We couldn't be more proud of intern-turned-employee, Ryan "Smiley" Grady, for sharing his experiences with Carry The Load on the official Lake Placid News podcast! Check out the episode below!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/we-are-lake-placid/id1388667446?mt=2
http://www.carrytheload.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home
We love you Harper!
What a great message:
Every September, 129 Division 1 college football teams begin their year with the hope of playing a football game on January 8. We've persevered and now we find ourselves one of the two teams left, vying tonight to be crowned a national champion. We couldn't be more proud of everyone involved with the University of Georgia football program this year. The countless hours on and off the field have not gone unappreciated. Thank you all for representing our University with class and for showing the world what it means to be a Georgia Bulldog.
Tonight, this incredible season comes to an end. We've made the trip from Lake Placid to Atlanta and are chomping at the bit to cheer on our guys one last time. So with that said,
LET'S GO DAWGS!
The beginning of a new calendar year is a great chance for us to make meaningful changes toward personal and professional growth. Coming up with a New Year's resolution can be daunting task. We'd love to provide you with some thought-starters to help you get going.
Leave negativity in 2017:
I always thought this was easier said than done. With all the trials and tribulations life throws at us, it's easy to get down on yourself. However, former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz offers up some wisdom that will help us leave negativity in 2017. He said, "You'll always have one choice in life -- your attitude". Think about how incredible that is.
Practice better perspective:
You've heard the adage, walk a mile in their shoes before but what does that really mean? It means your practicing empathy. It means you're stepping out of your bubble and trying to understand someone else's. With a healthy perspective, you'll have a better understanding of how your decisions and actions affect others.
Write things down:
It's been proven that writing things down places you in a space of personal accountability. By writing something down, you make a connection between a conscious thought and a bodily action. This connection is how we get anything meaningful done. Whether it's writing down your workout or writing down some smart goals, doing such will hold you accountable. I can't stress enough how impact this simple action can be.
Write concisely:
Long-winded emails are never a friendly sight. Things are more likely to happen quickly and correctly if the message is communicated concisely.
Set S.M.A.R.T. goals:
Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely. You may have heard of this acronym a while ago, but you'll be shocked at how many people don't set smart goals. Here's the order in which I recommend building a smart goal: First, set in stone exactly what you want to happen. Anything but this outcome is unacceptable. Next, determine how you'll quantify or measure success. If you don't, you'll be chasing a finish line that doesn't exist. Now it's time to be realistic as to how long it will take to achieve this goal. Set it and crush it.
Seek out smarter people:
If you desire to be the smartest person in the room, you're only helping one thing -- your ego. By collaborating with people smarter than yourself, you'll ensure better results. You'll also learn a thing or two along the way.
Here at McWhorter Driscoll, we absolutely believe in the benefits of volunteerism -- not only for those in need but also those volunteering themselves. Whether your service project is large or small, your acts of selflessness have a profound and necessary impact on our human community.
We hope this video from the World Organization of the Scouting Movement helps motivate you to volunteer throughout our global community:
Today on #InternationalVolunteerDay, we celebrate 10 million #ScoutVolunteers and their immense contribution to the #Scout Movement. Thank you for your work in transforming the lives of millions of young people! Share this video and let everyone know that #VolunteersActFirst! pic.twitter.com/yZD6AWKpGA
— World Scouting (@worldscouting) December 5, 2017
Volunteering in the service to others is an undeniably important facet of a thriving global community. Volunteering is also a tremendous way to tech young people the importance of service and offers them a unique perspective they may not otherwise gain. In today's world of social media and "shouting into the wind", volunteering allows us to put our words into action and help the causes we care deeply about.
If you feel called to serve, please check out dosomething.org to see how you can help.
"This marks the eighth year of the Leadership Education and Development, or L.E.A.D., since the inaugural class in 2010. Among the prestigious group of past inductees are six-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Allison Schmitt and CBS Sports analyst Aaron Murray. The new student-athletes join 29 other current members who have previously been inducted into the academy.
Inductees are chosen based on academic and athletic success, leadership, campus and community service involvement, and recommendations of head coaches and academic counselors.
“The Leadership Academy provides an outstanding opportunity for a select group of our student-athletes to further their leadership journey,” said J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity. “These students are highly motivated and engaged in the total collegiate experience, and we are proud to have them represent UGA and the Athletic Association.”
