Every parent of the forty who were recognized last night can have a bursting heart this morning.  Today, I am also thankful for the diverse talents among the entire group of honorees.

There were doctors, lawyers, military professionals, and authors.  We were introduced to local legislators, musicians, and entrepreneurs.  We met a man who owns a racing team and another who writes a food blog. We heard success stories rooted in a wide variety of pursuits.

Every one of these men and women are deeply involved in their community.  As impressive as their personal resumes are, it was great to see the that they also used their passion, skills and commitment to help the underserved.  Many of the Forty under 40 serve on non-profits boards, mentor youth, advise start-ups, or have founded their own community service organization.  They fight hunger, cancer, and child abuse.  They preserve neighborhoods, cultures, and history.

I come away from these types of events hopeful for our future.  We are lucky to have the honorees’ enthusiasm, energy and smarts to lead us there.

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HopeMob?  My curiosity was piqued.

To quote its tagline, HopeMob is “where generous strangers unite.”  The website has a process for registered members to influence which charity drive is the current feature story.  In addition to the feature, there are also three stories locked in as next and twenty more in waiting.  It’s an interesting way to generate awareness and commitment.

The current featured event is an effort to raised enough money to donate five tandem bikes to schools for the blind.  Imagine the joy for a child to be on a bike, feeling the breeze on his or her face, even though blind!  Tandem bikes are not cheap, costing $590 each.  For the next 48 hours, donations will be matched, up to $1000.  So far, about half of the money needed for five bikes has been raised.

Click here to read more about HopeMob, the featured event, and how you can register and donate.

Follow HopeMob on Twitter or like them on Facebook.

Personally and professionally, I have grown more through my conversations with Susan than I possibly could have imagined.

Today was no different.  After exchanging hugs and catching up on our children, we started talking about work, life, challenges, and opportunities.  Susan has a knack – no, a skill – for bringing people to a place of clarity.  She always listens carefully, asks the right questions and helps me see the answers that were always there.

One of my many favorite Susan teachings is: You can’t ‘fix’ the past.  It’s over.  It’s done. You can, however, create a new future.  Then, she helps you discover what might be possible for you in that future.

Today, I am thankful for people like Susan, who generously help others find their authentic best selves.

Do you have a “Susan” in your life?  How has that person helped you grow? 

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Take seashells, for example.

These three jars of shells are in my office, reminders of favorite vacations at the shore and various other beaches. 

You can probably tell that the shells are not all the same.  Some are large, some are small.  Some are plain, some are a little fancier.  There are all different colors in the jars, too.  That’s about all you can see when you look at such a large number of shells at once. 

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Imagine, though, what you might see if you took the time to step a little closer to the jars and really look at the shells individually.  The deep orange, pink, and gold; the light brown, gray, and off white.  Some shells swirl, some fan wide, some are ridged.  Some are round while others are long and thin.  Each one is unique.  Each one is beautiful in its own way.

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Taking the time to really look at the shells also provides the opportunity to look past obvious chips, cracks and even gaping holes and focus more on the beauty that is there.  Below are two pictures of the same shell.  When I found it, it was lying on the beach with the hole on top.  Not really the most attractive thing.  I stopped, picked it up, turned it over and marvelled at the beauty of nature’s colors  inside.

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What does this all have to do with diversity and leadership and teamwork? 

Think about your team members.  Do you just see them as a group?  Or, do you take the time to see the unique gifts of each person?  Do you see them as a single unit,”my team,” or have you discovered what makes each individual different from the rest?  Do you turn away from that one person who perhaps doesn’t make a good first impression or have you taken the time to find the beauty that might be hidden deep inside?

Whether seashells or people; richness and beauty lies in diversity.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

The principal of the high school happens to be a friend of ours.  We commented about the new bleachers, new fences along the first and third base lines, new sidewalks around the bleachers, and evergreens behind the bleachers.

Today, I am thankful for parents and other community members who work hard to support and benefit local schools.

The principal proceeded to tell us that the athletic boosters paid for the enhancements.  They have been working on a master plan for a few years to get the field ready and compliant with the requirements to host high school tournaments.  The parents have raised a lot of money and have donated some of their own.  They also invested “sweat equity” in many ways from planting trees to pouring and raking concrete.  No tax dollars were used in these improvements.

They still have a ways to go until their work is done, but the hope is that by next year, they will qualify as a host school.  Margaret Mead is often quoted as saying, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  Indeed.

