you identify from the fable?  Which moral lessons can you apply immediately to improve your leadership?  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

This article is dedicated to my friend Chuck Goetschel.  Chuck has one of the best attitudes I have ever met.  No matter what challenge is going on in his life, Chuck is able to see the blessings in disguise.  Chuck is a world class extreme athlete and has run over 125 miles in a 24 hour period.

Human beings cannot know the future like our omniscient God does.  When apparent bad things happen to us, we can question why God allowed it to happen.  I believe a critical choice for all leaders is to learn to walk by faith.  Many seemingly negative situations are actually blessings in disguise.  The key is to know events cannot be evaluated in the short term.  Who knows whether an event was positive or negative until enough time has elapsed to determine how we responded and grew?  Why do some people thrive on challenges, while others shrivel in the face of adversity?  Faith must be a key component in all leadership.  I believe a strong faith will see you through the tough times even when you cannot see clearly.  Here is an excellent story about a King and his Friend.

An African king had a close friend who had the habit of remarking "this

is good" about every occurrence in life no matter what it was. One day

the king and his friend were out hunting. The king's friend loaded a

gun and handed it to the king, but alas he loaded it wrong and when the

king fired it, his thumb was blown off.

"This is good!" exclaimed his friend.

The horrified and bleeding king was furious. "How can you say this is

good? This is obviously horrible!" he shouted.

The king put his friend in jail.

About a year later the king went hunting by himself. Cannibals captured

him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some

wood, set up a stake and bound him to it. As they came near to set fire

to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being

superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. They

untied the king and sent him on his way.

Full of remorse the king rushed to the prison to release his friend.

"You were right, it WAS good" the king said.

The king told his friend how the missing thumb saved his life and

added, "I feel so sad that I locked you in jail.That was such a bad

thing to do"

"NO! this is good!" responded his delighted friend.

"Oh, how could that be good my friend, I did a terrible thing to you while I

owe you my

life".

"It is good" said his friend, "because if I wasn't in jail I would have been

hunting with you and they would have killed ME."

Can you see the faith and attitude of the King’s friend?  Both the King and his friend experienced apparent adversities, but they responded differently.  How do you respond to the appearance of setbacks in your life?  Please share an example of what seemed to be a setback, that you now know was a blessing in disguise.  Always remember: Coincidence is just God’s way of remaining anonymous!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I would like to cover a subject today that has changed my life.  I believe everyone’s life will be enriched greatly by the discipline of daily reading.   Ronald Reagan once said, “I am not a great man, but I deal in great ideas.”   President Reagan was a reader and he thought deeply on the ideas he read.  One of my lifetime assignments is to help create a hunger for men and women to read again.  With television, radio, Ipods, movies, video games etcetera, many are failing to develop the reading habit.  I was 26 before I began reading to learn and think.  Before this time, reading was a task to do for school or to learn a specific function for work.  I had no interest in the classic ideas and people from history, religion, or philosophy.   Our society has created a nation of specialist and frowns upon the generalist.  I was one of the specialists with a deep understanding of a very specific area.  The fact that I was clueless of the world around me didn’t seem to faze me much, since I didn’t know what I didn’t know. 

I now realize our country is in dire need for leaders who are generalist.  What is a generalist you say?   A generalist is someone who can tie all the disparate information from all the different fields into a unifying vision and plan for America.  For example, a specialist that knows the genetic code for a living cell does not necessarily qualify for leadership of the country - if that is all they know.  So many specialists are great in their specific area, but the lack of reading in the range of subjects has made them hopelessly narrow.  A generalist; on the other hand, has learned a little about a lot and has specialized in one specific area.  I like the quote, “Jack of all trades and master of one.”  I personally have chosen to master the field of leadership.  Why leadership?  Because leadership teaches you about human nature and the battles within a person to grow and change into the person they were called to be.  Leaders create a hunger in their students to read and grow in all areas, with a focus on their specialty.  Yes, I know you have specialized in your chosen field, but don’t stop there.  Shut off the TV when you get home and dig into the classic books—civilization is discussing the great ideas of the ages and you are missing it!  Become part of the “Great Discourse” going on daily between the hungry minds of today and the wise men and women of the ages.  Mortimer Adler spent his life teaching and encouraging others to read the classics.  Here is an answer from Dr. Adler on why to read the great books.

Dear Dr. Adler, Why should we read great books that deal with the problems and concerns of bygone eras? Our social and political problems are so urgent that they demand practically all the time and energy we can devote to serious contemporary reading. Is there any value, besides mere historical interest, in reading books written in the simple obsolete cultures of former times?

People who question or even scorn the study of the past and its works usually assume that the past is entirely different from the present, and that hence we can learn nothing worthwhile from the past. But it is not true that the past is entirely different from the present. We can learn much of value from its similarity and its difference.

A tremendous change in the conditions of human life and in our knowledge and control of the natural world has taken place since ancient times. The ancients had no prevision of our present-day technical and social environment, and hence have no counsel to offer us about the particular problems we confront. But, although social and economic arrangements vary with time and place, man remains man. We and the ancients share a common human nature and hence certain common human experiences and problems.

The poets bear witness that ancient man, too, saw the sun rise and set, felt the wind on his cheek, was possessed by love and desire, experienced ecstasy and elation as well as frustration and disillusion, and knew good and evil. The ancient poets speak across the centuries to us, sometimes more directly and vividly than our contemporary writers. And the ancient prophets and philosophers, in dealing with the basic problems of men living together in society, still have some thing to say to us.

I have elsewhere pointed out that the ancients did not face our problem of providing fulfillment for a large group of elderly citizens. But the passages from Sophocles and Aristophanes show that the ancients, too, were aware of the woes and disabilities of old age. Also, the ancient view that elderly persons have highly developed capacities for practical judgment and philosophical meditation indicate possibilities that might not occur to us if we just looked at the present-day picture.

No former age has faced the possibility that life on earth might be totally exterminated through atomic warfare. But past ages, too, knew war and the extermination and enslavement of whole peoples. Thinkers of the past meditated on the problems of war and peace and make suggestions that are worth listening to. Cicero and Locke show that the human way to settle disputes is by discussion and law, while Dante and Kant propose world government as the way to world peace.

Former ages did not experience particular forms of dictatorship that we have known in this century. But they had firsthand experience of absolute tyranny and the suppression of political liberty. Aristotle's treatise on politics includes a penetrating and systematic analysis of dictatorships, as well as a recommendation of measures to be taken to avoid the extremes of tyranny and anarchy.

We also learn from the past by considering the respects in which it differs from the present. We can discover where we are today and what we have become by knowing what the people of the past did and thought. And part of the past -- our personal past and that of the race -- always lives in us.

Exclusive preference for either the past or the present is a foolish and wasteful form of snobbishness and provinciality. We must seek what is most worthy in the works of both the past and the present. When we do that, we find that ancient poets, prophets, and philosophers are as much our contemporaries in the world of the mind as the most discerning of present-day writers. In fact, many of the ancient writings speak more directly to our experience and condition than the latest best sellers.

I am by no means complete in this journey.  In fact, I would say I have barely begun.  But, I am on the journey.  Are you?  By reading from different areas: history, science, philosophy, faith, economics, politics, and biographies; you will expand your knowledge and begin to unify your understanding of the different fields.  America needs leaders who can see the forest from the trees.  It will require leaders who are willing to act; readers who are willing to study; and courage to withstand the criticism to make a difference.  Do you hunger to learn and grow?   If you are brand new to leadership, then focus on leadership and learn to master your own emotions.  If you are an established leader, then expand your focus into the classics of civilization.  This will help you to think and answer the ideas discussed.  Reading the classics also gives you a moral foundation to draw upon when confronted with moral choices.   I pity the person who has to make a courageous stand without the examples from history to strengthen them.   I pray for our country and I pray that God will rise up a group of hungry men and women willing to be “Jack of all trades – masters of one”!   God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Assignment:  What are the top books in different areas you have read: Economics, History, Biographies, Leadership, Personal Development, Philosophy, Christianity, Politics, etc?  Please share the best with the rest of us and explain why they impacted your life!

