Who Needs Enemies?

Today I want to talk about the word enemies. This is one of the “5 common words that create failure” an article found on Inc.com. These are five words that should not be in the vocabulary of a leader. Leaders need to avoid these words and they will be better off in their leadership journey.

Today we are on the second word, enemies. In leadership there is no place for enemies. Competition yes, but not enemies. Competition will help build character, help you work harder and help you create a network. Enemies cause divisiveness and animosity and will eventually lead to loss of your leadership expertise.

Last year I ran for a Division Governor role within Toastmasters. It was a contested race so I had to run against someone else. I didn’t win but instead of being upset and holding a grudge toward the person who beat I extended my services to help in any way I can to make the division a successful one.

This type of gesture will go a lot further than making enemies. I have had now an opportunity to build my leadership skills because of it and next time I run more people will remember me and I will hopefully win next time I run.

Leaders don’t create enemies they create a network of friends and partners that will help them and others be successful leaders. Be a leader not an enemy

Luck, Who Needs It?

During the next five days I am going to discuss an article from Inc.com I read about the “five common words that create failure.” It fits well with the mindset of a leader. A leader has to have words that will illicit success not failure.

The link above will allow you to read the article as a whole I will expound on each of the words in more detail putting my personal perspective on it.

The five words are Luck, Enemy, Rejection, Hate and But. Today I will look at why Luck is one of the common words that create failure.

If you depend upon luck you are not doing anything to create the success yourself. You are just looking for something to help bail you out. Luck really doesn’t require any hard work on your part it really shouts to a lazy way to reach success.

Think about the lottery. People buy lottery tickets and sit back and wait for the numbers to roll their way. If they don’t win they try again the next time. People are looking for that instant success but leaders need to create long term success through their hard work and dedication to their followers.

Luck also allows for an easy escape if there is failure. You can easily discount it to bad luck but then your success could be attributed to good luck. A true leader doesn’t depend on luck they create their own successes and yes, sometimes they fail but they learn from their failures. By learning from the failures they grow as a leader.

Be a true leader and create your own success and don’t depend upon luck.

Servant Legend

I put a shout out to a leader group on Linkedin to see if they could nominate anyone for the Legends of leadership piece that I do. So far I have received three good suggestions. Today I am adding my next person to my list of Legends of Leadership.

It is my belief that the best type of leadership is Servant leadership. It is the highest calling of leadership it allows the leader to serve and thus lead the way that others should serve. With that in mind the latest addition to the legends of leadership is Robert K. Greenleaf (1904 – 1990). Robert Greenleaf is the founder of servant leadership although he wasn’t the first to perform this style of leadership he is the one who coined the term “servant leadership”.

Most of the following information can be found on the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership website. What does Mr. Greenleaf’s resume and accomplishments look like?

RESUME:

·         Director of Management Research at AT&T

·         Lecturer and Teacher at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Harvard Business School, Dartmouth and University of Virginia.

·         Speaker, writer and consultant

·         President and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

·         Published “The Servant as Leader” essay which launched the servant leadership movement.

·         Coined the term “Servant Leadership”

·         The Center for Applied Ethics was renamed the Robert K Greenleaf Center.

·         Wrote other books  on Servant Leadership

Robert Greenleaf’s legacy and legend lives on every time a leader practices servant leadership. It is through his great work in this field that we as leaders can grab a hold of a leadership style that will bring satisfaction to our lives.

The Great Minnesota Get Together

It has started. A Minnesota tradition that has transcended time and generations. That event is the Minnesota State Fair. Every year for 12 days at the end of August people come to the Minnesota fair grounds located in Falcon Heights Minnesota. They come to be entertained. They come to entertain. The come to eat and they come to watch the best that Minnesota has to offer.

The fair has changed over the years but the one constant is the hunger for any food on a stick. My daughter won tickets to get into the fair and we are all looking forward to going. We have made a list of all the things we want to eat, see and do at the fair. The list continues to grow.

State fairs are a great opportunity for leaders to spend their weekends or even a day off with family. It is a fun time but extremely exhausting. I don't go every year so it is more special to me because there are new things to see every year.

Here are something I like to eat at the Great Minnesota Get Together.

· A malt in the dairy building.

