When was the last time you…before you realized that it truly was and would be the last time?

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When was the last time you paused to note the sun rising to the new day? When was the last time you paused to note the beautiful sounds of nature around you? When was the last time that you watched the majesty of the ocean or a river running the rapids or over a waterfall? When was the last time you scanned the majestic desert or snow capped mountains off in the distance? When was the last time you viewed the clouds above noting the different shapes you could identify that the creator put there just for you? When was the last time you watched the sun dip below the horizon at days’ end and scanned the moon rise? When was the last time you told those you love that you loved them and were proud of them? When was the last time that you took the time to thank the Grand Overall Designer (God) for the day you just had? In fact, that you even had a day and so, so much more. 

You may be wondering about both this litany and soliloquy that I have just gone through and perhaps, it has set your mind to thinking. Well this litany is based on what I am about to tell you. Now remember that I deal in Coaching and Leadership and thus I present this from a leadership perspective. What I am about to relate to you deals with both genocide and holocaust. Now this may be a topic you may not want to hear more about but I urge you, no, I challenge you to stay with me on this journey today. 

Due to the recent Covid aka “Chinese” Virus that has impacted all of us, I have had more time to catch up on things. Thankfully because of the internet, I have been able to watch a fair amount of YouTube movies from years ago. I am also a firm believer that synchronicity takes place which means that coincidences don’t happen coincidently. To that end and perhaps due to the algorithms of YouTube, I came across Herman Wouk’s “The Winds of War”. I first became acquainted with the book by this title and the sequel “War and Remembrance” many, many years ago back in the late 70’s or early 80’s. I enjoyed every page of the story and was ecstatic when the TV version came out a few years later. This was then followed by the the broadcast of the 2nd book. It will be the second book that I will base most of my conversation with you today on but must set the stage by depicting that of the first book. 

“The Winds of War” focuses on a US Naval Family in the late 1930’s. The years actually immediately preceding the outbreak of World War II. The story covers everything from the German, Japanese, Italian, British and of course US angles. While all of this is happening, naturally there is a story line that covers each of the different family members who are in Germany, Italy, Britain and the US. The main Japanese part does not really come into play until that fateful Sunday of December 7th at Pearl Harbor. 

It is in the first book that we become aware of Hitler’s plans to invoke what will become known as the Final Solution. His intentions to purge the world of inferior races most notably the Jewish Race. In fact, parts of Hitler’s invasions into various countries such as Poland was so that he could begin to implement that plan. Many Jews, sought to escape to other countries and the United States but that was easier said than done. But clearly, you could really get to understand that the man (Hitler) who no one thought would start a war was putting all the pieces together so as to focus not only on world conquest but that of the Final Solution. So as previously noted, it is the 2nd book “War and Remembrance” that I am going to focus on. Herman Wouk did a great deal of research regarding the “Jewish Question” aka the Final Solution. His book was very precise and accurate and when reading the book you really felt as if you were right there from the time that the Jewish people and other so called impure races were rounded up and placed in the ghettos and then to the trains for the “Trip East”. 

Before I continue, it is important for me to provide the definitions of both genocide and that of holocaust: 

Genocide is the intentional action to destroy a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part.

Holocaust: 

  1. Great destruction resulting in the extensive loss of life, especially by fire.
  1. the systematic state-sponsored killing of six million Jewish men, women, and children and millions of others by NaziGermanyand its collaborators during World War II. The Germans called this “the final solution to the Jewish question.”
  2. Nuclear Holocaust…Just adding a modern day example as we are still living under the nuclear threat umbrella.

Naturally, the first thing that one pays attention to in the film is how all that is happening impacts the different characters who are in many different parts of the world due to the demands of the war. In particular, though, are the characters of Natalie Jastrow and that of her uncle Dr. Aaron Jastrow. Natalie is an American (Jew) who is living with and working for her uncle Aaron Jastrow in Italy. He is also an American Jew who has allowed his passport to expire because his work and life were more important to him than a nationality. To make a long story short, Natalie tried several times to get her uncle to realize that they were in danger and should leave Europe while they could which went  unheeded to the point where they eventually ended up in Nazi concentration camps, the last of which was the dreaded Auschwitz.  

It is here that I must point out that the director chose to use real film footage and the staging of realistic events which caused me at times to by pass those scenes but then I thought, no wait a minute. My not watching these scenes would be just like the others in the world at the time, who heard that these things were going on, and chose to ignore them or just not believe them. You see, years ago, when I was younger, I had no problem watching these films but now that I am older, its impact on me seems to be much different. It is so important for our younger generations to learn of these events. There are too many groups out there today who refuse to acknowledge the existence of these events or that they even took place.

