Orrin Woodward: Life & Business

New York Times best-selling author Orrin Woodward shares his life leadership secrets.

  • Orrin Woodward

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    Orrin Woodward co-authored two NY Times bestsellers: LeaderShift and Launching a Leadership Revolution. His first solo book RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE made the Top 100 All-Time Best Leadership Books List. In 2011 Orrin was awarded the (IAB) Leader of the Year Award.

    Orrin has co-founded two multi-million dollar leadership companies and serves as the Chairman of the Board of the LIFE Business. He has a B.S. degree from GMI-EMI (now Kettering University) in manufacturing systems engineering. He holds four U.S. patents, and won an exclusive National Technical Benchmarking Award.

    This blog is an Alltop selection and ranked in HR's Top 100 Blogs for Management & Leadership.

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Posts Tagged ‘LIFE Founders’

Chris Brady, Tim Marks, and LIFE: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Posted by Orrin Woodward on April 4, 2012

As I sat at my desk this Easter season morning, my eyes spanned across the beautiful St. Lucie Bay while I reflected on the life I have been blessed to live. Here are just a few of my thankful thoughts:

1. I am married to an amazing Christian wife Laurie Woodward who has consistently loved me through years of growth and change. Add on the fact that she has mothered four super teenagers, and I cannot imagine a better family life scenario.

2. I am in business with my best friends – Chris Brady, Tim Marks, George Guzzardo, Claude Hamilton, Bill Lewis, Dan Hawkins, and Rob Hallstrand – who are not only great encouragers, but also wise and highly skilled businessmen. For instance, Tim Marks’s wisdom is packed full in his new book Voyage of a Viking being released this month, and it will be a blessing to so many who are in the process of changing their scripts.

3. The LIFE community is prospering at a faster rate than at any time in my 18 years of community building. Our community numbers at seminars across North America have increased over 5,000 people since the November 1, 2011 launch, just missing 20,000 people in attendance at the March seminars. That’s nearly double the numbers from one year ago! The community has grown over a 1,000 people at events each month since the launch of LIFE.

4. I have watched many business partners experience some tough financial challenges because they stood on principles. Thankfully, they endured, got back up, dusted themselves off, and ran again to freedom. Many, in fact, are making more money today than at any previous time in business. Everybody gets knocked down in life, but like I have said for years, “Those who stay will be champions.”

5. The LIFE Business Compensation Plan is rewarding people at unprecedented levels. With 95 percent of the people receiving a check monthly, LIFE is fair, equitable, and affordable to even the most strained of pocketbooks. LIFE is about receiving an opportunity, not a handout. One must work to win at anything, but the goal of the LIFE founders was to ensure that real work receives real rewards quickly.

6. LIFE is rapidly closing in on 4,000 customers! That’s 4,000 people choosing to purchase LIFE materials with no thought of further compensation. The LIFE founders studied the industry and refused to move forward unless they had a product that was in-demand at the retail price in the marketplace. With almost a 1,000 new customers a month, I think the task was accomplished.

7. LIFE, because the value proposition for customers is correct, has grown its member base accordingly. For example, if a customer loves the product and loves the community he is associating with, it’s only natural that, at a future date, he may choose to become a member of the compensated community. The added benefits of being a member (world-class compensation and business training) make this move a no-brainer for any person looking for financial rewards.

8. At the Major coming up in Columbus, LIFE is going to unveil Phase II, including the personalized websites for online customer and member signups, details to challenge your mental fitness, and improved community bonding with our leadership materials. Leadership is the application of proper knowledge. LIFE provides the knowledge, and the community provides the environment for application.

Ok, enough of my ruminations. What are you thinking about this morning? I cannot wait to share more details at the Columbus Major. I will see you there as we celebrate the achievers and implement Phase II of our vision to reach one million people.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

Posted in Family, Finances, Freedom/Liberty, Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: , , , | 13 Comments »

Chris and Terri Brady: LIFE Founders – Part II

Posted by Orrin Woodward on February 26, 2012

Chris and Terri Brady Mediterranean pictureFinally, with the creation of Team Approach – a systematic way to build organizations, used across numerous companies today – Chris and I exploded our businesses. Team Approach and our focus on leadership communities changed everything. In fact, we went from 200 people to over 1,200 people at events in the next twelve months! We have never looked back. Chris and Terri achieved their dreams and goals, mainly because they refused to quit when the going got tough. They, along with Laurie and I, committed to overcome any obstacles, addressing all issues in order to fix the broken business model to which we were originally introduced.