I wanted to ensure every knew that this site is our blog and not my blog.  I do not believe one person has all the answers in leadership and life.  This is why I love the connection that occurs on this blog!  The Bible states that, "Iron sharpens iron."  We should all add to the articles and we can with the comments section.  If you haven't offered your favorite CD's yet or your best story from using the LLR book - I encourage you to do so.  Remember, this is our blog and together we will add value to people's lives.  Keep leading and growing everyone! God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I would like to conclude today my article on America’s Culture War.  Let’s review Daniel Lapin’s comments on the two choices.

For the purpose of trying to clarify the cultural tug-of-war, we need only ask the question: Did we get here by a process of unaided materialistic evolution or did God arrange it?  Do we come from a Creator or from apes?

I believe the level of complexity at the microbiology level has made a chance creation an outdated concept.   The problem is, the outdated concept of evolution has saturated nearly every field with it’s survival of the fittest theses.  A dog eat dog mentality is against everything I teach as a leader and Christian.  If all the scientific data supported evolution, I would have to be intellectually honest enough to admit it.  If the data supports molecular machines with DNA codes and delivery systems, then I must logically conclude that God created this.   Jus how do the alternate faiths affect how a person would lead people?

If you take evolution to its logical conclusion, then the goal would be to maximize your happiness on earth; because life on earth is all you have.  In the evolutionary faith, people are chance creations to be manipulated for the gain of the influencer.  If anyone attempts to say this is wrong; by what authority would you say that?  There is no ultimate right or wrong when you accept evolutionary hypothesis.   There only is what is and any idea of right or wrong is just some chemical in your head—not any absolute values associated with our God-like image.  Do you see what this opens up?  People want to be led by men and women of character, who will lead with: love, encouragement, honor, and teamwork.  These are worthless concepts to a hypothesis that states survival of the fittest.  A leader who truly buys into evolutionary theory would argue—I am better and my qualities must overcome the weaker traits.  On what basis could we ever make moral judgements?  How repugnant this is to a true leader!

If you take the Judeo-Christian faiths and carry their thinking to their logical conclusions, you have a different picture.  The Judeo-Christian faiths see people as made in God’s image.  Because they are made in God’s image, they have an inherent value and must be nurtured to bring out their God given talents.  The goal is not to manipulate people for your own gain, but to encourage people to live up to the high calling and purpose given by God.  One of the greatest joys of a true leader is to see the student learn and understand.  The moment of understanding is literally a miracle.  I can see the light bulb turn on and a fire lit in their soul.  This is what leaders do!  They take people who by nature are selfish and teach them to deny their smaller natures for their higher natures and community.  I have seen this happen over and over again and it is one of my greatest joys as a leader.  To be part of a team acting as a team - where the greatest leader is the greatest servant - is an honor. 

There is a culture war in America and it will greatly affect how we view leadership.  To me the principles of leadership are absolute.  No one will follow someone they do not trust.  This is an absolute for people.  Even liars will not follow other liars.  Leadership is based on absolutes because God has created absolutes.  But Orrin, I know some good leaders who believe in evolution.  This can be true, but this means they are not consistent in their beliefs.   If they are good leaders, they are practicing the moral absolute of leadership while denying moral absolutes in evolution.    In evolution the principles would be constantly evolving and lying may be a good thing in the future?  Yes, ideas do have consequences and my goal is to expose you to the choices you must make.  How you lead people will be determined on your view of what and who people are.  I see leadership as the one of the noblest callings.  I am allowed the opportunity to serve God’s creation and teach principles that will improve their lives.  By doing so, they are given the tools and thinking to fulfill the high purpose God intended for their lives.  I pray you are fulfilling the high purpose God created for your life.  It will take a team of leaders teaching and doing the right things to make a difference in this world.  I believe we can do it and I believe we have a responsibility to do it!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I have heard so many stories from people who have shared the Launching a Leadership Revolution books with others and great things have happened.  Sometimes they joined the leadership community, sometimes they bought multiple copies for others, and sometimes they asked for more books to read.  What is your best story on sharing the books, DVD’s or CD’s with others?  The way to gain influence is to learn great principles, live great principles, and share these life changing principles.  I have given away hundreds of books to people.  If they liked it, they could buy it; if not, they returned it.  By doing this process with Magic of Thinking Big and Cash Flow Quadrant, I built my leadership team.  Launching a Leadership Revolution materials, can be used the same way.  If a person reads the first couple of chapters to understand why leadership is important, they will buy the book.  If not, then you know they are not looking to improve themselves at this time.  It makes a leader’s role much easier, because it identifies the hungry students for you.  I have always used leadership tools to make my role more efficient and effective.  How are you using the books, DVD’s and CD’s in building your leadership community?  Please share with the rest of us how you have shared the leadership principles with others.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I have been reading extensively in the scientific area seeking to understand micro-biology.  What you say!  Why would a former engineer who now is a leadership consultant bother reading about micro-structures and the cell?  There is a method to my madness.  I have news for those who have missed it.  America is involved in a culture war.  Whether people believe it, have decided to remain neutral or just don’t care – it is still here.  If you don’t believe it you are just not informed.  If you wish to remain neutral you will realize neutrality is impossible.  If you just don’t care – I will attempt to explain why you should.  I love this country and all that it was founded upon.  We have been the most blessed country the world has ever known.  The United States and Canada stand in the historic flow of Western Civilization and enjoy the benefits of its gathered wisdom.  The founders created our country on Judeo-Christian principles from the Bible that aided in the blessings of America.    What is going wrong?  G.K. Chesterton said a wise statement, “Never remove a fence until you determine why it was there in the first place.”  How many fences have been torn up in America by judicial activist or well-meaning but unwise politicians?   It is time to retrace our footsteps back to the principles that are timeless and proven.

Human nature has not nor will not change regardless of what the evolutionist will tell you.   Technology has changed the way we live, but has not changed who we are.  We still struggle with our emotions overcoming our reason.  We still ask who are we and why are we here?  How you answer the questions will have a radical impact on the way you live.  Yes: Ideas do have consequences.  Rabbi Daniel Lapin is the author of America’s Real War.  He has a perceptive message to America today:

One of the most profound truths about America as we approach the end of the twentieth century is that we are no longer one nation under God.  We are really two separate nations with two distinct and incompatible moral visions. . . . . .

For the purpose of trying to clarify the cultural tug-of-war, we need only ask the question: Did we get here by a process of unaided materialistic evolution or did God arrange it?  Do we come from a Creator or from apes?

Are human beings created?  If they are doesn’t this change the role of leadership compared to if human beings are here by chance?  We must understand the foundational principles of who we are and what our purpose is to lead people properly.  Understanding who we are and why we are here will have a huge effect on the culture of America also.  This is why I read Michael Behe’s incredible book, Darwin’s Black Box.  Michael Behe is Professor of Biological Sciences at Lehigh University.  He received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.  The book is a biochemical challenge to evolution and is still un-refuted (albeit much discussed) a decade later.  According to Behe,

Biochemistry is the study of the very basis of life: the molecules that make up cells and tissues, that catalyze the chemical reactions of digestion, photosynthesis, immunity, and more. . . . . .

In its full throated, biological sense, however, evolution means a process whereby life arose from non-living matter and subsequently developed entirely by natural means. . . .

The cumulative results show with piercing clarity that life is based on machines—machines made of molecules!  Molecular machines haul cargo from one place in the cell to another along “highways” made of other molecules, while still others act as cables, ropes, and pulleys to hold the cell in shape.  Machines turn cellular switches on and off, sometimes killing the cell or causing it to grow.  Solar-powered machines capture the energy of photons and store it in chemicals.  Electrical machines allow current to flow through nerves.  Manufacturing machines build other molecular machines, as well as themselves.  Cells swim using machines, copy themselves with machinery, ingest food with machinery.  In short, highly sophisticated molecular machines control every cellular process.  Thus the details of life are finely calibrated, and the machinery of life enormously complex. . . . .

If you search the scientific literature on evolution, and if you focus your search on the question of how molecular machines—the basis of life—developed, you find an eerie and complete silence.  The complexity of life’s foundation has paralyzed science’s attempt to account for it; molecular machines raise an as-yet-impenetrable barrier to Darwinism’s universal reach. 

Do you understand what Professor Behe is saying?  As an engineer - I walked through miles of factories with specifically designed processes to start from raw materials to finished assemblies.  When I observed an intricately designed process—I was inspired to be a better engineer and sought to find the person who designed the machines to learn from them.  Professor Behe is telling us the design of cells is more intricate than the best process any human engineer has ever designed.  Are we really suggesting that a level of complexity beyond any engineer was created by chance outcomes?  This sounds like an incredible leap of faith to me!  What I appreciate so much about Professor Behe is that he is intellectually honest and let the data speak to him without bias.  Professor Behe is one of the early originator of a growing movement known as Intelligent Design.  Intelligent Design does not claim to know who designed the system, but claims evolutionary theory or chance could not generate the level of complexity discovered in micro-biology. 

