No matter where I go in the country, I continue to get comments from Chris Brady and my book – Leadership and Liberty.  When Chris and I read the final transcript before publication, we both felt this book would have a major impact in the culture of our country.  Knowing leadership is not enough, unless it is applied to the world around you.  With so many points of view on politics, economics, religion etc, it can sure help to have a book that makes you think about what you believe and why you believe what you believe.  The world is changing constantly, but timeless principles will never change.  Identifying what those principles are is the essence of wisdom.  Look at the comments from Chris Brady’s article on Leadership and Liberty and add your own comment if you have read the book.  Here is a new video from Chris and I on our new book. Keep leading and learning! God Bless, Orrin Woodward

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The MasterMind Event 5 is in the record books and I am still shaking with excitement from the quality of the speakers and attendees.  A huge thank you to Art and Ann Jonak for their tireless efforts to lift the entire profession. Art Jonak, the Networker of Networkers, orchestrated a powerful seminar with the right mix of information, inspiration, and unification.  The Networking profession has officially launched the revolution.  I will give you a summary recap of the speakers for this phenomenal weekend.  Each speaker brought their own style and personality to this epic event.

Randy Gage – Randy was the first six figures/month guest speakers. Mr. Gage is a scientist in studying and mastering techniques to build a network.  He has broken down each step of the pattern into simple to use and easy to duplicate patterns for success.  Randy started networking as a minimum wage dishwasher at a restaurant and now has educated himself to multi-millionaire post-doctorate level professional.  Randy is a great example of how far you can go with hunger and commitment.  I am not shocked that Randy has built a massive community that spans the globe.

Jordan Adler – Jordan was the second six figures/month guest speaker. Jordan is a heart leader who draws people to him with his genuine love and serving spirit.  Mr. Adler had started in over 10 networking companies with no success until he struck gold when he changed himself.  Jordan shared from his personal notebook the dreams he had written while still on the journey.  It is amazing how many of those dreams have come true in his life.  Jordan proves the saying, “You don’t get in life what you want, nor what you deserve, but you do get what you expect.”  Jordan’s message gave hope and belief to the entire audience.  No surprise that Jordan has reaped the benefits of a large community by a servant’s life.

Orjan Saele – Orjan Saele was the third six figures/month guest speaker.  Orjan’s style combined massive posture with disarming humility.  Orjan’s ability to share stories that drove home points helped you ponder his message days later.  Mr. Saele made over 10 million dollars in networking before the age of 30 years old!  That is what I call professional results in a top notch profession.  I was able to catch breakfast with Orjan on Sunday morning and I can tell you that he is as genuine off the stage as he is on the stage.  I am thankful that he came over from Norway to share his power packed knowledge and business building culture.

Ken Dunn – Ken was the fourth six figures/month guest speaker.  Mr. Dunn is one of the hungriest/passionate speakers in our profession.  In fifteen minutes, he had me out of my seat pacing back and forth in the back of the room.  In six years time, Ken went from a newbie to one of the best of the best.  Ken’s passion for people and personal growth is contagious and he is still cycling up in our profession.  Mr. Dunn is a name to watch as he perfects his game and reaches his near endless potential.  Ken’s commitment to his team and his dreams is an inspiration to new networkers starting their journey.

Donna Johnson – Donna was the fifth six figures/month guest speaker.  Donna track record of leadership in this profession is unsurpassed.  Over 2000 leaders on her team have achieved rank levels that qualify them for company cars.  How did she do it?  I listened to her for 15 minutes and knew the answer.  Donna’s humble spirit and belief in people is communicated in every word and action.  People are drawn to leaders who lead with their hearts as well as their heads.  Like the old saying goes, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  Donna cares and she knows and the combination has yielded top results for over two decades.  Donna represents character and class that improves our whole profession.

Orrin Woodward – I was the last six figure income earner invited by Art Jonak.  What an honor to speak with a sold out event of some of the hungriest people in or outside of networking.  There were multiple networkers in the audience making six figures per month who came on their own dime to learn.  I believe so strongly that a rising tide lifts all ships and that the future of network marketing is in field unity and away from win-lose.  It was an honor to share the stage with so many iconic figures in this profession.

Tom ‘Big Al’ Schreiter – Tom is quickly becoming one of my favorite speakers to listen to.  His self effacing style draws the audience to him and opens their ears to hear his message.  Big Al is quick witted and you must listen closely to capture the pearls of wisdom that he cast.  Mr. Schreiter is a model for what all company owners should strive to be – winners who walk their talk. 