After fixing the business building portion with Team Approach, Chris and I next addressed the unjust reward system for community training. Some recognized the injustice and wanted to throw out the baby with the bath water. Chris and I, instead, just changed the bathwater. Training is essential for growing large communities; however, the training rewards must be based upon who builds the numbers, not who was there first. In other words, in the Team, it doesn’t matter if you started ten years ago or ten months ago. Rather, what matters is whether you are serving your community with character and what numbers you have across your organizations. People follow leaders, and when a leader builds a following, he should be rewarded based upon numbers, not hierarchy.

Accordingly, the equitable way in which the Team compensates those who carry the heavy training load is one of the Team differences because leaders know that it’s based upon service and meritocracy, not politics or position. The Team teaches people how to build pipelines, rewarding trainers based upon their results in training others. Team, in other words, isn’t a passive income for leaders, but a working income earned through service to other community members. LIFE, in contrast, has an MLM component and therefore rewards people even after they stop actively building. This is similar to someone being paid for the water flowing through a pipeline even after he has stopped working on the pipes. Since Team isn’t an MLM, one must train if he expects a training income; otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair. In a typical training system, the person at the top gives himself and a few cronies a special deal – not so with Team. Because Chris and I dreamed of building millions of people into our communities, we knew the “good old boys” club wasn’t only wrong, but it simply wouldn’t work to that scale. Instead, we used our technical backgrounds to reengineer the entire process, making it an equal playing field for all. Today, the Team is the recognized industry leader for fair and equitable training compensation for leaders who do teaching and training.

When we finally realized, after years of effort, that our former product supplier had no intentions of fixing its business model, we knew we had to leave. Without getting into all the details (that would fill a book), we survived nearly three years of legal haggling before finally settling all disputes. In that period of time, tens of millions of dollars were exhausted in a futile attempt to keep people in a company against their will. Even this seemingly negative endeavor, however, was extremely fruitful. We learned our communities grew the fastest when our only products were leadership materials. Simply by teaching leadership and focusing on community, the Team thrived. This was such a paradigm shift that I don’t think either of us understood all of the ramifications at that time. Instead, only with time and reflection did Chris and I realize that our leadership materials and a compensated community were the organizations core competencies.

During the legal morass, Chris and Terri Brady had one of life’s defining moments. Terri was diagnosed with a fast-growing brain tumor. The doctors were extremely concerned and needed to operate quickly. Can you imagine the additional stress on the already heavy load on the Brady family? Most people would have broken under the strain; however, the Brady’s are not most people. Terri displayed a true faith, living with a peace that could only be divinely inspired. Her spirit regarding the surgery and its potential consequences – death, paralysis through nerve damage, and loss of hearing, to name just a few – was simply amazing. How Terri, just days before her surgery, spoke on stage with such thankfulness and grace is beyond natural comprehension. Meanwhile, Chris’s quiet faith in God’s sovereignty spoke more than hundreds of theological volumes. Buoyed by the example of these two courageous champions, the rest of the community remained strong through their own challenges. By God’s grace, Terri’s surgery and recovery were an answer to thousands of prayers. The outpouring of love displayed by the community was indescribable, with thousands of cards, calls, and prayers. Additionally, a community of ladies volunteered to cook meals and nurse Terri back to health. What powerful testaments to God’s grace and Christian love within a community!

Thanks to the invaluable lessons learned during the struggles, we were led to our next major breakthrough – LIFE. LIFE is a culmination of nearly twenty years of learning, leading, and living. It combines the best attributes of four industries – Home Based Businesses, Leadership, Community Building, and Life Coaching. LIFE is a leadership/personal growth company designed to improve people’s lives. Launched in November, 2011, it already has over 2,000 customers. (This is multiple times better in several months than was previously achieved in over a decade.) People are raving about the LIFE products, which include CDs, books, and meetings. Thankfully for LIFE, Chris Brady is a marketing genius. In fact, I view him as one of the best marketers of this generation. What he has done to the look and feel of the LIFE and Team materials is without a doubt the best in the leadership field. This isn’t just my opinion, as Chris just won several Addy awards for his marketing expertise.