Again to make a long story short, Natalie who had been pregnant and gave birth to a son while they were trying to find a way out of Europe found a way to get her child out of one of the camps they were in by faking his death. Of all the scenes that impacted me the most was Aaron Jastrow turning one last time to look up at the moon knowing it would be the last time he would ever see it as he was about to be processed. And this was followed by the  a dump truck which had clearly come from the camp pulling up to the edge of a river and begin to unload its cargo. Its cargo was ashes! Yes, ashes! The combined mixture of the remains of hundreds, thousands and eventually millions of the people who had been herded into the trains. Fooled into heading into the showers to be disinfected. Murdered with the deadly gas and then placed into the ovens to finish the process. To see all those ashes just being dumped into the river left me with a cold chill running through me. The lives. The thoughts and dreams, the pros and cons of all these people just snuffed out and then treated like no more than the ashes of me stirring the ashes of a campfire that I would have attended as a Scout in my younger days. The watching as a civilization of human beings being eradicated for all time with no chance for them to create descendants to carry on. And then it occurred to me that it is said that all life originated in the sea. And thus, the ash strewn river would eventually find its way to the sea.

So what are some of the steps that cause an event like this to be able to occur? There are so many reasons. Apathy. The belief of Superiority. Nationalism. Communism. The following of leaders who convince you to the point that you become brainwashed. The ability of some to refuse to believe in such things. The ability of some people to hide from the reality that if its not impacting them, then all is good. I could and can go on and on describing this.

What is not unique is that most people think that the Holocaust by the Nazi’s during WW II was the only time this has happened. Unfortunately, this has happened and continues to happen all around us. I realize that we are in the 21st Century so I have chosen to focus on the 20th Century. Oh yes, genocide has happened all throughout history but I focus on the 20th Century in hopes that we may avoid it in the 21st.

I am listing the Top 5 : 

  1. The Holocaust: Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis 1939-1945 responsible for the deaths of up to 17 million men, women and yes, children. This includes over 6 million Jews which at the time was about 1/3rd of the Jewish race.
  2. The Holodomor: better known as the Stalin Purge during the 1930’s where Joseph Stalin the leader of the USSR had over 7.5 million of his people eradicated.
  3. Cambodian Genocide: What used to be known as Cambodia and renamed Kampuchea under Leader Pol Pot responsible for the deaths of over 3 million people during the late 1970’s. No one was safe, especially doctors, teachers and thinkers etc. This was better known and referred to as the “Killing Fields”
  4. The Armenian Genocide: During WW I. The Turkish Government killed over 1.5 million Armenians and caused many more to flee to avoid being killed and slaughtered. I will add here that my step mother’s parents and siblings got out of Armenia and came to the US with literally only what they could carry. Other relatives were not so fortunate. 
  5. Rwandan Genocide: This occurred because one tribe was trying to eradicate another tribe. The year 1994. Over 1 million dead.

And the list goes on… So my question for those of us who lived during the 20th Century is as to whether you were aware of these. Were you taught about them? Are you teaching the younger generations so that know about them and we can hopefully work to avoid future genocides as mankind learns to live better with each other?

I close with that which I opened. When was the last time you…because you never know when it will be the last time that you get to. The World has been impacted with a virus that knows no bounds.  I urge you today, to let those in your family know that you love them and are proud of them. I urge you today, to make today your best day yet. Live your today because you have been given this today and give thanks for all the good things around you…..Before it may become too late.

Oh and just one last point to ponder…the old saying that those who do not learn from the past are condemned to live it again in the future…just know that both Marxism & Fascism are rearing their ugly heads again.

The Secret To A Good Meeting Is the Meeting Before the Meeting

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The Secret To A Good Meeting Is the Meeting Before the Meeting 
I am going to precede my posting by putting my call to action here at the top. Please click “Like”, Share and certainly leave me your thoughts and comments. Let’s share with each other and help each other to be more effective Leaders.
If I have learned one thing, I have learned that having a meeting for the sake of having a meeting is not the best way to do things. Further, allowing meetings to go on and on because round robin discussion has taken on a life of its own. Many times this implies that the group attending has not done the required preparation for the meeting.
Yes, this may seem to be coming across hard, but I am sure you will agree with me that time is the most important commodity that you have. Your time cannot and should not be wasted. In fact, by ensuring that your meetings flow smoothly allows you and your team to get on to the tasks at hand and not waste time and efforts.
Let me ask a few basic questions and see if any of these fit into your situation(s):
1. Have you ever planned a meeting only to be bushwhacked by the people attending? In other words, you lost control of your meeting.
2. Have you ever had people always arrive late because they think that by doing so they show their importance? Of course, this is disruptive to your flow.
3. Or how about never showing up for the meeting which makes you wonder where they are and why.
I am sure that if I asked you that you could come up with a few things of your own that you have and are noticing at your meetings. There are basically 2 main reasons why meetings fail:
1. The leader does not have a clear agenda
2. Other people attending the meeting have their own agenda.
Here is what I have found out and as a result of following this procedure have had great meetings and oh by the way, they don’t take all day / night to hold. 
Hold a Meeting Before the Meeting.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps You to Receive Buy-In
the more you can do before the meeting there is less of a chance for negativity to seep in.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps Followers to Gain Perspective
give the “influencers” the right perspectives before hand and they will help influence the others.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps to Increase Your Influence
Leadership is influence, nothing more nothing less. You must invest time in your people. If you only have time for your people at meeting time…you are in trouble.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps You Develop Trust
You as the leader must be an agent for change. It is no fun to have to continually and constantly “run the gauntlet”! Here is the time to answer questions and let your people know of your motives. Because you are doing this one on one or in smaller groups your trust factor increases exponentially.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps You Avoid Being Blindsided
This is pretty self explanatory. Do what you need to do so that you don’t get caught by surprise. You need to know in advance what to expect.
Let me conclude with some serious advice:
1. If you can’t have the meeting(s) before the meeting…don’t have the meeting.
2. If you do have the meeting(s) before the meeting, but it does not go well…don’t have the meeting.
3. If you have the meeting(s) before the meeting and it goes well…HAVE the Meeting!
“Good planning always costs less than good reacting” – W. Schmidt
A Leader Never has to recover from a good start. So there you have it. Give it a try. I have not been disappointed now that I follow this mentality. I was before.
Peace. BB