· Pronto Pup

· Mini Donuts

· All the milk you can drink booth with a bucket of Sweet Martha Cookies (No I won't eat them all we share them as a family)

· Corn on the cob

And this year I want to try the Fish Tacos. They sound wonderful.

I'll write about my recent adventures in a future blog.

Praise not Blame

Yesterday I started a series where I post a leadership quote and then discuss. Today I am posting my second quote. I also would love to have your analysis of the quotes that I post.

Today’s quote:

 "I praise loudly. I blame softly." (Catherine the Great, 1729-1796.)

A short and sweet quote, that I think sums up leadership in a nutshell. This whole year I have been writing often that leadership is about people and how you treat them. As this quote says praise the people loudly. Let others know that you appreciate what they do and how they do it. If there is a problem and things go wrong the leader needs to be quiet about it. Talk softly and in private to those who are to blame.

A leader doesn’t want others to perceive there is a problem on the ship. Blame and problems are kept quiet but resolved. It is important that you sweep the problems under the rug but instead address them quietly and resolve them.

Instead a leader wants everyone to see a ship sailing smoothly in the water. Loud praise helps lift the spirits of those on the team and it also sends a message to others of unity and clear sailing.

Follow these two simple principles and you will find your leadership sailing smoothly through the water of life.

Leader versus Boss

I would like to give you a quote on leadership and then give you my spin on the quote. I will do this over the next few blogs and the next few days.

"People ask the difference between a leader and a boss.... The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads and the boss drives." (Theodore Roosevelt)

I like this quote because it really defines very quickly the difference between being a leader and a boss.  

Essentially a leader leads people. They show others the way to go and they blaze the path for innovation and vision. A leader wants others to see them work because they want the followers to follow and be guided by the vision of the leader.

On the other hand a boss drives or another word for that would be boss. A boss bosses people around. They tell their people what to do. They really don’t have vision they just know what needs to get done and they tell others what to do. The boss sits in their office dictating to others what needs to be done but they don’t blaze the way or show them how to do it correctly.

Which one of these are you? Are you a leader or a boss?

What do you think of Theodore Roosevelt’s quote? Is he correct in what he says or is he off base?

Smart Career Move

Yesterday I blogged about ways that leaders can help followers make that career change. Difficult as it might be for a leader to lose good people it happens that people need or want to pursue other goals. Gone are those days of someone graduating from college and finding an entry level position in their field and then staying at that company working their way up the ladder for 40 years.

Today I will give you some ways the Leader can help make that career change for him or herself. Maybe they want to be a leader in a different area or a completely different field.

Here is the article again.

BOSTON, MA -- Q. I am 35 years old and have been in sales since college. I don't feel any satisfaction from my current role and am considering a change to the creative side of marketing. People say I'm too old to make such a big change. Your thoughts?

A. You have 15 years invested in a career that is no longer fulfilling, and you have at least 30 more years to work. Working 30 more years in a field that doesn't bring you enjoyment will be much harder than a job search you start today.

You are absolutely not too old to make a career change, and changing roles, functions or industries is just another type of career plan. Your career plan needs to chart a course toward a new role. People make all sorts of big and small career changes at a variety of ages. People go to law school, get MBA's or MSW's regardless of what their previous careers are. They decide to teach or to quit teaching. They transfer to a new role within their current employer. They change industries. What they know is that they'll get older regardless of whether they pursue a new career or not. So develop your plan. Don't assume this will be a one-step career move. It may be, but it may take 2-3 career moves to help you make the transition you are hoping for.

Here are the things you can do to help make that career change easier.

·         Network – Connect with those people you know. Find out if there is anything you can do for them.

·         Go back to school if necessary. I did this a few years ago and earned my MBA in leadership.

·         Study and educate yourself on what it takes to get the job you want. Maybe even investigate companies that you want to work at.

·         Make sure your resume is up to professional standards.

o    You might even consider paying to have an analysis of your resume to match the position you would like.

If you do these four things and you will be well on your way to that career change.

Career Move

I read an interesting career question today and it got me thinking, what role do leaders play in the careers of their people? You may even think about a leader making a career change. I received this article in an email from Career News, it was abridged from the Boston Globe.

BOSTON, MA -- Q. I am 35 years old and have been in sales since college. I don't feel any satisfaction from my current role and am considering a change to the creative side of marketing. People say I'm too old to make such a big change. Your thoughts?