Along the journey, Chris has received numerous leadership awards. From being a NY Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and a top 15 Leadership Guru to having an internationally recognized leadership blog, Chris’s leadership thoughts are some of the best. Despite all of the leadership recognition, one of Chris’s best attributes is his disarming humility. You would never guess how much he has accomplished unless you pried it out of him. Both Chris and Terri, in other words, let their actions and results do their talking. If anything, their recognition understates the caliber of leaders they truly are. How many leadership gurus routinely speak in front of tens of thousands of people in a community built with their own leadership materials? Few, if any, do.

The Bradys have built a huge community, leading groups across the US and Canada. They are currently Quad-PCs and accelerating quickly. They are two of the best speakers on the professional circuit. Their mix of humor, stories, and heart, impacts people’s lives internally and eternally. If you have not heard them speak live, you are missing out on one of the most profound experiences of your life. Laurie and I have enjoyed countless hours of learning as we have watched this couple grow into one of the best of the best communicators.

Beyond business, Chris and Terri have also become some of our best friends. With so many years of experiences together, it’s not unusual for us to get together and laugh for hours at a time as we recall humorous stories from our lives together. This, in my opinion, is the greatest joy of community building – lifelong friendships with people of character, integrity, and wisdom. This next statement may surprise people. In truth, it shocks me. For in nearly twenty years together, Chris and I have never raised our voices against each other in anger. We have addressed issues, sought to understand, and resolved conflict, but we never did so in a disrespectful way. We value each other’s friendship and partnership enough to courageously speak the truth in love.

Congratulations to Chris and Terri Brady – LIFE Founders and friends. Laurie and I cannot imagine building LIFE without you. Thank you, Chris and Terri, for giving your personal best night after night, year after year, and using your gifts to impact others. Your integrity, honor, and courage have been displayed before the watching world. Now it’s time to finish what we started and complete our mission. When LIFE reaches 1 million people, the Bradys will have played a huge part in making it happen. Here is to the future together! Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Posted in Faith, Family, Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: , , , , , | 10 Comments »

Chris & Terri Brady – LIFE Founders Part I

Posted by Orrin Woodward on February 24, 2012

Chris and Terri Brady imageWhen I met Chris Brady in the AC Spark Plug lobby, we were 18 years old – kids fresh out of high school. Both of us had dreams, ambitions, and a willingness to work. After a brief introductory meeting with our student advisor, all of the students was sent off to various facilities for their specific assignments. Who could have predicted then what God had in store for two young men in that meeting? Even so, Chris and I met for the first time on that summer day in 1985, eventually leading to a business partnership that would launch a leadership revolution to change the world.

My second recollection of Chris was in our first semester of GMI-EMI, when I sat in front of him in our history class. I heard a young man behind me speaking boldly about the steps he had planned to climb the corporate ladder and achieve his goals and dreams. My first thought was: What 18-year-old already has his life plans laid out in that detail? Curiosity got the best of me, however, so I turned around to see who was speaking. Looking at Chris, I knew I had seen him before, but couldn’t recall where. One things was for sure. I knew then that Chris, at 18 years of age, was focused on moving ahead in life and leadership.

In truth, Chris Brady has been a dreamer and doer for as long as I have known him. For example, when I was working a full 12 week assignment in Wichita Falls, Texas, I lived in an apartment provided by the AC Rochester plant (one of the reasons I agreed to go to Texas, since I was dead broke.) :) Chris was assigned to Wichita Falls for a six-week term to help launch a new product. Since the plant was already paying for an apartment, Chris crashed with me and several other students during his time in Texas. It was my six weeks with him in Texas that solidified by belief that Chris was different from the rest of us students. Specifically, when comparing his purpose and vision to the rest of ours. Simply put, I had never met anyone so young who was as driven to break free from mediocrity as Chris Brady. His determination and confidence was scary for a low self-esteem person like I was at the time.