Darwin himself stated, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly haven formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”

What type of biological system could not be formed by “numerous, successive, slight modifications”?   Professor Behe has an answer.

Well for starters a system that is irreducibly complex.  By irreducibly complex I mean a single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts cause the system to effectively cease functioning.  An irreducible complex system cannot be produced directly (that is, by continuously improving the initial function, which continues to work by the same mechanism) by slight, successive modifications of a precursor system, because any precursor to an irreducibly complex system that is missing a part is by definition nonfunctional. 

Microbiology is full of irreducibly complex systems and Professor Behe displays several examples in all their intricate details in his fabulous book.  My personal favorite is the bacterial flagellum.  It has a rotor, stator, bearings etc.  I was stunned when I read about the flagellum because it looks so similar to the fuel pumps I designed.  The fuel pumps had commutators, rotors, bearings, and pumps.  The motor mechanism in the flagellum is an ingenious design by an incredible Engineer!  A good example of a simple irreducible system is the mousetrap.  If it is missing one of its irreducible parts—it will never catch the mouse.  The mousetrap needs all of its parts to work and is worthless unless all the required components are functional.  This makes it irreducibly complex because any part taken away and you lose the function of catching mice.  This is a sure sign that someone designed the mousetrap because it could not have happened through steps of smaller to greater complexity as each step would be non-function and thus not retained.  There is not a functioning half a mousetrap.

What does this have to do with leadership and America’s culture war?    I believe plenty!  If a person is created—then leaders must help them fulfill the purpose they were created for.  If a person is here by chance—then any authority figure can manipulate people for their purpose.  This is what the culture war is about.  Are leaders leading people to fulfill their Godly purpose or are leaders manipulating people for the leaders self interest?  If there is no God then the leader must decide what the purpose of the people is.  This is a scary thought!  True leadership of people and God’s plan for someone’s life are intricately linked—like the irreducible complex systems.  We will finish this discussion in a part two.   How we view man and his creation has a huge impact on how we view America and our roles as leaders.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I have been watching the traffic increase on this blog.  Within the first couple of days the traffic doubled.  In another week it doubled again.  Within the first month it doubled again.  The site is now approaching another doubling.  I find it fascinating how through person to person contact the word is getting out on mine and Chris Brady’s Leadership Blogs.  The Launching a Leadership Revolution book has taken off and we feel our blogs are a way to give back.  I have been reading about the concept of Six Degrees of Separation and have an idea.   The general theme is that the whole world is connected within 6 contacts.  You know someone who knows someone who within 6 contacts is friends with Michael Jordan.   Here is a short description from this website.

Duncan Watts and colleagues at Columbia University in New York conducted a massive email experiment to test the theory of "six degrees of separation", i.e. that everyone in the world can be linked through just six social ties.

More than 60,000 people from 166 different countries took part in the experiment. Participants were assigned one of 18 target people. They were asked to contact that person by sending email to people they already knew and considered potentially "closer" to the target. The targets were chosen at random and included a professor from America, an Australian policeman and a veterinarian from Norway.

The researchers found that it in most cases it took between five and seven emails to contact the target. Watts says this shows that email has not fundamentally changed the way social ties are created.

"In this experiment, the internet is simply the tool we use to transmit messages," Watts told New Scientist, in an email. "Compared with offline interactions like work, school, family, and community, I don't see email as being a particularly compelling medium for generating social ties."

The concept of six degrees of separation emerged from a similar postal experiment conducted by the social psychologist Stanley Milgram in 1967. Milgram asked volunteers to send a package by mail to one of a hundred people chosen at random.

Let’s do our own version of the six degrees of separation.  We can connect the whole world to leadership training by utilizing the power of the internet and six degrees of separation.  Let’s see how quickly we can double the traffic coming to this site.  (I have never been accused of small thinking!) Everyone has hundreds of email addresses in their email address book.  Let’s select 10 leaders from different communities: church, work, hobbies, friends, families, etc.  Send them an email with the link to this blog.  Tell them why you are reading this leadership site and encourage them to create the habit for themselves.  If they enjoy the site encourage them to send an email link to ten leaders from their communities.   If our goal is to change the way people think—how much easier than a free website with leadership principles can we get?   If everyone participates, I believe we can double several more times.  This will help us influence and learn from a bigger and bigger community.  Who knows, but some of the top known leaders in the world will start contributing to this site. 

I have loved the comments added and have read every single one of them.  Keep up the great work and let’s see how many different countries and people we can route to the site utilizing the six degrees of freedom.  Over 20 different countries are visiting this blog regularly already.  Stay tuned for some more leadership principles coming over the next week!   Please share when you complete the assignment and let’s see how many degrees of separation the emails will go.  If we get to six degrees, we have theoretically reached the world!   God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I love this fable of the King and accepting responsibility.  As a leader we must accept responsibility.  Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said, “The buck stops here.”  So many people choose to pass the buck and say it wasn’t their job or responsibility.  Leaders accept responsibility and take action to fix the issues - this is why they are leaders.  Issues that are not resolved while small will tend to increase in magnitude to the detriment of all involved.  Here is the fable.

Not Our Problem: A Tale from Burma and Thailand

retold by Margaret Read MacDonald in Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk About

The King sat with his Adviser eating honey on puffed rice. As they ate they leaned from the palace window and watched the street below.

They talked of this and that.

The King, not paying attention to what he was doing, Let a drop of honey fall onto the windowsill.

"Oh sire, let me wipe that up," offered the Adviser.

"Never mind," said the King.

    "It is not our problem.

    The servants will clean it later."

As the two continued to dine on their honey and puffed rice, The drop of honey slowly began to drip down the windowsill.

At last it fell with a plop onto the street below.

Soon a fly had landed on the drop of honey and begun

    His own meal.

Immediately a gecko sprang from under the palace and with a flip

    Of its long tongue swallowed the fly.

But a cat had seen the gecko and pounced.

Then a dog sprang forward and attacked the cat!

"Sire, there seems to be a cat and dog fight in the street.

    Should we call someone to stop it?"

"Never mind," said the King.

    "It's not our problem."

So the two continued to munch their honey and puffed rice.

Meanwhile the cat's owner had arrived and was beating the dog.

The dog's owner ran up and began to beat the cat.

Soon the two were beating each other.

"Sire, there are two persons fighting in the street now.

    Shouldn't we send someone to break this up?"

The King lazily looked from the window.

"Never mind.

    It's not our problem."

The friends of the cat's owner gathered and began to cheer him on.

The friends of the dog's owner began to cheer her on as well.

Soon both groups entered the fight and attacked each other.

"Sire, a number of people are fighting in the street now.

    Perhaps we should call someone to break this up."

The King was too lazy even to look.

You can guess what he said.

"Never mind.

    It's not our problem."

Now soldiers arrived on the scene.

At first they tried to break up the fighting.

But when they heard the cause of the fight

Some sided with the cat's owner.

Others sided with the dog's owner.

Soon the soldiers too had joined the fight.

With the soldiers involved, the fight erupted into civil war.

Houses were burned down.

People were harmed.

And the palace itself was set afire and burned to the ground.

The King and his Adviser stood surveying the ruins.

"Perhaps," said the King,

    "I was wrong?

    Perhaps the drop of honey WAS our problem."

Do you accept responsibility?  Do you clean up the messes you make in life?  All of us will spill the proverbial milk once in a while, but will you also clean it up?  We don’t need more committees to identify there is milk spilt on the ground.  While everyone is talking the milk is rotting causing a bigger problem.  We need more men and women of action to clean up the milk - not determine who to blame.  Are you a man or woman of action ready to clean up the issues facing our families, communities, and countries?  Please share your thoughts.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

As a student, I attended GMI-EMI (now Kettering University) and learned about the standard history of General Motors in the library.  Alfred Sloan and a litany of other top leaders are referred to, but the founder was mentioned only in passing.  A name that has been relegated to a footnote of history is Billy Durant the founder of General Motors.  Why would the name of the founder of the largest corporation in the world for many years be hardly recognized?  How many of you have never heard of Billy Durant?

