I realize not all who read my leadership blog may be Christian and I certainly hope you will understand and respect my pause for this week. We will get back to Leadership Communication next week.

Until then, have a wonderful week full of hope and joy!

See you next week.

Russ

Let’s connect…

on Twitter if we haven’t already?

OR Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

OR Let’s connect via my Facebook page!

iSpeak teaches workshops on Professional Selling to help sales leaders gather the most important data and then use that information to create the right message. Are your sales presentations closing eyelids or deals?

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. His leadership blog assists leaders in giving voice to their vision. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

His question was not atypical. “What can I do to look more confident to my audience?” I get this one a lot in my workshops. I paused for a moment and said, “You’ve got to be more confident.” Of course, I had to say that with a smile and a wink.

There’s a big difference between being confident and just acting confident. I’m not a big fan of the “fake it until you make it” comment either. I never want the speakers I coach to be faking anything. I want them to “be” what they are meant to be. Put very simply, I want them to be authentic.

But how can we be authentic and what exactly does that even mean?

Your True and Authentic Self

What I’ve discovered, we all have an authentic self. That authentic self is at our core. While it’s at our core, it doesn’t mean it will never change or that it is something we were “just born with.” Our core is just the authentic self and a reflection of what we value most.

Now surrounding the Authentic Self is a layer that’s constantly being created, refined and formed to cloud out and cover up the Authentic Self. This layer is called the False Self. This False Self is created over time as we listen to that internal voice. You know the one. It’s the voice we all seem to have in our mind. It’s not our friend. It is some kind of enemy who speaks to us. Attempting to redefine our authentic self.

“You don’t have what it takes.”

“You’re a fake and they’re going to know it!”

“Your just a loser and they’re going to find out.”

“You’re no expert. Who do you think you’re kidding!?”

“You’re way out of your element. You don’t belong here. You’re not good enough.”

When the False Self does a good job of getting us to listen, we begin to believe the lies. We believe them so much, we actually begin to believe the False Self and the Authentic Self are one in the same.

The Quick Fix Question…

I’m guilty of this too, we start to think we need to show a better self to the public. We think we need to create a third layer on top of the false self. We need to cloak or hide the false self. Maybe we can project a better version of us to the public! Maybe we can “fake it” long enough that we will eventually become better at it? We call this outer layer the Projected Self and we use it for masking the False Self. It’s what we want others to see when they look at us. This is the layer I get asked about all the time in workshops. People want me to help them create a projected self.

“How can I show more confidence when I’m speaking?”

“What can I do to increase my approachability?”

“What should I do with my hands so I don’t look so nervous?”

We Don’t Teach Acting

If you want to learn how to act, don’t take one of our workshops. We don’t teach acting. We teach authenticity. What this means is that we don’t add a third layer (projected self) on top of the unnatural you (false self). Instead, we help you remove any remnants of the false self so you can be your true, authentic self. That’s what the audience wants anyway. They want you to be you!

So, what do we give you in our workshops to help release the authentic self? We give you tools and exercises you can use to strengthen your core. When you have a stronger core you can better defend your authentic self against the enemy speaking lies into you.

Don’t get caught up with anyone who promises quick-fixes or promotes masking your nervousness or lack of confidence. Your audience doesn’t want a projected self. The audience wants authenticity… not acting. So give it to them!

See you next week,
Russ

It’s no secret some people interpret disagreement as a sure sign you’re an enemy combatant. How do I know? Because I’m as guilty as the rest of us. When somebody disagrees with me (e.g. business, politics, religion, etc.) my brain jumps into battle stations, “Shields up! Divert all power to the forward cannons! Fire when ready!” Have you been there before? Can you relate?

If you’re like me then you really do want to get better, but it isn’t always easy. To use a biblical word, I always find myself repenting of my actions later, but I wish I could get better at preventing it from ever starting. Afterwards I start thinking something like…

“Wow… I need to apologize to him for what I said.”

“Ugh… how could I have let myself say that.”

“Whoa… I wish I could put those words back in my mouth.”

Everyone’s Opinion has an Origin

Like many things in life, I find this reminder simple but not easy. Nobody has a strong opinion without their opinion being rooted in something. In other words, people believe in something for a reason. Do you know what their reason is?

In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey addressed this so beautifully when he reminds us to understand the other person’s point of view before you attempt to share your point of view.

