Leadership and...

Leadership and Leadership Conferences

Pete Blank — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:28:06 GMT

I just returned from the 2012 American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) conference in Denver. While this conference is designed for "trainers and training managers", I am always surprised with how many sessions are on leadership...

Listed below are a sample of sessions that were offered...

- Empowering a New Generation of Leaders: Ten Things They Must Know
- Courageous Leadership: Using Courage to Transform the Workplace
- Do Leaders Need to Make Employees Happy?
- Tomorrow's Successful Leaders
- The Neuroscience of Leadership: Understanding the Brain to Create Better Leaders
- Aim High: Learn how the Air Force Develops Civilian Leadership
- Orchestrating Collaboration, Leadership and Innovation Through Music
- Meta-Cognitive Approach for Global Leadership Competency Training
- America's Got Talent! It's Called Global Leadership - Start to Finish
- Lost Secrets of Effective Leadership Training
- What the Bleep do we know about Global Leadership and Multicultural Effectiveness?
- Building a Successful Leadership Development Program: A Collaborative Experience
- No Money, No Problems: Stretching your Leadership Training Dollars
- Maximizing the Transfer of Leadership Learning Back to the Job

...and all of these were only from SUNDAY! There were still more sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

My point - Leadership is still the foundation of any successful organization, and many of us still don't have it right.

I am honored to be on the board of directors for the Blue Ridge Conference on Leadership. We host an annual Leadership Conference in October in Asheville, NC. Watch our 90 second promo video for this years conference below, or click HERE to watch it.

If you are looking for a reason to spend a couple of days in the Great Smoky Mountains watching the leaves change in October, then this might be the conference for you.

To learn more, go to www.blueridgeleadership.com, and I hope to see you there!

Leadership and People...People who need...people...

Pete Blank — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:04:59 GMT

Babs once sang that "People, People who need people, are the luckiest people in the world..."

As a customer, I need people.

Everytime I call a company and get a phone tree, I will always push zero in the hopes that it will bypass the system and get me to a person.

I know you do it too.

Ally Bank has done a nice job with its current branding regarding customer service. If you have not seen their "blender" commercial, click here or just watch it below.

I was at Wal-Mart last night looking for a travel shaving kit. Boy, it took a long time to find. I tried housewares, then by the suitcases, then over to toiletries, and finally I found it in the women's make-up section.

I planned to ask the door greeter where I should look, but I forgot they were downsized...and replaced with this sign.

Blenders...signage...what's next?

Neither are a good replacement for good old fashioned human interaction.

How is your company handling its customers?

Remember,

People...need people...

Leadership and Ickypoo

Pete Blank — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:44:35 GMT

John Maxwell often says that "Leaders are Readers," and I agree 100%.

Last week, I read The Hunger Games in 3 nights. I saw it as a way to bond with Madison, my 14-year old daughter. It worked. Now we can have chats about Katniss and Peeta, and I have become the cool dad...for about 2-3 days.

Then I will be back to being a loser dad.

Last Thursday, my co-workers and I volunteered to read to elementary school students at Bush Hills Academy in Birmingham, Alabama. It was part of a three-day initiative called Birmingham Reads. It was put on jointly by Better Basics and three other local non-profits.

Over 700 volunteers read books to over 14,000 students in the City of Birmingham School system. Ayla Russell, Stephen Owens and I were excited about this opportunity to have an impact in children's lives.

We did not read The Hunger Games to the students. Ours were more age appropriate. Titles like Curious George for the Kindergarteners, Fluffy for the first graders, and even Ickypoo for the fifth graders.

Stephen made a rookie error. In his attempt to be light and approachable with his first grade kids, his conversation went like this...

Stephen: "Hi kids - today I am going to read a book to you titled Fluffy! It's about a cat. Do any of you have a cat?"

Child One: "I used to, but he died..."

Stephen: "I am so sorry to hear that."

Child Two: "My kitty cat died too..."

Stephen: "Wow, yours died as well. That is really sad."

Child Three: "I used to have a kitty, and..."

Stephen: "OK, ALL RIGHT! I UNDERSTAND. Let's move on. Let's get started with the book titled Fluffy."

Rookie error. Just read the book...

I recommend making an OUTLOOK reminder on your calendar right now for March 1, 2013. Set yourself a reminder to check www.birminghamreads.com. The website will most likely be active again next year, and this is a great event...for both the volunteers AND the kids.

If you are not from the Birmingham area, do a google search for your local literacy council, junior league, or other non-profit that works with children's literacy.

The latest numbers show that only 56 out of 100 high school freshmen will graduate high school.

That is a scary number.

Could it be that they never found a passion for reading?

You could be that passion for them as a leader...

because...leaders ARE readers.

Leadership and I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream... (Part Deux)

Pete Blank — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:58:35 GMT

So who was right regarding the great ice cream scandal of 2012?

Paul, one of my friends, told me that I should have just ordered a brownie a la mode, asked for a second scoop of ice cream, told them to "hold the brownie", paid for whatever the final amount was, and everyone would have been happy.

Note: Sounds like a scene straight out of "Five Easy Pieces!" If you have not seen the infamous restaurant scene from this 1970's Jack Nicholson classic, you can view the short version here.

Should Zippy have served me the ice cream?

Or was I just one of those annoying customers who can't follow the rules and is always looking for an exception?

It depends...on SO many factors.

First of all, I think she had every right to follow the policy of the store and follow the training that she received. Therefore, she was correct to not serve me ice cream IF...

- she was following policy
- she was told by a manager to not sell individual scoops of ice cream.

However, I am not sure that was the case here. The fact that the manager admitted to me that "we can sell you scoops of ice cream" leads me to believe that there must not be a hard and fast policy...

Or if there is, then this manager has NO problem pulling the rug out from her employees - which may also be the case...but that creates a whole new can of worms.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to empowerment!

So, take this concept and apply it to your environment and ask yourself if your employees are empowered?

After working at Disney for 13 years, I truly believe that empowerment = inconsistency. Once you start empowering employees, you have to be prepared for them to make some mistakes along the way.

But so what?

All of us learn through teachable moments. If this employee felt empowered, she would have served me the ice cream. Then, if that was the wrong decision, she could have been coached on other options by her manager.

Lee Cockerell, a former VP at Walt Disney World, used to always say that "...there are two types of decisions you will make in life: reversible and non-reversible. Thankfully, over 95% of your decisions you every make will be reversible."

So when it comes to ice cream, or retail, or finance, or whatever business you are in, you can really enhance your customer experience with the following...

- Make sure all employees know the difference between a policy, a law, a rule, and a recommended action.

- Make sure all employees feel empowered to make the right decisions at the time.

- Make sure you, as a manager, create an environment of trust and respect where employees can flourish
.
- Make sure you, as a manager, are always coaching and developing your employees when they make mistakes.

Next time, I'll just pack a sack of astronaut ice cream...

Leadership and I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream...

Pete Blank — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:25:15 GMT

Thanks to everyone who read and kept up with the 7-part series on our tornado experience. We are very blessed with all the comments and prayers that you have sent our way.

But for now, it is time to get back to sharing more leadership lessons. While not as heart-stopping as a tornado, I hope you will find this next story just as exciting.

My family and I just returned from a trip to Walt Disney World. Many of you know that I worked there for 13 years. It is a world class organization when it comes to customer service...

But even Disney makes mistakes...

or do they?

Here are the facts as they happened last week.

Sherri, Madison, Logan and I were in the Magic Kingdom Park and just finished watching the 10:00pm fireworks.