Along with encouraging leadership development and providing resources to compete for awards and scholarships, the student-athletes will have a chance to meet with local, state and industry leaders. It is one of the program's goals to have the student-athletes visit a company where superb leadership has had a visible impact on the organization and/or surrounding community.
Additionally, these student-athletes will be provided with resources to be competitive for conference and national awards and postgraduate scholarships, such as the NCAA Top VIII award, NCAA Woman of the Year award, and the SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Postgraduate Scholarship. L.E.A.D. participants will also have the opportunity to compete for a highly coveted graduate assistantship position within the UGA Athletic Association.
The 2017–18 Class of L.E.A.D. inductees are:
Post taken from UGA website.
Today, let's celebrate our many blessing by way of giving back to others. We all know the importance of giving back to our communities, and #GivingTuesday has streamlined that process.
"Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Since its inaugural year in 2012, #GivingTuesday has become a movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy with events throughout the year and a growing catalog of resources."
It has been incredible to witness #GivingTuesday 's growth over the years -- and much of that can be attributed to social media. To learn more about #GivingTuesday, click here. Major kudos to 92Y for creating this incredible worldwide event.
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! We're fortunate to have many things to be thankful for. We sincerely hope you enjoy the day spent with family and friends and are able to reflect on the many blessings we have all been given.
God Bless!
Today, we thank the men and women in our great nation who've put others above themselves. We can learn, everyday, many lessons from our Veterans; but today, let's simply and sincerely say, thank you.
Dill was in a meeting last week and someone asked, “how do you stay positive?” It brought a smile to his face as Bryan Brousseau, an early ignitor, popped into his memory. They were in Seoul, South Korea bringing the Olympics to Life working with Coca-Cola on the 2004 Global Olympic Torch Relay. Everything that could go wrong with the stage video screen was going wrong, and we had less than one hour to fix the screen before the big event began. Some of the team was panicking. Small detail that this was Samsung’s Worldwide Headquarters, and Samsung was a major sponsor along with Coca-Cola for this Olympic Torch Relay. The Samsung team was understandably getting quite upset. Dill grabbed Bryan and escorted him around a corner out of sight and said, “We must not panic, We can do this!” Bryan looked at Dill and said, “Let’s make this a Yegative!”
In life, we all have moments like these. Thank you Bryan for reminding us to just turn those Negatives into “Yegatives”! The Torch arrived a bit late, the video screen got fixed, and the show was one of the best of the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay.
We are certain that if you approach everything you do with a “Yegative attitude”, you will always have a great outcome.
We have seen this written in many places with no mention of the author. It is a shame, because he or she deserves credit for such a great thought.
As we prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Blue Planet Run here at the Farm, it is with great respect as we think of those 20 Intrepid Spirits who ran around the 40th parallel in 94 days. We stepped off from the United Nations Plaza at 10h00 on 1 June 2007, and we returned exactly on schedule on 4 September at 10h00. We were told it was impossible; runners could not run 10 miles everyday for 94 days. Well, the doubters did not know our amazing team. This team made daily decisions that affected their destiny on completing the mission. Small decisions such as getting enough rest, eating the right foods, not pushing their limits for no reason, as well as big decisions of do I let someone take my shift since my muscles are about to bend beyond repair and need a day of rest. These men and women attacked each day with passion, purpose and positive expectations. They ran to deliver to the world the message that we can provide safe drinking water to everyone. We are still pursuing that relief of clean water for everyone, and should never stop pursuing the challenge until it is complete. The Rotary accomplished the unbelievable of conquering polio; so why can’t the world conquer safe drinking water? Our daily decisions do impact the result.
What is your passion, purpose, positive expectation for today? Let’s make a great decision that leads to a great destiny.
Four words that ring so true in the month of May.
Stay low…Keep moving…
Dill cannot remember the first time he heard these words…but…Ed Bradley, a friend of Dill’s who did not make it home from Vietnam, for sure spoke these words to him as Ed was heading back to Vietnam after his leave.
These words are not only true in the military but also in life. Some days we just need to stay low and keep moving to overcome the obstacles and stuff that is thrown our way. And great things will be on the other side of the mud and confusion. Persistence and perseverance are key to success.