We all make decisions based on our personal interpretation of the world. We all like to think that we’re being logical with our decisions. In other words, we all have opinions that make sense to ourselves. So before we act or react, we can all take Covey’s advice and do our best to understand the origin of this person’s opinion before we respond. Even if we disagree, it can still provide some perspective on why this other person has a strong opposing view.

“ Seek first to understand before you seek to be understood. —STEPHEN COVEY

The Interpretation Process

Every time we’re placed in a situation, we interpret everything going on around us. Kerry Patterson tells us (Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success) our situation isn’t what makes us feel good, feel bad or feel anything else. He says the feeling we feel is generated by our own mind when we tell ourselves a story. In other words, there is a logical 4-step sequence to how we act and react.

It goes like this:

1. Exposure to a situation
2. We tell ourselves a story based on our interpretation and speculation
3. The story generates a feeling (love, contempt, animosity, anger, etc.)
4. We act or react based on the feeling

The One Forgotten Step

The story we tell ourselves is the forgotten step in Patterson’s process. Most of us think other people makes us mad. In fact, we’re probably all guilty of saying it at one time, “You make me so angry!” Patterson says that really isn’t true at all. Other people don’t make you angry… you make yourself angry! We make ourselves angry by telling ourselves a story.

“What a jerk, he’s only concerned with making money!”

“Only an idiot would think we should vote for that.”

“She doesn’t care about anyone but herself… and that’s obvious!”

So, if it’s the stories we tell ourselves that create the strong feelings, then maybe there is some hope we can regain control over how we feel, and react in tough situations.

But the toughest part now is… how do we control the story?

How do we change?

Like I said before, it’s simple but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy! The simple solution is to start telling yourself a different story. When you find yourself in a situation where your blood starts to boil, slow down. Ask yourself a few questions…

“Why am I getting angry about this?”

“What story did I just tell myself?”

“Why does this person think this is a logical solution?”

“ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. —MATTHEW 5:9

I know it’s simple but it definitely ain’t easy! I’m right there with you. I’ll pray for you if you’ll pray for me. Together, we can get through anything. We’re better together.

I control my own stories… I control my own stories…
Russ

Growing up, Easter was a very typical holiday for my family. Just like many othe families in my neighborhood. We’d get some new clothes for a sunrise service at church, hunt easter eggs, devour too many chocolate bunnies, and maybe have a family dinner with relatives after church. But it wasn’t until I was an adult that I gained a deeper level of understanding and appreciation for Easter.

Without Easter, Christianity doesn’t exist.

That’s not an overstatement. That’s just the truth. All of Christianity is based on the resurrection. It’s based on what happened nearly 2,000 years ago on that first Easter morning. Lee Strobel, former atheist and now Christian author, has written several books from an investigative reporter’s point of view, building cases for Christianity.

His first book, The Case for Christ, is based on his own investigative work when he was an atheist, all trying to disprove Christianity to his wife, a reborn Christian. This book was also recently made into a movie. In that movie, when Lee is beginning his crusade to disprove Christianity, he asks a Christian colleague where he should start his investigation. His Christian friend responded immediately. “If you disprove the resurrection, you disprove Christianity.”

Two thoughts crossed my mind when he made this statement:

1. Why would his Christian friend help an atheist trying to attack his own religion? (I realized later the Christian friend wasn’t worried one bit about what Lee would find. This character knew he’d only find evidence to support the resurrection!) God doesn’t mind if you have doubts. He just wants you to investigate for yourself.
2. The full weight of Easter hit me. I thought, “He’s right!” I guess being raised in a Christian home I can say I logically knew this already, but this characters statement struck me. If you take away Easter, you take away Christianity!

Regardless of your personal religious beliefs, I pray you experience gratitude, joy, appreciation, and love this Easter.

I’m guessing we can all agree that the world would be a better place if we could express these toward each other more often.

I’ll see you next week when I’ll share what I learned about leadership from 4 senior leaders on my recent trip to the Far East.

All the best,

My wife and I were both excited to attend the leadership conference! The lineup of speakers included one of my favorites and one of my wife’s favorites.  I was amped to hear from Craig Groeschel on topics like leading change and building systems. My wife was most excited about Lysa Terkeurst and her talk on dealing with disappointment. (and as far as I know, my wife’s interest in that topic had nothing to do with the fact that I was her date for the day!)

