Keep Pedaling

The following article was written exclusively for “The Flame” – a product of Collaborative Solutions Group. To read all of the articles, visit: https://courses.collaborativesolutionsgroup.com/flame-2020-vol-5

Last fall, Collaborative Business Solutions hosted a two-day Leadership Mastery Summit in Huntersville.  Just over a dozen speakers shared their unique stories motivating and enlightening those who could join the summit virtually.

While I was excited to be one of the speakers on day two of the event, perhaps a bigger thrill was sharing the stage with some of the nation’s outstanding motivational speakers.  Among them was Nate Salley, former Ohio State National Champion Safety who played for the Carolina Panthers from 2006-2009.

Nate Salley, former Ohio State Buckeye National Champion and Carolina Panther Safety, speaks at The Leadership Master Summit last month. Photo Courtesy Sarah Mitchell, CPP, Sarah Lynn Studio

Nate now speaks to groups with his company Audible Coaching and Consulting. As a huge College Football fan, I remembered Nate from his playing days with the Ohio State Buckeyes and enjoyed watching him on Sunday afternoons with our Carolina Panthers.

Salley’s program entitled, “Three Steps to Walking in Your Purpose,” spoke about the challenges’ individuals face as they define their purpose in life. As I write this column, perhaps no time in our career have we faced greater challenges than those presented by this COVID-19 pandemic – Challenges to our health, to our business, and to our relationships.

If the virus we battle were not enough, we are dealing too with the issues related to diversity and inclusion. The death of George Floyd a few months ago, at the hands of  the Minneapolis Police, has become a “Tipping Point” for African Americans as we all begin a much-needed dialogue about race in America.

I listened intently as Nate began discussing the life lessons he shared with his own son. Pausing to look around the room, Nate beamed as he discussed how he taught his son how to ride a bike. He shared how he held him firmly on the seat of the new bike and promised he would be right there to keep him from harm.  As his son started pedaling, and panicked, realizing he was easing out of his father’s arms.  Nate assured him, “He would be there…keep pedaling and even if you fall, I  will get you back up.”

I could not help but think back on my first experience on a bike.  While many others in my neighborhood began with training wheels, my dad simply started me off on a hill, and like Nate, urged me to keep pedaling!

For weeks, whenever I wanted to stop the bike, I simply guided it into bushes, up against a tree, or simply fell off before one of the other kids asked why I simply didn’t use the brakes?

“What’s a brake?” I asked back.

No one ever told me how to slow down, stop or dismount.  Simply watch where you are going, pay attention to cars and the people around you, and keep pedaling.

Both Nate and my dad had similar advice – Whether on a bike or in life, you will fall and some of those falls will hurt a little more than others. But you always get back up and keep pedaling.

As Nate Salley was wrapping up his talk, he reminded everyone that pain had its purpose.  Even this pandemic we are experiencing will provide us new opportunities as we adapt, grow, and learn from the challenges we face.

As I thought about those lessons my dad imparted on me, Nate turned, and his eyes met mine. It was as if he was reading my thoughts when he paused, smiled, and talked about “Legacy.” The Legacy we leave is not all the toys we have, wealth we have amassed, or places we have traveled – it’s the impact we have on others and the difference we have made in their lives.

There will be days when you feel you have given it everything you have. Perhaps a day when you have stumbled or fallen. That is when, as Nate reminded us all, you remember your “why” – your unique purpose… and keep on pedaling.

W.E. “Bill” Russell, CCE, IOM

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Words do Matter

Like many of you, I have been following the back and forth antics in Washington between President Donald Trump and our leaders in Congress. The news media, Facebook, and Twitter are all inundated with pundits, politicians and sometimes “Friends” weighing in on who’s gone too far, who’s to blame, and just how wrong the other side is on the issue of the day.

Regardless of what political party with which you may affiliate – you likely believe it’s the other political party and its leadership who could or would be leading this country in a direction which will surely spell doom for this and future generations.

I think both sides have gone way too far in this war of words and political theater. The President and Members of Congress may be playing to their political base, but it is not leadership and certainly not the example we need to send to our young people.

I am reminded of the adage – “Leadership is doing the right thing when no one is watching.”

As a kid growing up in Rock Hill, South Carolina, I still recall the taunts and jeers from other children who picked on me for being a small, thin, and somewhat puny little kid. Today, that’s called bullying and bullies are often harshly rebuked. Back then – it was toughen up or fight back.