As we celebrate our Heroes during Memorial May on Carry The Load, we can only thank those men and women who do that every single day. They protect us whether in the Armed Forces or as our Police, Firemen, or EMT’s. They are the people that help make this country so great. We thank you all for your service and pray that you …Stay Low…Keep Moving.
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is who you really are, while your reputation is merely what people think you are.” John Wooden
Susan attended a funeral this weekend of a wonderful lady who lived 85 great years. She and her husband who passed two years earlier were married for 62 years. They lived in a small town, yet he was a successful business man that had been exposed to the world. They both treated every one the same – with respect and love. The gentleman was one of the first and most sincere people that welcomed Dill, the Northerner, to the South and genuinely cared about him and who he is. Funerals enable us to sit down and reflect on this thing called life, and these two people lived life well. I contrasted this funeral with a church full of people who truly cared about this lady with another funeral we attended several years ago (in fact we have been to a few like this unfortunately) where the chapel may be full or not full, but the family thought they were somebody. They had big jobs or big roles and did do some great things in the world, but were they truly loved or was it just their position that focused on their reputation and not their character? You could just tell the genuine love and respect were not there.
We have quoted that your integrity is all that you have and that is based on your character. Today we encourage you to think about your true character and how do you really want to be remembered. Someone who had a big job and lots of “toys” or someone who was truly loved? You can have the “toys” and the character, but only if you focus on being the best you. You can start today.
To honor those with character, Carry The Load has been on the road over a week now. The east coast team is just south of Charlottesville, VA and the west coast team is just north of Los Angeles. The weather has been nice so far this year, and everyone is doing great. If you have a moment, please check them out and take a moment to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
http://carrytheload.org“>Carry The Load
It was 1 April 2012, we had just closed on the sale of ignition to Havas Sports and Entertainment. We needed a break and a place to helps us reflect on the past and set our new vision for the future. What could be a better place than Lake Placid, NY during “mud season?” This is a season of transition for the earth, but also a season for transition for us. Through cloudy days and wet earth, Spring emerges fresh and full of new life and flowers. That was our destiny as well.
We had a five year non-compete with ignition as part of the transaction terms, and Susan was adamant that we do not do a single thing to compromise our integrity. As Dill had been an Entrepreneurs in Residence at UGA Terry School of Business for five years, along with many volunteer days with Susan with the students, we knew we loved helping the youth of our future, and we were good at it. The only real issue was Athens is almost a four-hour drive from the farm (and we sold the airplane when we sold the company.)
Upon arriving back to the farm in South Georgia in May we reached out to Dr. David Bridges the President of Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College (ABAC) to see what we might do to help students in South Georgia. We set up a meeting with Dr. Bridges, and it changed our lives. Dr. Bridges explained that a perfect storm had just occurred. The Dean of the business school had retired, and he needed a Dean. Susan told him we would be interested if we could be Co-Deans and our dog Campbell could come with us to work every day.
In five weeks, we moved into the Dean’s office in Conger Hall and began creating a vision for the school. First, we felt we needed to name the school. As it turned out so did Dr. Bridges, and the longtime benefactors of ABAC, the Stafford Family, was the perfect fit. We moved into Lewis Hall in the just renovated front of campus that spring and the school was named The Stafford School of Business.
Next, we created Stafford Hall a community of 140 students living on a wing of the on campus dorms. Each student received a $500 room allowance per semester and the Team created activities for the students. The most important activity being the team’s commitment to feed the poor in Tifton on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The Stafford Hall team raised money to provide a Thanksgiving meal for hundreds of families. Five years later, Stafford Hall is a much smaller group; however, a small group of dedicated students continue the “Manna Drop.” In the Fall of 2016, this group raised over $20,000 to help feed those in need!
While all this extracurricular activity was happening, Susan worked with our amazing faculty and wrote the curriculum for the BS Business degree. She and Dr. Bridges pushed the curriculum through the University of Georgia system in record time. We had a four-year degree in Business and Economic Development! A perfect program for students who wanted to build and manage their own small businesses throughout the country.
We were also able to create an International Study Program that sent students to Vietnam and in year two across Europe stopping at Coca-Cola Country headquarters learning the nuisances of selling Coca-Cola products in different cultures.
We also taught hundreds of students Marketing, Family Business and a Seminar class on being Intrepid Spirits to meet the shadowy future without fear and conquer the unknown.