A. You have 15 years invested in a career that is no longer fulfilling, and you have at least 30 more years to work. Working 30 more years in a field that doesn't bring you enjoyment will be much harder than a job search you start today.

You are absolutely not too old to make a career change, and changing roles, functions or industries is just another type of career plan. Your career plan needs to chart a course toward a new role. People make all sorts of big and small career changes at a variety of ages. People go to law school, get MBA's or MSW's regardless of what their previous careers are. They decide to teach or to quit teaching. They transfer to a new role within their current employer. They change industries. What they know is that they'll get older regardless of whether they pursue a new career or not. So develop your plan. Don't assume this will be a one-step career move. It may be, but it may take 2-3 career moves to help you make the transition you are hoping for.

Here are some things leaders can do to help those who are interested in career changes after many years in the same role or the same type of job.

·         Leaders should encourage their people to follow their passion.

·         The leader should find ways in the jobs of their people to utilize their talent and help them to grow that passion.

·         The leader should help find opportunities within the organization to help that person expand their talents and passion.

·         It is never fun to lose employees but a leader could help the person network to find a job outside of the organization. Especially if there aren’t opportunities within the organization.

o    It is better for the leader to help the person find that opportunity than to keep them and make them disgruntled or disengaged.

Tomorrow I will address the things the leader can do for themselves if they want to make that career change.

It's A Zoo

Sometimes leadership can feel like a real zoo and a leader has to get away from it all and escape from the zoo of leadership. I had that opportunity yesterday when I spent the day at the Como Zoo with the kids. It is always fun to spend the day with the kids.

If you are not from Minnesota we have two zoos in the Twin city area. One is the Minnesota Zoo and one is the Como Zoo. The Como Zoo is smaller but it is free and is run on donations. There is also a small amusement park attached. Plus there are multiple picnic areas. All of this makes for a great day on a small budget.

One of the polar bears from Como Zoo
Picture taken by my daughter

We enjoyed the animals; we saw the seal and the polar bear from the flood stricken Duluth zoo. The only animal we didn’t see were the wolves. They were in hiding. Before we finished seeing the animals we went out to the car and had our picnic lunch in a grassy area near some gardens. After lunch we went back to finish with the primate section. They are building a new outdoor facility for the gorillas.

After finishing with the animals we spent time in the amusement park. My four year old son tried his hand at a couple of the bigger rides accompanied by his 14 year old sister. He survived the Pirate Ship ride but didn’t last on the good old Tilt-a-whirl, he was crying so they let him off the ride. He still went on another ride but more for his age and we shared a car in the bumper cars and rammed his sisters a few times.

It was a fun time and we came home exhausted. Just as leadership can be a zoo leisureship can also be a zoo if you spend it at one having fun with you kids.

Today we ventured out to the Mall of America. That is for another blog and another day.

Lonesome Leadership

Leadership can be lonesome. Once you become a leader those who you used to hang out with and socialize with somehow shun you. They don’t always include the leader in their personal discussions or the camaraderie they may have.

It doesn’t have to be that way it is up to the leader to make sure that it doesn’t become an “us versus them” situation. Sometimes the leader is the one who starts to associate only with other leaders and not with the followers or the co-workers.

Leader shouldn’t be lonesome. It is a people position and it isn’t about the leader it is about the people they lead. That is why the leader needs to include others and make sure it is about the followers.

Here are some things to do to make sure you keep leadership a people role.

• Find out what your people like.
• Ask them about their day or weekend.
• Be genuinely interested in their life.
• If possible include yourself in department activities. If the group goes out to lunch and they invite you, go if you don’t have a meeting.
• Be a leader in this area as well by suggesting ideas for department bonding.

Do these things and leadership won’t be lonesome and you will find you will be grooming the next round of leaders.

Frustrated

Today I am going to throw a question out there and I would like to see your responses in my comments. The question today is “What is your most frustrating part of being a leader?”

We learn by asking questions and we learn buy understanding what makes ourselves and others frustrated. What happens when a leader is frustrated is that they can let their guard down and lose control of situations. A leader needs to either be in control or always seem like they are in control.