Their harsh words stung and holding back the tears that welled up in my eyes, I countered the familiar refrain, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but your words will never hurt me!” But they did hurt… badly, and while time has faded the scars, the memories still linger.

Our nation’s history is filled with patriotism and prejudice. There is much to take pride in and much to give pause over. The indomitable spirit as Americans stormed the beaches at Normandy, led the breakthroughs in technology, medicine, and space exploration and emerged as the preeminent superpower and beacon of Democracy is the envy of much of the world. Conversely, the treatment of African Americans, Native Americans, and Japanese Americans are stains on a glorious landscape of unprecedented achievement.

Our political leadership toss around words like “racism” and “sexist” so cavalierly that it begins to lose its impact. If someone disagrees in a partisan or philosophical discussion, then they must simply be insensitive or just plain ignorant.

This past August (August 6th) an event took taking place across this country.  No, it wasn’t a protest or Antifa demonstration. Instead, it was an opportunity for our local citizens, and in particular families, to participate in National Night Out. The community event is a night where local police and public safety officers, including our firefighters and EMT’s, come together each year with our community, as we work to create safer communities for our families and businesses.

While we may not be able to change the tone in Washington, together we can set an example at home with our children – the generation who will inherit this nation – and say Thank You to the Men and Women who bravely serve and protect us each and every day.  If you missed this year’s event – it will take place again the first Tuesday in August 2020.

President Ronald Reagan said, “It’s not enough to be equal in the eyes of God, we must be equal in the eyes of each other.” That message can begin one family and one community at a time, and it can start with us here at Lake Norman!

Words can hurt – or they can heal. Perhaps we all need to ask ourselves one thing when we prepare to lay our head on the pillow tonight – “What did our own words do today?”

Bill Russell

Great leaders know when to follow

Since 1997, the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce has facilitated a leadership program which has graduated just over 300 alumni. While many of those who participate in the group may already be emerging as business and community leaders, Leadership Lake Norman further cultivates their business and professional skills as well as enhances their community awareness.

During an overnight retreat held at Bethelwoods (York County, SC) last fall, the group participated in team building exercises which required creative solutions to the challenges facing the group. For the last 16 years, I have been fortunate to serve as an observer as Class XVI took part in an exercise called the “Helium Stick.”

The task seemed deceptively simple as our group lined up in two rows facing each other and had to work together to lower a stick to the ground.  In this case a thin tent pole using only their fingers.  The catch was each person’s finger had to be in contact with the “helium stick” at all times.

All this sounds very easy, but particularly in the early stages of the exercise, the stick has the strange habit of mysteriously rising up rather than the intended task of be lowered.

After the exercise is over, the participants are asked to share their experience and observations, specifically what happened? Why did it happen?  What changes did the group have to make to accomplish the task, and what was the take away from the activity?

I listened in as our leadership participants talked about the factors which led their eventual success: focus, patience, adjusting to each other’s strengths, heights, and most of all communicating with each other.  In this particular exercise, the group quickly learned that even the most concise and simple tasks can quickly go awry. In the workplace (and life!) great leaders must understand the proper place and time to step aside and let others lead.

I listened intently as members of last year’s program discussed what they were feeling and their own realization that, “the best leaders know when to follow and they never give up.  Perhaps most importantly, they encourage those in the group to develop their skills and lead. “Our facilitator pointed out that sometimes, the end results of our own personal and business relationships are the opposite of what we were intending.

The key is to find the balance in common goals.  The fact that everyone on your team has a clear vision of the objective is not enough, you must be able to react to a situation, using each other’s strengths, and in some cases step back and let others lead to achieve your goal.

Rev. Halford E. Luccock reminded us, “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.”

Applications for the 20013-2014 session of Leadership Lake Norman will be available via the Chamber’s website and by calling the Lake Norman Chamber at 704-892-1922 June 15.

Maintaining healthy relationships – at home and the workplace

Since the beginning of time, people have wrestled with their ability to create and maintain healthy relationships.  Some of us have great personal relationships but have difficulty building strong ties in our professional lives.  Others are champions in their professional field but struggle with balancing their affairs at home with family or close personal friends.  Regardless of who we are or what we do, the one constant is we all have to deal with other people and to be truly successful in any endeavor we must be masters at the ability to manage and maintain healthy relationships.