The park also closed that night at 10:00pm, but the shops and snack areas on Main Street U.S.A remain open until about 11:00pm or so.

I am not one to walk with the masses towards the exit, so I decided this would be a great time for us to get some ice cream from the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor. We could all enjoy a scoop or two, sit on a park bench, and watch the sea of humanity exit the park. FYI - We were staying at a Disney Resort, and the buses run late as well, so we were in no real hurry.

At 10:30, I approached the ice cream parlor, only to see that it was closed for refurbishment.

I like ice cream...

I wanted ice cream...

This presented a slight problem, and seemed to be a detriment to my master plan.

However, not to fear...as right next door was the Main Street Bakery, and it was still open.

"I wonder if they have ice cream," I thought to myself.

By the way, if Sherri were telling this story, she might add that I had a crazed look in my eyes, and that I was searching for Ice Cream as if I needed it to survive. She was worried that another defeat in the now infamous ice cream search could lead to a serious mental breakdown.

I don't remember it like that. I just wanted ice cream...VERY BADLY!!!!

Upon meandering into the Main Street Bakery, we head into the queue line, where I search the menu on the wall for those magical dairy words. I see sandwiches, brownies, pies, cakes, etc...

No luck!

BUT WAIT!

Underneath the options for 'tempting desserts' on the menu, I see the Disney Magic I was looking for...

Available a' la' mode.

I truly believed that the heavens parted, and a giant ray of light descended from above and shown directly onto the words "a la mode."

I think I heard angels singing.

A great day at Disney was about to be topped off with exactly what I wanted...ice cream.

I step up to the counter and confidently place my order...

"Hi there! I am just looking for two scoops of ice cream."

"I am sorry, sir. We don't sell ice cream."

Pete Befuddled - "I know that. But I do see that you can serve desserts a la mode, so I would just like the a la mode part."

Cast Member Now Befuddled - "We can put a scoop of ice cream on top of any dessert. If you would like a brownie or piece of pie, we can add ice cream."

Pete moving from befuddled to shocked - "I understand that. But I know that you have ice cream, and I don't want the brownie. I would just like two scoops of ice cream."

Cast Member Still Befuddled - "No sir, I am sorry."

I then paused with a look of bewilderment. The Cast Member looked back with a hint of sympathy, but more of a look of "please move along now."

And then, as if coming to the rescue of her fellow team member, ZIPPY moved in to assist.

Note - Zippy was not her name, but I don't know a single person named Zippy, so I thought it would be a good moniker for this story.

Zippy spoke at me.

"Sir, we cannot sell you ice cream by the scoop. We do not have a way to sell that to you. If you would like another dessert with ice cream on it, we can do that, but there is no way for us to sell you two scoops of ice cream."

Note - At this point, Sherri might tell you that steam was coming out of my ears, my face was reddening, and I had veins popping out of my head.

I stand by my version, which is that I calmly said "thank you" and began to exit the bakery.

But wait! On the horizon...what do I see locking up the front doors to the bakery?

It's...the manager.

I know it's the manager as she is carrying about thirty five hundred keys on her keychain.

As a leadership trainer and a connoisseur of feedback, I must share this experience with her. It is not just my right...but my duty!

Note - at this point, Sherri and the kids have walked away as they know what is about to happen. She is not a big fan of me when I give feedback to employees across the world.

"Excuse me, ma'am, are you the manager?

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"Well, I just wanted to share some feedback with you. I really wanted ice cream tonight, and I know that the ice cream shop next door is closed..."

"Yes, they will reopen on Friday," she replied.

"I know, but I wanted ice cream tonight. When I tried to purchase some from the counter, they would not accommodate me. Can you tell me..."

She interrupted me.

"Oh, we can get you some ice cream."

Insert a look of incredulousness on my face here.

"Actually, I just tried to get some, and they told me they could not get me any."

"Really. No, we can get you ice cream. Please come with me."

As we turned to walk back towards the counter, I made eye contact with Zippy...

She had the most horrified look on her face. She KNEW that I had received the "all clear" for ice cream, and who knew what was going through her mind. I decided to let her off the hook.

"Actually, ma'am, it's OK. I don't really need any ice cream anyways. But thanks for letting me know".

...and I politely headed out the door and made my way towards our bus.

Or, as Sherri might say, I huffed and puffed and decided to take my toys and go home.

Now, here is the million dollar question.

Who was right?

I just wanted ice cream. They had ice cream. Apparently, the manager thought it was OK to give me ice cream.

However...

The Bakery must have had a policy. The policy was to only sell ice cream as an a la mode option. They were "not allowed" to sell individual ice cream.

So who was right?

I have the answer, and will tell you next week.

But if you want to chime in, feel free to comment. I would love to hear what you think!

Leadership and You say TorNEIGHdo, I say TorNAHdo (Part 7 - FINAL)

Pete Blank — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:45:20 GMT

This is part seven (and the final part) in a multi-part series...

As all four of us walked up our main road, I still was not comprehending what had happened.

We sat in the back of an ambulance for about 10 minutes...

until they rescued Bob from his home.

He was coming towards us in a stretcher and they needed the ambulance. He was conscious, but looked like he was hurting bad. We later found out he also protected his daughter by laying across her, and he was rewarded with a punctured lung, cracked ribs, and a leg that was broken in about 10 different places.

He was in the hospital for a few weeks, but is out now and going through the rehabilitation process.

We then moved to the fire chief's truck, where we waited for about 30 minutes. We watched more of our neighbors walking out towards the main road. Some we knew...some we did not know. Yet we felt strangely close to each and every one.

Sherri's Mom and Dad were there with their car, and we eventually all got into their SUV and drove back to their home in Clay...about 10 minutes away.

They are being so great to us. We are currently living with them as we rebuild on the same lot. We have a builder, and hope to be back in our home by the Fall Holiday season.

The events of January 23, 2012 will forever be etched in our memory. I have already told my kids the date will be so easy to remember...1-23-12 (one-two three-one-two).

I have learned so much from this experience - leadership lessons, humanity lessons, family lessons and so on. While there is no way I can thank everyone in this blog post, I can share just a few things that I am taking away from this...

- There is nothing more important than family.

- If you treat people right, they will be there for you when you need them.

- I thought I was a "giving" person. I was wrong.

- Target sells men's dress shoes, and they are very comfortable and inexpensive to boot.

- Your insurance company will want to see your house plans if you lose your entire house in a tornado. They need them to know what to pay you for your house. I had my plans...in my house! I should have kept them elsewhere.

- Everyone tells you to keep a video or written inventory of your home contents. I never did that. Now I have to fill out a 1,175 page document listing everything I every owned from memory. This should be fun...

- I love my wife and kids with every ounce of my being, and I am glad we all survived.

-As much as I love them, I love Jesus even more.

- Always keep a pair of shoes, helmet, and flashlights in your tornado safe room.

- People who experience a tragedy together seem to have a common bond that brings them closer. I only knew about 25% of my neighbors before the tornado, and now I feel like I know all of them, and want to get to know them even better.

- I learned that Social Media is POWERFUL. At 5:32am on 1-23-12, Madison, my sweet 14 year old daughter, posted the following on Facebook:

"For everyone who has been praying thank you so much! My family and my dog are all ok. We are now in an ambulance keeping dry. Our whole house is gone but things can always be replaced. I praise God for keeping my family safe!"

Within minutes, the world of social media began to spin. Facebook and Twitter were all a flutter and our phones began to ring. It was amazing to see how fast news can travel these day.

