Movie Theaters are about the Experience not the Movies

“I can watch a movie at home. Why do I have to pay to see something that will be on cable in a month?”

Sweet baby…  Y’all gonna make me lose my mind! Have you people forgotten?

Have you forgotten the first time you saw the Goonies on the big screen?

The excitement of piling into the theater with friends…

The shock and awe of slide…the giant squid? Check it out there really was one

What about the candy and the popcorn that just taste better in the dark for some reason.

How dare you not go to the movies. It is your duty as a child of the 70’s 80’s and 90’s from now until infinity to stumble over dimly lit stairs to run to the restroom so you don’t miss the one part that everyone will talk about in the car, that you missed because you had to have that super sized big gulp.

Crap!!! People it has never been just about the movie that is playing today.

Rather it was the Goonies, Spiderman, Fast and Furious or Dead Pool it has always. Always ALWAYS!!! Been about the shared experience.

People say, “I can watch these movies at home”; but there is something to be said for the theater experience.

The conversation on the way home and the days after when you try, no matter how poorly you are at it, to act out the scenes for your friend who hasn’t seen it yet.

For me, there is nothing better than going to the movies, dimly lit theaters, larger than life image, the smell of popcorn which we all know is better at the theater than at home.

It’s my escape from the madness, the absurd, and the Groundhog Day normalcy of terrible things in the media that has become real life.

Get Out of the Car!!!!

I was having a conversation with a student not too long ago and we were discussing the length of the classes. As a suggestion the student wanted me to consider making the class longer. Currently, the class is three hours and the student suggested making it six hours.

I’m telling you this so you understand the story that I am about to tell you and the context in which it came about…Ok, Ok.

After a few minutes going back and forth as to why this would not be a likely solution to the issues at hand, I slipped back into my minister shoes.

*Not actually as I am not a minister this is just a term I use when I am on my soapbox*

So I tell the student about this one time when I owned a bread truck, and how miserable I was and how miserable I was making my family and how I always wanted to do other things but between making money and spending money I didn’t have the time to pursue anything else.

I was unhappy. Yes, I was making money. But I was miserable and pissed at the world. I was the living embodiment of the Grinch. Then this one day as I was sitting in my depot yard at 2 am, I couldn’t bring myself to get out of the car. I knew my family needed the money. I knew this job was a blessing and there were many people that wanted to do what I was doing. But I couldn’t get out of the car.

I sat in that car till 6 am. Then without a plan, I called my depot manager and quit.

It turns out that the job was a blessing but not how I thought it was or understood it to be at the time.

How does this relate to my student; you may ask?

Slow your roll I’m getting there.

In life, the world will not bend for us. Achieving anything worth anything takes a level of sacrifice. It will be hard. It will be uncomfortable. It will not be all fanfare and parades. It will test if you really want that thing. Whatever it may be, but you have to know that you will live and die on those decisions.

See coming to class twice a week when you work a full-time job is difficult. It is not easy and you must choose whom you belong to. Are you renting your free time to a company that you have to schedule your life around? Or are you biding your time till you can schedule your work into the life you want to live?

The first day after giving up my bread truck I felt free. I felt like I had something I had lost. I felt like myself. The future was unwritten but I knew wherever it was taking me I wouldn’t hesitate to get out of the car.

We can't coddle our way to greatness

My Dad was the ultimate dream killer. My childhood was “interesting.”

“Wayne” he used to say. “Don’t waste your time on that if you are not fully committed.” Only he wasn’t that nice about it.

I’ve always been a creative, but it really was all I was good at. Everything else I tried could just fake it enough to get by. I played every sport he wanted me to, but at any given time I was only pushing halfway. It wasn’t what I wanted deep down I wanted to be a part of movies and television. My imagination ran wild with stories of comic characters and magic skateboards.

Although my father’s expectations would help me later in life, early on it only served to force my true potential underground.

By the time I made it to high school I was used to pretending to like everything everyone else did. Then on a whim, my Grandma Daisy convinced me Drama would be good for me to take. (Grandma’s see things us that others, including ourselves, don’t or can’t see in ourselves.)

In Drama and creative writing, it was ok for me to say the things that were really on my mind.