What is your “Expiration Date”? Are you Shelf Stable Enough to Move Forward?

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What is your “Expiration Date”? Are you Shelf Stable Enough to Move Forward?

It never ceases to amaze me as to how and when I come up with the titles that I turn into my stories that I write. The one thing that is consistent is that my coming up with the titles and the writing of the stories never usually happen at the same time. So, what I do, is ensure that when the thought pops into my mind, i quickly enter it as a note on my iPhone and then I begin to percolate. This sometimes happens quickly or as is the case with this story, it may be weeks or more. Well, the percolation came to fruition last night when suddenly the thoughts started to flow and I began to quickly take notes so as to not lose my thoughts. Not sure about you, but at the speed of thought that take place in my mind, they can be gone just as quickly as they occur. 

As I sit here writing this article that will also become one of my Leadership Podcasts / Video Blogs, I take note of the fact that today (September 21, 2017), I am 22,909.50 Days into my life. Obviously, if you are reading this or listening to the podcast after today, you will need to add the appropriate number of days to my total. Why don’t you take a few moments and calculate your number of days of your life (so far). It’s quite simple…you take the number of years you have been around and multiply by 365.25 and then add any additional days from the present year you are now in. I think you will be amazed once you see your total. 

I sit here at my desk each and every day and I look at the bottle of Bermuda Pink Sand that is in front of me as a reminder that the grains of sand in that bottle amount to the number of days not only for me but also for that of the lives of my family. I also have a sand hour glass that I look at and know that as each day passes, I get to turn it over to start a new day. What that reminds me of is that each of us has 168 hours in a week, 24 hours in a day and many precious minutes each hour. How much of that time do we squander paying no mind to the fact that time continues to run. That is the one constant in this universe we live in, that time continues to run. Life is long. Life is long in possibilities. Who are YOU going to affect and have an impact on? You see, when things are at their worst, that’s when you are needed the most. 

So what has this to do with my statement above of asking what is your expiration date? The one thing that is for sure is that none of us knows the day that will be our final day. So I further began to think of all the things that I did or did not do to date over my 63 plus years. I began to think of how because of the things that I did or did not do as to the impact on my health and the impact I had either positively or negatively on my family. I began to create my “bucket list” of things that I want to further do and accomplish before that final tick of my earthly clock. Just some of the examples I recalled were the steps that fell into place that led me to the calling of the John Maxwell Team that I am a strong part of. I recalled the re-discovering of my “why” back in 2013 when I accompanied Dr. John C. Maxwell and a Special Team of Leadership Trainers to Guatemala. Of special note is that I did indeed get to walk my daughter down the aisle on the day of her wedding. I did get to celebrate my oldest son’s journey and successful rising up in the hospitality industry. Of the time that my #2 Son went off to join the military and ended up going to war in defense of his country and how we almost lost him twice. The 2nd time being the most tortuous anguish for his mother, me and others who loved him for 3 1/2 days, until that next phone call came to announce that he was not on the helicopter that had been shot down with total loss of life. As a result of his survival, his next duty station brought him to a location where he would meet his wife to be and eventually allow me the honor and privilege of meeting, holding and interacting with my two beautiful grandchildren. 

I have grown to learn and understand that in life there are No Limits in what can be done and what can be achieved. HE put us here for a purpose. I have learned that by putting my faith in the Grand Overall Designer (God) that healing and comfort are a regular thing. My emotions are no longer all over the place and I use the phrase “woulda, coulda, shoulda” a lot less. I no longer fear death. I no longer fear my expiration date because I know that my “shelf life” is unlimited. I make a point each and every day to let my loved ones know that I love them and am proud of them. I take time each and every day to thank My Creator for giving me one more day and acknowledge to Him that since He hasn’t called me home that He has more that He wants me to accomplish. You can’t think about what you owe or what you haven’t done. You have got to keep moving forward. Further, I have to realize that those who have gone before me are fine and more importantly are always looking out for me.