- I love that Madison mentioned Lulabelle (our yellow lab) in her post.

- I love that my daughter praised God in her post. I love her heart and spirit

- Finally, I learned that I will never be able to pay back the gift cards, money, time, and prayers that has been given to us over the past 2 months. I can promise you that the Blank family intends to pay it forward more than we ever have before.

The next time I post, it will not be about the tornado. It's time to move forward and re-focus on leadership.

Thanks to God for being the ultimate leader...

Leadership and You say TorNEIGHdo, I say TorNAHdo (Part 6)

Pete Blank — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:08:31 GMT

This is part six in a multi-part series...

There were many firefighters, volunteers, and rescue personnel who helped us that morning, but two special people are Wade Cox and Wesley Cox.

This father (Wade) and son (Wesley) both work in the fire and rescue service. Not only did they get us out (along with many others), they also came back to our home on Wednesday to check on us.

Then they stayed at our home, along with other members of their family, and helped us attempt to reclaim as many contents as we could.

They stayed for over 6 hours.

Here is their story in their own words:

Wade: When Wesley (my son) and I parked out on Deerfoot and walked into the subdivision on that cold, wet, rainy Monday morning, we saw nothing but total devastation.

There were already crews at the first house on the right. We walked down the main street (Jonathans Way) and noticed many residents walking out.

One of the most ironic things was that the call to 6229 Jonathans Way (my house) was one of the first calls to be dispatched. The call was for four people trapped in a basement. Normally, when I am off duty (as I was this night), it takes me a while to get up and get going. But I felt like I needed to get up right away and go assist where I could. My wife actually told me "You NEED to go!"

Once we got to the middle of the block, Wesley walked across the street to help in a basement that was accessible.

Wesley: I arrived and saw some other guys that I knew, including Lt. Hank Moore and Ricky Vest and other guys from Engine 32.

After my dad yelled at me to come over and help, I tried to come in from another angle. I saw a stairwell that had fallen down and thought if I used an ax, I could punch through that and we could perhaps crawl in. But as we still did not know exactly where you were, we decided against that.

Wade: The whole time I kept wondering to myself what I was looking at. I was trying to assess what i saw vs. what it was.

There was just debris on top of debris on top of debris. Your house had so much devastation. It looked like the the first floor had moved and shifted back to back and that assisted with all the walls coming down.

There we so many contents that had fallen in and down. You were covered by so much debris, but also by wires and plumbing and all that other stuff that gets in the way. We finally located where you were, and on top of that area was a Bible.

Wesley: There was another guy in the hole with us. We really were not sure who he was or where he came from. It took a while to clean off all the rubble and it was nice to finally get to the drywall. I began to punch through it and pull it back.

Wade: I was on the garage side of the basement, and locating where you all were was very, very hard. You all kept yelling that you were "laying on the couches." We had no idea what that meant as we did not know where the couches were. All we saw was a huge pile of rubble.

Wesley: The whole front wall was on top of you, as well as two other walls. Lots of bricks. We removed Madison and Sherri, but it took us longer to get you and Logan out. The wall on top of you was very heavy. It took three of us just to lift it off of you.

Wade: Logan (my 10 year old son) scared us most of all. Once we broke through, it seemed as if all of you were talking except for him. We were really concerned for a few minutes.

Part of that was because we told him to look down and close his eyes while we were breaking through everything. He did a great job, because he did not move at all.

It probably took about 45 minutes...maybe less, maybe more...from the time we arrived to the time we got you out.

It was tough to get Lulabelle out. Once you all were safe, she was our last one to get, but she was so scared and wedged herself under the coffee table. It took a little bit of pulling, but we got her out.

Wesley: The thing I will never forget is the smell. It was such a distinct combination of rain, drywall, natural gas and so on. It was an eerie smell.

We will always be connected to Wade and Wesley Cox. I know that anyone could have rescued us, but these men truly connected with us.

It's funny to hear Wesley talk about the smell. As soon as I shared this with Madison, she reminded me that she had said the exact same thing. Logan tends to remember the loud noise that was associated with the tornado, and Madison will always remember that smell.

We walked up the street from our house that morning. Sherri's mom and dad were waiting for us in our driveway. I remember one of my neighbors walking side by side with me holding a flashlight down on the road so that I could see where I was going. There was a tremendous amount of glass, wood, nails, and other materials all over the road. Without him, I surely would have needed a tetanus shot.

Sherri was carried out by a stranger. They insisted that they piggyback her out from our house to the main entrance of the subdivision. The amount of people who helped us has strengthened my trust in the human spirit.

As all four of us walked up our main road, I still was not comprehending what had happened.

In my next post, I will share what happened (both in front of my eyes and in my mind as well) as we sat there in the rain at the front of our subdivision and waited for our neighbors...

Leadership and You say TorNEIGHdo, I say TorNAHdo (Part 5)

Pete Blank — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:16:07 GMT

This is part five in a multi-part series...

"WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU OUT! THERE IS A LOT OF RUBBLE AND MATERIALS THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE. HANG TIGHT! THIS MAY TAKE SOME TIME."

and then...for the first time...I was truly scared. In fact, I was about to be the most scared I had been all morning.

And with good reason.

I was so scared because I started to think ahead to how they were going to get us out. They were going to have to walk on top of all the rubble...and that was going to push us down even further. I was worried about have multiple people walking on top of us, stepping wrong, and then something falling down and smushing us.

This post has taken me longer to type than the others. I wanted to talk with the firefighters who rescued us. In addition, I have been receiving correspondence from our neighbors on their experiences. For example, here is an e-mail I received earlier this week from my neighbor Matt. He lives two doors down from me...

"Hey Pete...I'm your neighbor from two doors down. I yelled my lungs out for your guys about four or five minutes after the storm came through. I had the sickest feeling in my stomach you can imagine when I did not hear any response (two floors of debris does have a bit of a muting effect on sound). I cannot express adequately how thankful to God I was to see you guys walking out.

It has been pretty tough driving past the desolation of all the homesites headed to and from work each day, but I remind myself of the miracle that everyone on our street made it out alive as I pass each homesite, and it helps..."

That's a scary feeling to think that people were yelling for us before the rescue personnel arrived, and we could not hear them.

As we finally heard the voices of the rescue personnel, we got very excited. We now knew that help was right above us, and our goal was to remain calm...

Which was difficult when we heard the following dialogue...

"I think they are right under here."

"I've got an ax if that helps."

"NO! Don't use an ax! Their heads are very close to this area."

Funny how they were so specific about our heads. If they were going to use the ax and it might split open my leg, that would be OK. But let's not use it, as it might split their heads open.

Great, I thought. We made it through a tornado and now I was going to be axed to death...

Luckily, the ax was not used, and the rescue continued.

We continued to lay flat and breathe as calmly as we possible could. We heard the rescuers moving lots and lots of debris off of us. They were throwing bricks and cinder blocks. They were pulling back pipes and moving furniture off to the side. They had to do some serious work to get to us.

Again, Sherri and talked afterwards that although we should have been ecstatic, we were both still very worried.

The more debris they removed, the more they got closer to us...

And the closer they got to us, the more it hurt when they walked on top of the debris that was laying on top of us.

"YOU'RE SQUISHING US! YOU'RE SQUISHING US!" I yelled!

This was the loudest I had yelled the whole time, and as I mentioned, it was the most scary time for me. I was already flat on top of Logan, and I worried that I was going to suffocate my own son if they kept applying that pressure to us.

"Hang in there! We have to move around to get this debris off so we can get to you!"