Then there was this other speaker, an author by the name Chris Hodges. I knew him as an author, but had never heard him speak before. Besides the one book I could recall (The Daniel Dilemma), I really didn’t know much about Chris. His comments that day were fun, humorous and engaging. I could write several blog posts on his amazing techniques for building approachability with an audience! (Note to self… write a future blog post on Chris Hodges and Approachability!)

So, WHAT’s the One Question?

Chris gave many helpful insights on leadership but there was one insight that just blew me away. It was one of those surreal moments when you realize you’ve just received a moment of truth. He gave us all one question we could use as leaders. This one question is powerful enough to change lives, organizations, communities, and the world. No exaggeration… this is good stuff!

Here it is…

“ What one thing, if it got better, would make the biggest difference? —CHRIS HODGES

This question struck me so hard because it’s both simple and powerful. Knowing why this is such a powerful question and how to use this question, can make you more effective in every aspect of your life. Don’t ever underestimate the significant benefits you can provide to others through the coaching wisdom in this one simple question!

WHY is this Question so Powerful?

1. Because… it’s simple

Elegance is found in simplicity. As the simplicity washed over me, the absolute power of the question began to soak in when Chris shared the story about him and his wife asking this question at least every 3 months on their date night. This one question has strengthened their marriage over the years. There isn’t a 12-step process for improving, there’s just one simple question. That’s it. Just one question. I love simple!

2. Because… it’s focused on only one issue

When I finish any of my workshops, my students usually have several new tools they’ve learned. Instead of asking them to now go and implement all of them, I probably surprise some of them with my final request. I ask them to only focus on implementing one change. When we have too many balls in the air, we don’t really do any of them very well. I love Chris’ question because it keeps us focused on just one issue… Focus!

3. Because… it’s tied to improvement

It’s inherent to the question itself. What would make the biggest difference? Most of us are willing to take on change when we know it’ll have a positive impact. We want that impact to give the biggest bang for the buck! This keeps you from focusing on changes just for the sake of change. The changes you pursue will lead to a positive difference and the biggest difference!

“ Don’t defend what’s not working! —CHRIS HODGES

HOW can you best use this Question?

1. Think about who to ask

When you think about who you could ask this question, two sources come to mind. You could ask yourself this question and you could ask other people this question. What I’ve found from my own experience is that I kinda like me. I mean, when I have an idea, I’m pretty sure it’s one of the best ideas ever! I don’t find myself disagreeing with me too much. Maybe it’s time I admit, I might be a little biased toward my own ideas. I’m jus’ sayin’.

So, what I’ve found is that I might be better served asking other people what should be improved instead of just always thinking I know what’s best. Whether you have ideas for improving your business or your marriage, make sure you get input from others. You can not only improve the outcomes of your business, but also the relationships you have with others.

2. Only ask if you have time to listen

This one question is meant to take your conversations into deeper waters. So, don’t jump into the deep end if you don’t want to swim. These conversations are meant to be savored. So plan on asking them when you have the time to listen and then LISTEN!

“ Nothing improves until something changes. —RUSS PETERSON JR.

3. Expect the work to follow

Something else built into this question is the actionable outcome. Let’s not sugar-coat this… you’re asking for work. You’re asking the other person about what needs to change. The change could be simple or it could be complex, but either way… it will involve you changing something. Remember, nothing improves until something changes. So once you know what needs to change, be ready to get to work!

As we finish up the Thanksgiving week I couldn’t help but think about gratitude. I’ve done my best over this week to focus on what I’m grateful for each day. In the good and in the bad, there is always a reason to be grateful. I’ve collected 11 quotes on gratitude for this week’s blog. I hope they lift your spirits as they’ve lifted mine.

“ Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. —ROBERT BRAULT

“ When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. —WILLIE NELSON

“ Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. —CHARLES DICKENS

“ The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated. —WILLIAM JAMES

“ It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy. —UNKNOWN

“ There is always, always, always a reason to be grateful. —CHEREE R. PETERSON

“ Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, it is the parent of all the others. —CICERO

“ Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. —AESOP

“ Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty. —DORIS DAY

“ Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy. —JACQUES MARITAIN

“ Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. —WILLIAM ARTHUR WARD

See you all next week!

Grateful for you all,
Russ

Let’s connect on Twitter if we haven’t already?

OR Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

OR Let’s connect via my Facebook page!

iSpeak teaches workshops on Professional Selling to help sales professionals gather the most important data and then use that information to align the right message. Are your sales presentations closing eyelids or deals?