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The clip below is just under two minutes, but provokes a meaningful activity to assess your ability to make other people powerful -  known in our leadership model as the “enable others to act” practice. On The Leadership Challenge website, this practice includes this description, “Leaders…build spirited teams.”

I love that description…spirited teams.  Dictionary.com defines spirited as “having or showing mettle, courage, vigor, liveliness, etc.”  Imagine the possibilities if we all built spirited teams!

How can you judge the spirit of your team?  One way is to look in their eyes. 

As you move from desk to desk and speak to your team members today, or perhaps the next time they gather around a table for a team meeting, look into their eyes.

What do you see?

As Zander suggested, if their eyes are not shining, ask yourself, “Who am I being that my team members eyes are not shining?”

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

At the same time, all around the world, there are many people with compassionate hearts and a small amount of extra money.  They would like to help the less fortunate, but aren’t quite sure how they can really make a difference with just a few dollars.

Enter Kiva, this week’s Sunday Service giving opportunity.

For as little as a $25, you can help fund a microfinance loan in a far corner of the globe.  Perhaps help fund aboat for fishing, a tractor for farming, or an oven for a small cafe.  When the far away entrepreneur repays his/her loan (and over 98% are repaid), you can choose to reinvest in someone else, or withdraw your money and move on.

Since Kiva was founded in 2005, over 750,000 lenders from 217 countries have loaned over $292 million dollars in 61 countries.  Just over 80% of those loans were made to women entrepreneurs, an appropriate note after celebrating International Women’s Day this past week.

Take a few minutes to read some Kiva success stories and Charity Navigator’s rating of the organization.  Then, if you would like to give someone a hand up instead of a handout, register with Kiva today and make your first contribution.

Failing to plan is planning to fail. – Anon.

Planning is bringing the future into the present so you can do something about it now. -Alan Lakein

Let our advance worrying become our advance thinking and planning. -Winston Churchill

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up. – A.A. Milne

Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work. -Peter Drucker

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

Ellen commented that it is good for the universe to wear clothes with positive words like that.  She asked Jennifer if she ever watched “What The Bleep Do We Know?”

Today, I am thankful for the reminder to focus on possibilities!

In one of my leadership classes at Otterbein University, we watched the documentary, “What The Bleep Do We Know?” as a thought exercise to help us realize the world is filled with unlimited possibilities.  This movie really opened up my world to ontological thinking – essentially, your thoughts focus on what might be possible rather than what is.

The original 108 minute film – released in theaters in February 2004. Starring Marlee Matlin and 14 Scientists and Mystics. Exploring the worlds of Quantum Physics, Neurology, and Molecular Biology in relation to the spheres of Spirituality, Metaphysics and Polish weddings. Part documentary, part drama, part animation, How does it all fit together???

If you haven’t seen this documentary, I encourage you to.  You can read more about it here and then order a copy for yourself here.  (I just did!)  Enjoy discovering what’s possible for you – and, be thankful for it all!

It’s a fairly quick read, but chock full of highlight-worthy tips.  (Follow this link for a free downloadable sample.)  Among the ideas that made me go, “hmmm” is this one, found on page 76:

We naturally tend to think reactively – we respond to questions, problems, and opportunities – but we don’t take the time to think proactively… [So] schedule time to think.

I know what you’re thinking. 

“El, have you seen my calendar?  I’ve got meetings!  I’ve got projects!  I’d like to take lunch once in a while!  And, you want me to schedule time to think? ”

Yes, I do.

Sanborn goes on to explain:

Think about what you’ve accomplished, what you’ve learned from recent successes and setbacks, how you are feeling, the relationships that need your attention, and what your vision is for the future (both personal and professional).

Imagine the possibilities if we actually took the time to reflect.  What have you learned?  What did you learn about your team?  What could you do differently next time?  And, yes, even give yourself a quick pat on the back for something you took on and did well.

Try it.  Schedule 30 minutes a week.  Maybe start for a month.  The commitment, though, is that you will not use that time to catch up on emails or plan your next meeting.  You will simply use that time to think.  Maybe walk across the street to the park or go sit at Panera.  If you have an office, turn off your phones and your computer to help focus.

I have no doubt that it will seem weird at first, but once you really free your mind of all the to-do’s, you might realize that spending some time just thinking can reap great rewards.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.