So what is my point through all of this? This is clearly a story that should not be looked at morbidly. And I can assure you that in my time to date on this planet that I have accomplished quite a bit. My point is that while you were reading or listening to this essay that your mind and your sub-conscious was taking you deep within yourself and you were reminiscing about what you have done and wished you would have done during your days to date. My purpose was to get you to look deeply within yourself and hope that you will evoke some changes in you that will allow you to fulfill your purpose on this earth. One never knows truly what ones expiration date is so please make the most of yours. And for go

I close with the question “How Big is Your Frying Pan”? and provide you the story about  An ole timer who saw a boy fishing and went over to see how he was doing. The boy had already caught 2 small fish, but as the old man was walking over, the boy landed a huge bass. “That’s a beauty”, the old man said as the boy unhooked the fish. But then the boy tossed the fish back into the water. “What are you doing?” the old man cried out. “That was a whopper”. “Yeah”, replied the boy, “but my frying pan is only 9 inches wide”!

Will you continue to walk through your life throwing back the big fish that will impact your life or will you realize that it is time to get a bigger frying pan? Are you waiting for your expiration date leaving so much yet unfulfilled or will you go about ensuring that rather than throwing yourself away because of an expiration date that you ensure that you continue to keep yourself “Shelf Stable” by being all you can be and doing all you can do?

Peace. BB

Be sure to contact me and let’s discuss how I can help you and your Organization to take it to the next level at  http://www.bermudabob.me

 

Are You playing to win or playing not to lose? In other words, are you “Playing it Safe”?

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Are You playing to win or playing not to lose? 
In other words, are you”Playing it Safe”?
     I am sure that you have seen enough sports games, involving your favorite team, where they are ahead and winning and then something happens, and they end up losing the game. So of course, I must make a point before I go any deeper into my article…and that is that everything that I will describe all fits into the “Game of Life”. Yours, Mine and Ours. In baseball, a game is 9 innings and the team that is ahead at the end of those 9 innings is declared the winner. Of course if the game has a tie score, they then play on until one team has more runs than the other. But there is a catch. If the visiting team has more runs, the home team always gets what has come to be known as “last licks”. In ice hockey, the rules state that the team with more goals at the end of regulation time is the winner. If no team has satisfied this, then they play “sudden death” overtime periods. Sometimes, there are penalty shots and sometimes the game can end in a tie. And I could go on describing all the different sports and how someone or how the team would go about winning. After all, isn’t that the objective of the game? To win! Why would you play the game if your intention were not to win? Have you ever played soccer without the goalposts or are you just out there kicking the ball around with no concept of why?
     The game that I want to focus on for the sake of my article today, is American Football. For those of you who have never followed this game, the objective is to score more points than the opposition over a 60 minute event. Once again, if at the end of regulation time, no team has at least one more point than the other team, overtime occurs. But I want to leave you with a point of emphasis…you see, neither team lost due to lack of points but more so they lost because of lack of time. Timing is everything in life. I am sure that you will agree with me on this point. But a phenomena occurs in this game. There are some key leadership laws that come into play and those laws are violated. One in particular is the Law of the Mirror or Picture, which states that people do what people see. For some reason when one team is ahead in the score and as the game is winding down, the team that is ahead appears to stop applying pressure on the team that is behind. This phenomena is generally referred to as “prevent defense”. That’s right. You heard me. The team that is winning because of their offense decides to play defense. Now don’t get me wrong, defense is very important but it is the objective of the defense to do what they need to do to get off the field so that their offense can get back on the field. It is the job of the defense to not give ground. For some reason, while the Team that is behind is trying desperately to get back in the game, the team that is ahead thinks that by playing a soft defense they can hold out until the clock runs out. I have seen many a game turn around (especially the one I root for) lose the game because they stopped playing to win and started playing not to lose. If there is a great example of what I am describing, just think of last year’s Super Bowl where Atlanta was so far ahead only to lose to New England.
     So, now that I have described all of this sports talk, you are probably wondering how this fits into what we do out here in the real world. Well, let’s see. Each and every day that you go out into the world, you have been basically given a new clock of 24 hours (this is not a guarantee but let’s assume that it is). So you start out your day strong and you have set up your tasks and goals and prioritized them. I am going to take a chance here that you don’t wander around aimlessly during your day with no goals in sight. Remember my earlier statement of kicking a soccer ball around the field with no goal posts in sight? Now setting up your goals and prioritizing them would be like you being on the offense and working the clock to your advantage so that at the end of the day when that clock struck zero, you would have scored more points than the opposition. Oh, I guess I failed to mention who your opposition is. That would be summed up by your gremlin and the things that you have allowed to surround you either by choice or by default. That character that sits on your shoulder and whispers in your ear trying to get you off course. Trying to get you to put things off. Trying to get you to work on the things that don’t matter as much as the things that do. So what happens is that you get to a certain point in your day where your time is running out and you stop playing offense and you begin to play prevent defense in the hopes that you can still win the day as the clock continues to tick tock down to zero.
     Are you “Playing Full Out”? As James Allen says “In all human affairs there are efforts and there are results and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result.” Let me add that the fruits of these efforts are what you will build your life by. What is the voice of judgment saying to you? What invisible boundaries lie before you awaiting you to crush through them because you are on offense? What personal challenges are you experiencing? Are you allowing Fear, Anxiety, Anger and Depression to keep your defense on the field of play? Is your Gremlin constantly whispering in your ear “Why can’t you just settle for”? How much weight are you carrying around with you both mentally and physically? Isn’t it about time that you stop punishing yourself? Is the you, you know, the real and true you?
     What are you going to need to let go of so that you can indeed “Play Full Out”? Are you going to be prepared to dig in and hold that line so you can get your offense back on the Field of Play? Your God Given Potential Lies Before YOU! From a leadership perspective, have you ever thought about climbing Mt. Everest? How many of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership do you follow each day? Are you presently investing in yourself by reading and taking personal development courses such as my Ascend Course? As a qualified Executive Director Leadership Trainer and Coach with the John Maxwell Team, I encourage and challenge you to contact me at [email protected]     or text me at 441-705-9897 so that we can discuss how to help you play to win and stop playing not to lose. Remember…Your Game Clock is Ticking!