However, with that said, his boldness and direction intrigued me as much as it intimidated me. Why did this guy believe so strongly in his purpose? How did he achieve this magical elixir so young? Whatever it was, Chris’s drive led to massive achievements throughout college. In fact, he finished second in his 1990 graduating class at GMI-EMI (not too shabby considering it is a school filled with brains.) :) More impressively, after graduation, he qualified for the coveted GM scholarship program. GM selects only a few of the elite graduates for an all-expenses-paid masters program. Chris chose the prestigious Carnegie-Mellon Institute and graduated with a masters in manufacturing systems. Little did Chris know, however, that beyond his degree, he would gain something much more valuable – the love of his life, Terri (Estes) Brady, whom he met at Carnegie-Mellon.

Chris and I went our separate ways after graduating from GMI-EMI. Basically, it wasn’t until after I began seeking another career path to success that we were reacquainted. In truth, I was not planning on contacting Chris for my community – not because I didn’t think he could do it, but rather, knowing his drive and mission, I believed he already had his path to his dreams. Providence, however, intervened. Thankfully, when I began community building with another engineer, he strongly recommended we share our plan with Chris. He said he could line up lunch together for the three of us.

When Chris and I met for lunch, it didn’t take five minutes for Chris to begin dream building me on the possibilities of getting out of corporate America. Hold on a minute, I thought! I am supposed to be dream building Chris on our options, and instead, he has me imagining flying around the Caribbean, talking about owning a local island business, and living the high life. What gives? I was so discombobulated, that I never showed him anything. Only later did I realize that Chris had recently returned from his honeymoon, and no longer wanted to sell the best 50 years of his life working for someone else. Corporate America’s rose-colored glasses, in other words, had been cracked for both of us. Eventually, Chris and I had another lunch appointment that formed the foundation for a life-long business partnership.

Even though our businesses didn’t grow that fast, our friendship and trust for one another did. To be sure, we worked hard, but we never seemed to get the growth we expected from working so hard. Indeed, after nearly five years of tireless effort, both of us combined could barely gather 200 people within our community. Those were less than overwhelming results, to say the least – especially compared to our business today, since we recently had a brand new couple accomplish more in fifteen months than the Brady’s and Woodward’s did in five years! This couple went from zero to over 300 people in their personal community, achieving the RT level in just fifteen months. In Chris’s and my defense, however, it was a different era. We had to deal with overpriced products, an under-rewarding compensation plan, and a meddling myopic management team.

Our businesses may not have grown, but we did, both personally and professionally. We both came to faith in Jesus Christ during our five-year desert experience. It is immeasurable the impact this has had on both of us in all areas of life. Actually, looking back, I am thankful our businesses didn’t grow during this time, because if they had, we might have been inclined to take the credit. Instead, we struggled for years, building and replacing groups repeatedly. The lessons we learned about ourselves and others, realizing not all people follow through on what they say, were essential for our future success. In reality, many people start in community building with selfish motives, but over time, if they stick around, we see them change and grow into servant leaders. Chris and Terri chose the change and growth route, becoming top servant leaders.

Stay tuned for Part II. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Posted in Faith, Freedom/Liberty, Leadership/Personal Development, Orrin Woodward | Tagged: , , , | 11 Comments »

Tim & Amy Marks – LIFE Founders

Posted by Orrin Woodward on February 14, 2012

Tim and Army Marks pictureTim and Amy Marks are one of the Founders of the LIFE Business. This couple exemplifies the results possible for those who are willing to grow and change.

Tim, when he started his community, struggled with reading. In fact, his elementary school teacher had told him that he would never be able to read because of his early struggles with comprehension. Thankfully, Tim’s dream was bigger than his dyslexia and he changed the alleged facts. Tim is now an avid reader and voracious learner.  Moreover, through sharing his story, he has helped thousands of men step up to lead their families.

Amy struggled with low self-worth, leading to severe eating disorder. Indeed, there were days where she didn’t eat at all. However, by God’s grace and a loving community, Amy has overcome her eating disorders, becoming a true servant of others. She has become  one of the most respected and in-demand speakers in North America, connecting with men and women going through their own personal challenges.