And I understood that. They really had no choice.

I later learned that this is the point where Sherri began to smell gas. I knew that we has a gas heater in our basement, and I am sure the gas lines to the fireplace and outdoor grill had been severed. Although I was not smelling it, it sent a sense of fear and panic through Sherri.

We continue to wait...and listen...and pray...and wait. It seemed like forever, but must have been only 20-30 minutes.

And then we heard the voices MUCH clearer and MUCH louder.

It happened just like it does in every disaster movie you have ever seen.

All of a sudden, a hand punches through a layer of wet sheetrock. A combination of rainwater and light from a flashlight poured into our basement. The hand moved around and removed a larger piece of drywall and pulled it away.

We could see our rescuers...

and it was a GREAT feeling.

They punched through very close to Sherri and Madison. I could now see more helping hands pulling back wood beams, drywall, and bricks.

What a sense of relief as I could barely lift my head to look forward. I saw them pull out Madison and lift her up. They then could get to Sherri as well and help extricate her from the rubble.

I was so happy! I could look up and see my two girls standing on some type of wood floor looking down at me. They were safe...

I was so disoriented that I did not know what they were standing on. It looked like some type of large flooring piece that resembled a diving board. It was as if they were very high up looking down on Logan and me. I still thought my house was standing, which made this visual even harder to comprehend in the moment.

It took them about 15 more minutes to remove Logan and me. The wall that was pinning us down was big and heavy, and it took 3-4 guys to lift it up. They also had to break through some more drywall to get to us.

I remember them yelling "LOGAN, COVER YOUR EYES AND LOOK DOWN." He did just that. When they finally broke through over us, I remember a wet glove, covered in drywall, coming down from above and wiping all the wet sheetrock and mess off of Logan's head. He had kept his head down for so long that the drywall covered up his entire head. You almost could not see him.

They pulled Logan out and rushed him to the curb to see a paramedic/nurse and make sure he was OK.

And once the wall was off of me, I was finally able to stand up...and it was a great feeling.

I looked up into the sky and saw George Logan. George is a really good friend of mine. Our son's are in the same 4th grade class, and we both coach Little League. He was standing on top of a brick wall looking down at me, and he had this total sense of relief look on his face.

Of all the people I expected to see at that time, he was not one of them. He lives up in Clay about 10 minutes from my house. When he and his wife heard the tornado go through, he called my house to see if we were OK. Of course, we did not answer our phones as we did not have them.

When the news outlets reported that Pilgrim's Rest subdivision was hit, he jumped in his car and drove to our house. I later learned that when he first arrived, he called his wife to tell her that from what he saw, the news could not be very good. I guess that's why he gave me a huge bear hug when we finally connected later that morning!

There were many firefighters, volunteers, and rescue personnel who helped us that morning, but two special people are Wade Cox and Wesley Cox.

Next time, I will tell you their story. How they came to our house to get us out that morning has God written all over it.

And don't forget, this story is not yet over...

I still have to get out of the rubble whilst wearing a soggy pair of boxer shorts with nothing on my feet.

How in the world will I traverse the rusty nails, broken glass and sharp shards of brick to safety?

Stay tuned...

Leadership and You say TorNEIGHdo, I say TorNAHdo (Part 4)

Pete Blank — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:15:38 GMT

This is part four in a multi part series...

In the interest of time, no photographs have been added to part four. This part is text only

It was hard to measure time. Seconds seemed like minutes, and minutes seemed like even longer.

We passed the time soothing each other, and telling the kids that the worst was over and all would be well.

And then the most incredible realization came to my wife - one that would significantly impact how the next 60 minutes would play out.

She yelled out, "MADISON! Give me your cell phone!"

Leave it to my beautiful fourteen year old daughter to have brought her cell phone downstairs with her - and she was still holding onto it.

Authors note: I have been notified by many people that I am no longer allowed to yell at my daughter for being attached to her cell phone.

Sherri dialed 911, and when they picked up, she spoke calmer than I have ever heard before. I was so impressed. This was a time of crisis, and no one would have blamed her for FREAKING OUT! But she did not. This is what I heard her say...

"Hello, my name is Sherri Blank. I live at 6229 Jonathans Way in the Pilgrims Rest subdivision. A tornado has hit our house and we are trapped in the basement. We are all fine, but we need someone to come and get us out."

(pause)

"Correct...no one is injured."

(pause)

"I'm not sure...my husband and I are both covering our kids, but we cannot move as stuff has fallen on us."

(pause)

"Madison, what is your phone number? (pause) It is 205-...-....."

(pause)

"They may have to break the door down as we are in the basement. Or they can break down our back door or a window. Tell them to come in however they need to!

(pause)

"OK, thank you!"

A sense of relief fell over me, and over the family as well. 911 had been called, and help was on the way.

In the past, whenever we lose power, I never call Alabama Power. I always assume that someone else from another household has called, and I don't like tying up the phone lines with requests from the same neighborhood.

However, I did not feel that same way now. I was glad we had a phone. I did not know if anyone else had called for help, so it was a good feeling to know that we were in the queue.

Now all we had to do was wait for the sirens.

To the best of my recollection, approximately 15 minutes has passed since the tornado hit us. It is crazy to think back and wonder why we did not call 911 right away. Of course, we were not thinking clearly. Madison did not mention her phone, and we were still too loopy right after to remember that she had one.

Sherri then had another idea. Since she was now in possession of a phone, it was time to call her mom.

Time: 4:20am. Situation: House fallen on us. Condition: Buried under rubble.

Yes, this is going to be a good idea. Let's call your mom. This is EXACTLY what she wants to hear when awoken from a sound sleep in the wee hours of the morning.

"Mom...are you awake?"

(pause)

"I have something to tell you, but I need you to remain calm and not freak out."

(pause)

"First of all, we are all OK. But the tornado has hit our house, and we are trapped in the basement. I need you and Dad to come over here and make sure they get us out."

(pause)

"No, we have already called 911. They are on the way and will be here soon. However, you need to come over and make sure the fire department knows which house we are in."

(pause)

"Mother, it's OK. We're OK. Just get Dad and come on over. Love you too. Bye."

In the meantime, Madison has a good friend of hers named LeAnn who lives one street over from us. She was lying in bed on the top floor of her house when the tornado ripped the roof off her house. She called Madison's phone. I believe Sherri answered and I could hear LeAnn screaming...

"THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF OUR HOUSE! OUR HOUSE HAS NO ROOF!"

Sherri responded...

"LeAnn, are you OK? Is everyone OK. Good. We are trapped in our basement and can't get out and have to keep this line open. She will have to call you back."

I still laugh at how calm Sherri was. It was such a funny back-and-forth. If it was me, I would have said this.

"LeAnn, I am sorry you have no roof. However, I am currently under hundreds of pounds of rubble, I have an intense cramp in my right leg, and I have to pee. Right now, rubble + cramp + pee trumps no roof, so we will have to get back with you."

Luckily, it was Sherri with the phone.

And so we continued to wait.

At one point, we heard someone yelling, "HELLO! IS ANYONE THERE?"

"WE'RE DOWN HERE! WE ARE ALL DOWN HERE!" all of us yelled. But that person did not respond.

We found out later that voice was most likely one of our neighbors who was checking on us. Remember, at the time, we had no idea how deep under the rubble we were, and so we were still surprised when we yelled back, and did not get a response. They did not hear us yell and moved on to the next house.

Both Madison and Logan continued to be troopers. Madison was also having a hard time breathing, and Sherri was doing everything she could to keep her calm.