Wait!!! Thad, you’re getting off topic. My bad. Where was I?

Oh, yeah I can’t do anything else.

When did it become ok to not be honest about other’s skill level as a creative?

When I watch a movie I can clearly state this movie sucks, or I don’t get it. However, it’s that much better if I could reach out to M. Night and say… M…(cause we are comfortable with each other) what the hell was up with those killer trees?

I mean that is exactly what we have the opportunity to do when we know our independent filmmakers locally.

We have the opportunity; no we have the obligation as fellow filmmakers not to jerk each other off - for instant gratification but to prolong the experience for a tantric nirvana experience that will have us looking for the next chance to Netflix and chill.

Is that the correct thing the kids say, “…Netflix and chill?”

Whatever we want to call it we need to foster those who create quality.

We need to get rid of the participation trophy culture that has become our status quo. We can’t fear that our friends’ feelings will be hurt by our true and honest assessment of their work.

No, everyone’s baby is not cute. And if as a film community we want to get better, then we have to start pushing each other to do and be better. And part of that process is being able to give and accept constructive criticism.

Iron sharpens iron, people.  Iron sharpens iron.

You're asking me to cheer from home

“ We’re doing all we can on our end, but we need you guys to be better cheerleaders for this city”

Jesus, lord in heaven did they just say we need to be louder and flashy to attract business?! I scream to myself.

I guess I should’ve been a better “trick.” But momma always said, “don’t let no one put you in the trick bag.”

Recently I was in a meeting where a group of people actually moved their lips to say that we should be better cheerleaders for our city.

While this idea washed over me I felt a smoldering flame in the pit of my belly begin to grow. A fire that most won’t understand without some context, so please bear with me.

I moved to Columbia, SC from a small hamlet (okay town, but “hamlet” sounds better) in the low country. You see, in my tiny town, I was drowning in a shallow pool, surrounded by people that look at lightning in a bottle as fireflies, and tip their noses to dreams of cinematic grandeur. Like they invented the wheel, and dare you to try and implement it for you your own good. How dare you!! Le sigh (in my Pepé Le Pew voice) I guess I am a stinker, but that’s a story for another time. Anyway…

Now, a decade later I find myself in similar surroundings.

Although there are more people here like me than there were in my tiny hamlet, the power and control is still structured the same. While this place that I have come to call home is leaps and bounds ahead of where I was I am still troubled by the circumstances in which we exist here and not thrive.

There are several issues I would like to help address but the first is not in the arts community or even the concerns for small businesses. Many who know me know that those two things are at the top of my list.

No.

My concern is the lack of affordable housing for families in my Columbia. In a place where the politicians' tout that they want growth and development in the city, they’ve forgotten the most valuable resource of any company, corporate or small enterprise - the people.

You know, the workers that come in every day and turn the lights onto your business, the people you rely on to run the day-to-day operations, make your coffee, cook your food, and park your cars… wait I just broke the first rule of Fight Club.

If I was not a resident here, and I wanted to move here with my family, I could not afford to live anywhere in Columbia, anywhere safe and family friendly anyway.

FYI most of us can’t afford to live here as it is, with the commute in, overpriced rent just because you can, and no remedy for family living. This has an effect on where businesses locate, where developers come, how tax dollars and voting districts are decided. Isn’t it time that we speak truth to life about some of the root issues that plague our communities? What do you think?

Your videos will fail

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Let’s be honest, I mean really honest… If you’re looking to shoot one video, commercial, or some other media content to bring in revenue for your business tomorrow, you’ve already failed. I hear people talking about new cameras, and getting the latest videos up on their websites and social media like that’s going to make everything better instantly.

Yes and no. It is better than where you were but it takes more than that to connect with people. But you have some work to do:

·      You have to be consistent – this can’t be a “whenever I need money thing.” You can’t post one thing and expect people to fall in love with you, and just start throwing money at you. That’s not going to happen.

·      Know who you’re talking to and what you want to say - this isn’t your 8^th grade art project where you just took your cousins finger paints, and threw them at a poster board and told the teacher you were inspired by convergence. There has to be a message that speaks to people.

·      You can’t be afraid to be different – How do you expect to stand out while being just like the crowd. Take chances. Aren’t there enough Lemmings in the world?

