Yesterday, I talked with a lady who is super star. Her “performance” didn’t win an Oscar but in my book, she’s more than worthy. She doesn’t have a My Space account and isn’t featured on youtube. She hasn’t been on David Letterman, written a best selling book, or won a Nobel Peace prize. She is just one woman who believes that one person can make a difference.

Yesterday was a special day for Clara Kirk. It was the 20th anniversary that she opened the doors to Clara’s House, a home for homeless and battered woman and their children that she opened in 1987. In the twenty years since, over 10,000 women and children have been given shelter in Clara’s House, over 22,000 meals have been served, clothes, linens, and toiletries have been provided, and job training skills, substance abuse counseling, parenting classes, and health screenings have been provided to its residents.

Clara has been awarded the National Jefferson Award for lifetime achievement and was chosen as one of “America’s 25 Unsung Heroes” In 1998, President Bill Clinton invited Clara Kirk to the White House and presented her with the prestigious President’s Award in recognition of her life’s work.

In 1987, Clara Kirk stood before a boarded-up, ‘abandoned’ building with a group of friends. Inside six families resided living in conditions she described as “no better than those of a third world country.” Clara recalled, “This was my neighborhood and this is how these people had to live. This is how they have to survive.” The next day she called the Mayor’s office and described witnessing families living in a building that was filled with water, garbage, and rats. Then Mayor Washington suggested she open a shelter for victims of domestic violence and for homeless women and their children. With a building donated by Catholic charities, Clara eventually raised the money to open a sixty-nine bed facility staffed by twenty five employees (five of whom are former residents). Clara says there have been ups and downs, “Nobody knows what I have been through to keep this placing running. Sometimes it’s like being a mother when your children go astray. You stay awake and pray for their safety. I pray for this place. I don’t want my living to be in vain. I want to be able to help children help themselves.”

That’s work worth an award. I beleive she’ll get her “Oscar” and a trophy far greater than those received on Sunday night.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

Yesterday was my daughter Evelyn’s 6th birthday. She looked like a princess in a beautiful dress she had been given for her birthday. Her hair was curled into ringlets and it made me smile all over when I pulled into the driveway and saw her waiting for me. I wanted others to have the inside smiles I had so quite spontaneously, I took her and her older sister to an area nursing home to read to the residents. It was a gift that gave everyone pleasure. The staff loved seeing my little girls, the residents were thrilled to have company, and I loved watching them make new friends. The best part was that both of them said they wanted to come back and read every week. They really had a wonderful time and made friends with two ladies who helped them with their reading.

While they were reading, I just happened to sit with a lady named Marion Stout. What I didn’t know was that Ms. Stout, age, 111, has the distinction of being the oldest living woman in Tennessee as well as being the 11th oldest person in the U.S. It absolutely made my day sitting and talking to this woman who was born in 1896. She was very alert and aside from her hearing, it was quite easy to communicate with her. I learned that she worked for Eastman, Dillon Brokerage House (which later became part of Paine Webber) and that she would get tips on buying stocks like General Motors, American Telegraph, and Bristol Meyers. Until recently, she read the Wall Street Journal every day and continued to purchase stocks. I felt like I was connecting with a piece of US history. I went to my trusted research advisor, google, and found that local writer Fred Brown had recently written about her in the Knoxville Sentinel In his article he quoted Ms. Stout “I eat right, take care of myself and stay positive.” Perhaps she could have been a motivational speaker.

I asked Ms. Stout what the secret was to living a long life and she told me three things:
1) Do everything in moderation
2) Do what is right
3) Give to others.

I think that is good advice for living a long life. There’s a lot more about her that I would like to learn and hope to on another visit soon.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

I just learned about a new organization called the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy. It’s kind of like the Oscars for companies that doing good works. Among their members are more than 130 CEOs and Chairpersons, including over 45 of the Fortune 100. One of the CECP founders is actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. I like their philosophy (below) so I wanted to give it some press today about giving back.

PHILOSOPHY - Giving back, when conceived and executed thoughtfully, creates a win-win scenario for business and the public. From eradicating disease and improving childhood literacy rates to boosting employee job skills, opening new markets, and heightening brand recognition - business and society both stand to benefit greatly if companies can demonstrate programmatic effectiveness, fiscal accountability, and good stewardship in their philanthropic contributions.