Not long ago, I heard a preacher telling the story of a castaway who was stranded on an island all by himself for two decades.  As the old man gathered up his belongings he had collected over his long stay, the captain of the rescuing vessel remarked at the three buildings on the island.  “If you were the only one on the island all these years, why are there three different structures?” inquired the ship captain.  “Well,” began the old man.  “The first hut was the house I built for myself.  Then I realized I must build a church to thank the Lord for my deliverance from the sea.”

The ship captain waited patiently for the explanation for the third building.  Seeing none forthcoming, he asked, “What’s the purpose of the third structure?”  The old man looked dejected, shrugged his shoulders a bit, and said, “To be completely honest, things were going great for a while.  But one day the congregation had a fight and I just left and built a new place.”

Everyone in the church howled with laughter at the preacher’s story but deep down many of us knew his point.  We see strife in relationships played out every day in athletics, politics, offices, and our home.  Someone usually comes out on top and someone else loses.  Usually the issue is not so much the loss, but how they feel they were treated in losing.

In business or any other field, the single most important element of success is learning how to get along with people.  Outstanding leaders learn to develop great relationships.  We are all treated well on the way up but how will we be treated on the way down?  That is the true measurement of how good we are in dealing with people.

James MacGreggor Burns once said, “In real life, the most practical advice for leaders is not to treat pawns like pawns, or princes like princes, but all persons like persons.”

Like the old castaway, we can move from relationship to relationship, turning our back and burning bridges, or we can recruit and nurture our associations with others.  At the end of the day, it is not the machinery, the facility, or the strategy that will allow for our success – it is the people who make it possible.

Address to the 73rd Annual United States Junior Chamber of Commerce Meeting Delegates

Address to the 73rd Annual Meeting Delegates
United States Junior Chamber of Commerce
Wednesday, June 16, 1993
Greensboro, NC

This speech was given during the annual business meeting of the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce by National President Bill Russell asking the delegates to approve a $5 dues increase per member, an alumni membership, and a blue ribbon commission to create a plan for the future of the organization.  All three initiatives were approved later that day.

Delegates to the 73rd annual meeting, there is a word that keeps popping up time and again when we talk about the Junior Chamber and that word is leadership.  You have heard it this year.  I hope you come to understand it better.  Leadership is our chance to create a stronger organization.  An organization that will be there for your children and your children’s children.

You can define leadership many different ways but in the Junior Chamber we know leadership is the key to everything else we do.  Without leadership, we become just another fundraising organization like so many other groups out there.  We lose our credibility, we lose our history, and we cut our roots.  While community service is the best work of life, we must not lose sight that our community development projects are just one slice of that work. The entire pie is created with leadership as the pan that holds it all together.  Leadership that understands where it is going and how to get there.

Jaycees, we have an obligation to prepare for the future.  Today we have that opportunity.  The opportunity to return our organization to financial stability, to tap resources previously turned away, and to create and implement a plan for the future.  I am asking for your support of the much needed dues increase, our alumni membership, and the proposed blue ribbon commission.

Robert F. Kennedy, a young person who left us 25 years ago this month said, “Progress is a nice word but change is its motivator and change has its enemies.”  I believe in the American Dream because I believe in Jaycees.  You and I stand on the threshold of a new America…a new Junior Chamber…and America and a Junior Chamber filled with opportunity, challenges, and change.

Let us not be enemies of change.  The progress we seek in the Jaycees is not for personal gain, influence, or power.  It is change for our organization.  It is changing our way of thinking…thinking of leadership training and preparing our members to go out in their communities and lead.  It is change that is required if we are as a viable organization are to once again obtain our position of national prominence.  And its change we must have if we are to continue to call ourselves the organization of choice for today’s young people.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the 1960’s, Dr. Martin Luther King stood at a podium in the deep south and reflected on where the civil rights movement was going when he said, “The measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at the times of challenges and controversy.”  I ask you today….where do you stand?  I stand on the side of change.

Change not for the sake of doing something different, but progressive, enlightened change. Change that will make our organization strong…and remain strong…year after year, in chapter after chapter.  It is taking a leadership stand.  Let us all stand against mediocrity. Let us take a stand against the status quo and business as usual.  Let us go somewhere we have not been.

Let us today…in this moment in time…go somewhere…we have not been.