·      Understand that you are going to fail – No one jumps on a bike for the first time and rides in the Tour De France. First, you learn how to ride a bike, which involves for some of us, tearing down the driveway in the street, almost getting hit by a car, and nearly killing one of your parents. (Thankfully, they forgave me) Eventually, you make it around the block. Keep getting back on the bike until you can ride like a champion.

Video is a powerful tool but it has to be used right. Take the time to learn how to get the most from your video.

Are subprime loans socially responsible?

If subprime loans had been created to share the American dream with those who might not otherwise be able to participate; then the decline of the economy might not have triggered massive foreclosures, however that is not the case. Subprime loans were created to extract the maximum value out of homeownership (Watkins, 2011). Just knowing this information and the information presented in the two previous blog post causes us to examine two important questions to determine if subprime loans are socially responsible. The first question to consider should be is there a significant racial divide or are subprime loans proportionately distributed?  The next question should be what are the consequences from making these types of loans? First we noted that subprime loans are proportionately sold to African Americans more than any other group if we looked at the rates of subprime loans sold to African Americans with an average income between 60,000 and 90,000, over half approximately 57.3 percent are sold higher interest rate loans. While the white counterparts who are in the same average income range only account for 33.2 percent of the loans at the higher interest rates (Beeman, Glasberg & Casey, 2011). This leads us to ask about the decision makers. As institutions depend on individuals to make these decisions how is it possible that these decision are being made across the board?  Decision makers are tasked to use personal, situational, and environmental knowledge to make an ethical decision (Thiel, Bagdasarov, Harkrider, Johnson, & Mumford, 2012). However knowing that these loans are designed to increase over time it becomes easy to see the motivations for making the loans. The consequences of these types of loans can devastate a household and subprime loans in particular account for almost 50% of foreclosures of all mortgages (Johnson, 2010). However the maker of the loan still got paid, and someone will take over the loan and the lender will eventually be paid, while the borrower has suffered the loss of their home and blows to their credit that was already low to begin with.  When subprime loans are written for the benefit of all responsible parties involved they can indeed be a socially responsible investment, but they should not be entered into without careful consideration and without weighing out all of the options before hand to make sure it is best for all involved.

What is a subprime loan?

Subprime loans are loans with less favorable terms than that of a prime loan. The terms are usually less favorable because the person in question has either poor credit or does not have the necessary income to support or warrant the extension of credit. There are risks involved for the lenders, and for the borrowers. Lenders run the risk of never getting their money back or having it take a long time to see any return on their investment. So in order to absorb some of the risk there are stipulations often added to help insure the lender will get their money back. This often includes adjustable interest and ballooning payments (Smith, & Hevener, 2014) for the life of the loan.  Many of the borrowers of subprime loans tend to be African Americans. Many African Americans are served in their loans by agents that specialize in higher rate loans regardless of their total income (Beeman, Glasberg, & Casey, 2011), this speaks to the other issues of subprime loans and predatory lending that cause us to question the leadership in institutions and the ethics involved in the decision making process. However this is not just because African Americans are less likely than their white counterparts to receive home loans from any sources, because they are more likely to accept subprime loans and therefore are more likely to be victims of predatory lending (Lacy, 2012).  This begs the question of why subprime loans are pushed more towards minorities. It seems to me that the only way to grow the amount of home owners is to either allow those who can’t qualify for prime rate loans to work towards a prime rate loan, or create a separate type of loan that would provide a pathway for those who might never get to a place financially that would allow them to take advantage of a prime rate loan. However in the creation of these types of loans there should be added safety policies that protect the borrowers from those who would harm them and seek to make money off of their circumstances outside of the additional assessment of interest or payment obligations. This would assist leadership in making ethical decisions about what a borrower can afford and how they can still make money off of the transaction.

What’s the big deal with subprime loans?