Billy Durant grew up in Flint Michigan and attended the local Flint High School and from humble beginnings accomplished incredible things.  I feel it is my responsibility to remind people of the incredible visionary leader—who was responsible for much of the growth of Flint.    You want to talk about vision?  Billy founded Buick, Chevrolet, General Motors, and Durant Motors.  Billy Durant stated in the early 1900’s that highways would stretch across the United States.  J.P. Morgan; the wealthy financier, thought Billy and his dream for the automobile was insane and refused to give him money.   As a visionary you must expect the criticism of smaller minds that cannot see as far.  It is a given in any large undertaking.  It has been said, “The biggest minds with the biggest ideas will be criticized by the smallest minds with the smallest ideas.”   Billy received this critical treatment in spades.

Henry Ford two times sold Ford to Billy Durant and it was only Ford’s refusal to accept anything but cash that nixed the deals at the last minute.  Think about how different the story would have turned out if Billy would have bought Ford and joined it to General Motors.   Henry Ford willingness to sell to Billy Durant displays who had the real vision for the automobile.  The Big 3 automobile firms for years were GM, Ford and Chrysler.  Billy founded GM, nearly bought out Ford twice, and hired Walter Chrysler at Buick.  All three major US firms were affected by the entrepreneurship of Mr. Durant.  Billy made and lost his fortune three times in his life.  He died near penniless in Flint Michigan during World War II.   Approaching death—he stated in the early 1940’s that fast food restaurants and bowling allies would be big and began developing them!  Billy’s vision has always inspired me personally.  I won’t tell you the whole story, but you can read it for yourself in a couple of books finally written about Billy Durant. 

The following article is an epilogue from Lawrence Gustin’s phenomenal book on Billy Durant.  The epilogue was written by Clarence H. Young who was the assistant director of the Manufacturers Association of Flint.   He has been cited as a leading authority on Billy Durant and his tribute to Billy Durant is one of the best I have ever read.

In the creation of the Mass Production Age, Durant was not only the presiding genius; he was, indeed, the Titan—and, as was the fate of the original Titans, he was destroyed by the Olympians whom he had created.

It is almost poignant now to tell the beads of carping criticism reiterated against Durant: He lacked or ignored technical mastery . . . . . he was a good promoter, but no administrator. . . .He had no organization. . . . He could not delegate authority. . . . He made poor choices of executives. . . . He was a promoter, a gambler. . . . He was wrong in believing in himself. . . .

It is completely true that W. C. Durant had a weakness: He was human.  His humanity included love and trust of his associates—the not-always-correct assumption that they were as honorable as he.  He gave a degree and quality of loyalty to “his people” beyond any measurement; he expected the same magnitude of loyalty from them.

He surrendered the control of General Motors in 1910 to preserve the company for its investors.  In 1920, his loyalty to his company and its stockholders drove him to spend more money than he had preserving the value of the company’s name, reputation, and stock.  As for his feckless choice of executives, he hired and developed Charles W. Nash, Charles F. Kettering, Alfred P. Sloan, (also Walter Chrysler and almost Henry Ford) and a few thousand others.

What was Durant? . . . . A small-town boy from a broken home who had no advantages at all except his own character.  With a borrowed $2000 he built up the largest carriage company in the world.  With a debt-ridden, faltering motor company, he created the world’s largest corporation, providing millions of jobs all over the world in the past 65 years. (Over a 100 years now)

Small in stature, W. C. Durant was larger than life in every aspect of his thought, spirit, and practice.  He was, indeed, so much larger in concept that he made the lesser men who surrounded him uncomfortable—he was unpredictable as an elemental force of nature.

Durant was an original genius who escapes classification and definition; he had an almost godlike prescience; he had the creativity to translate his vision to reality, not only for himself but for his fellow men.  He was compassionate, gentle, charming, delightful, considerate, brilliant, generous, ingenious, and infinitely loyal.

Mass production—the greatest servant ever tamed to the uses of mankind—was still only an idea when Durant grasped it.  He more than any other man, implemented this great multiplier of goods and good for mankind.  He was, indeed, what Dickens called, “The Founder of the Feast”—and we are still eating at his bountiful table, although we have forgotten his name.

Anyone learn a key nugget or two at the last round of monthly Leadership Seminars?  There were seminars in many different locations.  What were the key takeaways that you will apply to your life?  Please share with the rest of us so we can all grow! God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I loved this article from Andrew Groft of George Wythe College.  This was placed in the comments section by Anna. (Thank you!)  It is so good that I felt it needed its own post!  I have read a book called Thomas Jefferson Education from Oliver Demille the president of George Wythe College which is fantastic.  After I was finished I had my son Jordan read it.  I am extremely impressed by the thinking coming out of this Utah school.  The title alone grabs your attention and I feel Professor Groft is describing the Team leaders.  We have a responsibility to reclaim our country to the principles that made us great.  Here is the article.

A Renaissance of Kings

By Andrew Groft

I wonder how many people know that we’re at war. In fact, we’ve been at war for some time now, and many of us are wondering when it will end. For ages now, good men and women have toiled their lives away seeking solutions and drafting battle plans in the hopes of a final and complete victory. Often skirmishes involving bows and bullets and bombs distracted their work, but soon they were back on task—thinking, drafting, teaching, living, serving and making every effort to vanquish the foe.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,” said Paul as he stood on the Ionian Coast almost two thousand years ago, “but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world …”

I lately embarked upon a study of intellectual elites of the 20th Century. These were men and women, Americans and non-Americans who had supposedly studied really hard and knew a great deal. It troubled me some because so many of them expressed an almost flippant cynicism toward God, Religion, Spirituality, Personal Mission, and the idea of living your life to make a real difference in the world.

One said, “The act of worshipping, as carried on by Christians, seems to me debasing rather than ennobling.” Another said, “Life is a racket…take nothing serious, for nothing is certainly depending on this generation…Don’t have an ideal to work for. That’s like riding toward a mirage…”

My study wasn’t all that bad; I learned quite a bit. But why does it seem that as we gain knowledge we lose hope and faith?

It seems like the smarter we get, the more cynical we become. It seems like the more knowledge we acquire, the less hope we have. On the other hand, it’s also true that when hope and faith have been strong, we tend to look at the acquisition of knowledge as meaningless and often even unholy.

You could say that Greece taught us to use our minds at the expense of our hearts; and that the Roman Church rescued the heart, but denied the mind. You could look at 14th Century Europe and claim that our minds were once again rescued. But that modern enlightenment—of which we are still a part—while giving us so much, has also taken from us.

I think I know why the writings of many of those intellectuals were filled with such cynicism. I think I understand something that needs to be considered more fully than in times past.

So, consider two reasons and two solutions.

First, there is something deep within each of us that knows we are at war against the darkness of this world. It’s not hard to see. It confronts us everyday in the choices we make, in the lives we live. We daily see the darkness around us; we daily take action that we hope will dispel it. Sometimes our actions are successful, and sometimes they make things worse. Often we get lost in the whole mess and nothing seems to make sense anymore.We are not the only generation that has fought this darkness. Ancient Greeks sensed the darkness and sought to diminish it by increasing knowledge and seeking for beauty and harmony. Ancient Rome tried to fight by setting up systems of government that they hoped would reign in the darkness; They forced lesser states into their parental arms; they fought other men who seemed to them to exhibit the traits of this darkness. The Roman church fought against darkness by darkening the mind in hopes of softening the heart. Blind faith was the way. And during the Italian Renaissance, and later throughout Europe, there was a brief effort to combine faith and reason; but that quickly gave way to an enlightenment that almost completely destroyed faith.

One of the graduates sitting with us today articulated it this way: He said, “The people we see as our enemies are not our enemies at all. The people are the prize. They are the ground we must take; they are the victory.”

What this brilliant statesman was saying is that darkness is the enemy--darkness of the mind and of the heart, darkness in ourselves and in others.

Other than the power of knowing that there is a battle raging, and that the winner will claim our very souls, consider what it means to have an army of principles and an arsenal of light. The right kind of education is an essential part of the solution to this war against darkness. An education for a time like this is both biological and biopathical. It is not just understanding life with our minds, but with our hearts also. It is not limited to cells, tissues and organs, but to relationships. An education for a time like this must focus on knowledge AND character, on books AND people, and on relationships that combine life forces not just to get a job—that part is relatively easy—but to combat darkness.

