Cal Thomas Speaks

Cal Thomas wrote a very interesting and thought provoking piece on Islam in the world today. You can view it here.

Other's Take On Frontline

Here is a great article from ProlifeBlogs about the Frontline series last night.
Here is another example of the inaccuracies plaguing "the Last Abortion Clinic."
You can respond to the discussion about the program here on PBS' website.

So Much For Objectivity

Before watching the PBS Frontline special on the pro-life movement in Mississippi entitled "The Last Abortion Clinic" I was expecting a documentary on the pro-life movement, just as the biographers said they were doing when I met and interviewed with them for several hours back in July. As I now know, that is just code for "we'll say whatever you want to hear in order to get the information we want from you so we can put our own spin on it and make it appear as though the pro life movement is trying to harm the poor and less fortunate of Mississippi". Well, my hopes weren't overly optimistic before hand, but after watching it I realize that no matter we those on the right say or do, be it totally harmless, the leftist media will find a way to spin it to make the right look ignorant and uninformed. Even the questions and answers by the abortion clinic owner appeared to be staged in order to make her position seem like a central right and belief. This is just one more reason why I refuse to trust anyone in the media at all!

Frontline: The Last Abortion Clinic

PBS' show Frontline is doing a documentary called "the last abortion clinic" on the pro-life movement in Mississippi. I was interviewed for the program over the summer while walking in Jackson, MS. The show is scheduled to air tonight at 8:00 pm CST. The link for the show can be seen here.

Leading to Greatness

I attended the 11th annual Worldwide Luminary Series Leading to Greatness seminar today, it was so good that I decided to post all my notes from it. The conference topic was on building true success wherever you live and work. All the speakers did a great job of conveying their own secrets of leadership and how to implement them. Enjoy!


Carly Fiorina
Anyone can choose to lead; leadership is a choice to make a positive difference
Learn as much as you can wherever you’re at, and always give your very best at it
-Focus on your job or position right now, give it your all!
There are two ways to look at every job, the limitations or the possibilities.
Leadership is creating something new, seeing a possibility and making it happen
Leadership is about taking risks, management is about minimizing risks
Information is no longer power when everyone can get it
Asking the right question can be more powerful than knowing the right answer; logic and common sense are just as important
Leaders must propose a solution, a positive alternative
Leadership is overcoming fear, risk taking, and placing uncertain bets
- Every person has more potential than they realize
- All acts of leadership take courage
Leaders cannot act alone; others will put trust in you as you put trust in them
-If you can’t trust others you can’t lead
Balance- the art of leadership
-Optimism & realism, balancing the two
-Realism is truly understanding the goal or objective
Consistency & flexibility
Confidence & humility
-Confidence is required for leadership
-Humility is required to admit you’re not perfect
Knowing what you know and what you don’t know
You must surround yourself with people different than yourself
Must know the big picture and the details
Strategy without execution is futile
You must have an internal compass
-Never sell yourself ‘cause no one will ever pay you back
-When choices are tough, refer back to your internal compass
Authenticity
-Bring all of yourself to the job, you can’t fake it
-Effective leaders are authentic
Leadership is a choice – raising people’s sights, the possibilities in themselves and in the company or organization
-Unlocking potential, making a positive difference in others

Marcus Buckingham
The one thing they need to know
“Find what is unique and capitalize on it”
“To rally people to a better future”
-Ego is not too big, ethic are too small
-You must have the ego to believe you can do it
“Find what is universal and capitalize on it”
-Fear of the unknown is a commonality amongst all people
Clarity is the solution to anxiety
Points on clarity:
-Who do we serve?
-What is our core strength?
-What is our core score?
-What actions can we take today?
If you change your mind, do it with great clarity
Be vivid on your strengths
If you can’t pause success you can’t repeat it
Pick your hero’s with great care

Fortune Panel
Bill Novelli
-Be entrepreneurial, think outside the box
J.W. Marriott, Jr.
-Do what you love
Jim Turley
-Recognize that no client is bigger than your personal integrity