Logan decided to try using humor to break up the moment.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, buddy."

"I know this is not a good time to mention this, but...my foot is asleep."

Even though I know he could not see it, I smiled from ear to ear!

"I know it is buddy, but you're going to have to take one for the team."

"OK" he replied.

The rain continued to fall, and fall very hard. We did not know this until later, as we could not hear anything down there. It was still dark and very quiet.

We waited...and waited...and waited...

and then we heard sirens! They were a fantastic sound.

Within a few more minutes, we heard multiple voices on top of us.

"IS ANYONE DOWN THERE?"

All of us screamed at one time...

"YES, WE ARE HERE. WE'RE DOWN HERE!"

Sherri specifically yelled the following..

"BREAK DOWN THE DOOR! BREAK DOWN THE DOOR."

Looking back, that was the silliest thing to say - as we HAD no door. We had no roof, walls or doors. But we still thought the house was standing.

They must have heard us, as they yelled back - although it was barely audible.

"WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU OUT! THERE IS A LOT OF RUBBLE AND MATERIALS THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE. HANG TIGHT! THIS MAY TAKE SOME TIME."

and then...for the first time...I was truly scared. In fact, I was about to be the most scared I had been all morning.

And with good reason.

I was so scared because...

to be continued

Leadership and You say TorNEIGHdo, I say TorNAHdo (Part 3)

Pete Blank — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:04:55 GMT

This is part three in a multi part series...

The last 30 seconds of the tornado had not scared me at all...

It was the next five seconds after it hit that put a fear in the deepest part of my stomach.

How was my family?

I did not yell, but I spoke loudly and firmly.

"Is everyone all right? Sherri? Madison? Are you all right?"

...and I had a deep pain in my heart and a sudden fear in my soul as I waited for a response...

and then I heard the words that I was longing to hear!

"I'm alright", Sherri responded

Madison also responded in the affirmative.

Logan then said "I'm OK" as well.

"Is anyone hurt?" I asked. I was worried about broken legs, open cuts, cinder blocks to the head type injuries...

and everyone confirmed that they were all right, and that set me at peace.

Total peace.

I knew that things were bad. I knew I could not move. But I also knew that, for the moment, my family was OK.

Sherri began to sense worry among the kids, and she continued to reassure them through the darkness.

"It's all right, kids. It's all right. It's over. We all made it. Now we just have to relax and stay calm until they come to rescue us. But it's OK. We made it..."

She continued on with the same calming words. Those words, that were meant for our kids, also had a profound effect on me.

Everything was going to be OK.

My first reaction was to be the man of the house, and to get up, pull the walls off of us, and walk out. After all, that is what the men do.

I arched my back to lift the wall off of me.

No luck.

I tried a little harder and pushed with all my might.

Nothing budged.

I took a quick assessment of my situation. I was laying on top of my son on the couch. My legs were immoveable, and my right arm was also useless. It was wedged between the couch, my son, and the rubble. The only thing I could move was my left arm.

I reached around below me in a sweeping motion with my left arm, and it hit something hairy. Something hairy that was shaking uncontrollably.

It was our 90 pound yellow lab Lulabelle - and boy, was she shaking.

She was safely wedged under the coffee table, and although all I could feel were her hindquarters, I knew she was alive. Her continual shaking confirmed that.

In a way, I was pleased. It was a confirmation that we ALL made it. Honestly, when I thought I may have lost some of my family, the dog was the LAST thing that entered my mind.

But when I felt her still alive, I think I may have smiled.

"Sherri, can you move anything?" I asked.

"Only my right hand," she replied. She was in the same situation as me, with house and rubble piled on her and only use of one arm. At that moment, she reached out her right hand, and it brushed against my left hand.

We held those hands as tight as we could for a few moments. We did not say anything, but we knew what the words were...

Logan was laying face down on the couch, and his head was facing towards the back of the couch. Under his head was his pillow (remember, he had chosen to sleep in the basement, so he brought his pillow with him).

Our heads were touching each other. While I love my son unconditionally, it was very uncomfortable for both of us, but especially him. He was having a hard time getting fresh air.

"Hang on a second, buddy," I said. "Let me try something."

I reached up with my left hand and pulled his pillow out from under his head. It slipped down to the floor, and I felt his head pop down a few inches.

"Thank You!" he said with sincere passion.

He could now move his head from side to side, and he could turn it towards the center of the room. While our heads were still virtually touching, I was happy that he was more comfortable.

It was time to thank God for our safety. I am not exactly sure when I did this. It might have been earlier in the story, but I know it was not any later. I know that God protected us through the storm, and I wanted to make sure he knew how much we loved Him and appreciated Him.

Sherri was continuing her process of keeping the kids calm with her soothing words. I may have interrupted her as I said, "We need to say a prayer."

"Yes we do" Sherri stated.

And I led our family in a prayer. Although I can't remember word for word what I said, it revolved around thanksgiving for our lives and our lack of injuries, speed and safety for the rescue workers, patience for us, and other things.

A collective "Amen" resounded from the entire family.

All we could do now was wait.

Many of you who know me know that I use humor in just about every situation - and this was no exception.

You see, we had lived in Orlando for 13 years before moving up to Birmingham in 2007, and I grew up in Florida. I have lived through many hurricanes. One summer, Sherri and I experienced THREE hurricanes in three months. We always had this running joke that even if we did move to Alabama, the chances of getting hit by a tornado were much less than that of a hurricane.

There was a slight lull in the conversation, and I said, "Hey Sherri..."

"Yes honey?" she replied.

"This is MUCH better than hurricanes!"

We laughed out loud together. It was good to hear her laugh.

"How is your air?" I asked.

"We are OK. We can breathe."

While we were buried under the rubble, and we could not move, I still had not put two and two together. Later, when Sherri and I talked about this, she had the same thought.

And that thought was...

I can't believe the basement walls caved in on us...how strange that the house was still standing and the basement collapsed.

That is what I thought.

I had NO idea that the entire two upper floors of our home was now mostly a pile of rubble on top of us. In my mind, our home was still standing.

And then I got excited - as this meant we would get a new front door!

Our front door was completed made of wood, and was about 14 years old. It needed to be sanded and re-stained, but even more concerning was the two holes that were in it.

Those silly bees that bore into wood had done a number on our front door. It was almost as if there were two new peepholes in the door.

I thought...When the fire department arrives to rescue us, they will have to break down the front door to get in...and we will get a new front door!

Time for some more levity.

"Sherri!"

"What?" she replied.

"Looks like we might get that new front door after all!"

We both laughed again together.

It was hard to measure time. Seconds seemed like minutes, and minutes seemed like even longer.

We passed the time soothing each other, and telling the kids that the worst was over and all would be well.

And then the most incredible realization came to my wife - one that would significantly impact how the next 60 minutes would play out.

She yelled out, "..."

to be continued...

Leadership and You say TorNEIGHdo, I say TorNAHdo (Part 2)

Pete Blank — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:40:59 GMT

This is part two in a multi-part series.

The wind was wailing and getting louder...

and then even louder...

Sherri yelled "COVER THE KIDS!"

I watched as she jumped full force, body extended, onto Madison, as I did the same on Logan.

and then the noise got even louder...

and we knew that it was here.

Out of my peripheral vision to my left, I saw the walls of the basement begin to buckle and fall in. My total time of seeing it must have been less than one second, but the details that I can remember make it seem longer. I had never seen walls collapse so fast.

The noise was the next component.

There were so many different sounds all playing at the same time.