So the first reason for the cynicism we see in the world is that we are at war with darkness. And getting an education that strengthens the mind and the heart helps us to see our fellow man not as the enemy, as some would have us believe, but as the prize. We need an education that helps us see the real wars so that we can fight the real enemy. Do you see the cynicism that can come from misunderstanding the real war and misinterpreting the real enemy? When moving forward with that misunderstanding, we fight, build, kill and destroy, and very little gets better because of it. Although the material well-being of the so-called victors may improve after a war of bullets, much of our lives suffer because we are fighting the wrong enemy.

Consider the second reason for the cynicism in the world being that there is something deep within each of us that calls us to be heroes in the fight. Another way of saying it is that we were meant to be great and to do great things. This is the second root cause of the cynicism. People believe the call to greatness in their youth and then become disillusioned at the realization that they can never really turn the tide; they can never really be the hero. It’s too overwhelming. It’s too hard.

Do you think the intellectual who said that nothing is depending on this generation always believed that?

We were meant to be heroes in this fight against darkness. But we, too, will become cynical if we don’t grasp the new battle plan. Every person you know will lose his sense of mission, and will cease to believe that his life will ever really matter unless we all consider the emerging strategy.  The emerging strategy I speak of, is already happening. Like Dante and Petrarch in the early 14th Century, we are part of something that we don’t even realize. The winning march is in our hearts but we haven’t yet given it a name, and we would be surprised at how many others are feeling it, too. It is the policy that conquers the cynicism of my intellectual friends, and wins the war that has been fought from the beginning.

Now, I know it is a bold thing to say, but I firmly believe that something is happening. A new Renaissance, only this time it is based, not on the iconic and monarchic model of a single hero making a bold move that changes the world. That may or may not happen. But the model, the strategy, is that for the first time in recorded history the masses come of age, learn of their own virtue, and change the landscape of the world with strength like a herd of mighty buffalo.

The new strategy is that the masses will finally become the heroes that they were always meant to become; their great deeds will be small but significant. And coupled with the small but significant deeds of first hundreds, then thousands, then millions of others, they will change the world.

Here’s how I believe it will work. If you consider all of the known history of our human family, all of the injustices, the persecutions, the oppressions, I think you will agree that everyday people like you and me are living in a pocket of time that is relatively safe. Our dangers present themselves in distractions, not inquisitions, in apathy and skepticism, not persecutions. So for a while at least, we are safe to think, say and do what we will.

The real power in world affairs has always been embedded in the everyday, common people. The masses have always possessed the bulk of the heart, might and strength. Lacking only the mind, they have been ruled over. Even when the world tried democracy, it wasn’t long before we were only virtual participants in government—letting others make decisions for us, listening to the experts who surely knew what was best.

The world is different from past times. We have access to greater libraries than the kings of Europe, and greater opportunities for education than the Greek Nobles of the Golden Age. I predict that we are in the beginnings of what will someday be known as a Renaissance of Kings (and you must understand that the original meaning of king meant a man and a woman who gave and protected life). Our virtue dictates that we were born to be kings and queens—not to rule over others, nor to be ruled by others, but to give life and to make life better by the use of our noble minds and hearts. We were born to be noble fathers and mothers who rear their princes to goodness, knowledge, leadership and action. Jesus said that he came not only that we might have life, but that we might have it more abundantly. Jesus understood because he is a King.

Remember that the first difference with the coming Renaissance of Kings is that the kings and queens moving the renaissance forward are regular, everyday people who learn what it takes to be who they were created to be.

The second difference is people realize that a life of purpose may or may not yield enormous and iconic impact, but it will always lead to small and significant impact. And since we reject the notion of a single king, or a single hero (at least as seen in anything but God), the masses finally see their power to change the world with millions of noble lives.

It is important that you understand this concept, and so I want to say it again in another way. Most of the people you know, yourself included, will be tempted to stop seeing life as a mission. They will be tempted to give up on living a life of purpose. A paralyzing cynicism will likely infect all of us because we will base our judgments of success on the old model where there is one king and one hero, and realizing that we could never be that one. Or the current model where there are no kings and no heroes. Our goal then becomes getting from here to death as painlessly as possible.

The new model is that we were all meant to be kings—not one of us, all of us. We were all meant to engage in a life of purpose, and if we do that, the aggregate will literally change the landscape of the world. Darkness will begin a massive retreat. It is our responsibility, our duty, to dedicate our lives to making a small but significant difference in the world.

You see, for so many years, those with the mind ruled those with the heart, might and strength. The small elite told the bulk of our human family that they were the kings, and that they were the ones who could do great things and make the lives of the masses better. Those small elite made us think of our lives as insignificant and our actions possibly as good, but never great. But for the first time, many of us are getting the mind. We are adding that mind to our hearts, our might and our strength. For the first time we are realizing that if we will simply dedicate our lives to doing great things—small as they may be—we really do have the power to change the world.

In the emerging Renaissance of Kings, everyday people realize that their creator intended them from the very beginning to be kings and queens within the governance of their families, and priests and priestesses in the spiritual realm of their families. Armed with this understanding, they dedicate their lives to making a small but significant difference in the world. Some are starting schools, some study groups, some children’s organizations, and many are no longer working as merely a revenue source, but are now changing businesses for the better from within, or starting and owning businesses of their own, as well as non-profits bent on service.

In this Renaissance of Kings, common people like you and me realize that we are not common at all, but noble. We realize that in addition to seeking and fulfilling our personal missions in life, we must also do everything in our power to help others fulfill theirs. We have seen the annals of the human family with self-centered men seeking to place themselves above others, and in the new renaissance, this is seen as a huge mistake. The small but significant work we are dedicated to fulfilling must be coupled with the small but significant work of thousands of others to win the war. Sometimes we will work together, sometimes separately, but we must recognize the critical nature of each others’ successes.

Right now the masses of this human family of ours feel something, but they don’t know what to do. They sense a need, but they feel powerless to fill it. But the secret is getting out. When Daniel, Timothy and John spoke of Jesus Christ as the King of kings, do we really think what they meant was that Jesus was the King of the various leaders of Europe. To Christians, Jews, Hindus, Moslems, Buddhists and American Indians alike, Jesus taught us that we were all born kings and queens. Furthermore, the mission of Jesus Christ could be said to be entirely that—to turn our hearts, our minds, and our hands to those of true kings.

Why is there cynicism in the world? Why are people so despondent? Why do so many hide their feelings of failure in mean amusement or grand opulence? Because most of us are not yet doing that which we were created to do. We are not yet becoming the kings and queens our creator intended us to become. We are caught up in the wars of men, and have almost completely forgotten the war for men’s souls.

What do the masses begin to do in this Renaissance of Kings? One writes a book, another runs for office, and another builds a charity organization. Some start businesses, employing the young or inexperienced only long enough that they can gather the knowledge and resources needed to start their own. Many decide to get a real education in a subject that matters. Some start book groups that discuss this Renaissance of Kings and awkwardly but steadily work to become the kings and queens they feel called to become. Most seek to get out of debt; some start schools, and others focus on raising a family of princes and princesses who are equipped to take their place in the battle against darkness.

In the Renaissance of Kings, the common woman is compelled and empowered to compose a symphony, write a poem, or paint a work of art that moves us all to greater nobility. Physical and spiritual sickness presents itself and a common man determines to discover a cure.

Following the lead of the King of kings, Christians, Moslems, Jews, Sikhs and Hindus alike set out with great force to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, liberate the captive, educate the ignorant, and to lift the downtrodden. In our small but significant way, we love, give and serve. And for the first time, the masses are poised to do these things with the heart, might, mind and strength that will change the landscape of the world with thousands, then millions of small but significant lives of greatness.

This is what true kings and queens do. Their lives are dedicated to giving life, protecting it, and making it better. This is the “good life” that so many tried to find. This is the life of purpose, the life of meaning, the life of the true king and queen.

Ideal? Yes. Real? Yes.

It is my firm belief that in the next ten to thirty years we will begin to see this renaissance more fully. Many will call it idealistic, and still the masses will move forward. Some, even those amongst our own ranks, will laugh and call us fools, yet, we will continue on. There will be voices in strong opposition to our audacity, but the tide will steadily and nobly prepare the world for its finest hour—a preparation through the small but significant greatness of literally millions of kings and queens.