If you want to play baseball “you’ve gotta have a lot of little boy in you”.

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Well you are either reading this because you think that this is a story about baseball or you are not reading this because you think that this a story about baseball. Well you’re right!
Famous baseball player Roy Campanella is known for the above quote and how appropriately it fits in with my theme today about being not just a leader, not just a good leader, but the desire to be a GREAT Leader by removing your limitations and desire to enjoy the journey. You see, the ability of a little boy to get excited about being able to go out and play baseball speaks volumes. The attitude. The desire. The limitless. The satisfaction that comes forth is 2nd to none. It is that same mentality that drives the statement…I have to go to work versus I get to go to work. I have to be a leader versus I get to be a leader. 
     All too often, we see people in positions portraying that they “have arrived” and thus they no longer need to work to improve themselves. Or that they will begin to train for the position once they get the position. So let me bring this back to my original statement of needing to have a lot of little boy in you. You see, that getting to do something, anything in life requires the ability to dream and to have a dream and to be a dreamer and not place limitations on yourself. And when you can do that, you clearly realize that there are “No Limits” to what you do and can accomplish not just on any given day but each and every day.
     Do you know what’s limiting you? Do you come with a fresh supply of energy each and every day? Are your creativity and production levels where they should be? Do you have the discipline and Intentionality to stay the course and reach the finish line by crossing over that Line of Intention? Are you prepared to risk and get out of your comfort zone? Are you willing to get in the picture and out of the frame?  Bottom line here is are you prepared to keep growing? Socrates said a long time ago to “Know thyself”
     So I ask you…what are you passionate about? Are you passionate about you? Awareness and Change go hand in hand. Change doesn’t always have to be drastic to be effective but change is necessary for you to reach your capacity. So I further ask you…do you know what is limiting you? How often I have heard the story of the ole timer who was busy catching fish and for some reason was throwing the bigger fish back in. When asked why he was keeping the smaller ones and throwing back the bigger ones, his reply was that his frying pan was only 9 inches wide. Now that’s what I call limitation mindset!
     I would venture to say that you probably want more out of life than what you are currently experiencing (remember the dream). Maybe your success rate is not completely where you think it should be (yet). Or maybe, just maybe you have given up on what you really are capable of. But one thing is certain and that is that Your Capacity isn’t Set. Don’t underrate or undersell yourself. And please don’t let age or the lack thereof impact what you are capable of. The time has come to stop managing yourself at the level that you are at and think outside the box especially when you are the box. But there is a catch to this. You might even say that it is a “Catch 22”. All lasting growth requires awareness. But if you lack awareness, you won’t know that you are unaware which indeed causes a blind spot. In other words, you don’t know what you don’t know which causes you to not see that with which you cannot see.
     But there is hope. There is a way to improve upon this and that is to develop your self-awareness. It will require you to dream and realize that there is more out there awaiting you. That there are no walls to bind you. That you are just 3 feet away from any given new success and even the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So I will conclude by re-stating my opening line…if you want to play baseball “you’ve gotta have a lot of little boy in you.” So go on…get out there and Play Ball as if each and every game that you play were just like the first one that you ever played for with the development of your self-awareness the sky is no longer the limit.