In order to understand the impact of subprime loans, it is necessary to understand the goals that drive the economy. In this blog we cannot cover the full gambit of measures that drive the economy, so for the purpose of this blog we will focus on home ownership. One of the ways the government strives to grow the economy is through home ownership for moderate to low-income families (Avery, & Brevoort, 2015). This benchmark goal set in to motion loans for mortgages with people who were not financially in a position to actually purchase a house. Many of these people were considered a high credit risk. Many were either not making the actual income they claimed in order to afford the home, or they were not credit worthy. This lead to loans being made with adjustable rates, or ballooning interest rates. All was well as long as the economy was stable for many of these people. The American dream of home ownership seemed to finally be coming true. However when the economy began to take a down turn there was concern this dream quickly began to turn into a nightmare. In 2007 over a million homes began to be foreclosed on as a result of the failing economy (Gilbert, 2011). Many of these foreclosures took place as a direct result of the subprime loans that were made in order to grow home ownership. Many argue that the it was unethical to make such loans to people, however it is my opinion that it was not necessarily the loans, but the amounts the loans were being written for. Many loan officers may have acted unethically in the amounts they were approving and the verification of the information given. These foreclosures also seemed to effect African Americans disproportionately because many of the loans written to African Americans allowed interest rates to grow beyond the risk being assed (Beeman, Glasberg, & Casey, 2011).  So the facts those loans were being made to people who could not normally afford a prime rate loan, or a loan with an average interest rate, and were often being over sold into a house they could not afford and charged more interest than they could afford made it a perfect unethical storm when the economy began to fall and homes began to be foreclosed on. This is why subprime loans were discussed as a viable factor of the failing economy.

Making America Great Again: Public Schools

Last week I wrote the first of a series of articles on how to make America great again. This week we continue in that series by taking a look at the public school system. Are we putting our children in the best possible environment to want to learn?  In a world where our country is falling further and further behind in technology innovations how do we stimulate our youth to become the next wave of great thinkers to address the worlds growing issues?

  I come from a broken family. My parents split up when I was eight years old, and we moved from an Air Force Base and what I would later find was a far more advanced education. It was not necessarily advanced in the things they were teaching, but in the programs they had in place to stimulate how we learned.  Upon starting at my new school I found that I was slightly ahead in some of the concepts we were learning, and since I was I felt I didn’t have to work as hard. This feeling would continue through out the rest of my public school career. It wasn’t until I left high school that I found I was not remotely prepared. In the wake of my public school experience I felt lost. This was further compounded by the death of someone close to me. It took me ten years and a ton of mistakes to come full circle and return to college, this time with the end goal in mind.  This brings me to the present. Now I am currently a Ph.D candidate and doing pretty much what I love, maybe not on the level I wish I was on yet but I have to remind myself I took ten years to get back on track I cannot expect to bridge that gap in less. This also got me thinking about my children and their education.

For this article we are not really looking at the drop out rate, what we are looking at is students that can think for critically on their own. Somewhere along the way we stopped teaching our children how to think for themselves and started treating the public school system as a factory to mass-produce a product. Providing the same education as if we are all cookie cut. Why, maybe, because it is easier than the alternative. Having to pay teachers more money and create a modern system that educates our children for the new world we live in. So I offer to you a story from NPR that may get you thinking enough to spark a change for the future. 

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=432582341&m=432910352

We can not expect our children to grow up and become adults that can solve problems and think outside of the box if we have not equipped them with the proper tools. What we have done to our school system is allowed it to become stagnate like a pond cut off from the streams and rivers that once fed it and made it vibrant. We used to allow the world into the classroom to allow students to learn and not just memorize. If we are to ever get back to a level where we are competitive and productive we need to stand up demand changes and educate our children so that they may learn to truly think for themselves. I know this is a dangerous idea for the current way of life, but if we continue to travel down this road what kind of future can we really expect for our children. More and more people with a sense of entitlement, dodging their own responsibility for their lives. Let's choose the road less traveled. The harder of the two and do what is necessary to change our goals and expectations of the public school system.

Here is a funny but true sketch from Key and Peele Enjoy and think about it.

https://youtu.be/dkHqPFbxmOU

What happened to substance in Hip-Hop?

Y'all remember when hip hop was about more than just making money. I do. I can remember hanging out as a small kid new to a small town where everyone was family except my family. Being a former military kid I had grown up with lot of people and wasn't used to the community or the way things were in small town America. The one thing we all had in common I found was the love of this thing called rap and the substance that a lot of it provided. Of course there were some songs that were just party tracks and I got to hear a lot of that via my neighbors. Their father was a Dj in the area and had a show on the radio and hosted parties. I cam up on tracks like this.

I did not realize what an effect Hip -Hop would have on my life at the time. It was just something to break the ice and to help me fit in at the time. For some time I was just in awe of the way the words meshed with the tracks and would spend hours listening to music trying to decode all of the lyrics. I figured since I couldn't dance I could at least know all of the words to the songs while I was hoping for a dance. This however turned to me focusing on poetry and eventually getting on stage as a performer in a rap group, and producing my own music. The substance in the songs I grew up with influenced me to embrace the art. It wasn't about the money ever in those days we did it for free and loved it. This got me thinking what was the point where hip hop lost it's substance, it's soul. When did we trade the ability to impact and inform our communities for dollars, or more like cents on the dollar. Up until recently I could count on at least one or two good albums a year with some kind of value to them. A concept album or an album that had something to say other than pop molly, shoot a nigga, drop something twerk something, and bust it open if ya real. Where did all of this come from? Is it just laziness? This new school is missing the message literally, and I blame the artist of yesterday for the decline. Has everyone lost their minds for a little bit of money? Do we not realize what a force we have and how powerful the voice of an artist is? This is what we have left for our children to help keep the revolutionary spirit alive, and seek out injustice and social inequality.

Let's keep it 100 there are a handful of artist out there still making music with some substance but they are fare and few between mainly because the support for that type of music is sparse at best. This is another reason the blame for our youth emulating what they see lays on the older generation as well as the consumers of such garbage music. I know everyone has a right to express themselves and that is only fair, however the practices of the industry to pander to the cheapest and most useless, and soulless forms of entertainment have only become more popular recently because first, we who know better sit in silence and accept it. Hiding behind the rhetoric that they are just making money; it's a business. Second we don't want to acknowledge the effect that music has, because that makes us accountable for what we put out there. That's the real problem people, artist, consumers no one wants to take any responsibility for the footprint they are leaving, because rather you actively make a choice to do something or you passively let it fly because it's not your concern you have to live with that choice. We are living with the choices of inaction now. So the next time you hear some subpar ish on the radio or on a show remember the good ole days, and make a choice. Me I'm turning nonsense music off.

Making America great again and where to start

 With the presidential elections closer than we would care to think, we as citizens of this once great country have to start asking ourselves do we want more of the same. Are we going to sign up for the statuesque and rhetoric that has become the norm over the past three decades? We were once a society of innovators and neighbors focused on making life rich and full for each other. However as the amount of wealth grew for a select few, so did the gap in our ability to empathize with others and to understand we are all a part of this community. Recently while I was watching the republican debate I heard Donald Trump, multi-billionaire, mention he wanted to make America great again. Which started my wheels turning. What would it really take to make us great again? My ideas of what made us great and what has the ability to heal us as a society come from my understanding of some basic business principals and some things that seem to be common sense to me. We have some issues that we need to address before we can even think about calling ourselves great again. This will be a series of the issues I deem important not just for us and the culture we have created in this country, but world wide as we are often imitated around the world, lest our climate of apathy and callousness for each other spread.

So if people with less can be innovative and find ways to take care of others with the waste they would throw away why can we here in a country with so much not find a way to do the same in all our communities to feed those who do not have? It is mainly because of the social stigma attached to not having food or a home. Our society does not see a person in need, we see individuals who have some how earned their place on the streets or their position. When in fact the statistics are staggering.

In 2010, 14.5% (17.2 million) of households in the United States experienced food insecurity at one time. 

• Households with children have almost twice the rate of food insecurity as households without children.
• 26.1% of Hispanic households and 25.2% of black households experience food insecurity, compared to 10.8% of white households experience food insecurity.
• Almost 14% of households experiencing food insecurity consist of a married couple with children, but 35.1% of households consist of a single woman with children, and 25.4% of households with a single father and children experience food insecurity.3

Food insecurity and hunger stem from poverty and a lack of reliable income sources. This climate is controlled by some of the jobs that used to pay a living wage being outsourced overseas. This causes a high rise in the rate of homelessness, healthcare, and petty crimes.