A Reminder from Arlington

      Last September, our Chamber delegation met with Senators Dole and Burr and Congresswoman Myrick and Congressman Watt in D.C.  We spoke about a variety of issues from road improvements, and energy to what we perceived then was just a sluggish economy.  Within days of our trip, news of bank failings, lost jobs, and the credit crisis filled the evening news.  We arrived back home feeling a sense of accomplishment.  Little did we know the news which would overshadow that trip – a market collapse requiring a “rescue” by the federal government.

     While in D.C. we did have an opportunity for a little sight seeing.  The most awe inspiring was a trip to Arlington National Cemetery.  Perhaps there is nothing more stirring than to look at the row after row of white markers designating our national heroes, many who served our country well.  Most, giving their very lives to protect the freedoms, liberty, and rights we hold so dear.

     Some may not know that Arlington, our nation’s most precious shrine, is the home of Robert E. Lee.  I must confess that I am an unabashed Son of the South.  I was probably sixteen before someone finally convinced me that Lee was not really a member of the Holy Trinity.  However, we are kin!  My great grandmother’s father is Lee’s fifth cousin.

     I know…people from the north wonder how we southerners can go on and on about our cousins three times removed.  So how is it that America’s most cherished shrine honors a man who led the army that fought for southern independence from the Union?

     With the passage of time, Americans came to appreciate Lee’s role in reuniting the nation after the Civil War.  The Confederate general’s example inspired men and women of his day to lay down grievances and get on with the job of rebuilding a new and better America.  Lee used his influence to move away from the bitterness of the war to reunion and peace.  “Madam,” Lee admonished a Southern visitor in his last years, “Don’t bring up your sons to detest the United States Government.  Recollect that we form one country now.  Abandon all these local animosities and make your sons American.”

     The situation we find ourselves in today with the challenges to our free market, health and welfare, our very jobs are a result of greed and partisanship.

     Government spends – it does not solve.  Only people can solve the problems that were created by people in the first place.  It will require putting aside labels, and bickering, and politics, and partisanship and putting service above self and people above party.

     We are reminded of the souls that stand silent sentry on the hills of Arlington. Those who paid the ultimate price for God and country – for you and me – and the generations who will inherit this great exercise in democracy.

     Each generation is tested.  No great opportunity comes without risk, no great reward without hard work and determination.  And working together, we will rebuild this economy better than it was before.  Because we are all Americans and like the generation before us we will accept nothing less than our very best.

New Relationships

     Since the beginning of time, mankind has wrestled with its ability to create and maintain healthy relationships.  Some of us have great personal relationships but have difficulty building strong ties in our professional lives.  Others are champions in their professional field but struggle with balancing their affairs at home with family or close personal friends.  Regardless of who we are or what we do, the one constant is we all have to deal with other people and to be truly successful in any endeavor we must be masters at the ability to manage and maintain healthy relationships.

     Not long ago, I heard a preacher telling the story of a castaway who was stranded on an island all by himself for two decades.  As the old man gathered up his belongings he had collected over his long stay, the captain of the rescuing vessel remarked at the three buildings on the island.  “If you were the only one on the island all these years, why are there three different structures?,” inquired the ship captain.  “Well,” began the old man.  “The first hut was the house I built for myself.  Then I realized I must build a church to thank the Lord for my deliverance from the sea.”

    The ship captain waited patiently for the explanation for the third building.  Seeing none forthcoming, he asked, “What’s the purpose of the third structure?”  The old man looked dejected, shrugged his shoulders a bit, and said, “To be completely honest, things were going great for a while.  But one day the congregation had a fight and I just left and built a new place.”

      Everyone in the church howled with laughter at the preacher’s story but deep down many of us knew his point.  We see strife in relationships played out every day in athletics, politics, offices, and our home.  Someone usually comes out on top and someone else loses.  Usually the issue is not so much the loss, but how they feel they were treated in losing.

     In business or any other field, the single most important element of success is learning how to get along with people.  Outstanding leaders learn to develop great relationships.  We are all treated well on the way up but how will we be treated on the way down?  That is the true measurement of how good we are in dealing with people.

     James MacGreggor Burns once said, “In real life, the most practical advice for leaders is not to treat pawns like pawns, or princes like princes, but all persons like persons.”

     Like the old castaway, we can move from relationship to relationship, turning our back and burning bridges, or we can recruit and nurture our associations with others.  At the end of the day, it is not the machinery, the facility, or the strategy that will allow for our success – it is the people who make it possible.