The Secret To A Good Meeting Is the Meeting Before the Meeting

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The Secret To A Good Meeting Is the Meeting Before the Meeting 
I am going to precede my posting by putting my call to action here at the top. Please click “Like”, Share and certainly leave me your thoughts and comments. Let’s share with each other and help each other to be more effective Leaders.
If I have learned one thing, I have learned that having a meeting for the sake of having a meeting is not the best way to do things. Further, allowing meetings to go on and on because round robin discussion has taken on a life of its own. Many times this implies that the group attending has not done the required preparation for the meeting.
Yes, this may seem to be coming across hard, but I am sure you will agree with me that time is the most important commodity that you have. Your time cannot and should not be wasted. In fact, by ensuring that your meetings flow smoothly allows you and your team to get on to the tasks at hand and not waste time and efforts.
Let me ask a few basic questions and see if any of these fit into your situation(s):
1. Have you ever planned a meeting only to be bushwhacked by the people attending? In other words, you lost control of your meeting.
2. Have you ever had people always arrive late because they think that by doing so they show their importance? Of course, this is disruptive to your flow.
3. Or how about never showing up for the meeting which makes you wonder where they are and why.
I am sure that if I asked you that you could come up with a few things of your own that you have and are noticing at your meetings. There are basically 2 main reasons why meetings fail:
1. The leader does not have a clear agenda
2. Other people attending the meeting have their own agenda.
Here is what I have found out and as a result of following this procedure have had great meetings and oh by the way, they don’t take all day / night to hold. 
Hold a Meeting Before the Meeting.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps You to Receive Buy-In
the more you can do before the meeting there is less of a chance for negativity to seep in.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps Followers to Gain Perspective
give the “influencers” the right perspectives before hand and they will help influence the others.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps to Increase Your Influence
Leadership is influence, nothing more nothing less. You must invest time in your people. If you only have time for your people at meeting time…you are in trouble.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps You Develop Trust
You as the leader must be an agent for change. It is no fun to have to continually and constantly “run the gauntlet”! Here is the time to answer questions and let your people know of your motives. Because you are doing this one on one or in smaller groups your trust factor increases exponentially.
-The Meeting Before the Meeting Helps You Avoid Being Blindsided
This is pretty self explanatory. Do what you need to do so that you don’t get caught by surprise. You need to know in advance what to expect.
Let me conclude with some serious advice:
1. If you can’t have the meeting(s) before the meeting…don’t have the meeting.
2. If you do have the meeting(s) before the meeting, but it does not go well…don’t have the meeting.
3. If you have the meeting(s) before the meeting and it goes well…HAVE the Meeting!
“Good planning always costs less than good reacting” – W. Schmidt
A Leader Never has to recover from a good start. So there you have it. Give it a try. I have not been disappointed now that I follow this mentality. I was before.
Peace. BB

It’s not always a requirement to fill someone else’s shoes…let alone their body armor.

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It is not always a requirement to fill someone else’s shoes…let alone their body armor. Or how David transformed a paralyzed army into a fighting force through the Law of  Victory.

This week we are taking our Leadership and the Bible from 1 Samuel 17: 19-58
 
The Law of Victory: David defeats Goliath and Everyone Wins.
 
We all know the story of David defeating the Giant Goliath with a sling shot and stone but what you may or may not know is a little bit of the background involved. You see, David was a very small young man compared to that of King Saul or any of the other Hebrew soldiers. And certainly he was just as small as compared to that of the Philistines let alone Goliath. When the thought of David fighting Goliath was brought up, King Saul thought it ridiculous but none the less he was prepared to let him go and fight. But he felt so concerned that he gave David his own personal body armor to use. Well let your imagination run wild here as David literally was swimming in this armor. It was almost as if he was wearing a modern tank around him. EXCEPT that he could not move with it. He could not fight with it. He would have lost with it! Actually, Saul did not like David and would not have been upset had David been defeated in the upcoming battle with Goliath
 
Well as I say the rest is history…David went up against the giant with nothing more than a sling and a stone but most importantly some very key and important concepts (7 in all) that I will mention below. Before I mention them, just remember that you can not always go into battle or run your life by trying to wear someone else’s shoes let alone their body armor!
 
1. His perspective differed from others. – He didn’t see what everyone else saw…an invincible giant. He saw an opportunity.
2. His methods differed from others. –   He decided to use proven weapons that he knew would work, not the conventional ones.
3. His conviction differed from others. – He recognized Goliath had no covenant with God, while he felt passionately committed to God’s covenant.
4. His motives differed from others. – He heard Goliath’s threats against the God of Israel and knew God could beat him.
5. His vision differed from others. – He wanted to make Yahweh know to the world as the most powerful God on earth.
6. His experience differed from others. – He brought to the battlefield past victories over a lion and bear, not months of paralyzing fear.
7. His attitude differed from others. – He saw Goliath not as a threat too big to hit, but as a target to big to miss.
So I ask you. Are you prepared to wear what you have or do you still feel you need to fill someone else’s shoes?