Each year, CECP gives out awards for Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy. Below is a summary of the awards given today. Go to the CECP website to see the full story.
Question: If you were a member of CECP, what organizations would you select as recipients? What organizations (both growing and established) would you nominate?

GlaxoSmithKline funds community-led initiatives throughout the world, investing in health and education programs and donating medicines to support humanitarian efforts. Through cash, product and in-kind donations totaling more than $650 million in 2005, GSK capitalizes on opportunities in which the company’s involvement and leadership can increase the scope or effectiveness of a program. GSK is a founding member of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis and has already treated over 100 million people, making significant strides to eliminate this crippling yet preventable disease.

Click here to learn more about GlaxoSmithKline’s philanthropy programs.

salesforce.com’s philanthropic vision is to have all corporations be catalysts for creating healthy communities. They not only practice this within the company, but also encourage other entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses to develop and deploy philanthropic programs at their own companies. Salesforce.com’s mission is to use the resources of its people, technology and relationships to improve the communities in which they do business. Click here to learn more about the Salesforce.com Foundation.

NONPROFIT AWARD - The National Academy Foundation (NAF) sustains a network of career-themed college preparatory academies across the country. This impressive organization provides professional leadership and adult mentoring as part of daily school life, creating personalized learning environments through small, safe high schools in urban communities. Citigroup has been working with NAF for 25 years and assists 50,000 NAF students annually, promoting financial management skills and helping build a diverse, well-equipped workforce. Pearson works with NAF students and teachers to develop project-based learning, digital arts education, and 21st century skills, and helps NAF share the results of these efforts with NAF Academy members. Click here to learn more about National Academy Foundation.

NONPROFIT HONOREES - The Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) inspires and enables young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. It provides them with a safe place to learn and grow, as well as ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals. Schwab and BGCA together created a financial literacy program, “Money Matters: Make It Count.” Through fun, interactive activities on topics like using a checking account, managing debt, saving for college and the basics of investing, teens learn practical ways to save, spend, and invest the money they earn. Additionally, forty-four teens who excelled in the program have been awarded college scholarships by the Charles Schwab Foundation. Click here to learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) has developed a network of neighborhood-based programs that address the critical needs of children and their families, leading to the revitalization of their community. HCZ works with children from infancy through college to ensure their success. Their partnership with Lehman Brothers has involved not only financial support, but also thousands of volunteer hours in which employees run a competitive “Investment Camp” and provide intensive math tutoring to students. Many people in the field of education are actively observing HCZ’s program with the hope that it proves to be an effective model for education reform that can be applied to communities nationwide.
Click here to learn more about Harlem Children’s Zone.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Roshan and the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development Network
CECP awards the Aga Khan Development Network/Roshan special recognition for its inspirational business model in which corporate profits are reinvested back into the communities in which the company operates. Roshan is the leading GSM cellular service provider in Afghanistan, with coverage in over 160 major cities and towns and over one million subscribers. The company’s objectives include investing in technology and tapping employees’ expertise to help those who are marginalized or disadvantaged, and bringing mobile technology to rural communities to stimulate modernization, growth and prosperity.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

If you have been reading this blog, you know that I am not promoting living rich in monetary ways. Though giving of your time is the best way to become rich, having money can make it easier to make a BIG difference (Ask Bill Gates and Warren Buffett).
Several years ago, I read the book The Millionare Next Door.