Jack Welch
5 stages of crisis
Denial, containment, somebody to blame, overreaction
Crisis makes things better in the end
In bad news, a leader defines the vision, the plan to get to the next level
Punish bad behavior that goes against values of company
Reward good behavior & exaggerate success
You must be candid – every manager must let every employee know where he stands
8 rules for leaders: Always be open and candid
1. Relentlessly upgrade your team, never settle
2. Differentiate between skills and abilities
3. Must have a clear and well-defined mission statement, talk about it and get
Others to buy into it
4. Exude optimism
5. Courage to make unpopular decisions
6. Be curious & make sure your questions get answered
7. Inspire risk taking- reward those who aren’t afraid to try
Support both the risks & the failures
8. Celebrate- recognition of those who have done well, great for moral
Hiring & firing
If you make a mistake, clean it up fast
You must judge integrity & behavior
“Why did you leave your last job?” is the most important question to ask potential
Hire
Energizing others is of utmost importance
Developing talent is of vital importance; you’re only as good as those under you
Team building, hire those smarter than you!
Rules for managers
HR person sees everything, learn from him or her
Don’t avoid charged relationships
Maintain a flat organizational chart
What to do if you have a bad boss?
Wait it out, have a safety valve of another job
Make your boss look good
Learn from those smarter than you

Dr. Steven R. Covey
Begin with the end in mind
“Leadership is communicating peoples worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.” It all begins with oneself.
The 8th Habit
Find your voice and inspire other to find theirs
“Never be afraid to run in”
Leadership is a choice, not a position
“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” –Albert Schweitzer

Malcolm Gladwell
Great generals/leaders can make decisions on instinct (cur Doyle)
A study found that cops make much worse decisions when in the presence of a second cop
With more info people become overwhelmed, less info makes decision process easier

Sir Richard Branson
Must be good at motivating people, helping them succeed is key to success
Know the art of delegation
Detail is crucial; the little things make the difference
To survive in business you have to strive to be the best, customer service is a huge part of this
Give your team a stake in the company
Characteristics of good people to hire
-Good with people, high ethics, can help shake up industry, fun, be themselves
It never pays to be unethical
In dealing with failure you must stay positive throughout
Protect your downside- look at all the angles
Personal obstacles to success
Just do it
Don’t listen to naysayers
Managing and leading -treating all those in the company with complete worth and dignity
Companies have a social responsibility after achieving a position of strength

Rudy Giuliani
Are leaders born or made?
Leaders are made, they are constantly learning from others
1. In order to be a leader you have to have strong beliefs and convictions
-Develop and communicate strong beliefs
-Strong leaders convey their beliefs to others and don’t sway from them
2. Be optimistic – not pie in the sky
-People will follow those with solutions and a positive attitude
-Vince Lombardi- “I didn’t lose the game, I just ran out of time!”
3. Must have courage – not the absence of fear
-All people have fear; leaders simply manage and overcome their fears to get the job done
4. Relentless Preparation – fear will help you do this
-Preparation helps you to overcome your fear
-For every one hour spent in court you must spend four hours preparing
-Being able to perform at the end is a result of preparation
5. Understand Teamwork
-Surround yourself with great people
-What are my weaknesses and how can I find someone to help compensate for them?
-Understand that you don’t know everything
6. Be a Good communicator
-You have to communicate to others to lead effectively
-If you do the first five steps you’ll be a good communicator
-Be a problem solver
7. Have a sense of humor – you must love people!
-It’s more important to be there for people when things are going wrong than when they are going right
-If you’re there for them, they’ll be there for you
-Make others feel important

Go Dan!

My Friend from school, Dan Marrone just proved by this article what a great guy he is.

Hurricane Relief

I'm helping coordinate hurricane Katrina relief efforts in the local area, here's the link to the ad on the Father's of Mercy website.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

The Road Less Traveled

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference


-Robert Frost

Reporting Live From World Youth Day!

It's been quite a while since I've last updated on the status of Crossroads and my many travels across the country, there are way to many stories and pictures to be able to put them all in one post, so I'll just comment on the fact that I am in Cologne, Germany for the 20th World Youth Day with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI!
The last month of Crossroads was amazing, very stressful and challenging but I certainly grew a lot from it. WYD is going very well, we began by doing a pro-life walk from Brussels, Belgium to Cologne, Germany, covering about 120 miles over the course of five days. Definitely a much more relaxed walk than the summer was. Since being here I have somehow been thrown into the media correspondent position for Crossroads, dealing with all the major news organizations and setting up interviews and PR work. It's been fun but stressful as well. Somehow I got international security clearance for the media as well as a press pass so I have access to all the back room media accommodations! I'm considered a "free-lance photographer", I have no idea how I get myself involved in these things! This afternoon we've got interviews with CNN and the Mayor of Cologne, its crazy!
We've passed out over 8,000 Crossroads pro-life stickers since being here, everyone loves them! Check out the official World Youth Day website here.
Here are a few of the pictures I've taken since being in Europe, enjoy and I'll try to post more often!