Assignment:  Are you living your life to enhance the lives of others?  Do you have purpose and meaning in your life?  What do you do that provides value to others?  Please share with us.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

This post is dedicated to Claude Hamilton.  Claude has one of the best attitudes about life and leadership that I personally know.  Claude handles any challenge or setback with an attitude of learning and overcoming.  Claude is an excellent example for others to follow for enthusiasm, attitude and leadership!

A proper leadership attitude is the difference maker in relationships, leadership and results.   To be a person of influence you must be like the North Star to others—always pointing in the right direction.  If your attitude is constantly changing based on victories or losses—you are making it very hard for others to follow you.  Having a positive attitude does not mean ignoring the facts.   A positive attitude is a confidence that regardless of the facts—you plan and work to overcome and win.  I have watched many incredibly talented people fail.   The “failure” itself is not fatal as everyone “fails” at some point.  The attitude you take after the “failure” is crucial to your long term success.  If you label yourself a loser because of the loss—this will have more long term negative affect than the loss itself.  I love the statement, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you handle it that counts!”  Here is my all time favorite attitude quote from Charles Swindoll.  Charles is an excellent Pastor and author.  His books have made a huge impact in my life!

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes.

I could not possibly say it better than Chuck Swindoll has in this passage.  Do you have an attitude of gratitude?  When challenges hit you, how do you respond?   Leaders must guard and nurture the proper attitudes.  Your team must know that you are a principle centered person and follow the North Star of your principles.  A ship following the North Star is not carried away by the latest winds or currents.  The captain of the ship stays focused on the North Star and guides the ship to this absolute.  In the same way, leaders must stay focused on the North Star of their absolute principles and not be blown by the latest victory, loss, or setback.  Are you that type of leader to your team?  How do you protect and nurture your attitude?  Do you encourage others in your team by your positive example?   I have decided to live my life by principles period.  My personal responsibility to God is to follow the right principles and I will leave the consequences of following the right principles to God Himself!   As moral agents - we are responsible for the choices we make and God is responsible for the consequences of our choices.  Attitude does make the difference and it starts with you.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Assignment:  Ask yourself: Are you a thermometer or a thermostat when it comes to attitude?   When people need encouragement do they come to you?  Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts on attitude.

I would like to start a series on the wisdom and leadership of the Proverbs.  My goal will be on Sunday’s to review verses of the Proverbs and discuss what they mean to leaders and people of Faith.   Proverbs is a collection of wisdom quotes collected over the centuries by the Jewish nation.  Solomon was responsible for many of them, but other authors added to the collection as God deemed necessary.   There is much wisdom to be gleaned from the Proverbs about wisdom, leadership, association, worship, money, relationships, etc.  A hungry student should devour the Proverbs and practice their precepts.  Let’s get started with the first Proverb and discuss verse five.

Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

This verse of Scripture is teaching a wise person is hungry to learn and understand.  This ties in to hunger being the first qualification of leadership.  Without hunger there is no drive to understand and people will stay ignorant of their ignorance.  The Delphic oracle stated Socrates was the wisest Greek because he was the only one who knew he did not know all the answers.  We are all ignorant in different areas—the key is to continue to learn and gain understanding from the generations of wise men and women who have come before us.  Human nature has not changed over the centuries and that is why we can learn so much from history.  Are you listening, reading and learning to obtain wisdom for your own life and your community?  Any leader worth their calling is constantly striving to improve—to be able to serve with more wisdom and understanding.   As a person seeking wisdom, you have a lifetime assignment ahead of you!   Charlie “Tremendous” Jones emphasizes, “In five years, you will be the person you are from the books you read and the people you associate with.”   I personally associate with great ideas through books, CD’s, partners and mentors.  I encourage you to do the same!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Assignment:  Look at the people you are associating with.  Are they enhancing your ability to achieve your goals and dreams?  A wise person will develop a specific intent to learn and grow.  As you develop wisdom—God will expand your scope and influence and more opportunities will come your way.   What is your specific intent to develop wisdom?

Lou Holtz is one of the greatest turnaround coaches in the history of college football.  Wherever he coaches, he has the knack of turning a losing atmosphere into a winning culture.  I believe it is much harder to change a losing culture than it is to maintain a winning culture.  What Lou Holtz has accomplished in organizations as diverse as Minnesota, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Notre Dame is incredible.   Lou has taken teams from near winless seasons before his arrival, to bowl games after his arrival.  What are some of the keys to his success?  Let me share Lou’s three questions to ask before partnering with an individual or corporation. 

These questions led him to fold a piece of paper in half and generate two lists: on one side he listed the names of successful people and on the other side he listed the names of unsuccessful people. Then, he attempted to determine the difference between the characteristics of the people on the successful side of the page versus the people on the unsuccessful side of the page. What did he find? It wasn't appearance, intelligence, race, religion, or stature that made the difference. The difference between the successful and the unsuccessful people boiled down to three things that the successful group possessed and the unsuccessful group did not: you could trust them because they did the right thing, they were committed to excellence and did everything to the best of their ability, and they genuinely cared about other people. Lou Holtz had learned how to distinguish gold from iron pyrite, and his ability to successfully tell the difference between the two has continued to serve him well ever since. After defining these three characteristics of successful people, Coach Holtz developed the three rules and expectations he has used in his role as a leader: do the right thing, do the best that you can, and show people you care. When considering your feelings about the people with whom you interact, Coach Holtz advises asking the following three questions: "Can I trust you? Are you committed to excellence? Do you care about me?" To see for yourself if the technique works, Coach Holtz suggests putting the method to the test in the following way. Think of two people: one whom you admire and respect and one whom you have a problem with. Answer yes or no to three questions about each person. Can you trust him or her? Is he or she committed to excellence? Does he or she care about you and the organization? With the person you admire and respect, you have clarified why. With the person you have a problem with, you have clarified that either you can not trust the person, he or she is not committed, or he or she does not care.

Aren’t these great questions to ask before you partner with a person or company?  Let’s break down Coach Holtz’s three questions:

1. Can I trust you? - Can you trust the person or company to always do the right thing because it is the right thing?  Is their worth their word or will they change their word to accomplish their goal regardless of the character consequences.  Is their reputation more important than their character or is their character more important than their reputation?  Coach Wooden has said, “Character is who you are and reputation is what people say you are.  You can control the former but not the latter.  Focus on character.” 

2. Are you committed to excellence?  - A person who is honest and truthful is not enough when partnering for success.  To achieve success in life or business there must be an unceasing desire for continuous improvement to achieve excellence in all that is done.  Does the person or company you are considering partnering with display this hunger to constantly improve?  If they have years of business experience—what have they accomplished?  What is the fruit on the tree from all these years of effort?  A person or company committed to excellence will get results in the long term.  To have the same or poorer results year after year is a sign of a person or company that is not committed to excellence.

3. Do you care about me? – A person or company which is honest and committed to excellence must still pass the empathy test.  Do the potential partners care about you as a person and not just a number to accomplish a certain task or function?  People deserve and must be treated as human beings with the dignity of being created in God’s image.  Even if you must let someone go from your team or company—it must be done with the respect they deserve as a human being and former member of your team.  To do any less would communicate a lack of caring on the person or company’s part.  Look at the person or company’s track record in dealing with former associates.  Did they care about the people as people or do they have a “What have you done for me lately attitude?”  Yes results matter, but we do not have to step on people to accomplish them.  Great companies and people can address people with dignity—even if they must let them go.  Do you see people as means to an end?  Do you treat people with dignity and respect or do you lord it over those under your leadership?

These questions display the wisdom of Coach Holtz’s many years in building successful cultures.  As any organization or person violates these principles, they sacrifice their own long term success.  I ask these questions of others and ask these questions of myself.   Are you trustworthy?  Are you committed to excellence?  Do you care for the people on your team?  If you can answer positively to all three—you are on your way to uncommon success in today’s world.  If you cannot, then let today be the day to change!  Your team and organization deserve your personal best.   Before partnering with others ensure you can answer positively to all three questions concerning your potential teammates and yourself.  It will make all the difference in the results of your team and life.   God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Assignment:  Look at any great teams or poor teams you have been associated with.  How did you answer Lou’s three questions with both groups of teams?

This article is dedicated to Randy Haugen.  Randy is one of the best community builders in the leadership world.  Randy practices the core leadership principles discussed in this article as well as anyone and a large community has resulted.  My respect for Randy grows daily and I am proud to call him a close personal friend.