Tim and Amy’s courageous leadership catapulted them to TEAM Policy Council in 31 months! This is the record for the fastest growing community building in the TEAM’s history. Although the Marks’ business grew at a torrid pace, it’s their character that is the most impressive. This couple does the right thing because it’s the right thing period. It’s easy to partner with a couple of this caliber, since one will always know where Tim and Amy stand based upon principle.

For example, during the middle of the Team’s freedom battle from our former supplier, the Team community dropped from over 16k people attending events to less than 8k. The drop in numbers put massive financial stress upon the leaders, not to mention the added millions spent on legal bills.  Nonetheless, Tim volunteered 100% of his Team profit sharing for over two years, in order to help fund our legal team. Without this selfless act, there would be no LIFE Business today. Few people would sacrifice personally to this extent. Thankfully, Tim and Amy are part of that few.

In the middle of these stressful times, the PC tapped Tim with a huge additional assignment. Our All Grace Outreach (AGO) CD and book series and the AGO charity were in serious trouble financially. While the TEAM lost half of its numbers, the AGO series lost significantly more. The PC sought a leader who understood the TEAM community’s needs and could help select the speakers and books to provide the spiritual nourishment for the community enduring its desert experience. Tim stepped into the gap and launched an amazing turnaround of the AGO series and charity.

Leaders make decisions based upon data. Tim applied this principle to the AGO series through the saying, “In God we trust, all others must have data.” The data called for change and Tim’s leadership turned around the program. Although the overall TEAM community has grown rapidly, moving past 16k people attending events again, Tim’s leadership of AGO is even more impressive. The AGO series is ten times larger today than it was when Tim assumed the All Grace Outreach helm! Author Jim Collins has a famous saying, “Get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus.” Assigning Tim Marks for leadership of AGO was one of the PC’s best decisions, especially when one considers that 100% of all AGO series corporate profits are given to the AGO non-profit charity. The AGO non-profit ensures crucial operating funds for many worthwhile Christian organizations.

Tim and Amy have grown into one of the top leaders in LIFE and are Quad-PCs in TEAM. They deserve a huge thank you from the LIFE TEAM communities for their sacrificial leadership and commitment to excellence. Moreover, Laurie and I count our friendship with Tim and Amy Marks as one of God’s invaluable gifts to us. Indeed, many times, through the crushing pressure and stress of war, it was Tim and Amy’s encouragement and Christian love that kept Laurie and I moving ahead.

Laurie and I extend a heartfelt congratulations and sincere thank you to Tim and Amy Marks for being people of character, honor, and excellence. The Marks’ family has earned every single financial blessing they have today. They live in a stunning mansion in the Cape Coral, enjoying their financial freedom with family and friends. They are truly a modern day success story and a couple worth modeling.

Tim and Amy give hope to every person in LIFE, that through character, hard work, and perseverance, nearly any dream is achievable. The LIFE community eagerly awaits the release of Tim Marks’ first book, The Voyage of a Viking, in which he shares life lessons learned from his dreams, struggles, and victories.

Laurie and I are honored to have Tim and Amy as LIFE Founders and friends. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Posted in Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: , , , , | 16 Comments »

George and Jill Guzzardo – LIFE Founders

Posted by Orrin Woodward on February 10, 2012

George and Jill Guzzardo photoGeorge and Jill Guzzardo are  LIFE Founders and leaders of leaders. When I first met George, he was living as far away from civilization as humanly possible. Indeed, George and Jill moved from the hustle and bustle of Chicago to the backwoods of the Michigan Upper Peninsula, just outside Ironwood. The Guzzardo’s goal was to get away from people and enjoy time together working in the health field and enjoying nature. Man, however, may make his plans, but it’s God who directs his steps. In other words, destiny intervened.

Ed, Jill’s older brother, happened to be my engineering mentor and best friend. Ed and I worked together on multiple engineering projects. When I started listening to CD’s on community building, I realized the potential and shared this with Ed. Ed agreed, driving 10 hours in the same state (that’s how far into the backwoods the Guzzardo’s lived!) to share the idea with George and Jill.