God Can Use Even a Reluctant Leader Johah 3: 1-3

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God Can Use Even a Reluctant Leader Johah 3: 1-3

I was watching Joel Osteen last night and he was speaking of the story of Jonah. Thought I would re-post this…and ask you, are you ready for a “do over”?

Water tends to seek its own level and most of us usually prefer to choose the path of Least Resistance. It is because of this that we tend to be reluctant when it comes to running the gauntlet .

Such was true when God called upon Jonah to take up the call and seek to cause Nineveh to repent of their sins. This was not to be an easy task but God was looking to form a divine partnership that would allow God to work thru Jonah and show His Strength and compassion. There are many times in live that we too tend to ignore our inner voice and run not walk from that task. And it is in that running that we tend to stumble and fall. This was to happen clearly to Jonah. He was given a choice: Help God in His Glory or end up in the Big Fish. I think you can imagine that the Fish was not the most pleasant of options. Eventually, Jonah came to his senses and went about God’s task of helping to bring repentance of sins in Nineveh. And as a result, God was compelled to spare Nineveh from destruction.

We as Leaders may not always understand why God wants them to do certain things but we should and must realize that it is not through our understanding but more to the obedience of His instructions. One can only think as to what the results may have been in the annals of history had Jonah not come to his senses and followed God’s plans. One can only imagine in our daily lives what the outcomes could and would be if we would give up our reluctance and follow that of our inner voice.

Thank God, that most of the time He gives us a 2nd Chance to get it right. Kind of like a “do over”. My call to action for you is to think of those times you have been reluctant and ask you to decide moving forward….God’s Plan or the Big Fish!

Peace. BB

Clear the Mechanism…Yours!

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Clear the Mechanism…Yours!

I remember watching the Movie “Gettysburg” where the Sargent Major was describing to the Commanding Officer on the eve of battle that he needed to caution his troops about staying calm and focusing of the task the lay ahead. For in the heat of battle, he went on to say, when things were progressing so fast, it was not uncommon for the men to panic and force more than one projectile into the weapon and thus jam everything up preventing them from firing. Or even worse, causing the weapon to blow up in their face.

And then I think of the days of my early basic training in the military when we were using blank ammunition of just how easy it was for our weapons to jam and how easy it was for us to force and jam another round forward really messing things up. What I learned during those early days of training that I would (hopefully) remember as I progressed through life, was to take my time and when the jamming of life occurred would be to “clear the mechanism”.

Now I clearly realize that in our everyday lives, that we don’t go around with weapons in our hands but we do in fact, go through each and every day with an awesome and very powerful weapon. That weapon is us and it flows through not only our conscious self but more importantly through our sub-conscious self! I just recently went through some additional training with my teacher and mentor, Dr. Paul Scheele and one of the things that caught my attention during that training was that of the 11 million bits of data that we as humans process each and every second, that only about 70 bits of data occur in our conscious mind. That statement alone is eye opening about our awareness. I will bet that even as you read this (blog) or hear my (podcast) that you are thinking and processing quite a bit in the back of your minds. More than likely, in color and full sound playing. Think of the times that you have wanted to do something, knew that you could do it, but consistently failed to accomplish it. Let’s not bother to count them for you would surely lose track. 

We possess amazing gifts as human beings. WE are learning organisms, born into this world equipped to find answers to the problems that face us. The human brain, mind, body, and emotions are designed to make us perfect learners, providing us with all we need for success in life. However, on the other hand, even with all our enormous capacities, many of us daily face the reality of not being able to accomplish the important goals we have set for ourselves. Like a riddle or puzzle, the answer(s) has been in your hands the whole time. And once you discover the answer, you wonder how you could have missed it up to that point.

I would also like to provide in this writing / podcast an excerpt from Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning” where Frankl quotes from Nietzsche: “He who has a Why to live for can bear almost any How.”  The explanation of those prisoners in the death camps during World War II, who gave up on life, who had lost all hope for a future were inevitably the first to expire. They expired less from the lack of food or medicine than from the lack of hope, the lack of something to live for.

So in conclusion, with all that goes on in your life day in and day out and the complexities that go along with them, it becomes all the more easy for you to try to push through with the effect of jamming round after round in the chamber of your life. You were designed the way you were for a purpose and a reason, with the ability to think through and thus allow you to clear and reset the mechanism. So today and from now on, I encourage you to do just that when you think that it could not get any worse. Stop, pause, clear your mechanism and reset.

You can do this. You need to do this and if you are to survive the rigors that everyday life presents, you must do this.

For information on how I can work with you in your quest to learn how to “Clear the Mechanism” and the Courses that I offer…contact me at [email protected]

How’s Life Going at YOUR Ground Zero?

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DSCF0002Lest we forget to remember, we will surely remember to forget.
 