The premise of the book is the person who seems like a millionaire (the one in the big house, with the fancy
car, who has extravagant tastes) maybe (and probably is) in big debt. It’s the person you least expect who has the cash.
Linda Pulliam Weston writes a column on MSN which I occasionally read. Today she highlighted a few people who have just passed the $1 million mark. Since I LOVE under dog stories, here’s one about a lady (also named Linda) that intrigued me: Linda’s story sounds a lot like a country song. She dropped out of her East Texas high school at 16. She got married, divorced and then married again. She was 20 and five months pregnant when her husband was killed in a Christmas Eve auto accident. Seven weeks later, her father dropped dead of a heart attack.
Her mother moved in with her. After years of supporting her mother and son, Linda finally remarried, only to get divorced again after giving birth to another son. Eventually, her younger son decided to live with his father, and Linda ended up paying child support.
Then at 48, she developed a crippling case of lupus that forced her to quit work.
So how in the world did this woman become a millionaire?
Linda traces the start of her journey back to the dark days after her first son was born. The husband who died in the car wreck had failed to change the beneficiary on his life insurance, Linda said, and her in-laws kept the proceeds.
“I was broke, uneducated and had no medical insurance,” Linda remembered. “I owed the hospital and doctor for my son’s birth and owed for my husband’s funeral. My treatment by my in-laws made me furious, so I decided I’d show them!”
Linda started reading the classifieds in the Houston Chronicle and noticed a lot of ads offering high-paying positions for pipe designers, an engineering job in the oil and gas industry.
“I thought, ‘How complicated could that be? (A pipe is) a tube with a hole in it,’ ” Linda said. “I called a community college that was a hundred miles away and asked if they taught pipe design, and they said, ‘Sure, but late enrollment ends tomorrow.’ “Linda hustled to sign up and sold most of what she owned, including her television and stereo, to help pay for school. After graduating with her two-year degree, she moved her family to Houston and went to work in June 1978 for $4.95 an hour. Over the years, her pay rose to $40 an hour, or more than $80,000 a year — “not bad for an AA degree,” as she put it.
After working for several years, she was offered the opportunity to start investing in a 401(k), and she grabbed it. She initially split her money between a stock fund and a bond fund, but eventually shifted more into stocks to get a higher return.
“I knew if I ever had a hope of retiring, I’d have to be aggressive in my investments,” Linda said. “Through bull and bear markets, I’ve stayed almost 100% in stocks all this time. I’ve kept it diversified among U.S. and international and a small amount in emerging markets. I am just now beginning to move some assets into less-volatile holdings, but still have about 75% in stock funds.”
She made another smart decision: buying long-term-disability insurance through her employer. That policy now pays her $60,000 a year, about two-thirds of the salary she was making when her disability forced her to quit work in 2000.
Four years ago, she remarried. She convinced her husband, who had no retirement savings, to start contributing to his 401(k), but the bulk of their current wealth came from the years when she was making $60,000 or less and supporting her children and mother.
“All in all, I can’t believe I’ve managed to accumulate as much as I have,” Linda said. “If I can do this working from the hole I started out in, anyone can. All it takes is discipline.”
Growing up my father always paid cash for cars (which means we drove cars for a long time). I guess I am following in his footsteps as our family car, a 1995 Volvo wagon, has 125,000 miles on it. Dad never had credit cards that I could remember and he was very disciplined in saving for retirement. I am thankful he instilled in me the importance of saving and the power of compound interest(you do some fun calculations on this web site created by Fidelity Investments). My wish that I can be as disciplined as my father was so that when I am his age, I will be able to give away lots of money and time to causes I care about.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

Today is the birthday of the first US President, George Washington. Also it is the birthday of Sir Baden Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts. Both were leaders in their own right. When I reflect on the word leader, I like to use this acrostic to give my definition.

L – Laughter. A good leader strives to use humor in their everyday work and personal life. If they aren’t naturally funny, they can learn how to use humor to create a better work place or organization. They can harness the talents of the funny people they work with. Humor is a known endorphin and it is perfectly legal in all 50 states! I read in the New England Journal of Medicine, “20 seconds of hearty laughter is better for you physiologically than 3 minutes on a rowing machine”. In my own non-scientific survey of people in the volunteer and auxiliary field, 100% of the respondents would rather laugh than spend any time on a rowing machine. Laughter creates a more positive work environment and helps open the doors of creative thinking. My friend and motivational speaker Karyn Buxman travels the country speaking to organizations about the power of humor (BTW, she is really funny and reminds me of Meg Ryan).

E - Example – Leaders talk the talk and walk the walk. They do what the say they are going to do. They work along side their people. They don’t ask anyone to do anything that they haven’t done or aren’t willing to try. Early in my career, I worked for the IBM Corporation. The last working day of the month was always stressful as the sales representatives were always trying to place computer orders to make their quotas. I worked as the sales reps’ order processing contact by placing orders for them. My manager would always bring in donuts on this stress filled day. It helped set the stage for the day and most importantly, this small gesture communicated care. He would also come out of his office and sit with us helping to process orders and asked who needed help. This was one of the many ways he demonstrated the positive aspects of leadership. To this day, I still hold him up as one of the best managers I ever had the pleasure of knowing.