Sherri was yelling "Lord, please help us! Lord, please help us." (I find it neat that even during a near death experience, Sherri found it wise to use her manners).

Then there was the wind. Everyone you see on TV talks about the sound of a "freight train." I did not find it to sound like that. It was more of a whooshing sound. A very loud continuous whoosh! It was mixed in with rumbles.

Also, as you can imagine, there was the tremendous sound of things falling. We now know that it was trees, and floors, and sub-floors, and glass, and dishes and pots and pans, and bricks and concrete, and refrigerators and furniture. It was all being moved around and up and down. It was a very hard sound to explain...

...until two days later. That was when a backhoe came to our home to try and lift and move our home around so that we could find our things. I was standing next to Steve Brannan, an elder at the Homewood Church of Christ and a good friend.

As we were talking, the backhoe began to crush though portions of the house, making a loud crushing sound.

I leaned over to Steve and said, "That's what it sounded like, but incredibly louder..."

One thing was missing from the noise, and it was screaming. Other than Sherri's early screams, there was nothing from the kids. Both Madison and Logan were silent. I don't know if they were in shock, or just scared, or just being brave...but they were eerily silent.

The noise continued on...

Sherri and I have differing opinions on how long the "event" lasted. To me, it was about 30 seconds. She claims it was more like two minutes. Either way, it seemed like an eternity to both of us.

Everyone has been asking me what I was thinking while it was destroying our house. Both Sherri and I admit that there was no fear.

I never thought I was going to die.

I never worried about this being the end.

I did not see my life flash before my eyes.

Some say that we must have gone into "survival mode." I really didn't feel that way either. I only felt one thing, and that was to protect who I could, which happened to be Logan.

In the movie "The Blind Side", there is a scene where Sandra Bullock's character is discussing Michael Oher's standardized test grades. He scored low on just about every academic standard - except he did score in the 98th percentile in one area...protective instincts.

And that is how I felt. As I laid prostrate over my son, I had nothing on my mind except to keep him covered. My job was to protect him at all costs. In fact, a few days after the tornado, I asked Sherri, "Did you cover your head?"

She admitted she did not. Both of us were too busy covering our kids to cover our own heads.

I think this is how God feels about us as His children. I firmly believe that he wants to protect us and take care of us more than we will ever know.

So the house continues to fall in around us and on us. There was a a large piece of roof/ceiling/wall that was now laying on my back. Although I felt it on me, I never felt it "hit" me.

I never said "Ow" or "Ouch."

It just sort of covered me, as if someone were laying it down gently on my back to protect me from the bricks, cinder blocks and glass that was raining down on top of me.

Authors note: Sherri had the exact same experience. She too was covered and could not move, but has no recollection of how the materials landed on her.

Rick Bradshaw, a good friend and family member, and I led a Sunday School class a few years ago on angels and guardian angels. We did much research and it opened our eyes to the wonders of angels...and it does make me wonder...

After what seemed like forever, the noises came to a hault.

It was silent, and it was dark.

The flashlight was facing away and shining an ever-so-dim light off of the coffee table.

The silence was deafening.

Worry now hit me like a ton of bricks (pun intended). I was only able to protect Logan, and I had no idea what had happened to Sherri and Madison.

The last 30 seconds of the tornado had not scared me at all...

It was the next five seconds after it hit that put a fear in the deepest part of my stomach.

How was my family?

I did not yell, but I spoke loudly and firmly.

"Is everyone all right? Sherri? Madison? Are you all right?"

and I had a deep pain in my heart and a sudden fear in my soul as I waited for a response...

...to be continued

Leadership and You say TorNEIGHdo, I say TorNAHdo...

Pete Blank — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:59:45 GMT

Sorry it's been a few weeks. My house got hit by a stupid EF-3 tornado. House and cars gone. Bummer...

So, here's the deal...

I am going to take the next few blog posts to document my experience on January 23, 2012. The farther out I get from the event, the more the details may be fuzzy. This is a story I would like to tell my grandkids, so this is a good way to get it in writing.

If you are up for a good tornado survival story, then you want to keep reading. At the end of the final post, I will try to attach a leadership lesson or two (which allows me to keep with the theme).

But at the end of the day, these next few posts are nothing more than my version of one of the most intense moments I hope to ever experience on this earth.

So here we go.

On Sunday, January 22, the weather experts were predicting a bad night. In fact, they were not hestitant to use the word "tornado" almost 24 hours in advance. After church, we went to Logan's Roadhouse in Trussville with my in-laws, and I recall Sherri talking with them about how strange the weather forecasts were. In fact, my daughter Madison had already seen on Facebook a story about possible tornados that night.

The day continued at a normal Sunday pace.

On Sunday night, my son Logan asked if he could sleep in the basement. He does this as he has a HUGE fear of tornados. He does not fear many things for a 10-year old boy, but tornados are the one thing that concern him.

And I do not know where he got this fear. Is is due to the Tuscaloosa tornados in April of 2011? Is it because I took him on the "Twister" attraction at Universal Orlando at too young an age? I really don't know. All I know is that he is very scared of them...

and that may have saved his life. More on that later.

Our basement has many names: the basement, the game room, the man room, the Alabama Room, the Florida room. Basically it is a 10x20 room with a couch and love seat, two 32" TV's mounted on the wall, and a game table. It is where Logan plays his X-Box and Wii, and where we can watch a sports program on one TV and Project Runway on the other...therefore keeping the family all together. It's a fun place. (What? Like you don't watch Project Runway?)

It is also the safest room in the house. The corner on the front left of the house is at the lowest spot, and this is where our love seat and sofa form an L-shape. We let Logan sleep down there on Friday and Saturday nights. This allows him to watch MLB Network and play video games until he falls asleep.

So even though Sunday night was a "school night", we let him sleep in the basement to help alleviate his fear of a possible tornado.

Around 11:00pm, Madison was asleep in her bedroom, Logan in the basement, and Sherri and I headed to bed for the evening.

We were awakened at 3:00am by the first tornado siren. It is located just up the road from our home. It usually wakes us up, and this time was no exception. We both rolled over in bed and turned on the bedroom TV. James Spann is our local tornado guru, so we turned him on (ABC 33/40) and began to watch.

With half-opened eyes, I heard those magical words I was looking for...

"This tornado warning is sounding in all of Jefferson County, but it is really only affecting West Jefferson County. If you are in Irondale, Clay, Moody, TRUSSVILLE, etc., this is not anywhere near you."

I was so happy. My joy came from the fact that I could fall back asleep with no worries, and I did. But we left the TV on with the volume down low...just in case.

I drifted back to sleep.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH went the tornado siren! There it was again. I looked at my phone and the time read 4:00am. Sherri reached over and turned up the volume to the TV. James was sharing many words with us, but I was still in an extremely drowsy mode. The only words I could make out were "This tornado is headed towards the Center Point area."

I was cognizant enough to understand that Center Point was the next city over from Trussville. This woke us both up enough that we looked at each other and asked the question that all sleepy people who hear tornado sirens ask each other in the middle of night...

"(Yawn)...Should we go downstairs?"

You see, our bed is VERY cozy! We have a TV in our room, a beautiful yellow lab named Lulabelle on the floor next to us, and blankets up around our chins. Who wants to get up at 4:00 in the morning, wake up the kids, and make the trek downstairs?

Because, you see, I KNEW what was going to happen. We were all going to go to the basement, turn on the TV's and watch the storms pass by. Nothing was going to happen to us, but I was going to be wide awake. We would not be able to go back to sleep at 5:00 or 5:30 or 6:00, and therefore we would be one tired cranky family all day on Monday.

And who wants that?

But Sherri looked at me, I looked back at her, and I think we both may have said, "Let's go."

I, in my boxer shorts, said that I would head downstairs to get the TV's on the right channels. Sherri, in her nightgown, said she would go upstairs and get Madison and then head down.

We both sauntered...

We strolled...

We meandered...

There was NO sense of urgency from either of us. After all, what are the chances of a tornado hitting your house?

As I arrived in the basement, I was happy to see my little Logan all asleep without a care in the world.

It always amazes me how soundproof our basement is. There are no windows, and where the pocket doors are closed, you really are closed off from the rest of the world. In fact, the garage is just outside the basement, and you cannot hear the garage doors going up and down when the pocket doors are closed.

I grabbed the remote controls and sat at the far end of the sofa nearest the TV's. I had to lift up Logan's legs to place them on top of me, as he was sleeping on that couch.

I turned on both TV's. I put one on ABC 33/40 and the other on another station (I actually forgot which one). I looked down on the coffee table and smiled...

Logan had brought down a flashlight with him.

For Christmas, I found a double pack of wind-up flashlights at Kohl's. I gave one to Logan and one to Madison, and they kept them in their rooms. They are standard sized flashlights that work great after they are wound up for 30 seconds or so.

I began to wind his flashlight as Sherri and Madison entered the room. Madison looked so cozy in her long shirt and cozy pants. She was clutching her phone - ready to play some video games or FaceBook her friends.

I noticed Lulabelle come in behind them as Sherri shut the pocket door.

5-10 seconds pass...

ZZZZZAP! Out goes the power.

"Well, that's a bummer" Sherri stated.

"It's OK. Logan has his flashlight," I said.

Madison then said, "I've got one too. Let me run upstairs and get mine!"

"No" I replied. "One is plenty. Let's just all stay down here for now."

(Looking back, I need to thank God for the wisdom to make that parental decision...it ended up being a good one.)

Madison had made her way to the love seat and sat in the corner closest to the Logan's head on the other sofa. Sherri was still standing close to the couch. I reached down and turned on the flashlight and laid it on the table facing away from us and towards the other side of the room.

About 60 seconds had passed from the time I entered the room to the current moment...

and then there was a noise.

It was the noise of our two pocket doors slowly bouncing in the doorframes. First slowly, but then faster and then much faster. It was a sight that I had never seen before.

My eyes locked in to Sherri's as I felt a sudden pressure change.

It was hard to explain. It felt as if it was some kind of vacuum effect. I did not feel like I was being pulled anywhere. Instead, it was like someone had a two-ton shop-vac outside the room, and they had turned it on.

My ears popped...

The wind was wailing and getting louder...

and then even louder...

Sherri yelled "COVER THE KIDS!"

I watched as she jumped full force, body extended, onto Madison, as I did the same on Logan.

and then the noise got even louder...

and we knew that it was here.

...to be continued

Leadership and Tebow Time...for the last time...at least for now...

Pete Blank — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:24:57 GMT

This should be my last Leadership and... post about Tim Tebow (TT) for a while. His football season is now over, but it's never really over until we wrap it up and put a orange and blue ribbon on it with an uplifting blog post about his season.

I feel it is important, as leaders, for us to look at TT the person as opposed to TT the quarterback. Whether you like him or hate him, the fact is he has many leadership skills that many of us, including myself, are lacking..both at home and in the workplace.

To prevent this from being a novella, I narrowed our TT leadership lessons down to three.

...and as a reminder, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am a graduate of the University of Florida. I may have a tinge of bias, but I will try to keep it real (as the kids say).

The three TT lessons that we, as leaders, need to work on are consistency, humility, and encouragement.

1. Consistency

Remember we are talking about leadership skills, not football skills. TT was very inconsistent at times on the field. However, his life is one big ball of consistency. He acts the same around his family that he does around his teammates. He talks the talk about Jesus Christ, and he tries to walk the walk.

Since college, he has been asked about his dating life, his family life, his mission work, his virginity, his football ability and more. Yet his answers are always worded professionally, his responses are always friendly, and his demeanor (even when asked the stupidest of questions) is always upbeat and positive.

As a leader, how consistent are you? Can you showcase your consistent leadership values at all times?

2. Humility

My wife Sherri was not a TT fan when he played at Florida. She did not like all the attention he received.

"It's always TT this and TT that - it's never the other players. I'm sure he does it all by himself."

I tried to tell her that he does not do any marketing, recruiting or stories on his own. If the media decided to pick him out and make him a superstar, that was beyond his control.

After watching the Broncos this year, she has come full circle. Most of it is due to his humble responses in the press conferences.

It's never "me" - it's always "we".

It's never "Tebow Time" - it's always "Broncos Time."

It's never "build myself up" - it's always "build my TEAM up."

She is now a big fan...and why shouldn't she be?

As a leader, how humble are you? Are you a "me" leader or a "we" leader?

3. Encouragement

Before every game, TT chooses a make-a-wish child to encourage. He greets them, talks with them, and then spends time with them after each game...

...win or lose.

He encourages his team. He was seen on the bench and in the huddle in a constant state of encouragement.

Players dropped passes. Children has multiple surgeries. TT still makes time to encourage others.

As a leader, do you encourage your employees - on your good days as well as your bad days?

I don't know how TT will fare as a quarterback next year. But I do know that his example of leadership will continue to inspire all of us - as the video below shows us.

Click this link HERE to see Tim Tebow's pre-game routine.

Leadership and Pete's Pet Peeve on Passion

Pete Blank — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:30:35 GMT

Step 3 in our leadership statement deals with passion.

"Leaders need to find a need, know your gifts, and show your passion."

In previous posts, we talked about Step 1 (Finding a Need) and Step 2 (Know your gifts).

Step 3 is passion!

Sorry to come across so harsh, but I have no sympathy for people who have no passion for their jobs.

Assuming you work...

- 8 hours a day
- 40 hours a week
- 50 weeks a year
- 40 years of your life (age 25-65)

...you will work 640,000 hours, or 80,000 days of your life.

Can you imagine being unhappy for 80,000 days?

Neither can I.

If you have not passion for your current job, here is what I suggest -

1. Have a 1-1 with your manager and let them know where you stand. Tell them you feel like you are like a hampster in a wheel, just going around and around and around.

2. Ask for a new challenge. Tell your manager that you would like to volunteer for new projects or new teams. Better yet, find something you like to do and see if you can add it to your job (e.g. you are a creative person. See if you can help organize a team building day or redecorate the office).

3. Surround yourself with positive people. Spend time with happy employees and find out what makes them tick.

4. Quit. Leave. Please go. You are really bringing the rest of the office down.

Passion doesn't mean loving your job every day. It means coming to work each day with a renewed sense of optimism that you can have a positive impact on something or someone today.

Get passionate, or get gone...

Leadership and Go DO that Voo-Doo that You DO So Well...

Pete Blank — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:09:15 GMT

Happy 2012 to all "Leadership and..." readers!

Let's review where we left off last week - with the following Leadership Statement:

"Leaders need to find a need, know your gifts, and show your passion."

In a previous post, we talked about Step 1: "Finding a Need." Now we will look at Step 2: "Know your gifts."

As a leader, you should not struggle with this. If you do not know your gifts, just ask someone...

- a teacher
- a friend
- a spouse
- a peer

Sometimes our gifts are right in front of our faces, and we do not see them. Other times, we do something so often that we do not think of it as a gift - we end up rationalizing it as "something we do."