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Angela entered my office for her exit interview. This was probably going to end in a few tears and a hug. Angela had been with us for a couple years and she was absolutely phenomenal with her accounts. They all loved her and we loved having her on the team. But, she had an amazing career opportunity come up, which meant she would be leaving us. As much as we didn’t want to see her go, I encouraged her to take it. I wouldn’t let her pass this up.

When she entered my office and closed the door I noticed she was carrying a manila folder with her. After a great conversation full of smiles, she stood up to leave and finally lifted the mysterious folder. She said, “I want to show you something before I go.” She opened the folder and a stack of folded notes came falling out of her folder onto my desk.

Each note was written by me or another team member. Each note started with a two-word heading printed in bold at the top. It said, “I appreciate…” We had our printing vendor make up pads of paper with this heading for all of our employees. We simply asked them to leave notes for each other with specific examples of appreciation to express their gratitude.

As our eyes met again Angela said, “I want you to know I will never throw these away. All of these notes have lifted my spirits more than you will ever know. Thank you for everything!” Then, of course… as expected… the waterworks and the hug.

The Impact of Leadership Gratitude

As we enter this week of Thanksgiving here in the U.S. I wanted to share something I’ve learned about gratitude in my career. Some leaders withhold thanks because they think gratitude effectiveness gets diluted by frequency. That’s not correct. It gets diluted when it’s not authentic.

“ Leadership gratitude gets diluted from lack of authenticity, not increases in frequency. —RUSS PETERSON JR.

Erika Andersen points out in her article on gratitude that it can positively affect our mental, emotional, and your ability to achieve in life. Gratitude can keep us all focused on the positive aspects of our life when it’s way too easy to get drawn down into the negative pit of misery (dilly dilly!).

What Makes Gratitude Authentic?

Over the years of my career I’ve found you can deliver authentic gratitude in one simple word… specificity. Anyone can say “Thank you.” but it takes true empathy and authentic communication to give the specific reason why you are thankful. Here’s the interesting part, when I take the time to describe the specific reason why I’m grateful for someone, I am blessed with the feeling of gratitude.

Here are the three levels of gratitude I’ve seen expressed ranging from the least impact to the greatest. All three levels of gratitude show impact. Leaders should feel comfortable using all of them.

Level One Gratitude – Tell them!

This is where the leader expresses thanks with a few simple words. Just two simple words like “Thank you!” to someone can go a long way. This is something that never gets old if you’re receiving it. This is not only appreciated by the person receiving the thanks, but it makes them feel better knowing that you’ve noticed.  They appreciate the gesture.

“ Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining–it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn’t solve any problems. —ZIG ZIGLAR

Level Two Gratitude – Tell them what you noticed

If you want to take your gratitude to the next level, tell them what they did to prompt your thanks. The more specific your recollection of their actions, the more impact it will have on them. From a follower’s perspective, this shows the leader cares. The leader is engaged with the team and is noticing what the team members do.

“ As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. —JOHN F. KENNEDY

Level Three Gratitude – Tell them the effect it had on you

The highest level of gratitude I’ve seen from a leader is when they take it one step further and describe the impact. This could be a business impact, like a resulting higher customer satisfaction rating or a higher sales number for the quarter. But, it can also be expressed in personal terms of emotion. I’ve seen some of the best leaders in my career tap into this level of gratitude by sharing the personal impact of someone’s actions. When a leader expresses thanks by telling you how they were personally affected by watching you handle a situation… you feel appreciated!

What can we do?

This week, take a moment to think about the people in your life who deserve your gratitude. Then, after you’ve made a list of these people, write down a specific example of what they did for you including the impact it had on you.

I encourage you to hand write these specific examples in a note and send them to each individual. If you want to truly have an impact on someone’s life, take the time to hand write a specific note to someone on your team or someone in your life. It can truly change their direction and momentum!

I wish you all the happiest of Thanksgivings, full of gratitude!  I’m thankful for you! Thank you for being a part of this small leadership community.

Dilly Dilly!
Russ

Let’s connect on Twitter if we haven’t already?

OR Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

OR Let’s connect via my Facebook page!

iSpeak teaches workshops on Professional Selling to help sales professionals gather the most important data and then use that information to align the right message. Are your sales presentations closing eyelids or deals?

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

My gratitudes…

Thank you to Cheree Peterson, my wife and my best friend, for all of your love, support, wisdom, and guidance.

Thank you to Kevin Karschnik, my iSpeak Co-Founder, for all the creativity and energy you’ve brought to our conversations over the years.