Richard Brooke – Richard is an owner and builder of a major network.  Mr. Brookes gave one of the most challenging talks of the weekend declaring that we must remove the gap between the owners and the field.  Communities must not make wild product claims or income exaggerations and the companies must not attempt to own people.  I believe Richard captured the future soul of networking and a model of responsible liberty that should be heard by all.  Richard closed with a powerful challenge to field leaders to do what they know needs to be done.

Michael Clouse – Michael Clouse was a guest speaker that shared his philosophy of success.  Mr. Clouse’s story of overcoming childhood challenges to develop into one of the profession’s best communicators was awe inspiring.  Michael said that people get into business with people they know, like and trust.  So simple and yet so important to know when you start in our profession.  Philosophy/world views are rarely discussed today in networking, but you will never rise higher than your thinking.  Mr. Clouse captured these principles for all of us to improve. 

I could go on and on about MasterMind 5, but I will open it up to comments from any of the attendees.  Remember, your actions in Networking affect me and my actions in Networking affect you. Let raise the whole tide by thinking win-win.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I have been reading the Great Book Series from Encyclopedia Britannica and am enjoying them immensely.  I have finished the first two books and am wrapping up the Syntopicon currently.  The Syntopicon was written by Mortimer Adler and is a compendium/discussion of the Greatest Ideas in the Great Books.  This is significantly different than my education at GMI (now Kettering) which focused on logical process thinking.  I loved the training and still use the process thinking to this day, but I missed nearly all of the Liberal Arts training. 

I watched a video recently that described what can happen if you are not educated in all areas to build a unity out of the apparent diversity.  As a Christian, my faith unites all the seemingly disparate parts into unified world-view.  I encourage you to watch this video several times and think through what the various authors communicate.  The Team Leadership is about learning and growing. Authentic personal development must begin with learning about self.  Creating the habit of reading and listening separates you from the mass of people instantly, but I encourage you to take it to the next level and give yourself a classical liberal education.  It is important to know yourself and know our history before we can lead into the future.  I am very proud of the leaders out there who are accepting responsibility for their personal growth.  I also attached a phenomenal outline by Robert Harris on what a classical liberal education can do.  It is time to repair our shattered educations. God Bless, Orrin Woodward

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On the Purpose of a Liberal Arts Education by Robert Harris

When they first arrive at college, many students are surprised at the general education classes they must take in order to graduate. They wonder why someone who wants to be an accountant or psychologist or television producer should study subjects that have nothing directly to do with those fields. And that is a reasonable question–Why should you study history, literature, philosophy, music, art, or any other subject outside of your major? Why should you study any subject that does not help to train you for a job? Why should you study computer programming when you will never write a program? Why study logic when all you want to do is teach first grade or be a church organist?

In answer to this question, let’s look at some of the benefits a liberal arts education and its accompanying widespread knowledge will give you.

I. A liberal arts education teaches you how to think

1. You will develop strength of mind and an ordered intellect. The mind is like a muscle; exercise makes it stronger and more able to grasp ideas and do intellectual work. Exercising the mind in one area–whether literature or sociology or accounting–will strengthen it for learning in other areas as well. What at first was so difficult–the habits of attention and concentration, the ability to follow arguments, and the ability to distinguish the important from the trivial and to grasp new concepts–all these become easier as the mind is exercised and enlarged by varied study.

You will also learn that thinking has its own grammar, its own orderly structure and set of rules for good use. Many subjects help the student to develop an ordered mind, and each subject contributes in a slightly different way. A careful study of computer programming or mathematics or music or logic or good poetry–or all of these–will irresistibly demonstrate the structure of thought and knowledge and intellectual movement, and will create the habit of organized thinking and of rational analysis. Once you develop good thinking habits, you will be able to perform better in any job, but more importantly, the happier your life will be. After your class in programming or poetry you may never write another line of code or verse, but you will be a better husband or wife or preacher or businessman or psychologist, because you will take with you the knowledge of organized solutions, of hierarchical procedures, of rational sequences that can be applied to any endeavor.

2. You will be able to think for yourself. The diverse body of knowledge you will gain from a liberal arts education, together with the tools of examination and analysis that you will learn to use, will enable you to develop your own opinions, attitudes, values, and beliefs, based not upon the authority of parents, peers, or professors, and not upon ignorance, whim, or prejudice, but upon your own worthy apprehension, examination, and evaluation of argument and evidence. You will develop an active engagement with knowledge, and not be just the passive recipient of a hundred boring facts. Your diverse studies will permit you to see the relations between ideas and philosophies and subject areas and to put each in its appropriate position.

Good judgment, like wisdom, depends upon a thoughtful and rather extensive acquaintance with many areas of study. And good judgment requires the ability to think independently, in the face of pressures, distortions, and overemphasized truths. Advertisers and politicians rely on a half-educated public, on people who know little outside of their own specialty, because such people are easy to deceive with so-called experts, impressive technical or sociological jargon, and an effective set of logical and psychological tricks.

Thus, while a liberal arts education may not teach you how to take out an appendix or sue your neighbor, it will teach you how to think, which is to say, it will teach you how to live. And this benefit alone makes such an education more practical and useful than any job-specific training ever could.

3. The world becomes understandable. A thorough knowledge of a wide range of events, philosophies, procedures, and possibilities makes the phenomena of life appear coherent and understandable. No longer will unexpected or strange things be merely dazzling or confusing. How sad it is to see an uneducated mind or a mind educated in only one discipline completely overwhelmed by a simple phenomenon. How often have we all heard someone say, “I have no idea what this book is talking about” or “I just can’t understand why anyone would do such a thing.” A wide ranging education, covering everything from biology to history to human nature, will provide many tools for understanding.

II. A liberal arts education teaches you how to learn.

1. College provides a telescope, not an open and closed book. Your real education at college will not consist merely of acquiring a giant pile of facts while you are here; it will be in the skill of learning itself. No institution however great, no faculty however adept, can teach you in four years everything you need to know either now or in the future. But by teaching you how to learn and how to organize ideas, the liberal arts institution will enable you to understand new material more easily, to learn faster and more thoroughly and permanently.

2. The more you learn, the more you can learn. Knowledge builds upon knowledge. When you learn something, your brain remembers how you learned it and sets up new pathways, and if necessary, new categories, to make future learning faster. The strategies and habits you develop also help you learn more easily.

And just as importantly, good learning habits can be transferred from one subject to another. When a basketball player lifts weights or plays handball in preparation for basketball, no one asks, “What good is weightlifting or handball for a basketball player?” because it is clear that these exercises build the muscles, reflexes, and coordination that can be transferred to basketball–building them perhaps better than endless hours of basketball practice would. The same is true of the mind. Exercise in various areas builds brainpower for whatever endeavor you plan to pursue.

3. Old knowledge clarifies new knowledge. The general knowledge supplied by a liberal arts education will help you learn new subjects by one of the most common methods of learning–analogy. As George Herbert noted, people are best taught by using something they are familiar with, something they already understand, to explain something new and unfamiliar. The more you know and are familiar with, the more you can know, faster and more easily. Many times the mind will create its own analogies, almost unconsciously, to teach itself about the unfamiliar by means of the familiar. It can be said then, that the liberal arts education creates an improvement of perception and understanding. (This process explains why the freshman year of college is often so difficult–students come with such a poverty of intellectual abilities and knowledge that learning anything is very difficult. After a year of struggle, however, an informational base has been created which makes further learning easier. The brain has come up to speed and has been given something to work with.)

4. General knowledge enhances creativity. Knowledge of many subject areas provides a cross fertilization of ideas, a fullness of mind that produces new ideas and better understanding. Those sudden realizations, those strokes of genius, those solutions seemingly out of nowhere, are really almost always the product of the mind working unconsciously on a problem and using materials stored up through long study and conscious thought. The greater the storehouse of your knowledge, and the wider its range, the more creative you will be. The interactions of diversified knowledge are so subtle and so sophisticated that their results cannot be predicted. When Benjamin Franklin flew a kite into a storm to investigate the properties of electricity, he did not foresee the wonderful inventions that future students of his discoveries would produce–the washing machines, microwave ovens, computers, radar installations, electric blankets, or television sets. Nor did many of the inventors of these devices foresee them while they studied Franklin’s work.

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” –Thomas Edison

“Chance favors the prepared mind.” –Proverb

III. A liberal arts education allows you to see things whole

1. A context for all knowledge. A general education supplies a context for all knowledge and especially for one’s chosen area. Every field gives only a partial view of knowledge of things and of man, and, as John Henry Newman has noted, an exclusive or overemphasis on one field of study distorts the understanding of reality. As one armchair philosopher has said, “When the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” All knowledge is one, a unified wholeness, and every field of study is but a piece or an angle or a way of partitioning this knowledge. Thus, to see how one’s chosen area fits into the whole, to see the context of one’s study, a general, liberal education is not merely desirable, but necessary.

2. A map of the universe. A well-rounded education, a study of the whole range of knowledge, produces an intellectual panorama, a map of the universe, which shows the relative disposition of things and ideas. Such a systematic view of reality provides an understanding of hierarchies and relationships–which things are more valuable or important than others, how one thing is dependent on another, and what is associated with or caused by something else. As abstract as this benefit may sound, it is just this orientation that will give you a stable foundation for a sane and orderly life. Many people waste their lives in endless confusion and frustration because they have no context for any event or decision or thought they might encounter.

3. Life itself is a whole, not divided into majors. Most jobs, most endeavors, really require more knowledge than that of one field. We suffer every day from the consequences of not recognizing this fact. The psychologist who would fully understand the variety of mental problems his patients may suffer will need a wide-ranging knowledge if he is to recognize that some problems are biological, some are spiritual, some are the product of environment, and so on. If he never studies biology, theology, or sociology, how will he be able to treat his patients well? Shall he simply write them off as hopelessly neurotic?

The doctor who believes that a knowledge of cell biology and pharmacology and diagnosis will be all-sufficient in his practice will help very few patients unless he also realizes that more than eighty percent of the typical doctor’s patients need emotional ministration either in addition to or instead of physical treatment. The doctor who listens, and who is educated enough to understand, will be the successful one. A doctor who has studied history or literature will be a better doctor than one who has instead read a few extra medical books.

The preacher, who would produce effective, understandable, memorable sermons that will reach his flock, will need a thorough knowledge of–yes–English composition and logic, that he might preach in an orderly, clear, rational manner. As writing and thinking skills have declined in recent years, so has the quality of preaching. In fact, you have probably noticed how disorganized, rambling, and consequently boring many young preachers are today–how many uncertain trumpet tones are sounding now. The preacher may be a brilliant theologian, but as long as he believes that the only rule of preaching is, “Talk for twenty minutes, say ‘Amen’ and sit down,” he will continue to be ineffective.

IV. A liberal arts education enhances wisdom and faith

1. General knowledge will plant the seeds of wisdom. It will help you see and feel your defects and to change yourself, to be a better citizen, spouse, human being. Wisdom is seeing life whole–meaning that every realm of knowledge must be consulted to discover a full truth. Knowledge leads to wise action, to the service of God and to an understanding of human nature: “With all your knowledge, get understanding” is the Biblical precept.

John Henry Newman wrote that the pursuit of knowledge will “draw the mind off from things which will harm it,” and added that it will renovate man’s nature by rescuing him “from that fearful subjection to sense which is his ordinary state.” This point–that knowledge will help a person to move from an infatuation with externals and toward worthy considerations–has been often repeated by philosophers for at least three thousand years. And if you consider for a moment the unhappiness caused by our society’s slavery to sense and appearance, I think you will agree that a deliverance from that is certainly desirable.

“Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” –John 7:24

2. General knowledge is an ally of faith. All truth is God’s truth; why should we ignore or depreciate an ally, a part of God’s wholeness of revelation? The more you learn about the creation, in astronomy, botany, physics, geology, whatever, the more you will praise the miracles he has performed. How can an uneducated man praise God for the wonders of crystallization or capillary attraction or metamorphosis or quasars or stalactites?

General knowledge provides an active understanding of the Gospel and of how it intertwines with human nature, the desires and needs of the heart, the hunger of the soul, and the questions of the mind. The more you learn about man, from history, psychology, sociology, literature, or wherever, the more you will see the penetrating insights and the exact identifications the Bible contains. Some students have remarked that, yes, they always “believed” the Bible, but they have been surprised by how modern and accurate its portrait of humanity really is.

V. A liberal arts education makes you a better teacher

But, you say, I’m not going to be a teacher. To which I say, yes you are. You may not be a school teacher, but you might be a preacher, journalist, social worker, supervisor, Sunday School teacher, lawyer, or missionary. Each of these roles is essentially that of a teacher. But more than this, you will almost certainly be someone’s friend, a husband or wife and probably a parent. As friend, spouse, and parent you will be a teacher, sharing your life’s knowledge and understanding with another daily and intimately. In fact, any time two human beings get together and open their mouths, teaching and learning are going on. Attitudes, perceptions, understandings, generalizations, reasons, information–all these are revealed if not discussed. It should be your desire, as it is your duty to God and to man, to make the quality, richness, and truth of your teaching as great as possible.

VI. A liberal arts education will contribute to your happiness

1. A cultivated mind enjoys itself and the arts. The extensive but increasingly neglected culture of western civilization provides endless material for pleasure and improvement, “sweetness and light” as it has been traditionally called (or by Horace, dulce et utile–the sweet and useful). A deep appreciation of painting or sculpture or literature, of symbolism, wit, figurative language, historical allusion, character and personality, the True and the Beautiful, this is open to the mind that can understand and enjoy it.

2. Knowledge makes you smarter and smarter is happier. Recent research has demonstrated that contrary to previous ideas, intelligence can actually increase through study and learning. Educated and intelligent people have, statistically, happier marriages, less loneliness, lower rates of depression and mental illness, and a higher reported degree of satisfaction with life.

VII. The uniqueness of a Christian liberal arts education

John Henry Newman wrote, “In order to have possession of the truth at all, we must have the whole truth; and no one science, no two sciences, no one family of sciences, nay, not even all secular science, is the whole truth. . . .” Only a Christian education can provide the missing elements of theological knowledge and revealed truth, to fill out the wholeness of truth. Moreover, the Christian liberal arts education alone provides a standard of measure and a point of verification for the knowledge and ideas you will encounter now and for the rest of your life. The acquisition of knowledge in a Christian context gives that knowledge a meaning and purpose it would not otherwise have. Often facts offered in a secular environment are sterile and disconnected because they are presented as existing only in themselves, apart from any sense of hierarchy, or any moral or spiritual purpose or implications. But our faith–our knowledge of God and his word–provides an essential organizing and clarifying framework because we can see every facet of truth in the context of the author of truth.

Christianity is not an addendum to life or knowledge, but the true organizing principle of existence, informing every endeavor with value and every person with purpose and direction. It alone answers with truth and confidence the five great questions that must be answered before life can progress meaningfully:

Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where did I come from?
Where am I going?
What is the purpose of life?

Only when these questions have been correctly answered can the next set be correctly answered also:

Why should I act?
How should I act?
What is good?
What is to be sought?

The answers each person gives to these questions will determine the quality and effectiveness, or perhaps the misery and despair, of his life. By showing the student how to find the right answers to these questions, the Christian liberal arts institution makes more meaningful and useful all the rest of the knowledge it offers.

VIII. Pertinent Quotations

1. From The Idea of a University by John Henry Newman

“[The purpose of a liberal arts education is to] open the mind, to correct it, to refine it, to enable it to know, and to digest, master, rule, and use its knowledge, to give it power over its own faculties, application, flexibility, method, critical exactness, sagacity, resource, address, [and] eloquent expression. . . .”

“A habit of mind is formed which lasts through life, of which the attributes are, freedom, equitableness, calmness, moderation, and wisdom. . . .”

“Knowledge is capable of being its own end. Such is the constitution of the human mind, that any kind of knowledge, if it be really such, is its own reward.”

“I hold very strongly that the first step in intellectual training is to impress upon a boy’s mind the idea of science, method, order, principle, and system; of rule and exception, of richness and harmony.”

“There is no science but tells a different tale, when viewed as a portion of a whole, from what it is likely to suggest when taken by itself, without the safeguard, as I may call it, of others.”

“If his [a student’s] reading is confined simply to one subject, however such division of labour may favour the advancement of a particular pursuit . . . certainly it has a tendency to contract his mind.”

“A truly great intellect . . . is one which takes a connected view of old and new, past and present, far and near, and which has an insight into the influence of all these one on another; without which there is no whole, and no centre.”

“General culture of mind is the best aid to professional and scientific study, and educated men can do what illiterate cannot; and the man who has learned to think and to reason and to compare and to discriminate and to analyze, who has refined his taste, and formed his judgment, and sharpened his mental vision, will not indeed at once be a lawyer, or a pleader, or an orator, or a statesman, or a physician, or a good landlord, or a man of business, or a soldier, or an engineer, or a chemist, or a geologist, or an antiquarian, but he will be placed in that state of intellect in which he can take up any one of the sciences or callings I have referred to, or any other for which he has a taste or special talent, with an ease, a grace, a versatility, and a success, to which another is a stranger. In this sense, then, and as yet I have said but a very few words on a large subject, mental culture is emphatically useful.”

“One thing is unquestionable, that the elements of general reason are not to be found fully and truly expressed in any one kind of study; and that he who would wish to know her idiom, must read it in many books.”

2. Others’ Views

“The whole object of education is, or should be, to develop mind. The mind should be a thing that works.” –Sherwood Anderson

“More is experienced in one day in the life of a learned man than in the whole lifetime of an ignorant man.” –Seneca

“Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.” –John Gardner 

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Chris Brady and I had the honor to be invited as a guest bloggers to the World Business Forum in NY City at the Radio City Music Hall.  The list of speakers included top economist, politicians, leadership gurus, and thought leaders.  One of my favorite talks at the conference was by Gary Hamel.  Mr. Hamel is a thought leader in the field of management and organizational change.  Gary stated that the most important innovation in the last 100 years was the science of management.  That floored me!  Even bigger than the automobile, the telephone, airplanes, radio, TV, and internet was management?  But as I thought more about it, I realized that he was right.  How you organize your company to respond to customer needs is more important than any specific technology. 

Mr. Hamel challenged the audience to rethink their vision of management.  Every person in your organization must be part of the innovation process if your company will compete for the future.  Like Peter Senge states, “A company’s only competitive advantage is its ability to learn faster than the competition.”  Is your company a learning organization where people learn, grow and innovate?  Or is it a bureaucracy where change is resisted and market conditions are denied?  Talk is cheap and unless your company is protected by immoral monopoly type conditions, the market will vote on your company. 

The original management revolution was led by companies like GE, GM, Proctor and Gamble and Toyota.  Principles like research labs, decentralization, brand management, and kaizen led the innovation curve.  Today, everyone has these management principles.  The next big innovation curve is upon us, but most companies are trying to do business the old way in the new economy.  It won’t work!  Mr. Hamel states that change is accelerating and competition is more intense than ever.  The customers have near perfect data on prices and values in the marketplace.  The race is on to generate new forms of competitive advantage.  Everyone is attempting to learn how to build a community that believes in, supports and is passionate about your company.

I believe that the biggest competitive advantage you can supply your customer is a trusting relationship.  If a company will do all of its business with the idea of doing for the customer exactly what you would want in that situation.  It is a form of the Bible’s Golden Rule applied to business.  Do to the customer what you would have your business do to you if you were the customer.  The only way to do this in a big company is to get everyone engaged in innovation and ownership of your company.  One person or a management team cannot serve all of your customers unless you plan on staying small.  Unleash the passion for excellence in everyone associated with your firm to truly capture a competitive advantage in the marketplace. 

In my view of Gary’s message, a company is formed to meet needs in the marketplace.  The management revolution in the past 100 years helped organize large companies that met those needs.  Today with the rate of change and competition, a new way of thinking about management must be developed.  Management must transform into a Leadership Revolution.  I believe the future will belong to the companies who stop resisting change.   Asking for government regulations, initiating legal battles, and top down control of employees/partners is a recipe for failure today.  Instead, companies should embrace change, embrace the freedom of customers, and embrace their responsibility to meet the customer’s needs.  Our companies must be as adaptable as we are as human beings. Is your company ready for the new management/leadership revolution?  We will all know the answer to that question in the next 5 years.  Here is a video of Gary Hamel talking on the management revolution. God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Here is a clip from a talk given to MonaVie Team members on the importance of building a business community for total success.  Success is more than just money.  Leading scholars, historians and social scientist have listed at least 5 characteristics for human happiness. 

1. Spiritual

2. Social

3. Economic

4. Political

5. Mental

Physical success could also be added to this list in my opinion.  The MonaVie Team is focuses on providing the principles to improve each area of a person’s lives.  True success is improving in every characteristic necessary for happiness and peace of mind.  What good is it to have monetary gain but have no friends?  What good is it to have many friends, but no spiritual peace?  Focus on improving all areas of your life.  The objective of the MonaVie Team is to help you on your journey to total success.  Watch the video and start your improvement journey to success.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Orrin Woodward Interview   Orrin Woodward Author 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABmj3Hj286w&w=425&h=344]

Here is a hilarious video on reading the fine print. Enjoy! God Bless, Orrin Woodward [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKdIKP1arF0&w=425&h=344]

The latest Top 25 Leadership Gurus in the world has just been released by an independent organization. This is a special post for me personally as many on this list have made a significant impact on my life.   This post is to thank all of the leadership guru’s on the list who have made a difference in my life.  Below is the latest list of the Top 25 leadership gurus.  Through this list, I can show how important it is to read and learn for your own personal development.  No one is a self made person.  It truly takes a team in anything to win, but especially when it comes to leadership.  Here is the list with my comments on each person’s role in helping me to grow.  I have not read all of the leaders on the list, but I do plan on picking up their materials and learning from them.  Here is the Top 25 and the Best of the Rest:

1. John C. Maxwell – John wrote the first leadership book that I read called Developing the Leader Within.  This was the first book that convinced me that I could change and become a leader.  Thank you John for sharing your thoughts with the world!

2. Stephen Covey – Outside of the Bible, Stephen’s book, the 7 Habits, affected my outlook on character and doing the right thing the most!  This is a book for all-time and will never go out of style as it is based upon timeless principles.  I thank you Mr. Covey, for sharing your profound wisdom.

3. Rudy Giulliani – I recently picked up Rudy’s book and look forward to delving into it. I have followed his meteoric rise and appreciate how he helped transform New York.  That is what leaders do – drive change & that is why Rudy is on the list.  Keep leading Rudy as America needs it.

4. Tom Peters – I read Tom’s book, In Search of Excellence back in college.  Tom is a visionary that I follow to see what he is thinking.  One of the things that I appreciate about Mr. Peters is that I know he will stretch my thinking.  Keep thinking and leading Tom.

5. Jack Welch – Jack’s book, Straight from the Gut, is a powerful read.  Jack is not afraid to make the tough decisions and as a leader you must make them.  Jack taught me that as a leader, you cannot make everyone happy, but you must help everyone on your team be productive.  Jack has made a huge impact in leadership.

6. Meg Whitman – I have not read Meg’s leadership material and I look forward to doing so.  She has clearly made an impact and I look forward to studying her leadership thoughts. 

7. Anthony Robbins – Anthony wrote a couple of best sellers that I read in the mid 90’s.  Both started me thinking and believing that I could do more if I expanded my vision.  Robbins started the ball rolling that I could be more than a no people skills engineer.

8. Ken Blanchard – Ken is a legend in the corporate training field.  I really appreciate Ken’s Christian testimony and leadership thoughts.  Mr. Blanchard has led, taught, and lived his life with an uncommon class and dignity.  His books have made a difference in me.

9. Mark Driscoll – I have been hearing comments about the leadership of Mark and look forward to reading his thoughts.  Mark is stepping out of the crowd through his leadership and vision.

10. Ram Charan – Ram’s book Execution is a must read.  I promoted this book to anyone I met for several years.  Ram breaks complex thoughts down to the simple principles that must be focused upon. 

11. Robin Sharma – I have not read Robin’s books, but have picked them up to read and review.  I have heard many great things from others and look forward to learning from him.

12. Jim Collins – Jim Collins book, Good to Great is one of my Top 5 leadership books.  I read this book at the right time and it had a major impact in my thinking and belief.  I have sold thousands of his books to others.  Jim is one of the writers that makes me continue to think long after I have put down his books.

13. Mike Myatt – Mike is another leader that I can’t wait to learn from.  This is another case of a top leader that slipped though the cracks.  I will not let that continue and will review further after reading his materials.

14. Marshall Goldsmith – Marshall’s book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, is filled with wisdom to help people breakthrough to the next level.  Marshall’s book helped me improve my ability to mentor and I am thankful that he shared his thoughts with the leadership community.

15. Warren Bennis – Warren in one of the legends in the leadership field.  I have read several of Warren’s books and have enjoyed them immensely.  Mr. Bennis recognized early the crucial need for leadership to guide our country through times of change.

16. Tim Ferris – I recently finished Tim’s book on the 4 Hour Work Week.  Tim is one of a select few that can make you think outside of your current paradigm.  Tim is not afraid to go against the crowd to obtain what he desires.  An excellent book to get you thinking and changing.

17. Sydney Finkelstein – I have not read Sydney’s materials to date, but will read and post a review.  The fact that he is on this list tells me that he is making an impact on the leadership community.

18. Tony Dungy – Tony’s book, Quiet Strength was impressive.  The book is filled with nuggets of wisdom derived from life, coaching, and personal challenges.  After reading Tony’s book, I felt that I knew him and have become a big fan of his leadership style.  His Christian faith is inspiring to other Christian leaders.

19. Jack Canfield – Nearly everyone has read the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, but Jack has also written some of the most powerful personal improvement materials.  I enjoyed his book, The Success Principles and applied many of his points immediately.  Jack’s books are must reads.

20. Deepak Chopra – I have portions of Deepak’s books and thoughts.  Deepak makes you think about how your actions affect others and helps you to start improving yourself.  Deepak helps you to understand that inward change must precede outward change.

21. Harvey MacKay – I have read several of Harvey’s books and have enjoyed them all.  Harvey is a businessman who has walked his talk.  A powerful speaker and writer, you cannot go wrong reading any of his leadership materials.

22. Clayton Christensen – Clayton is another leader that I look forward to reading and learning from.  I will review when I have completed some of his materials.  Congratulations to Clayton for making the Top 25.

23. Brian Tracy – Brian has written extensively in the areas of sales, personal development and leadership.  All of his books will make a difference in your life and I highly recommend his books to improve your leadership.

24. John Piper – John is an excellent writer that has written top notch Christian books. John’s book, Don’t Waste Your Life, is a wake up call to many.  Reading John’s books will strengthen your faith and desire to doing something great for God’s Glory.

25. John Baldoni – I will delve into John’s materials and review shortly.  John is clearly making a difference in the leadership field and I look forward to learning from him.

Best of Rest in Alphabetical Order:

Art Petty – I have not read Art’s materials but will shortly. Congratulations on making the Best of the Rest category.

Carly Fiorina – Carly is one of the top CEO’s in America.  She has led high tech companies and I have read many of her articles.  I recently picked up her book and look forward to reading and learning.

Colin Powell – Colin has led a life of leadership wherever he has worked.  Colin is an inspiration because of his drive to make a difference and his character to do it right.  I have his book and plan to read.

Jim Rohn – Jim is a living legend in the personal development field and his book 12 Pillars is one of my favorites.

Orrin Woodward– I am honored to be on the Best of the Rest list.  I would like to thank my Creator for blessing me with an opportunity to grow and change.  Second, I would like to thank my wife Laurie for patiently giving me 10 hours a day to read and write.  She is a true blessing in my life!  Third, I would like to thank Chris Brady who is my co-author and leadership partner.  Chris and I can sit down for a couple of hours and all of our ideas are better due to the incredible synergy.  Chris can take any of our thoughts and capture them in the written word better than anyone that I know.  I share this recognition in full with Chris Brady. Fourth, I would like to thank the incredible Team of Leaders that I am honored to work with.  We are on our way to 1 million and beyond. You are the best!

Patrick Lencioni – Patrick’s books on Dysfunctions are must reads! I have enjoyed his wisdom and thoughts in all his books.

Steve Farber – Steve’s books have been highly recommended by other leaders close to me.  I plan on reading his books soon.  I will review them when I have finished reading.

Wayne Dyer – Wayne is a student of success and personal improvement.  He has written many top selling books and has made a significant impact in the leadership field.

I thank everyone on this list for their role in improving the leadership community worldwide. In my opinion, the world is ripe for Launching a Leadership Revolution and everyone must step up to the plate and learn from this inspiring group of leaders to make a difference in your communities!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

If you are going to hit a goal, you must have a goal.  Goal setting is critical for high achievement!  A person without a goal is like a ship without a rudder – directionless.  Leaders set their own goals and help their team’s set goals.  Do you have a goal? Here is a short video on goal setting. God Bless, Orrin Woodward  [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FOhhdy__vY&w=425&h=344] Orrin Woodward Photo   Orrin Woodward Elevision  Orrin Woodward LLR

My good friend Art Jonak is putting together another World Class Mastermind Event!  Some of the top networkers in the world will be gathering in Houston to share principles of building a long term network.  Art is ‘The Networker’ of Networkers and is one of the most selfless servants of the profession that I know.  I am proud to be a networker and proud to be associated with so many incredible leaders in the networking profession.  It is time to take Network Marketing mainstream! God Bless, Orrin Woodward [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHJ1e8tfjRc&w=425&h=344]

Here is a helpful personality test to help you understand yourself, your family, and your friends.  The Meyers-Briggs test takes less than 10 minutes to take, but it will help open up a lifetime of improvement in working with people.  The 16 personality types are listed below.  Take the test and share what you scored and what you learned.  After the test is a more detailed description of your personality type.  Remember, all personality types can lead and succeed.  The most important part for all personality types is a dream and developing character.  Enjoy the test! God Bless, Orrin Woodward

ISTJ – The Duty Fulfillers

ESTJ – The Guardians

ISFJ – The Nurturers

ESFJ – The Caregivers

ISTP – The Mechanics

ESTP – The Doers

ESFP – The Performers

ISFP – The Artists

ENTJ – The Executives

INTJ – The Scientists

ENTP – The Visionaries

INTP – The Thinkers

ENFJ – The Givers

INFJ – The Protectors

ENFP – The Inspirers

INFP – The Idealists