Jill was interested immediately, George however, was another story. :) He ignored Ed,  watching the hockey game as Ed shared the concept with Jill. I remember Ed sharing his thoughts, saying, “Jill is excited, but George is going to take some work.” This is a common response. Inside of everyone is a dream pilot light. Sadly, though, most people’s dreams have been rained on so much, they believe it’s safer to bury their dreams than risk further disappointment.

Thankfully, George loved Jill enough to check it out. After reading his first book, he became a man obsessed with the idea of getting free. True, the odds were stacked against him in so many ways, having isolated himself in the backwoods where there were hundreds of trees for every person. Moreover, George and Jill were already extremely busy between jobs, hobbies, and raising their son. But, when a person wants something bad enough, the obstacles must give way.

The Guzzardo’s are champions today, not because everything was easy for them. On the contrary, if I were to define the Guzzardo’s with just one of my resolutions, I would offer Adversity Quotient because everything was a struggle for them. With that said,  nothing keeps this couple down! Several times, in the early days (before team approach), they would start groups and lose them. On top of this, Jill’s brother, and my best-friend, died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism, blocking oxygen into his lungs. This was a tragic loss of a great man. Most people would have become bitter, instead, George and Jill, became better.

Laurie and I had front row seats watching the transition of this couple into the leaders they are today. When the Guzzardo’s made mistakes, they read more, listened more, and applied the principles to grow. Many will listen to CDs, less will read consistently, but only the few will apply the principles learned. The Guzzardo’s were part of the few. I watched George go from barely reading to reading mighty tomes on history, theology, and government. This is on top of his personal development reading and listening! In fact, the rest of the PC refers to George as the professor for his amazing ability to read and comprehend the classics.

As the Guzzardo’s began to grow personally, they also grew professionally. Despite driving several hours or more to share the opportunity, the Guzzardo’s teams grew. Their teams spread quickly into Wisconsin, eventually across the USA and Canada. Today, the Guzzardo have thousands of people attending events across North America and George and Jill reside in a beautiful house in Tuscon, Arizona. They are living their dreams – the same dreams shared many times to Laurie and I as they were growing on their way to victory.

Reflecting back, one of my proudest George Guzzardo memories was during our costly litigation with our former supplier. I watched the Guzzardo’s propose surrendering their dream property, rather than surrender their involvement with TEAM. This is nothing short of modern-day heroism. In today’s pragmatic world, where nearly everyone does everything for their own perceived advantage, I watched the Guzzardo’s voluntarily sacrifice for the good of the community. This story, thankfully has a happy ending! As it turned out, with the TEAM’s settlement of all disputes, the Guzzardo’s were able to retain their dream property in the mountains overlooking the Tuscon valley.

Laurie and I are proud to have George and Jill Guzzardo as life-long friends and LIFE Founders! Their commitment to growth, change, and leadership is nothing short of inspiring. By setting the example for their team, the Guzzardo’s have attended many job-optional parties across North America. There are many blessings from our business, but in my opinion, by far the greatest rewards are the relationships formed with true leaders like George and Jill Guzzardo.

Thank you George and Jill for having the courage to become better when others became bitter. Thank you for setting the pace and cutting a trail for others to follow. Here is to a blessed future together. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Posted in Leadership/Personal Development, Life Training | Tagged: , , , | 32 Comments »

Bill & Jackie Lewis – LIFE Founders

Posted by Orrin Woodward on January 16, 2012

Bill and Jackie Lewis coupleHow does an inner-city kid and a single-mom team up and break out of the mold to become a millionaire couple? More impressively, how do they do this while developing into some of the top speakers and leaders in one of the fastest growing leadership companies? The short answer is through reading, listening, and associating with those who had the results they desired.

Bill and Jackie Lewis are two of the Founders of LIFE. Their amazing story is shared on several CDs that are best-sellers in the TEAM system. Indeed, both Bill and Jackie had to change the way they viewed themselves and this only occurs through improved information and association.

Recollecting back to Bill’s first time ever speaking on a TEAM stage, he was so nervous, that he made me dizzy watching him pace back and forth.  Be that as it may, he did it anyway, displaying courage and resolve to electrify the crowd with his speaking. In fact, it’s only through the small repeated victories that people change how they view themselves. Jackie went through a similar journey, going from a tentative speaker on stage to one of the most impactful of lady leaders.