The one thing that frustrates me as a leader is when people don’t listen and they don’t do what you expect of them. When this happens it sometimes means extra work for the leader or taking extra time to explain the process. In the busy world of leadership you want people to get it right the first time. To be fair it may not be their fault it is important that you as the leader explains things clearly the first time.

Here are some things the leader can do to prevent them getting frustrated when people don’t listen.

• Explain things clearly.
• Ask for them to repeat the instructions.
• Follow-up to make sure things are going well.
• If it is a long project set up one-on-ones to talk about the progression.

If you follow these four things it hopefully will help eliminate some of the frustration you might feel. It doesn’t matter what your frustration might be these four things will help alleviate the frustration.

What frustrates you?

I'm Listening

How many of you remember the show “Frasier”. It starred Kelsey Grammer as a radio psychologist doling out advice over the airwaves. His phrase when people would call up his radio show was “I’m listening”. Leaders should take this advice and use that phrase as a way to better understand the needs of their followers.

I am focusing on listening over the next several days. It is a skill that all leaders should embrace and improve upon if it is a weakness. Listening helps leaders better understand needs and then can react to meet the needs of their followers.

If you take Dr. Frasier Crane’s advice as a leader and say “I’m listening” I think you will find that your followers will open up and will want to follow your vision. Here are some things to do to make sure that you are listening.

• Hold a one on one meeting with your followers and let them do the talking.
• Ask for input about how things are done and if the suggestions are reasonable implement some of them.
• Show you care by thanking them for a job well done and rewarding them if possible.
• Get to know them personally then during the day you can always ask them about things you remember about them.

If you do these things it will tell your followers that you are listening and that what they say does make a difference. Far too often leaders get caught up in their own vision and fail to see the bigger picture and the impact it has on those around them. From now on make “I’m listening” your leadership motto.

Lost Listening

Leadership is about communication. If a leader can’t communicate they can’t express their vision and others will be unable to grab a hold of the vision. There is a part of communication that is becoming a dying art. That part is listening. I have been observing and I think less people out there are good listeners.

Listening is essential to understanding the needs of others and then being able to react to those needs. This is one of the components of a great leader. However, I believe listening is becoming extinct. More people want to hear themselves speak and pontificate instead of listening and serving the needs of others.

Take some time to really observe conversations and see if I’m not right. You will listen to oneside of the conversation and the other person will then talk about something completely different. It is no longer about the other person but it is about the “me”. It has almost become a competition, can you out anecdote the other person without really listening or even speaking with value.

I like to pride myself on the fact that I am a good listener. You know you are a good listener when you know more about the person you are speaking with than they know about you. Isn’t that the best way to sell to someone? Ask them about themselves and find the product that best fits their needs.

Once you have listened and understood what was said you can communicate your plan and your vision. If you have been listening then your plan and vision will meet the people’s needs. When that happens they buy into your vision and they in turn want to listen, communicate and serve.

Be a leader, Be a listener!

Golf Tournament

This leadership blog that I have created discusses, analyzes and explores everything about leadership. If you have been following my blog you might say that the weekends I deviate from the idea of leadership and explore activities, events and fun things to do. I call that leisureship. All leaders need a break from the craziness that can be leadership. What I decided to do with my blog is present leadership throughout the week and leisureship on the weekends. With the leisureship portion I highlight some things that Leaders can do during their time off to refresh and renew.

Today I spent the morning at the annual Deluxe golf tournament. I have been attending this for five years now and I am really enjoying the time I spend at it. It is a scramble format and we form our own teams. I was the captain of our team and we had a great time despite me not golfing as well as I would have liked. As a team we shot 2 under. We had to use 4 drives from each player with three holes to go our team had to use 2 more of mine and one of someone else’s. See how poorly I was driving. Fortunately I hit two good drives on the first two holes of those three and we ended up doing well. Of course we didn’t win.

Thank you Deluxe and Oak Glen for another great tournament and another year of fun on the course. 

If you are a leader you may be invited to participate in tournaments of this sort. Accept those invitations and go have fun. Even if you aren’t much of a golfer these types of tournaments fit well for all levels of golfers. The next time you have some time off go golfing and enjoy the camaraderie and the fun side of a frustrating game.

Of course this weekend was also the PGA championship and those players make it look easy. Playing in a best ball scramble format helps us duffers feel like we can play with the McElrory’s of the world.