A – Attitude. There are few things more important in life and work than a positive attitude and the ability to turn negative a situation around. It’s not a question of whether difficult things are going to occur in our lives. The question is, “How do we respond when those things happen?” Recently, I interviewed a top performer in insurance sales. She was one of the most amazing managers and leaders I have ever known. She told me in the interview that everything that happens to you happens for a reason. Her quote is “On the other side of adversity, is ALWAYS something better”. Sometimes that is hard to apply when life deals you a difficult hand. The day after something happens is usually not the best time to think about this. I have found over and over there is truth in that statement. It is difficult to accept while experiencing adversity, but encouraging to know that something good or even great can come from something really bad. Try it out. A leader can’t change anyone but they can change their response to a situation. Price Prichett, author and consultant from Dallas, TX says, “Higher management can end up having to do things that are hard for people to accept. This doesn’t mean that whoever is in charge should carry the burden of responsibility to pump you back up and give you a positive attitude.”

D - Discipline – Several year ago, Sport Illustrated conducted a survey of the top professional athletes in the world, an astonishing statistic was revealed. The time differential that separated the #1 professional athlete in the world from the #100 was as little as seven tenths of a second. However the #1 athlete had an income of as high as 5,300% greater. I am convinced that part of the difference was discipline. A suspect that the #1 athlete did things every day with greater focus and discipline. Winners in sports, politics, and in business are disciplined. They do things that others aren’t doing and they do these things everyday. It is focusing on the little things that make effective leaders.

E - Execution – Many times in my career I have suffered from paralysis of analysis. I have surveyed too much, had too many focus groups, tried to make everyone happy, waited to see what others will think, etc. Sometimes leaders must execute ideas without testing them. Perhaps they needed to approach some things like my son did when he was four years old. He would start races with me by saying, “Ready, go, set.” His attitude was let’s just do it. We’ll figure out the specifics later. In his book Selling the Invisible, Harry Beckwith says, “Execute passionately. Marginal tactics executed passionately almost always will outperform brilliant tactics executed marginally. I think Beckwith and my son are right – Ready, go, set!

R - Respect – When I graduated from college, I started my career with the IBM Corporation where one of the platitudes was “Respect for the Individual”. While it was posted everywhere, it wasn’t lived by everyone. One manager I knew had respect for those who played golf together on weekends, those who participated in the weekly football pool and those who had lunch together regularly. In other words, he respected those people who conformed to the way he thought, believed, and lived. We didn’t think alike but we didn’t need to to have mutual respect. You don’t have to agree with your team, coworkers, friends, or family; you just need to respect them. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I don’t like that man, I better get to know him better.” What a wise and respectful motto to have.

To me, being an effective leader is:

L – Learning to use Laughter to lead
E – Being an Example
A – Maintaining a great Attitude
D – Having daily Discipline
E – Executing with excellence
R – Treating everyone with Respect

Arguably, these are all simple things. But as Jan Carlson, CEO of Scandinavian Airlines said, “It’s not doing one thing 1000% better, it’s doing a 1000 things 1% better.” Jan should know. He took an airline from losing over 20 million a year to gaining a profit of over 60 million. You might not turn an airline around, but by using these skills, you can lead a team, department, or organization to a very positive outcome.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

Yesterday was Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I am sure there was a lot of trash on the street but probably a lot less thanks to the efforts of Katrina Krewe. Becky Zaheri started Katrina Krewe in November 2005 to provide relief along the common thoroughfares of New Orleans from the trash and debris that resulted in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Since Katrina, Becky and her Krewe have mobilized thousands of local and national volunteers to bag and remove over 250,000 tons of Katrina debris from the streets of New Orleans. The Katrina Krewe coordinates anti-litter awareness among residents, schools, and businesses within the New Orleans area through various public service programs and activities.

Before Katrina, Becky was a self described soccer mom who lived a pretty good life. She enjoyed her upper class lifestyle playing tennis frequently, socializing with friends, and regular outings and travel with her family. Becky didn’t subscribe to a newspaper, wasn’t politically involved, and wasn’t a community activist. On August 29, 2005, a nasty woman named Katrina changed all that.