I would like to take the example of community building from an excellent book from my friend and fellow author James Hunter.  The book is The Worlds Most Powerful Leadership Principle and it is a phenomenal book on leadership, character, and a servant attitude.  James is one of the clearest writers on subjects that are neglected in today’s leadership training.  Hunter understands that true success begins on the inside and flows to the outside.  Let me quote Hunter’s book on community:

Community is not a place free from conflict.  Indeed, when two or more people are gathered together for a purpose, there will be conflict—at least there should be in a healthy community.  Community is a place not of conflict avoidance but of conflict resolution, where members have learned to behave with respect, to listen, to be assertive with one another, to be open to new challenges, and to value the diversity present in any healthy team.  …….  Think of how creative and inspired a group could become if the members could just get most of the unnecessary barriers out of the way.  Imagine what an amazing problem-solving body a group working in community could become. …….. Genuine community is developed by practicing the proper principles that ensure healthy relationships.  Principles such as the Golden Rule, assertive communication, building trust, and others discussed earlier.

Jim is teaching us that it is OK to disagree with one another as long as it is done in a spirit of seeking the right solution - not our solution.  If all minds are engaged in seeking solutions the team will come up with better answers to the issues it faces.  I love the quote, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”   As a leader I want and need to the suggestions and thoughts of the community.  It helps me build unified teams when people know they will be heard.  It also helps with buy-in when we know all the ideas were discussed before decisions were made.  Obviously in states of emergency—there may not be time to have long meetings to discuss all options, but in normal situations this is the best way.  Are you building this type of culture and camaraderie on your team?  Culture starts with the leader and flows into the group.   Jim Hunter uses an example in his book from talking to a former member of the Marine Corps.  The marine discusses a culture that is unified around serving one another with loyalty and purpose.

“When one becomes a marine, he or she is proud of what he or she has become.  Being marines means we stand for duty, honor, and commitment, and this provides us with purpose and meaning.  And once you commit to standing for those things, you would rather die than not live up to your commitment.  Finally, I would say the greatest motivator of all is the love and respect we marines have for one another.  The last thing you would ever want to do as a marine is let your platoon or your buddy down.  Really, Jim, it’s not about doing it for the flag or doing it for the sergeant.  It’s about doing it for these people I respect so much.”

Can you imagine a group of people that loved each other enough to sacrifice for each other?   This is the type of culture that every team should be striving for.  Where the leader has practiced servant leadership into the team and the team desires to give back to the leader.  I have watched this dynamic unfold into teams and it is magical to be a part of.  EVERY person in leadership should make it a priority to develop a loyal community of servers who understand as the community goes, so go the individuals in the community.  Jim Hunter has nailed the key points and his book is worth its weight in gold.  Develop yourself as a leader and your leadership will develop the culture of your team!  To change the world, we must have thousands of united teams - to have thousands of united teams, we need thousands of united leaders - to have thousands of leaders, we need disciplined individuals willing to grow and change.  Are you one of the one of these individuals?  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Do you have an example of a group of individuals that bonded together into a team?   (Sports, music, work or business?) Please share your experience of being part of a true team.

Every person of substance has a defining moment.  The point where they chose the road less traveled.  Defining moments are flashes of self introspection where key decisions are made that affect the rest of your life.  I would love to have you share your defining leadership moment in life.  That moment where you decided to strive for excellence and become the person God called you to be.  I have a couple of defining moments in my life—one dealing with faith and the other with leadership.  I will share my leadership defining moment now and later will share my faith defining moment. 

My leadership journey begins in late 1993.  I had been listening to leadership development tapes for a couple of months and was excited about going to a leadership convention in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  I had never been to one, but if they were like the tapes I thought it would be a good learning experience on leadership.  I was severely lacking in this subject and felt I needed to read and listen twice as much to catch up.  I had no idea who the speakers were that weekend, but when I arrived I discovered there were two guest speakers.  One was Rick Setzer—a former teacher and engineer.  The other was John Zullo—a high school friend of a guy named Dexter Yager.   I was 26 years old and still a mess when it came to people skills.  I had learned the science side of life at GMI-EMI (now Kettering), but was clueless in dealing with people.  I wasn’t even on the radar screen when it came to leading people.  The only thing I was bringing to the table was an insatiable desire to get better.  The tapes had lit a fire in my soul and helped me believe I could get better if I was willing to work.  I know that sounds obvious now, but to a person told their whole life they would never be a leader, this was inspirational.  My personality score was skewed way to the logic side and away from the people side.  In fact, my last class at GMI-EMI was a class on creative thinking.  They gave us a personality test and out of 40 engineers, I scored 39^th on relational skill and scored 2^nd on logical thinking.   I was told by the professor to find a good laboratory to work in away from people.  Not a great thing to build confidence in your leadership ability. :)  I give this all as background for what took place during this life changing weekend.

Friday night started out and I and I heard Rick Setzer speak.  Rick did a great job of helping me see there was a method to the madness of leadership.  Rick taught me a process to improve as a person by utilizing a training system of books, tapes (CD’s) and leadership conventions.  I took copious notes and felt I had received my money’s worth by 11:00 pm Friday night.  But the best was still to come!  John Zullo was the last speaker of the night and he shared a story about Dexter that changed my life and began a journey that is still ongoing.  It was late at night and many had left.  John invited the remaining people to come to the front to look into his eyes.  I went up to the second row to get a closer seat to the speaker.  John spoke about the high school bully flirting with Dexter’s girlfriend at the time.  Dexter is only 5’6” but would not back down to the bully.  Dexter told the bully to leave his girl alone and the bully told Dexter to meet him after school.  John said Dexter would meet after school because he was not a coward—regardless of the size difference.  Dexter would show up and decided not to throw any punches because he did not think he could win.  When the bully and Dexter met—the bully threw a punch and knocked Dexter down.  Dexter got back up but did not throw a punch.  The bully threw another punch and Dexter went down and got back up again.  The bully told Dexter to throw a punch, but Dexter refused.  The bully walked off in disgust.  Dexter had stood up to the bully and made his point.  After this day the bully and Dexter were friends.

John used this story to share a principle that it is not the size of the person in the fight, but the size fight in the person.  This story resonated with me because I had spent my whole life working hard, but afraid to accomplish anything great.  Just as Dexter felt he didn’t stand a chance so he didn’t try to fight—I thought I didn’t stand a chance so I sold myself short constantly.  John said Dexter realized after that day that he could accomplish anything if he stopped selling himself short.  I realized the same thing through John’s story.  I made a commitment from that day forward to have the courage of big dreams!  Regardless of the size of the fight I would dream big dreams and move in the directions of those dreams.  This has made all the difference in my life and it happened at a leadership convention.  If I would have listened to the tape—I never would have received the same message communicated to me by looking into John’s eyes.  His message of courage, conviction, and dreams went from my head into my heart and changed the logical engineer.  No—I didn’t stop thinking logically, but started thinking and understanding the heart.  Pascal said, “The heart has its reasons the mind knows nothing about.”  This is an accurate description of what happened to me.  I found my heart by listening to John Zullo talk about Dexter Yager and his heart. 

That is my defining moment.  It took years of development after this moment to get the right mix of Art (heart side) and Science (logic side.)   I learned to enjoy the journey and I wouldn’t change a thing.  It has made me the leader I am and is preparing me for the leader I will be.  How about you?  What is your defining moment when it comes to leadership?  Was there a CD, a book, a convention, or a mentoring session where you were inspired to change your life?  Please share!  I would love to hear from everyone as your stories inspire me.   What was your defining moment where decisions were made that are still affecting your life to this day?  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

The life story of Booker T. Washington may be the most inspirational I have read yet.  Very few people in life have overcome as much as this former slave did to accomplish so many things.  If success is measure by how far you come from where you started, then Booker may be the most successful American.  Booker was born a slave in Virginia shortly before the Civil War.   Booker was born on the Burroughs farm and life was the drudgery of labor for no gain or purpose.  Young Booker was fascinated by the schoolroom he walked the young Burroughs girls to everyday.  He was amazed when people could take the letters and make them into words.  Booker was hungry to learn the magic of reading, but had no books or teachers. 