 If we are ever to get back to being a society of innovators we need to start taking care of each other in a way that says we are not just in it for the money. What do you think? Let's really start working on the problems and not just treating the symptoms.

 http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=431960054&m=432036132&live=1

References:
Nord, Mark, and Mark Prell. "Struggling To Feed the Family: What Does It Mean To Be Food Insecure?" Amber Waves June 2007. USDA Economic Research Service.
2.U.S. Conference of Mayors 2010 Status Report on Hunger & Homelessness. Rep. Washington DC: City Policy Associates, 2010.
3.United States. USDA. Economic Research Service. Household Food Security in the United States in 2010. By Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Mark Nord, Margaret Andrews, and Steven Carlson. 2010.
4.Grief, Meridith J., and Barrett A. Lee. "Homelessness and Hunger." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 49.1 (2008): 3-19.
5.Alaimo, Katherine. "Food Insecurity in the United States An Overview." Topics in Clinical Nutrition 20.4 (2005): 281-98.
6.Supra note 4
7.Cook, PhD, John, and Karen Jeng. Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact on Our Nation. Rep. Chicago: Feeding America, 2009.
8.Ibid
9."Food Desert Locator Documentation." USDA Economic Research Service - Home Page. United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
10.United States. USDA. Economic Research Service. Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences : Report to Congress. [Washington, D.C.]: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2009.
11.Baer, Kathryn. "Acute Food Needs Now Monthly Events For More Than Three Million U.S. Households « Poverty & Policy." Poverty & Policy.Wordpress.com. 27 Oct. 2011.
12.Ibid.
13.United States. USDA. Economic Research Service. Food Security Improved following the 2009 ARRA Increase in SNAP Benefits. By Mark Nord and Mark A. Prell. [Washington, D.C.]: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2011.

Building the Dream

I want to thank everyone who has hung with us through the difficult times. We have been working very hard to shape our brand into something we can be proud of. This has been a task in and of itself as we needed to take a few steps back in order to serve people and clients better.

During our absence we have secured our own studio location, shot several short films, been to a few festivals and written our first feature scheduled to begin shooting late next year. There a couple of other irons in the fire but we will keep that in our back pockets until the time is right.

It is important for people not to just talk about their dream. I mean if all you want to do is dream, then talking about it is just fine. However if you want to make it a reality there is a lot of hard work that must come before you can begin to live it. So here is the hard truth, everyone will not be able to live their dream. It's not because they are not special, or because they don't deserve it. It is simply because they are not really willing to work for it. Many people believe that other successful people stumble on to it out of luck or having the right connections. The facts actually are that many successful people have worked many hours sacrificed time with family and doing the fun things in life that others may do on a daily basis to be able to reach that point. Just because they are not out sharing those hours with others does not mean they did not earn the it or that it was handed to them over night.

So the very first step in building your dream is to be willing to work for whatever it is.  So with that being said I want to share a song with you from an Artist named P-Dash it's called Work.


Photo courtesy of iampdash.com

Leadership Value: Learn from the lessons of false leaders

Leadership Value: Learn from the lessons of false leaders

Over the past few weeks we have had a conversation about what leadership is and what it means to be a leader. Now that we know what it is we should be able to recognize what it is not, right? Unfortunately that is not always a simple thing to do. False leaders are abundant we see them everyday. Some are in office, some at our places of business, and some in positions that we depend on to help provide a safe environment. I have mentioned this before in other Leadership Value posts, but I really want to hone in on it in this one. For many people it is easy to be a leader, especially when there is no sign of trouble, anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm, is a saying from Publilius Syrus, a freed slave from the first century BC. He is also credited with saying that a good reputation is more valuable than money. On both accounts he was correct. As long as things are good and they are never tested, false leaders are able to have a reputation that is more valuable than money. It is not until time of need that they are exposed. We have an obligation to learn the signs and test those that would lead for the betterment of all those they claim to be striving to lead to a better position. There is a measure of personal responsibility that everyone has over his or her own actions, but that is for another post. Beware of those that steer the ship only in calm water because the sea is not naturally smooth sailing. There will be turmoil and challenges. Many may try to sell you their dream, while you supply everything and they supply only the vision. This not a leader, this person is a shame artist that wants to take advantage of your resources all the while standing on your back to move to a hire position. They will often talk of their vision but will seldom have anything of substance to offer you. If we are to improve our own lot in life and pave the way for others that we care about we must study from our past mistakes and the mistakes of others and those lessons should be implemented in a fashion to maximize our growth.