See if the examples below sound familiar to you:

"For the past 10 years, I set up communion at my church every Sunday. Someone has to do it, so I do it. I don't think of it as my gift...it's just something I do."

"For some reason, everyone at work always comes to me with their problems. I listen to them because no one else will, but I don't think of it as my gift...it's just something I do."

"Sure, I coach Little League because my son likes to play. It gets me up off the couch and gets me some fresh air. I don't think of it as my gift...it's just something I do."

Do you get the picture?

I love public speaking - it's just something I do. But the more I think about it, I believe it is my gift.

Many people don't like to speak in public. Some fear it more than death. Therefore, the mere fact that I like to do it means that I should do it to the best of my ability and with the right intentions.

Communion needs to be prepared, humans need others to listen, and 10 year old boys need to play Little League. Those who can perform these duties have gifts.

Gifts are a blessing.

We were not put here on earth to get married, have a family, collect things, go into debt, work hard, retire, and then die. We were all made for so much more than that.

In order to make that shift in thinking, you have to agree that you are here for a PURPOSE, and you have to validate that you were given gifts to use every day.

More than likely, you have a GIFT (step 1) that fills a NEED (step 2)!

Next week, we will share how to infuse PASSION into it (step 3).

Until then, search out your leadership gifts.

Find them, validate them, and use them...

That's what leaders DO...

Leadership and I Feel the Need...the Need for Speed

Pete Blank — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:17:08 GMT

Sidebar...I love Goose.

Anyhow, I received a great gift from Sherri for Christmas.

It is the Courageous Leadership Program from The John Maxwell Company. It is a facilitator's kit that came with two books, a workbook, participant guides, DVD clips and audio CD lessons. I hope to use it for an adult Sunday School class, or even a secular training program here at work.

But my main point today is what I heard on one of the audio CD's coming in to work today. The speaker talked of the following...

"Leaders need to find a need, know your gifts, and show your passion."

I'd like to take the next few blogs and talk about each of these individually - starting with Finding a Need.

Leaders do not walk around with their heads down. Leaders do not have a glazed over look. Leaders do not settle for the status quo. Leaders are always looking for ways to improve themselves, their families, and their organizations.

Working in local government, I see this a lot. We have lots of leaders, but some of them are content with the day to day operation. They are not looking - they are not seeking - they are not exploring.

As we approach 2012, this would be a great place for you to start as a leader. You should look around and see where there is a critical need! It could be...

- you family needs you to spend more time with them.
- your church needs someone to head up a committee.
- your organization needs a better employee recognition plan for their employees.

Now, don't overburden yourself.

Don't take on more than one need at a time.

It's best to start with "low hanging fruit", or needs that can be filled quickly. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and cement your brand as a leader.

So here's a good goal for the first month of 2012. Look around, open your eyes, and find a need that needs to be filled at home, at church, or at work.

Then fill that need.

That's what great leaders do...

Leadership and Giving him the Business!

Pete Blank — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:19:10 GMT

Tis the season for giving.

It reminds me of one of the most famous referee quotes of all time during an NFL football game. Click here to see what he was "giving" him.

On the radio yesterday, I heard that an anonymous donor went into a Wal-Mart here in Birmingham and paid off over $6,000 of items on layaway. Imagine the surprise and smiles of those who came in to pick up their completely paid off gifts.

At my work, we had to move hundreds of chairs and tables out of our four training rooms for the carpets to be cleaned. This 4-5 hour project turned into a 20 minute event as 16 of my co-workers volunteered to help.

Leaders should give year round, not just during the holidays...

As a leader, you should be giving the following to your employees and teammates...

- recognition
- thanks
- coaching
- feedback
- work life balance
- an ethical work environment

and much more.

It's not easy being a leader...but it always seems easier this time of year. Enjoy this season knowing that you, as a leader, have made a difference in 2011.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Leadership and Tim Tebow (Yes, another blog on Tim Tebow)!

Pete Blank — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:53:36 GMT

Disclaimer: I am a University of Florida graduate, which is where Tim Tebow played his college football.

Google Tim Tebow today. You will have 194,000,000 million links from which to choose.

Here are a few of my favorites:

"Believers, critics, People magazine ... everyone's talking Tim Tebow" - The Sporting News

"Tebowing is so hot it's now a word" - NPR Blog

"The Ten Commandments of Tim Tebow: Explaining His Stunning Success" - Yahoo! Sports

There are so many ways to speak about Tim Tebow: Team Player, Humble, and so on...

But I want to focus on...you guessed it...his leadership skills. Here are 3 things you can do as a leader to be more like Tim Tebow.

1. Always share the credit

Watch any Tim Tebow press conference, and you will hear the press begging, clamoring and pleading for him to talk himself up...to share how he won the game for his team...to gloat...

and Tebow never bites. He continues to talk about team and togetherness and all for one and one for all.

He does not disparage his teammates if they make a mistake, and they reciprocate - which is good, since Tebow makes many more mistakes than his team.

2. Always believe until the end

I am a Tebow fan, and I still thought yesterday's win was impossible. But I watched, and saw the improbable. When you think your team is out of it, keep believing until the 5:00 whistle blows.

3. Always keep your priorities in order

I know, I know...God does not care about football. But he does care about people, and I know that he is a big fan of those of us who teach people about him and his son Jesus Christ.

Sometimes we are stressed out as a leader, and we are looking to the wrong things for help. Perhaps we should just go to the source when we are at a loss - and He will be there for us.

Those three ideas should help you be a better leader...and if they don't, then you can always try Tebowing after a big team meeting

Leadership and Tim Tebow (Yes, another blog on Tim Tebow)!

Pete Blank — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:53:22 GMT

Leadership and Loyal Oil Come on Bubble and Boil

Pete Blank — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:42:32 GMT

My apologies to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones for my witty, yet possibly lame blog post title.

We are loyal to certain brands and products.

I am loyal to Coke, Target, the University of Florida, my wife, the United States of America, and so on...

But am I loyal to my current employer?

There was an article in the November 2011 issue of Chief Learning Officer magazine. Titled "Whatever Happened to Employee Loyalty," the article shares the results of an internet poll conducted in July 2011 by KEYGroup.

The question was "What makes you loyal to your organization?" and the responses varied by generations. Disclaimer: Sample size was small (n=224).

- Mature generation (born 1922-1945): 100% said they believed in the MISSION of the organization

- Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964): 47% also chose MISSION and 41% chose CHALLENGING WORK

- Generation X (born 1965-1980): 53% chose CAREER ADVANCEMENT

- Millenials (born 1981-2000's): 58% chose LIKEABLE CO-WORKERS

The very idea of loyalty has taken on a whole new meaning since the recession began in 2007. Many employees will only be loyal until they can get another job. With few job transfer opportunities available, your employees may seem loyal when in fact they are not.

So what can you do during these times to keep employees loyal to you and your company?

1. If there was ever a time to lead, it is now. If you are treating your employees like dirt (i.e. more work, less recognition), they will leave as soon as the economy improves...and they will lower their productivity from now until then.

2. Make the work environment fun. Create competitions, include food, have fun contests (door decorating, ping pong, best chili cookoff, etc.) The workplace should be fun, not futile.

3. Be aware of the generational differences mentioned above. Make sure your millenials are surrounded by their peers. Make sure your boomers continue to be challenged on a daily basis.

This is one of the most challenging eras in which to lead. Now is the time for you, as a leader, to show that you are loyal to your employees!