After the Civil War life did not get any easier for young Booker.  He worked in the salt mines as a pre-teen to put food on the table for the newly free family.  In an effort to escape the Malden salt mines—Booker took a job working for Viola Ruffner.  Mrs. Ruffner was the wife of the owner of the mines and was the embodiment of the Protestant work ethic.  Booker was exposed to the exacting attention to detail which he would adopt as his own.  Booker also was taught to read by this saintly lady and allowed to peruse her extensive library.  Young Booker’s mind devoured the information as a thirsty man would water on arriving at an oasis.  Mrs. Ruffner would be the difference maker in Booker Washington’s life and develop the habits that changed a man’s destiny.

There are so many incredible moments in Booker’s life.  He was truly a driven man that understood it is not what happens to you, but how you handle it that counts.  Booker had to deal with prejudice and criticism his whole life.  Instead of getting bitter and allow other to control his thoughts—Booker chose to get better and maintain responsibility for his attitude and life.  Washington had learned a powerful truth from his experiences: hatred does more damage to the hater than to the hated.  Washington insisted, “No race can cherish ill-will and hatred toward another race without its losing all those elements that tend to create and perpetuate a strong and healthy manhood.”  Most of us will never experience the amount or type of rejection and prejudice that Booker experienced.  But we all have had moments of conflict and unfair attacks.  How did you respond?  Did you respond like Booker and know that, “It is better to be wronged than to commit a wrong” or did you respond with hatred and bitterness in your own heart.  I love the quote, “Bitterness and resentment is drinking poison while expecting someone else to die.”  Life is too short to be filled with bitterness and resentment.

Booker built a college in Tuskegee Alabama and affected many young men and women with his message of work and hope.  I believe Booker Washington is the best example in America on someone who chose to get better and not bitter.  If Booker can overcome and contribute, then certainly you and I can overcome and contribute.  I just picked up Booker’s life story, Up From Slavery and plan to read it.  I am always inspired by Dream, Struggle, Victory stories because I find that models life.   No great dream is accomplished without great struggles.  Instead of fighting God’s plan—we must ask what we are to learn from each struggle that comes our way.   Booker went on to become one of the most influential Americans of his time and a hero to many people.   I encourage you to read his story of overcoming and reflect on our own small challenges in comparison to his.  This will give you a perspective to charge ahead in faith to accomplish your life’s purpose.  Let me close with another quote from Booker T. Washington, “You may fill your heads with knowledge or skillfully train your hands, but unless it is based upon high, upright character, upon a true heart, it will amount to nothing.  You will be no better than the most ignorant.”   Yes character is destiny and character is an inside job!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

The following article is dedicated to George Guzzardo.  George is one of the hungriest students I have ever met.  His ability to learn and grow is inspiring to me and many others.  George exemplifies a learning individual and has created learning organizations wherever he leads.

“The only significant competitive advantage is your organization’s ability to learn faster than the competition.” – Peter Senge

I love this statement and I believe this is the key advantage of one organization over another.  Without the ability to learn and grow quickly—changes in the marketplace will diminish your ability to compete.  The only way to have this competitive advantage is to have leaders who develop teams inside of the organization.  Without leaders and teams your organization is a dinosaur waiting to go extinct.  Take a look where you work.  Do you see teamwork or a bunch of individuals attempting to get ahead?  No group of individuals will ever consistently beat a team working together.  In order to build this teamwork—you must teach service before self.  This is not a natural condition and requires discipline from the leader and team to accomplish.  This is another reason why leadership is so essential in today’s marketplace.  Leaders create the culture and the culture sets the norms and values expected from the team. 

Learning faster is so important because everyone has access to the latest technology and management techniques.  It isn’t the ideas themselves, but the implementation of the ideas that make the difference.  I have been part of great learning organizations and I have been part of terrible learning organizations and the contrast is glaring.  In a learning organization, new ideas are sought out and discussed.  The attitude is, “If it ain’t broke, break it!”  Learning organizations know the competitors are changing and growing and they must also to be competitive.  Learning organizations take pride in dealing with change and love pushing the envelope for self and team improvement. 

Non-learning organizations are another matter completely.  The dinosaur organizations believe the only good ideas come from the top of their corporate hierarchy.  They do not believe they must sell their ideas to gain the law of buy in.  Typically, they only have a couple of ideas per year—because ideas mean possible change and dinosaurs do not like change.  Because their dread of change, these slow organization will petition government or create rules to stop people from innovating.  They know they cannot compete on the open market and so develop barriers to continuous improvement.  The people stuck in these cultures become frustrated and stop creatively thinking.  The shameful part is the organization is not using its greatest resource.  The people and the ideas they have are every organizations greatest wealth.  To not partner with the people and create a team culture is corporate suicide. 

Look at where you work.  Is your management hungering for new ideas and creating a team to develop and implement best practices across the organization?  Or is your organization a dinosaur that resist change and feels threatened by anyone who suggest improvements the managers did not develop?   The leaning organizations are the future and the non-learning organization will be relegated to the junk yard of history.   Wherever you are working, managing or leading—help develop a learning culture.  Step up your personal leadership and get your team on good books and CD of the week.   A learning organization has learning individuals that have been molded into a team.  This is your assignment if you plan to live a life of meaning and excellence!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

John Wooden through his books and interviews, has been one of the most influential leaders and mentors in my life.  His books have resonated in my mind and heart and forced me to rethink some of my leadership actions.  Let me share a few of my favorite quotes and what they mean to me.

“Never try to be better than anyone else, but never cease trying to be the best you can be.  You have control over that.  Not the other”

This is so important in life.  You do not control the other person or their performance, but you are responsible for your performance.  Focusing on what you cannot control is not empowering and creates a helplessness-hopelessness situation.  Addressing areas you can control empowers and motivates you to improve.  John Wooden has nailed a key success principle here.

“Success is the peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

This is a radical philosophy change from the current culture’s love affair with winning and loathing of losing.   I was of this mindset myself and felt if I lost, it didn’t matter how hard I had worked.  I was wrong and many other people are too.  I learned that losing is the major stepping stone to success.  That effort and preparation bring an internal peace that communicates you have done all you can do.  In fact, I would say you win or lose before the competition begins depending on how you prepared mentally, physically and spiritually.  I love when people count me out.  Orrin lost this or Orrin failed at that.  I know I have had another learning experience and I did all I could do with what I knew at the time.  The other side of the coin is someone can be winning and receiving the awards and yet be losing.  How is that you say?  If they are not giving 100% effort then they are not honoring God with their abilities.  Do we all enjoy winning?  Absolutely, but winning is only the icing on the cake and not the main meal.  The main meal is your personal best.  Everyone can give their personal best and only you truly know when you are giving it.   My question to you, “Are you giving your personal best?”  My second question, “Are you successful using John Wooden’s definition of success?”

My third John Wooden example is not a quote, but a true story of his grade school basketball coach.  Coach Earl Warriner taught John Wooden two important leadership principles.

1. No individual is more important than the team.

 Coach Warriner benched John Wooden even though he was the star of the grade school team.  John had tried to use his position as the team’s best player to get a teammate to do what he should have done himself—get his jersey which he had inadvertently left at home.  When John explained to the coach that they would lose with him, Mr. Warriner said, “Johnny, there are some things more important than winning.”

I love this story!  Coach Warriner knew that winning while violating your core principles is not winning at all.  It is a catastrophic loss of character and conscience to violate principles in an effort to “win.”   There are principles more important than winning or losing and John Wooden learned a valuable lesson he would carry with him throughout his coaching career.

2. Be willing to suffer the consequences of standing up for your beliefs.

 Mr. Warriner was the principal of a local grade school in Indiana and expelled a student who had done something very bad.  The boy’s father was on the school board and demanded his son be reinstated immediately.  The father told Principal Warriner he would have his job if his son was not allowed back in school.  Mr. Warriner stuck to his convictions and was “fired” by the school.  A year later the father was off the school board and Mr. Warriner was rehired.  I believe there is a justice in the world and the truth will come out.  It has been said, “The wheels of justice grind slowly, but they do grind finely.”

John Wooden states about his former coach, “Earl Warriner would not compromise on principle to save his own skin.  He would not kneel at the altar of expedience as so many others do.  He was a man of fine character.”

Are you a person of this type of character?  Without principle centered leadership—you will blow with the winds of convenience and never inspire loyalty to your cause.  Would you risk your job or business like Mr. Warriner did for your deeply held principles?  We have one life to live and it begins by knowing what principles we are willing to die for.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward