Here is another tear jerking story of a young man name Jason McElwain.  It is a true story of persistence and dream fulfillment.  I loved this video and love what it represents.  The human spirit to overcome in the face of adversity inspires others to overcome!  Enjoy the video and please share your thought on this video.  The announcer said, “What we all want is a shot.”  This is what we offer to people as we build our MonaVie Team businesses.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

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The Leadership Challenge is a must read in the leadership field.  Both Chris Brady and I had read the book before writing our NYT and WSJ best seller Launching a Leadership Revolution.  I highly recommend Kouzes and Posner’s book to any aspiring leader on their journey up life’s mountain.  I will share their five points for transformational leadership from the book.  Study these and see if you are exhibiting the five points for transforming your team’s results.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Transformational Leaders – Five Principles

1. Change the Process – Leaders drive change by working on the process.  If the process is not changing and improving, then the leaders are not leading.

2. Inspire a Shared Vision – You as a leader have to provide direction and inspire them to reach it.  Everyone should know and be inspired to hit 1 million people.

3. Enabling Others to Act – Provide the team methods that allow people to move forward.  Help remove obstacles that hinder people from accomplishing the team’s goals.  The Team PC is constantly asking what can we do to help people grow faster.

4. Encourage the Heart – Reach out and touch people’s hearts the same way we would use logic to help them make decisions.  The Smile/Validate video is a perfect example of encouraging the heart.

5. Model the Way – Lead by Example.  The Team PC is in the hunt with the rest of the Team leaders to reach our goals and dreams together!

Update:  Here is a longer video thanks to reader Matt Foote.

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I watched a fascinating interview of Will Smith this morning.  Will Smith has skyrocketed from an unknown dreamer to one of the top superstars in the movie industry.  His meteoric rise was by design, not accident.   Watch the following interview from the Tavis Smiley show.  You can feel the enthusiasm and belief flowing out of Will.  Do you have this type of enthusiasm and belief in your life?  I believe that Will Smith is successful at any endeavor that he focuses on because he has a hungry learning spirit.  It is obvious that Will reads voraciously and dreams big dreams.  Listen to some of the quotes from this interview.

I don’t want to be an icon.

I want to be an idea. I want to represent possibilities.

Your in a universe that says 2 + 2 = 4.  2 + 2 is going to be what I want it to be. 

The power of making a choice in your life.

Just decide!  The universe will get out of your way.

I want to represent the idea that you really can make what you want.

I can create whatever I want to create, if I can put my head on it right,study, and learn the patterns.

We are who we choose to be.

Update:

I consider myself an Alchemist. An Alchemist took lead and made gold.

My grandmother taught me that if life gives you lemon then you have to make lemonade.

The only thing that I see distinctly different about me is that I will not be outworked period.

You might have more talent than me, might be smarter than me, might be sexier than me, all of those things you have on me in nine categories, but if we get on a treadmill – you are getting off first or I will die!

I am going to get back in or I will be dead.  You will not outwork me.  The guy who is willing to hustle the most will get the most loose balls.

Achievement is based on hustle, outworking and staying ready so you don’t have to get ready!

As I read these quotes and watched the interview numerous times, I realized that Will Smith believes – “When the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.”  Here is what this quote means to me – that anything you are lacking in life, you can develop.

Not good with people? – Change that fact!

Don’t have any money? – Study, Learn, Grow, Save! – Change that fact!

Didn’t grow up on the right side of the tracks? – Move to the right side of the tracks. – Change that fact!

Knocked down and criticized? – Get back up and win! – Change that fact!

Any reason that you can state as to why you cannot win, is actually just a fact that you must change on your journey to success.  You can make a million excuses or you can make a million differences, but you cannot make both! God Bless, Orrin Woodward

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I watched this video and it brought tears to my eyes.  This describes exactly the mentality of a true MonaVie Team leader.  Success principles are success principles in any high level team achievement. To win as a team, you must buy into a bigger cause than yourself and play your part.  Boise State, a smaller school, in 2006 finished an undefeated season by beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Listen to the video and read these quotes that were shared! God Bless, Orrin Woodward

1. We were playing for anyone who feels that they didn’t stand a chance.

2. We talked about setting goals and meeting expectations by taking it one game at a time.

3. We bought into the system.

4. You have to believe in something bigger than youself.

5. We are going to win as a team and family or die as a bunch of individuals.

6. You need to have a Blue Collar mentality – You tough it out and do what you need to do in order to be successful.

7. If we finish, play hard and keep doing that consistently, obviously, we are going to win some games.

8. A sense of belief just because of the preparation we put in.  A sense of belief that these guys don’t know what’s coming to them.

9. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

10. Do not take counsel of our fears, our naysayers or the unknown.

Today’s post is on one of the best communicators in America’s history, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones.  I read Charlie’s book Life is Tremendous very early in my leadership journey and it made a significant impact.  Charlie’s style of speaking is focused on helping you to think through the issues for yourself.  After 14 years of knowing and learning from “Tremendous” Jones from afar, I was finally blessed with getting to know him personally.  No communicator can lift me up when I am down like Charlie Jones!  I bought a tape of his in 1998 and literally wore it out by listening to it nearly a hundred times.  When I felt that I couldn’t go on, I would pop in Charlie Jones and he would tell me to quit quitting!!  One of my favorite quotes was, “It is time to stop listening and memorizing and start thinking and realizing.” I listened to a greatest hits CD from Charlie Jones three times yesterday!  The last time, I had my children listen to it also because it was so impactful.  Charlie told all of us to stop having a hard heart and soft skin and learn to have a soft heart and hard skin.  Life is too short to be offended all the time.  Plus, offended people cannot serve others because they are too focused on themselves.

Charlie passed away a few months ago, but his message lives on in the hearts and minds of the millions of people that he affected in a positive way.   The world needs more men like Charlie Jones, men who will stand for truth and encourage others to learn truth for themselves.  Charlie was a true Christian and the lived his life by the principles of the Good Book.  He fought cancer for over a decade, but you would never hear him complain.  He thanked God everyday for another day to share his teaching with his fellow human beings.  Charlie’s spirit of empathy for others would never allow him to have sympathy for himself.  That is an attitude of gratitude and a spirit that all leaders must develop.  If possible, I am going to get the best of Charlie Jones and offer it as a CD selection in the Team.  It is too good not to share with the incredible leaders on the Team! 

I thank you Charlie, for leading a life worth emulating.  There will never be another Charlie Jones, but his example will inspire others to be an original in a world of copies.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward 

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Words of wisdom from the greatest basketball player of all-time! God Bless, Orrin Woodward

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I discovered some great news today.  Guy Kawasaki’s new site Alltop has included this leadership blog in its Alltop Leadership category.  This blog is listed just a couple of sites below Seth Godin’s blog! I have followed Guy Kawasaki since his book Selling the Dream.  Over a decade ago, I bought this book because I loved the title.  After reading it, I thought the content was spot on also.  We need to sell the dream to people and then teach them how to accomplish that dream.  I believe strongly in the principles that Kawasaki teaches in the book on evangelizing your products and services.  The best products in the world without a passionate and enthusiastic community to share the benefits with others will not succeed.  If you don’t believe in your product, how can anyone else?  Guy has succeeded in many endeavors by focusing not just on making money, but in making an impact in our society.  Kawasaki’s mission ties right in with the Team’s goals of Having Fun, Making Money and Making a Difference.  I am not sure how this blog was selected for the list, but I am honored and will continue to provide first rate leadership teaching to the incredible reader audience on this blog.  When Chris Brady and I wrote our book, Launching a Leadership Revolution, we had no idea that it would hit #1 on the Wall Street Journal best seller list for two weeks in a row.  But I do know that a key ingredient was the evangelizing from our blog audiences.  More evidence that a committed minority can make a huge impact!  Enjoy your family time during the holidays and set a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) for 2009.  2009 is the year to shine! God Bless, Orrin Woodward

This talk, in 1964, launched Ronald Reagan’s presidential aspirations.  This was given as a paid for ad to help Barry Goldwater’s failed presidential run.  Listen to the principles discussed and please share how many of these issues are still relevant today.  Techniques may change, but principles never do.  Ronald Reagan lived his principles and we need a few good leaders to live their principles again.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

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I had the privilege to be invited as a guest on the Art Jonak Show, a video program for Network Marketing.  I was introduced to Art through an interview that Chris Brady and I did for Networking Times.  Art has quickly become a good friend and his vision for taking the Network Marketing field mainstream is in line with the leaders of the Team.  Art has accomplished many things in life, but what impressed me most was his heart for people and his humility to learn and grow.  Art’s show brings the best of the best in the Networking field and discusses the principles that build and unite large organizations.  I met some incredible leaders in both the Network Marketing and the Social Networking field.  Talk about a Mastermind group!   On Wednesday night, the group met for dinner and discussed the industry and the leadership challenges to take networking mainstream.  Then on Thursday, Art interviewed the top leaders, one after the other.  Art had a full day of interviewing the best minds in networking for his show.

When you meet Art, it doesn’t take long to realize that he is the consummate professional.  His ability to focus on what is relevant during the interview and what will resonate with the audience is impressive.  There is a fine art to proper interviewing and Art has mastered not only the art, but the science of a good interview also.  By asking the right questions and creating the right atmosphere, Art draws out the leader to share their key ingredients that lead to success.  I am now officially calling Art Jonak – Networking’s Networker.  Art has built key relationships with the biggest and best leaders in the entire industry to serve in taking the networking field mainstream.  The MonaVie Team community plans on playing a huge part in helping to carry this vision to fruition.  We must focus on building numbers, building volume, and building solid win-win relationships throughout our teams.  Are you ready to take Network Marketing mainstream?  Then it is time to sell out to your dreams, the pattern and personal development to become the person necessary to live your dreams!  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

I received an inspirational message from Don Poole, one of the assistant coaches at the Muskegon High School  football team in Michigan.  I had met Don at an open meeting where I was speaking at in Grand Rapids during the summer.  Don read Chris and my #1 Wall Street Journal best selling leadership book and then introduced the book and principles to Head Coach Tony Annese.  The entire coaching staff incorporated the principles from Launching a Leadership Revolution into the culture of their team.  Here is the first email that I received from Don.  Unfortunately, with my schedule booked 30 days in advance – I could not make this speaking engagement at short notice.  I do plan on congratulating this group of young leaders in person at my first opening!

Hello Orrin,

My name is Don Poole, Mark Vanbeek is my upline.  I had the amazing opportunity to hear and meet you this past summer at the Hudsonville open. I coach football at Muskegon High School.  After reading your leadership book, I let my head coach, Tony Annese read it.  He loved it and read it 3 times, we then developed a leadership class based on the book to inspire some young leaders.  In Hudsonville you offered to speak to our team if we made it to the finals. Well this past weekend we beat Lowell (#4 in the nation) and now we face Davidson in the semi-finals.  I feel very confident that if our young leaders show up and play the way they have all year we will be at Ford Field house on Nov. 28^th 1:00 pm.  I am just wondering if your offer still stands, and hoping it could work out for you to talk to the team the day of or the night before. If you might be available to speak to our team I can give more concrete places and times.  We usually spend the night before the game some place near Flint. Thank you in advance for your time, wisdom and inspiration that you have given Tony Annese, our team, and lastly myself.

    Sincerely,

    Don Poole

They generated a study guide from the book and many of the young leaders volunteered to go through the book study to improve their leadership.  The results were phenomenal! The goal of any leadership team is to create a Culture of Excellence.  Muskegon has created this Culture of Excellence through Tony Annese’s leadership!  They started as an unranked team of mostly underclassmen and finished number one in the state of Michigan in their division.  This is an exciting testimonial to the power of leadership in a persons or teams life.  Here is Don’s description of the playoffs. 

A little update about our season.  We were playing Davidson for the semi-final game at Michigan State University.  As I had stated previously if Muskegon showed up and played the way we had against Rockford(Div 1 State Champs) or Lowell (Ranked #1 in the state, top 25 in many national polls) Davidson would be little challenge for us.  Well on that Saturday Nov.22 our kids showed up but just had a combination of adversity, bad luck, poor performance, needless to say we had 6 turnovers, 3 unforced.  The score was 35-19 with 4:30 left to play, our kids were upset and discouraged, nothing was going our way, Davidson was driving on our 20yd line with a 1st down.  Our kids, not wanting their dream to end fought hard and stopped Davidson and got the ball back with about 4 minutes.  On The first play we hit a big pass play 78 yd touchdown.  Now we needed a 2pt conversion, it failed stopped by an 1 inch. 35-25 with 3 minutes left.  We went for an onside kick and got it( we do this every week in practice and only have gotten 1 in about 40 attempts).  Then we went down and scored again, needing an extra point to make it a three point game we missed it score now is 35-31.  Now we had the impossible task of kicking another onside kick, get it and score with less than 2 minutes and no timeouts.  Our kids not wanting to let their dream and season end lined up, knowing this was our only shot.  The kick was bad wasn’t going ten yards but a Davidson player not seeing tried to block our player and the ball hit him in the back and we recovered it. Then with no time outs we went down and scored with 43 seconds remaining. Davidson got the ball back and moved it to our 40yd line then we intercepted it in the end zone on a hail mary to preserve the win. 

We went on to Ford Field and faced Warren Delasalle, Catholic league Champions, 13-0.  We played great and with 3 minutes left the score was 34-7, they scored against our 2’s & 3’s making the final 34-14.  Muskegon is Div. 2 state champions, #25 in USA Today paper, Top 5 in many national prep polls. The cycle of achievement was a part of our success along with some of the leadership lesson’s from Chris and your book.  Thanks again and Maybe something in the future will work for an opportunity to speak to the team.
Don Poole

This has the makings of a movie with the Dream, Struggle and Victory all included.  That is what life is about, getting a big worthwhile dream and spending the rest of your life chasing it.  You will have setbacks, naysayers, fans, coaches, mentors, and heartaches, but you must finish anyway.  With or without the dream, you will have the struggles, but with a dream, you will know that you did something worthwhile to help others.  I salute the Muskegon High School football team from head coach Tony Annese on down for their Dreams, Struggles and Victories.  Take the lesson learned here and apply them to all areas of your life for the rest of your life.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Are you applying the principles from Launching a Leadership Revolution in your life so you can launch your revolution?