What separates the winners from the rest in life? It’s Adversity Quotient – the ability to endure the pain inherent in the change process. The Lewis’s win because they have a near limitless AQ. By combining AQ and unimpeachable loyalty, this couple bought into the goals and vision of the TEAM, exploding through the Team levels and achieving PC in 2006. Through numerous hardships, the Lewis’s never wavered, maintaining the dream of reaching a million people.

I can remember Bill writing a check for hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to cover legal expenses and keep the TEAM together. Heroes are heroes because they sacrifice for what they believe in. It is modern day heroes like Bill and Jackie that make Laurie and my leadership journey so worthwhile. When so much of the world is giving up on their dreams, there are still a few willing to sacrifice for their dreams. Bill and Jackie are part of that select few.

For example, if you have ever played competitive sports with Bill – the TEAM’s basketball wars are legendary – you quickly discover that Bill hates losing at anything. He will push himself to his limit in order to achieve victory. It’s this characteristic that has led Bill to achieve massive results, despite his humble beginnings. For example, I am not shocked that Bill is a single digit handicap golfer because his quest for excellence accepts nothing less. I love competing against Bill in sports, for I know that whoever wins will have earned it.

Today the Lewis’s live in an impressive Tuscan mansion, raising their four children and enjoying the fruits of their labors. The Lewis’s team is one of the biggest and most dynamic in the LIFE business, providing a dream lifestyle for the young couple. Dreams come true to those who are true to their dreams. Bill and Jackie were true to their dreams, becoming top leaders in the TEAM and Founders of LIFE. Laurie and I congratulate our friends and Co-Founders, Bill and Jackie Lewis, for their impressive leadership accomplishments. We look forward to a blessed future together. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Posted in Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: , , | 22 Comments »

Dan & Lisa Hawkins – LIFE Founders

Posted by Orrin Woodward on December 9, 2011

Today’s blog will spotlight LIFE Founders, Dan and Lisa Hawkins. Their story of overcoming ought to be shouted from the rooftops of every village, town, and city across the world. Typically, mechanics and daycare providers are pigeonholed into non-advancing careers, not speaking on stages of ten thousand plus people. However, Dan and Lisa are not your typical mechanic or daycare provider.

What’s the difference?

It isn’t talent, as everyone has the talent to develop into a leader. It isn’t connections, as Dan and Lisa didn’t have any. In fact, Dan may be the shyest person I have ever personally witnessed build the business to the PC level. (He attended four phone calling sessions without calling anyone!)

Then how did they do it?

Simply put, courage. Dan and Lisa had the courage of their convictions to go against the grain, refusing to listen to the naysayers of life; instead, they chose to pursue their dreams. They disciplined themselves to read, listen, and apply the leadership training, falling in love with the learning process. Because of their courage, because they confronted every goliath in their path, the Hawkins are now TEAM PC members and LIFE Founders.

However, their life certainly didn’t start out as a fairy tale. The Hawkins family struggled to pay their bills for years. In truth, Dan was the last person looking to get started in a people business. His quiet, shy, reserved nature was not a natural fit for community building, but his desire to win helped overcome all obstacles in his path.

Lisa, although not as shy, had to learn to complete her husband, not compete with him. Instead of criticizing her husband’s fears, she fed his faith, encouraging him on what life could look like on the other side of his fears. Isn’t that what a great marriage is about? Two people who bring different strengths to the table, learning how to complete one another? I know this is true for Laurie and me.

It took years for the Hawkins’ working chemistry to gel properly in the home and business.  Indeed, this quality is what makes them so special to the other Founders – the willingness to invest the time, effort, and love to finish what they started.

The Hawkins PC run became the Bannister effect for the entire TEAM, permitting many other couples to let go of the past and seize their victory. Congratulations to Dan and Lisa Hawkins for a job well done. You have taken two lives of “quiet desperation” and changed them forever, lighting a flame on the success path for others. Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

Posted in Finances, Freedom/Liberty, Leadership/Personal Development | Tagged: , , | 20 Comments »