I have yet to run into a living person on this planet we call Earth, who has not had to experience some sort of trial or tribulation in their personal, family or professional lives. Sometimes, the trials and tribulations may impact just one of the triad that I just mentioned but there are times when those same trials and tribulations may impact the entire triad at the same time.
 
Perhaps for the sake of helping those out who may not fully understand where I am going with this article, I would first need to define my concepts of what “Ground Zero” and “Trials and Tribulations” stand for.

Definition of:

    ground zero

  1. 1:  the point directly above, below, or at which a nuclear explosion occurs
  2. 2:  the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change; broadly  :  center 2a <the party town that served as ground zero for those corporate … bashes — Rich Eisen>
  3. 3:  the very beginning Trials and Tribulations

    Troubles and Events that cause suffering, etc.

    I recently had the opportunity to visit the area where the World Trade Center Twin Towers were supposed to be. The Twin Towers that once stood majestically reaching up into the sky. The same Twin Towers that were the landmark that let you know that you had arrived in NY. The same Twin Towers that brought people from all walks of life and from so many countries together to conduct the business of trade. The same Twin Towers that I had passed so many times when I was growing up and living in NY. The same Twin Towers that I looked for each and every time that I flew into any one of the the NY Airports when I was returning home to visit my mother or that I would pass through on my way to the various military locations that I attended during my time in service. 

    But alas upon my arrival to the space where the Towers once stood were vast open holes in the ground that have been turned into Memorialized Fountains that left you standing there in total awe. Upon closer viewing, the majesty of the cascading waters falling from the outer fringes of where the walls to the building once were and would have been to the exact center point of an eerie black hole as the waters were swallowed up obviously to be recycled so that this effect would go on and on. The impression that I got from this was so similar to watching those science fiction space movies where where a super nova or a black hole has occurred and everything and I mean everything would have been sucked into and of itself. Thus, the impression of the buildings coming down that fateful day were captured in the design of these fountains. You could almost hear it and feel it happening as we stood there. Any yet, other than the sound of the cascading waters falling, there was a calm about the area. At this point, I should point out, that on the day that we chose to visit the site, that it was raining. Sometimes very heavy, sometimes a bit lighter but constant. Wait, there’s more. As we approached the very walls enclosing the fountains, you could clearly begin to see that each and every person who lost their lives that fateful day, were etched in perpetuity on those stones. It was as if when you went to lean upon the walls that you would be touching the lives, the very souls and spirits of those whose lives had been ended that day. It was as if you would become one with them. It was as if you were helping them to remain alive.

    My next stop of this journey of remembering and not forgetting was to traverse through the Ground Zero Museum. There was so much to cover in this museum but it was more than a museum. It was more of a symbol of remembrance and reminders of what was and what is. The honor and humbling that was felt as I moved through was brought to a completely emotional moment when we arrived at the hall of pictures. This was an area that was hallowed to be sure. No photos were allowed to be taken nor would I have expected anyone to want to do so. The respect and honor paid by not just some but by all the visitors was so, so humbling and heart warming to me. I can’t remember being anywhere else in my life where this was as strong as it was that day. On the walls were the photos of each and every one of the people that died that day as well as from the original bombing attempts in the mid 1990’s. These were pictures of people who had come from all walks of life and all races and creeds. Because I live in Bermuda, my wife, son and I made a point of locating the pictures of 2 Bermudians (Rhondelle Tankard and Boyd Gatton) who perished that day. Yes, two people, in the prime of their lives who had come from a small isolated island in the Atlantic Ocean to be a part of the grander scheme of things in the modern business world. 

    So I have been very deliberate to paint a picture with words of a situation that occurred at ground zero. So vast and devastating that the wounds of which will take many, many years to heal and surely that while they heal, they will not ever be forgotten. But what about you? What is going on in your life that has caused those around you and things about you to explode and cause grief, misery and hardship? Have things gotten so bad and troublesome that you cannot and do not see any hope in sight? Well, let me let you know that 3 words come to mind…Feel, Felt and Found. I can truly say from the bottom of my heart that I know how you feel, I felt that way too and here is what I found out. I too experienced a devastating ground zero effect in my life. I thought that there was no hope. That there was no point in going on and questioned whether seeing tomorrow was worth it or even going to happen. What I found out was that eventually one can work through the anguish and heartache that causes all these negatives to flourish. That believing that there is a force that comes from a Higher Authority that is there to offer pathways to new beginnings. So I ask you, are you going to stay and sit in the rubble of your ground zero or learn from that of what took place at the World Trade Center?

    Now while that would have seemed a logical ending for this posting, I chose to add just a bit more information to really bring it home to each and every one of us…

    But yet, all was not sorrow on this day that my family and I chose to visit this “Ground Zero”, for just a short distance away rises up in splendor and majesty the New World Trade Center Tower to show the World that you may get knocked down and all may seem lost but with the rise of tomorrow’s sun dawns a new day for each of us. As the phenix rose from the ashes to a new creation, so too will you have that ability. The choice is Yours. Never, never, never forget this!