Gold Leadership

Today we finish our look at Olympic leadership by claiming the gold medal of leadership and standing proud to say that we have reached the pinnacle of leadership. That doesn’t mean that once you are working at the gold standard of leadership that you sit back and don’t look to improve. Regardless of what level of leadership you are at you always want to look for ways to improve and make yourself even a better leader.

What does it take to be a gold leader?

Let me share an Olympic story. A few days ago the Men’s 400m race was run. The gold medal winner of that race was Kirani James from Grenada. It was the first medal won for the country of Grenada. It was what Kirani did during the semis that makes him a real gold medal winner. After he won his semi final race he went over to a South Africian runner, Oscar Pistorius. Kirani exchanged name tags with Oscar. It is my understanding that this is a sign of respect to the other athlete. You see, Pistorius is a double amputee and the first one to compete against able bodied competitors. Kirani James gets it, the Olympics is about the human spirit exceeding all expectations to do and be the best you can be. The true winner in the games is Kirani and Oscar.

To be that gold leader you must do the following.

• A gold leader is a servant leader. Serving others and seeing the true value in those around you.
• A gold leader has a vision that isn’t about themselves but about the success of others.
• A gold leader makes decisions that allow them to be change agents.
• A gold leader has the respect of everyone because of their knowledge and their unselfish leadership.
• A gold leader is brave and willing to go and do things that have never been done before.

Be a gold leader be like Kirani and Oscar, go where no one has gone before. Be a true gold leader by serving others and becoming that servant leader. Envision yourself standing on the top podium earning the applause and respect of those lives you have touched with your leadership. Go for the Gold!!

Silver Leadership

Today it is time to look at what it takes to be a silver medal leader. Yesterday I looked at bronze leadership tomorrow will be gold. As I had said in my previous two blogs being silver or bronze isn’t like losing it is just being at a different stage in your leadership journey.

On the Olympics today a US track athlete (Lashinda Demas) was favored to win the Women’s 400 hurdles but ended up earning the silver. Afterward during an interview she said she wouldn’t stop until she earned the gold. She said she will be back in 4 years.

That is one of the marks of a silver leader.

• A silver leader never gives up and continues to work hard toward the gold.

What are some other marks of a silver leader?

• A silver leader is making some smart decisions.
• A silver leader has the respect of some top people within the organization.
• A silver leader has a vision and is working on gaining followers to accept and embrace the vision.

Silver leadership is the next podium up from bronze leadership but there is still work to be done. Silver leaders recognize that they are doing a great job of leading but they want to continue to improve. They have made the most of their leadership capabilities but they want to be better leaders.

I think a lot of leaders fall into this category and are content with their leadership. Others want to go back to the leadership drawing board and comeback as gold le

Bronze Leadership

What does it mean to be a bronze leader? As I said in yesterday’s blog I am going to add a little Olympic flair to the idea of leadership and look at what it takes to be a gold, silver and bronze leader. Today we are looking at the bronze leader. In the Olympics the difference between third and first can be a matter of hundredths of seconds or hundredths of points.

Bronze leadership isn’t bad it represents an emerging leader a leader who might make some mistakes but a leader who is working hard to be a great leader. Bronze, silver and gold leadership all represent different levels of leadership. In some parts of leadership you might be a bronze leader but in others you could be a gold leader it all depends on your reaction to the situation and your ability to lead in those situations.

What does it take to be a bronze leader?

• A bronze leader has definite leadership ability.
• A bronze leader makes mistakes but works hard at improving those mistakes.
• A bronze leader is gaining respect from those around them and receiving recognition from other leaders.
• A bronze leader is working on crafting a vision that followers can embrace.

At this year’s London Olympics Ryan Lochte a top swimmer for the USA finished third in the 200 backstroke and earned a bronze medal however in the 400IM which includes the backstroke he won the gold medal. Lochte has definite ability and is a premier swimmer but the 200 back may not be his best. Being a bronze leader requires you to do well but not perfect.

Are you a bronze leader? It is possible that you are beyond this level of leadership over the next two days we will look at silver leadership and gold leadership.

Olympic Leadership

If you have been watching the Olympics I hope you have been enjoying the competition. With each event they give away a bronze for third, silver for second and gold for first. Leadership is a lot like the Olympics. It isn’t about being first or competing with other leaders instead it is about working hard to do your best that you can do. Athletes in the Olympics have reached the height of their sport. They have worked endless hours and suffered injuries to reach this level of competition.