Thank you to all the team members at iSpeak for dedicating yourself to living out a purpose we all hold close to our hearts… to “Make a Difference” in the lives of our students. Everything you do is important and it IS making a difference!

And thank you to my King… “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 15:57

I love the modern superhero films from Marvel and DC because they seem to take us deeper into the character development and motives that made the heroes who they are today. Superman always fought for “truth, justice, and the American Way.” But I have one problem with that…

Where did Superman get his definition of truth and justice?

Truth certainly isn’t defined by a majority vote. Truth is truth regardless of the vote. And I don’t think there is anyone out there so arrogant to believe they alone can define truth! Truth comes from somewhere and it ain’t us! So where does Superman get his truth? We’re never really told what he believes, but he seems to think right and wrong are always obvious. Unfortunately, I disagree with the Man of Steel. It ain’t always that easy.

“ There is a right and a wrong in the universe and that distinction is not hard to make. —SUPERMAN

As leaders, we are expected to lead from three sources of strength but that strength must be firmly grounded in truth. Those truths are at your center and most of the time we refer to them as core values.

Who defines truth and justice?

Where do your core values come from? If we don’t have a strong core value system defined, we’ll be tossed around like a boat without rudder. The tail ends up wagging the dog. We all need to know our source for truth. We all need to have well defined core values.

When your core values are well defined, your decisions become much easier to make. Your actions ultimately reveal your core values because you cannot act in stark contrast to what you believe. As a Christian myself, I defer truth to a higher power. You may find your truth in the universe as you observe unchanging laws of science. Either way, as a leader, we must lead from a strong core.

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Three Sources of Leadership Strength

1. Justice

The statue of Lady Justice is probably a familiar one to you. You can find her in front of many courthouses around the world. She stands blindfolded and holding a measuring scale. Impartially she evaluates and measures. She holds a sword in the other hand signifying that justice can be swift and final. Justice is truth in action.

As leaders we should seek out the truth and be willing to put that truth into action. One poor example I’ve seen in my own career is when a leader gains a commitment from the team, one person fails to keep his commitment, and then he doesn’t get reprimanded by the leader. In other words, the leader is not being just.

No one ever said being a leader was going to be easy. It may be simple, but it isn’t easy. When you set expectations with your team, be just with those who keep or ignore their commitments.

“ Justice is truth in action. —BENJAMIN DISRAELI

2. Kindness

For me, I don’t see effective leadership without seeing a heart for others. I’ve seen plenty of managers accomplish tasks through strong power bases and questionable influence tactics (manipulation), but the leaders with the most successful teams always have a heart for their followers.

It is possible to be both just and kind. Exceptional teachers, coaches, and mentors are great examples because they have a heart for the ones they lead. The heart of the teacher beats for the mind of the student.

“ You can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force. —PUBLILIUS

3. Humility

This is a tough one. I have a suspicion if we’re all honest, we’d say we all struggle with this one from time to time. Humility means we have to check our ego at the door. Because leaders tend to be in the spotlight more than the team members, it can begin to affect the leader’s perception of self and his/her actions. To me, humility is holding yourself accountable to someone else, regardless of their title.

On a personal note, I heard someone say once, “I’m not married anymore. I can stay out as late as I want and I can do anything I want!” That is the exact opposite of humility. If you’re humble, it means you’re willing to hold yourself accountable. Whether your beliefs hold you accountable to a father in heaven or karma or your fellow man or the laws of science. Be willing to humble yourself in the face of truth.

“ True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. —C. S. LEWIS

Leaders… we are all called to lead others with justice, kindness, and humility. When we lead from that place we create an environment for the team to excel. Now go be the superhero leader your team needs!

Which Superhero do you think exemplifies these three sources of strength?

Still waiting on my call from Batman to join the Justice League,
Russ

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I collected over 80 quotes that give me inspiration as a salesperson and leader. I hope they bring you some inspiration as well. Get my FREE eBook on Sales and Leadership Inspiration.

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

During my college years, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I was self-centered. It was all about me. For an infant or a small toddler to think this way, you’d probably expect it. But, as a college-aged student, it just looks selfish. Not a great way to meet new friends. Since that time I’ve discovered two mindsets that determine your leadership effectiveness.

I’m definitely not perfect when it comes to applying these, but I know I’m in the process of improving because now I’m aware of my mistakes. Sometimes I’m only aware of which mindset was correct when I reflect back on how I handled a situation poorly. I learn, I apologize and I keep trying.

