Before jumping into the meat and potatoes of some of the most common misunderstanding Cindy and I run into when working to build better leaders in the teams we serve - leadership myths if you will - I want to share a special invitation with you to join us at 3pm on Friday, December 8 where we’ll be ...

Make no mistake, nothing I’ve shared here as we’ve looked at the strengths of these Founding Fathers - Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison - has been with the intention of suggesting they were perfect. Quite honestly, that’s why I included some of the weaknesses! I also believe th...

I sure can relate with James Madison on a few things, although his academic success and ability to achieve collaboration with even his fiercest opponents aren’t among them… I feel like I can get a good bit accomplished on any given day, but like Madison, the work I do is always much better (and more...

While some of James Madison’s physical attributes likely far more in the weakness column than the strengths column we’ll be looking at here, he overcame his small stature by effectively utilizing his strengths! An article called James Madison: Impact and Legacy from the Miller Center at the Universi...

Long before all the conversation slamming the NCAA for upholding rule barring the football team from competing for a conference championship or bowl game despite a remarkable start to just their second FBS season, our local university’s namesake was known for being “the Father of the Constitution.” ...

A beginner’s enthusiasm is a wonderful thing. This type of enthusiasm is what brings the energy of wonder, curiosity, and openness that helps us learn and discover. The more we learn, grow, and master, the better we become.  Over time, though, we often forget the beginner’s enthusiasm.  If you find ...

“Although Jefferson left the cabinet voluntarily, Washington never forgave him for his actions, and never spoke to him again.” 

The wikipedia article on Jefferson, while detailing his time as Washington’s Secretary of State, shared how staunchly opposed he was to Alexander Hamilton’s view on the (n...

I have no doubt that you could put together a list of Jefferson’s strengths that’s significantly longer than what I’ll touch on here - and that’s OK by me. My goal here isn’t to be complete and comprehensive but to highlight a few key attributes he brought to the table in his work with our other fou...

Before we pick up by looking at a couple of Benjamin Franklin’s peers, and specifically their leadership characteristics that you and I still benefit from today, I’ll share one last invitation to join us on Friday, December 8 (likely around 3p or so on Zoom) to get the specifics on helping us launch...

With all the characteristics that worked in Benjamin Franklin’s favor to earn influence ( and the leadership that comes with that earned influence), he certainly wasn’t perfect; no one is - not even you or me! In his presentation at Grand Valley State University, Whitney mentioned Franklin’s limited...

As I mentioned before, Benjamin Franklin’s voice as a Founding Father didn’t carry such significant weight because of any particular position he held, although he did make a significant impact in several different roles. His influence was largely something he earned throughout the course of his life...

While many think of him with quotes like “a penny saved is a penny earned” or “early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,” I’m quite fond of the response he gave Elizabeth Willing Powel when she asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Although it do...