Over the next several days I will look at the gold, silver and bronze level of leadership. It isn’t that one is better than the other but it is more like one is a step closer to the other. Sometimes in the Olympics the difference between first and third is a mere hundredths of seconds. One small error can move someone from the gold medal favorite to the silver medalist. You also well see athletes who four years ago came in third but worked hard over the four year period to reach gold.

In the women’s gymnastics vault final last night everyone said that the gold medal was McKayla Maroney’s. No one could beat her and she nailed her most difficult vault But her second vault found her falter on her landing. Needless to say she won the silver not the gold. The difference was a mistake. Leadership is like that one small mistake can tak you from golden leadership to silver leadership.

Each day I will look at each of the individual medals and how you can achieve each as a leader. I hope you enjoy my Olympic leadership series.

Art Fairs

It is the weekend and time to explore ways that leaders can relax and enjoy some leisureship. I have been spending time on Fridays looking at a numbfestivals from around the nation.  Today I am going to look specifically at art fairs.

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Uptown Art Fair
August 3 - 5

Every year in the city of Minneapolis in a wonderful urban neighborhood called Uptown the Uptown Art Fair is held on the first weekend of August. I had the pleasure of volunteering at this event about 7 years ago and it was a lot of fun volunteering. I also got to view a lot of great art work, meet some great artists and enjoy the people who attended and volunteered. It is art work in all mediums so whatever your fancy you can find it at the Uptown Art Fair.

FEATURES:* Professional works of art ranging from limited editions to one-of-a-kind treasures in each of 12 media including sculpture, painting, ceramics, jewelry, mixed media, and more. Over 350 talented fine artists from around the world!
* Tomorrow’s Stars youth art fair in Calhoun Square- the future of the Uptown Art Fair
* Festival food and ice-cold beverages from over 20 vendors
* Non-stop entertainment- ranging from reggae to magic- on the performance stage located in the Old Chicago parking lot
* Wine for tasting and purchase in the newly expanded outdoor wine garden located at Old Chicago
* Interactive art activities at the Family Imagination Station
* A Culinary Arts Competition pairing up local chefs and artists to compete while creating dazzling art

Other Notable Art Fairs
New York City, New York
Parallax Art Fair
August 3 - 5

NYC will be held at New York’s Premier Event Venue, 82 Mercer. It is a direct art-to-consumer experience that makes a uniquely refreshing conceptual statement about subjectivity and the commoditization of taste. It offers an intellectual framework where visitors can dare to be themselves for a change.

Parallax Art Fair grew out of an international exhibition called Parallax that was conceived and curated by Dr Chris Barlow in London at the Royal Opera Arcade. Parallax AF London is now into its fourth edition and has exhibited object makers of every kind from all over the world.

Why Do We Need Leaders?

In an earlier blog I gave my opinion on what I thought leadership was and who can be a leader and why we need leaders. In subsequent blogs I gave what others have said about leadership. Today I give you three others opinion on why we need leadership.

From MGR Consulting:

The leader’s primary role is to envision an outcome then enable and empower his or her team to achieve that vision. Strategic thinking enables the leader to articulate the vision.

As Ralph Nader said,

"The function of leadership is to produce more

leaders, not more followers.”

In the highly competitive and highly volatile world we live in, those with great leaders will do great things. Those with ineffective leaders will flounder. Great leaders have created every great society.

From John P. Kotter on MSN News:

Leadership is required for mobilising people to handle challenging times. In a world that has no challenges, things are fine and you don't require leaders. In such a world you don't need to mobilise people for handling any crisis. But unfortunately in our world we have huge number of challenges in the government, non profit and business sectors; we have many challenges in the developing and the developed world.
From Leaders Direct

Leaders, like other heroes, are often good role models - they help us learn how to meet our own goals and function independently. Even the most confident need to benchmark themselves against those who seem better at them at something. As in sports, no one would really excel if there was no one to beat. Ideally, we want a balance of independent confidence and role models to learn from.

We need leaders to guide and direct. We need leaders to inspire and motivate. We need leaders to be role models and those we can aspire to be. Without leaders we would be lost. What do you think?