Leadership Value: Leadership is not a position

Leadership Value: Leadership is not a position

Do you remember when you were in grade school and the teacher would make you do a group assignment. If your class was anything like some of mine, there was always that one kid that volunteered for the position of the leader of the group. Most of the time this person wasn’t really interested in the welfare of the group; he or she wanted the position to make them look better. Let’s be honest, we all want to look good, to be appealing to positions of authority, because they are the gatekeepers of success. They have the authority to; in this case pass or fail you, but more so in life these people are the ones that hold your raise or evaluation for that new position at their discretion. Back in grade school we had not learned that the way a leader really looks most attractive is when the whole group succeeds. So here is where being the leader actually comes into play. Leadership is not just a position; it is in fact the ability to take action, to pull the trigger on a decision. This does not only apply to the calm times but when everyone around them is in a panic, the leader must remain calm and focused. Leadership is the ability to act when everyone and everything around you is in chaos, that is what defines a leader. Often times a true leader is the most reluctant to take on the task of being the leader, because they understand what it means, and what a responsibility they have to the people whom have chosen to follow them. A true leader understands that there is more to leadership than the title of a position.

Leadership value: success and failure is perception

Leadership Value: The difference between success and failure is perception

It’s hard for people to believe that their success is not their own. It’s even harder for them to believe that their failures are not someone else’s. Some people think that if they are ever going to be successful it will be at someone else cost, that there is not enough room for them to be successful and someone else. This is a problem with perception. There are two main factors that will determine how successful you are. The first is not viewing the work as a whole but as each individual task. When small tasks are done with a simple discipline of doing each task the best we can we learn to see success for what it really is. The second thing to know is no matter what you are doing; no matter if it is art, or engineering you are not alone. The road to success is not a journey that is taken alone, although everyone will not make it with you to the end of the journey you must give in order to receive. The opportunity to help someone else is an opportunity to elevate you as well. I do not mean for wealth or taking advantage of another person, but by aiding someone else you have not only changed your perspective but theirs as well.  With the right perspective things become less daunting, because when we succeed it is because we are together, and when we fail it is only because we feel we are alone.

There is always a time to party

Many times in the pursuit of our larger goals we forget to celebrate the smaller goals that pave the way to that ultimate level of success we are striving for. None of us is promised anything as far as success goes. There is a lot of hard work and dedication that must be done long before we ever see and hold the fruit of our labors. As leaders we must not forget to celebrate the moments with those that believe in us and work towards the goals with us. In those moments we all taste a small measure of the future success that we will share if we continue to work together as a team and learn from each other. As leaders we must encourage the celebration of these moments, it is not only validation for all that we have worked for until that moment, but it is also fuel to keep the fire burning even brighter than we could have imagined. As leaders we must foster the celebration of our milestones rather it is a party or just a night out with pizza and a firm hand shake we must take the time out to enjoy the fruits of our endeavors before we press on. Let us not get so caught up in the race to the finish that we forget to enjoy each and every moment, every relationship, and every obstacle overcome that inches us closer together as a group, and to the end of a journey; where we will start anew. Life is often seen as a series of obstacles it is only when we take time to celebrate and reflect that we can see the journey for what it really is and apply that perspective to our future.

Leadership value of the day: Addition or Subtraction

Leadership value of the day: Addition or Subtraction

Most people are familiar with the simple math principals of addition and subtraction. However many think that these principals only apply to numbers, money, or anything with a value. While these principals are commonly taught in that frame of reference today I want to offer up a theory. This theory boils everything down to these two things. In life every relationship you have either adds to your life or it takes away from it. Take a moment and really think about this. You have friends that either foster positive change in your life or friends that help you spiral out of control. It is often not that black and white, as our nature is not one that is polarized but a nature that is more that of yen and yang. We must look at our relationships in a reference of time and growth to see if the relationship is one that should be fostered or cut off. However before we can get to this point we must embrace the principal that all relationships either add or subtract. If you are striving to lead and become a great leader this is something you would do well to keep in mind. If you are working to change your life and mentality start by embracing this principal, this will allow you to fully see the scope of a relationship. This does not mean cut off all the people that are not adding to your life, because it may be you who adds to theirs, but understand that if this is the case you should be aware of how your relationship with this person influences you as well.