Becky was able to return to New Orleans earlier than most residents because her husband was a doctor. She quickly realized that the New Orleans sanitation department had their hands full. In November, Becky emailed everyone in her address book, and asked them to help clean up New Orleans. Within one hour she began receiving responses (over 75 the first few days including many from people she didn’t even know). Fifteen people gathered to pick up trash the day after Thanksgiving in 2005. Soon that number grew to 30 people, then 50, 100, 250, 300, 500, and even as many as 800 volunteers at one clean up session! As the news of their work continued to spread, thousands of people were coming from all over the world for her bi-weekly trash parties. Becky never imagined her influence would be international. Her initial idea was for “my buddies and me” to clean up a few neighborhoods.

The Katrina Krewe continues to foster anti-litter awareness among residents, schools, and businesses within the New Orleans area through various public service programs and activities. After nearly a year of cleaning up the streets of New Orleans, the group hung up its gloves on August 26, 2006, to begin placing the primary focus on their “Keep it Klean” public awareness campaign. The Katrina Krewe is reaching kids in their pilot “kids against trash” school program.

Becky has some advice for others. “Whatever your gig is, just do it. Pick the thing that works for you. Be diligent about it, until you make it happen. Be patient, be willing to sacrifice and don’t stop until you achieve your goal. Start with your friends, your family, your co-workers and get it going. As long as you feel good about it and are making a difference, you don’t need an army of people. One person can make a difference.” Check out www.cleanno.org.

HELP! Some of this material from this blog MAY appear in a book I am writing. While a grammar or spelling error MIGHT pass here, it certainly won’t in the book. PLEASE email me and let me know what you think of these post and offer a correction if needed. Please contact me here.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

Finally a reality show I can get excited about. I received an email today announcing a new reality show…The Big Give Open. It’s Oprah Winfrey’s concept and casting calls are happening this week in LA and in coming weeks in Nashville, New York, and Chicago. Here’s what was on the web page:

Are you America’s greatest unknown philanthropist? Are you the type of person who makes things happen and will do what ever it takes? Do you have a big personality and lots of charisma? Are you ready to pay it forward?

Harpo Productions, Inc. is pleased to announce our first primetime network series, The Big Give. This show is all about inspiring people around the country to do good for others. The Big Give will challenge contestants to dream up creative and innovative ways to help others. Contestants will travel through the U.S. completing tasks based around the communities’ needs and changing the lives within them. It’s a new, positive twist to primetime television created in the spirit of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

We are looking for competitive, creative, and adventurous individuals who want to use their resourcefulness to help others and will stop at nothing to do the right thing!

Apply at www.oprah.com
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Perhaps you would never apply for something like this. Pretend like you were on the show in your community. What do you consider the biggest challenges that need addressing? How would you creatively tackle them? If you had Oprah’s money and influence, how would you make a difference?

NEWS alert: I am actually sponsoring an essay contest for high school students to write about the REAL “Richest” people in America who are making a difference in the world. Contact me online for details.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

I just read something on my friend Eileen McDargh’s blog  about the Whole Foods Market CEO, John Mackey. It seems Mackey is donating all his stock options to two company foundations and working for only $1/year. This is an extraordinary example of leadership and service. As I was reading this, it reminded me of one of the most incredible leaders I have ever met - Richard Davis, the current CEO of US Bank. I met Richard before addressing 500 US Bank employees at their annual company meeting. Among the powerful points he told his managers that I would address later that day were:

Smash the Water Cooler
Bungee Jump
Get a Life!

OK that was MY interpretation. One of his first comments was “I need your help”. To the 400 or so gathered, he asked them to stop the rumors that were be discussed by the water cooler. It seems that some were saying that this #6 company in industry would be merged with or taken over by one of the 5 competitors that were bigger. It had even been inaccurately reported in the press…(imagine that?) One by one, he took each of these competitors and gave a most convincing argument as to why there wouldn’t be a merger or acquisition. His points were solid, his research was well documented, he did his homework AND I believe, he won his case. Why did he do this? He told his team, “I want your focus to be on improving on a fantastic year. I want you to do this without having to look over your shoulder and worry if you’ll have a job or not (I kind of wanted to make sure I’d have one too!)

So let’s get to work and while you at it, help me stop the unproductive gossip with those who report to you.”

WOW what a positive and powerful way to tell people to stop gossiping!