The lesson here is to set a vision and keep after it…even in the face of bureaucracy which can make certain the best ideas may never see the light of day. Records can be broken and lives changed with a vision, a focus, and a can do attitude.
In the past as I have started new adventures, friends have helped me get jump started. One night after I started Momentum, I was sitting around with Bill Fitzgerald and dreaming about what I would call my next company, and we came up with ignition – you have to have ignition before you can have Momentum. Then we decided the next one would be Spark, but believe it or not several years later another marketing company out of St. Louis was named Spark. Always ahead of the curve or as I tell my students – be thinking five years ahead always.
Several years earlier when I had just started ignition, Tim Brennan and I were sitting around trying to think of a rally cry for the team. We came up with Poise – An attitude of confidence which comes from complete honesty. A belief in what you are doing is good for you and the customer. To have complete trust in the mission. Poise has lived with all of Susan and my teams since. Core values are always relevant.
So, with our first blog of our next journey as consultants, I wanted to share a lesson shared with me the other day by Joe Ehlinger, one of the most creative people I know. Thanks Joe for sharing this with us.
In most sports, you play against two opponents: the other team. And the Clock.
Now most of your training week is spent analyzing the other team. You learn their plays. Their players. You devise strategies to neutralize their strengths and accentuate your own.
But surprisingly, very little time is spent discussing the other opponent: the clock.
In a choice between the other team and the clock, you should know this: Your planning and training may have an effect on the other team.
However, you are absolutely powerless against the clock.
The clock has no emotions. It doesn’t care. It is relentless. It will continue to tick away until you are out of time…and if you are behind when time runs out…you lose.
That is why it is so important at the outset of a project to “Get Ahead and Stay Ahead.” You need to attack a project right from the start. The time at the front is the most valuable. Do not let it slip away.
If you can get out in front of a project, the advantage is yours. More options are open. You can clearly think through decisions. You are in control. You are steering the process.
If you get behind the clock, you are forced to play catch up. You are constantly on defense against time. You will over reach. Become frustrated. Then desperate. And odds are you will either lose or have to accept a result that is far from satisfactory.
Always put the clock on your side. Get ahead, stay ahead. Get out in front. Lead. Command. Once you establish traction and momentum, you may find your projects move through to approval and execution more swiftly, because fewer people will want to oppose or obstruct you.
As we celebrate Americas’s independence and freedom, today we give special thanks to all those who have made this possible. With that said attached is a video of Lake Placid’s own Kate Smith singing God Bless America. Enjoy!
This is a month to honor those that paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect us on the front lines whether in the military or in our communities. With reflection on these veterans as well as the 7% of American citizens that commit to our military and our country and its values, it is appropriate we have been reading several books about the positives of companies hiring veterans due to their focus on mission and attributes of preparedness, strong work ethic, problem solver, integrity, commitment to values and many more.
One thing that has really stuck out this week is that the US Marine Corps teaches – “do the right thing in the right way for the right reason.”
As we read about the less than exemplary work places of Uber and WeWork, it makes one think where has this generation of business leaders gone astray? Where are the values?
Most of these companies have a mission, and most of those mission statements include a sense of doing good for society in some way, where they miss the mark is the core values that are lived by example every day by the business leaders. We have heard recently from a young start-up company with significant potential to be a positive influence on millions of people’s lives that they “need to get their culture document complete.” This company is over three years old and quite frankly at the senior level has quite a toxic work environment. Why? Because the leadership isn’t living every day the values they truly want the company to have. Is it these young leaders fault? We don’t think entirely, part is the fault of society and the values our youth are learning from their “mentors.” Or maybe they are new values and society hasn’t caught up with the new value system.
But let’s not worry about fault, let’s focus on the future. This is where a seasoned business people can partner with these young leaders in a totally collaborative way where everyone is learning from each other and build a powerful enterprise and positive influence on the world. We both look back at our business careers and know that we learned so much about the human side of business from those before us with some time and many experiences and situations in the past to help frame good business decisions in the present. We believe there is a great world ahead of us where the older generation partners with the newer generation and bring each other’s relevance to building companies that literally in a positive way can change the world. Look for those company’s and support them to show the world it can be done and be successful making a positive impact on all those stakeholders that interact with that Company.