At a very high level, we can think about any situation through either an inward (read: “What do I get out of this?”) mindset or an outward (read: “How can this benefit others?”) mindset. I’ve learned to look at a situation and start with one simple question, “What can I give?” instead of “What can I get?” As I said above and I’ll say again… this is easier said than done… but I’m working on it.

The Inward Mindset

This one isn’t difficult to understand. At a fundamental level we’re all programmed with a deep desire for self-preservation. We’ll take tremendous risks if we think it will save our life. This is the inward mindset and when it comes to self-preservation, it’s really not a bad thing! Self-preservation isn’t selfish, it helps keep us alive! But, when the inward mindset starts to permeate all of our decisions, our resulting actions become more and more about what we gain and less about helping others. That’s when we cross the line into selfishness.

The Outward Mindset

The outward mindset puts others before yourself. This is the mindset of serving. This can be seen in the amazing acts of courage to help others. The amazing group of men and women in first-responder roles are applying their outward mindset.

Here is the interesting part about converting from an inward mindset to an outward mindset… the decision isn’t made in the mind! It has to drop from the mind to the heart. You see, the outward mindset is actually driven by the heart. When your heart breaks for others, it will overrule the mind. Once the heart starts driving the mind, the mind gets converted outward.

“ What breaks your heart?

The Outward Mindset at Work

After college, I had been praying for a servant’s heart and God kept his promise, as he always does. (Ezekiel 36:26). I was deeply moved to serve others in need so I volunteered to lead a group of men each month to build a wheelchair ramp for a needy family. Forty wheelchair ramps later, it has helped others and it has helped my heart stay in the driver’s seat.

Right now in Houston and all along the Gulf Coast, families are hurting. Born and raised in Texas and also being a citizen of Houston for 8 years, I can tell you, Texans are proud. We pride ourselves on independence and strength, but I personally believe most Texans also want to be a blessing to others. While it may be hard for a strong, proud Texan to accept assistance, it certainly isn’t hard for Texans to offer a helping hand.

This isn’t just about Texans reaching out, it’s about all Americans. I think at some level, it’s a human thing. We’re made in an image. That image is one that has love as a foundation. None of us are perfect, but we’re all built on that foundation of love. This has been evident with the volunteers and donations coming from all over the country and world to help those in need. It’s an outward mindset. When the heart takes the steering wheel and the mind moves to the back seat!

“ An outward mindset is when the HEART takes the steering wheel and the MIND moves to the back seat —RUSS PETERSON JR.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the videos on social media of the Cajun Navy from the great state of Louisiana, or the photo of SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carrying Catherine Pham and her baby to safety.

I believe the foundation of love we are built on serves a purpose in our lives. It was given to us for a reason. That reason is a simple one. We were meant for relationships with others; and relationships can’t exist without love.

If you’d like to exercise your foundation of love for others, consider donating your time, money, or needed items to your favorite charity. If you don’t know where to donate, here are just a few of the quality organizations helping out with Hurricane Harvey disaster relief. I’ve personally donated and iSpeak has donated to ADRN, Samaritan’s Purse, and American Red Cross.

• Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN)
• Samaritan’s Purse
• American Red Cross
• Salvation Army
• Houston Food Bank
• United Way
• Catholic Charities

I’m so thankful for the leaders with outward mindsets helping others during this catastrophe!

Bless you all,
Russ

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Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, there’s something we can take away from Easter and apply to leadership. It’s a story of mercy and grace in restoring relationships. But what exactly is mercy and grace?

While these two words get used quite frequently, especially in religious environments, we don’t always think about what they actually mean.

Mercy is…

When we show someone mercy we do not give that person something they do deserve. For example, if I were caught speeding through a school zone, I would deserve a citation. If the police officer only gave me a verbal warning, he would be showing me mercy. He did not give me what I deserved.

“ When we show someone mercy we do not give that person something they do deserve.

Grace is…

When we show someone grace, we give a person something they don’t deserve. For example, that speeding incident could have turned into a ticket and a day in court. If the judge looked down from her bench and said to me, “Your speeding fine is $400, but I’m going to write a check to pay for it myself.” she would be showing me grace. I received something I didn’t deserve.

“ When we show someone grace, we give a person something they don’t deserve.

I hope you have a week full of mercy and grace.

Happy Easter,

Russ

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Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.