Love Works

I define personal success as being consistent to my own personal mission statement: to love God and love others. - Joel Manby

On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we celebrate Love—both God’s boundless love for us and our love for one another.  In October, while Tanner was at his Upward Flag Football practice, I picked up a copy of Joel Manby’s Love Works from the Friendswood Public Library.  In the book, Manby provides in his words seven timeless principles for effective leaders.

Manby was a part of the General Motors start-up team for Saturn Corporation, responsible for launching Saturn’s innovative marketing and distribution strategy. After a few years with Saturn, Manby was promoted to CEO of Saab Automobile USA, and during his four-year tenure, Saab’s sales increased by 67%.

From 2003 through 2013, Manby then served as President and CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE).  HFE’s mission is to “make memories worth repeating” with a culture shaped by its founder and purposefully crafted to be sustainable in the future.

Manby’s company appeared on the TV show “Undercover Boss” and confirmed the wise management philosophy the leaders at HFE nurtured for half a century:  leading with love.

Manby explains, “We actually use love to define our leadership culture at HFE.  Not love the emotion, but love the verb.  We train our leaders to love one another, knowing if they create enthusiasm with their employees, the employees will in turn create an enthusiastic guest experience.”

Click here to learn why Love Works!

The Joy Model

The most important habit is solitude, quiet time. People who enter their day by taking 45 minutes or an hour for themselves - meditation, prayer, inspirational reading, taking a walk - before they go for it in the real world do best. - Ken Blanchard

Advent is a season of anticipation, and the Advent wreath is the traditional centerpiece of the Christmas season. It symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western Church. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day (December 2nd this year). On the First Sunday of Advent, we celebrate Hope—the inspiring and uplifting hope that Christ among us represents; and for it, I highlighted Roy Johnston’s The Hope Quotient.  

On the Second Sunday of Advent, we celebrate Peace and the promise of peace on Earth (check out my post on “Happy are the Peacemakers” or my more recent post on “Live in Peace & Balance”).

On the Third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate Joy—the joy that God brings into our lives.  This past September, I picked up a copy of The Joy Model for $1 from Mardel.  What a deal!  Jeff Spadafora wrote what he calls a step-by-step guide to peace, purpose, and balance.  It was a great investment, and I hope this quick summary provides you some encouragement and assistance in finding Joy.

Ken Blanchard (author of Are You Helping People Win at Work, Lead Like Jesus, and Lead Your Family Like Jesus) explained in the Preface to Spadafora’s book, “Once I ‘suited up for the Lord,’ I focused all my effort on Doing, as Jeff defines it in the book.  I co-founded the Lead Like Jesus ministry.  I became active in our church…  With the coaching I’ve received from Jeff, I’ve been able to spend more time on the Being aspect of myself—allowing myself to really spend time getting to know the Lord, not just running around trying to practice everything I’ve studied from Scripture.  The balanced combination of Doing and Being is key in the Joy Model…  If you’ve been overemphasizing either Doing or Being in your life, and want to find balance and real joy and peace, I highly recommend The Joy Model.”

Click here to learn more about Spadafora’s The Joy Model