Leadership Value of the Day: Preparation

Leadership Value of the Day: Preparation

Sometimes we get so excited to do what we have been dreaming about that we get ahead of ourselves. We look to finish the race before we have even begun. This is a mistake that can slow and even finish a project before it has even had the chance to breath. As a leader striving for greatness not only in self but the projects we want to produce, we need to often prepare ourselves and the people we a leading for the tasks at hand. When many people think of preparation they think about the gathering of all the materials they may need and the drawing up of a game plan to help them achieve their measurable goals. This is a great step, however it is not the extent to which one must prepare. In order to truly prepare a leader must now where he or she is leading people, the goals that need to be achieved and must communicate those goals to the people that are making up the team. Sounds easy right? It is not as easy as it sounds because we all are subject to getting caught up in the heat of the moment and forgetting the purpose and our preparation. A great leader should always communicate the goals of the group in the simplest form. This allows all involved to know what is the collective goal. It helps to solidify the unit as a cohesive group, and not just a bunch of people with their own agendas. That leads us to one of the most important factors choosing your people wisely. Many leaders do not like to turn people away from their groups. However sometimes it is necessary for the whole group. It is the leaders job to make sure that the group embraces those that are coming fourth with a pureness of intent, and protect the group from ill will and malice. Sometimes that comes in the form of friends that fain to be champions of your cause. Finally in order to be completely prepared for the task at hand you must be able to delegate the right people for the right jobs. A great leader does not need to run around to every job to make sure it is done. A great leader instills confidence in the people that he or she has chosen. Letting them know that they are trusted and capable to perform the duties at the highest levels for the progression of the group.

Here is a little funny video that drives home the point of preparation.

Leadership Value of the Day: Overcoming an Entitlement mentality

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Leadership Value of the Day: Overcoming an Entitlement mentality

This is the second version of this post that I have written today. I read the first one and realized it was too much for many people to handle. That I had taken people too far to fast, and that if I want to reach people that I have to break the information down into small digestible chunks of information that people can understand before I spill all my opinions out.

            There are many layers to the entitlement mentality. I am only going to deal with the one that most people are aware of. I am doing this for two reasons. The first is simple; in order to change things you must first be made aware that things need to change. The second reason is because I am living it in my life now, but more on that in bit. So let’s just jump into shall we.

            The mentality that someone owes you anything is ridiculous. I see it more and more everyday. People that feel they are owed something in life. While it is true that many of us come from a lot that has not been dealt the best hand, we cannot use this as a reason to not put in the work ourselves to change our lives, and our world for the better. Many people think that just because they show up to work that they are owed a paycheck. Are you one of those people? Do you believe that just showing up is enough? While showing up is half of the battle many times we forget to teach that after you show up you must show up. You have to work to be productive, and not just go through the motions but to actually get results. We are a society that rewards just showing up, and not the results that are supposed to be a product of showing up. There are deeper reasons for this that I will not try to address in this short post, but we must understand that in this life we can only reap what we sow. Many say that phrase but few truly understand the meaning. Many of my friends are graduates of a university or a technical school, and believed that coming out of this most expensive and segregated time of our lives would yield the ability to earn enough to make a living. Many of us are being hit with the harsh reality that this is not necessarily the truth. While we may have learned theories and techniques to help us get in to a door, we have not been taught how to think for ourselves once we walk through it. That is the real problem. If we are unaware of what we really need to know to make it in the society we live in it will breed this mentality of entitlement, because of the promises made. Changing this mentality is simple it only takes two things. First, be productive. Measure your success in the things that yield results and not just showing up or getting something to a finishing point. Second, think. Take time to think out what you really want to achieve. Thinking is an activity many people do not engage in anymore, many have become content with allowing others to think for them, and thus we go round and round.