He next asked them to Bungee Jump off a 1000-foot bridge in Australia wearing a red wig and a clown suit …well that was my interpretation of his message on taking risk. He talked about their products were really commodities in their market and how once an innovation was introduced, their competitors were quick to emulate. He acknowledged the specific innovations that those in the audience had developed and praised the work of several people. He urged them for this to continue. He said “execution is almost as important as innovation and some of you will be executed if you don’t innovate”…well not really, BUT he did implore them to continue to think innovatively  and even told them NOT to come back from the morning break if they weren’t prepared to put it all on the table and take risks…calculated risks. In front this audience, he asked one of his EVP’s if he had ever said no when this EVP asked him for anything for which he had asked. Randy’s reply…not once.

He concluded with this “Get a life!” He shared how he had attended 14 of 17 basketball games of his teenage daughter (where he “quietly” coached from the stands). He spoke of shopping with his wife and daughter at the mall, and about how supportive the company was of charity and community organizations. He said that he felt like he was a better leader because he turned it off when it was time to turn it off. Somehow I suspect that when he is working, he REALLY turns it on!

I must confess I wondered how a man in charge of such a large company could really do this. Could he turn it off? He had to work Saturday’s at LEAST to check his email…so I sent him one early on a Saturday morning… He responded…on Monday morning at 8:13 am!

I learned a lot more from this man for whom I would love to be mentored. I hope you have learned something too. Here’s the Tim Take on all of this

1) When you hear people in unproductive talk, stifle it…in a positive way. If you can’t convincingly dispel the unproductive talk, ask lots of questions of those for whom you trust who can. Don’t let the Wally and Wanda Whiners destroy morale of others.

2) Take more risk… If you are not falling flat on your face, you’re probably too comfortable. Develop a new idea or an innovative approach. Bounce it past a coworker for whom you trust. Share it with a colleague or friend OUTSIDE your work world, and maybe most powerful of all … get input from someone with a very divergent viewpoint. When they are telling you what you DON’T want to hear…shut up…and listen … intently. Consider their feedback… all of it. Sleep on your idea and then ACT on it.

3) Live your life with a focus on what you value. When at the office, it’s hammer time. When you’re home, it’s homer time (and I don’t mean Homer Simpson). I am not sure if attaining perfect balance is possible but I know this “When values are clear, decision making is easy.”
You or I may never be a president of a company of the magnitude of my new friend Richard Davis. BUT we certainly can smash the heck out of the water cooler, bungee jump in a clown suit, AND most importantly, GET A LIFE…a rich one at that!

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

I just read this article on www.slate.com by Henry Blodget. The title: How to make giving it all away part of the American success story Let me know what you think of this.

After two-plus centuries of nationhood, it’s time to update the American Dream. Not because Americans can no longer go from rags to riches. Rather because, after two centuries of the great American experiment, it’s safe to conclude that our particular blend of free enterprise and government alone leaves too many important problems unsolved. From education to health care to energy to wealth disparity to the environment, we’re living proof that being a rich nation doesn’t necessarily make us a great one.

How can we become the latter? By developing a not-for-profit sector as creative, competitive, and well-funded as our corporate sector. Private for-profit enterprises and public government agencies each have their place—the Department of Health and Human Services would do a lousy job running Wal-Mart, and the Air Force, for obvious reasons, shouldn’t report to Boeing. But each is also constrained by its own organizational principles: Government agencies need to maintain a political consensus, and corporations need to make a profit.

Between these two forms of organization, however, is a third that has the freedom to operate without the need for consensus or profit. The nonprofit sector could solve a lot more of our problems—if we make it bigger, more effective, and more central to our economy.

How can we do this? First, we can adopt more of the organizational and financing practices of the corporate world. In the past decade, for example, “venture philanthropy” has begun to build the equivalent of a Silicon Valley-style venture culture for “social entrepreneurs.” That’s a good development. But we also should vastly increase our collective investment in the sector by making over the American Dream. For future generations, getting rich must only be the first goal. To complete the dream, any self-respecting American capitalist must feel compelled to follow in the footsteps of the Slate 60 and give all (or a lot of it) away.

Before we discuss some ways of making this happen, let’s look at the big picture. According to the Urban Institute, Americans devote about 2 percent of their after-tax income each year to charitable donations. According to another nonprofit, Giving USA, these individual contributions totaled $199 billion in 2005. This is an impressive number, but it amounts to less than a quarter of the $927 billion in individual income taxes collected that year by the federal government alone. It also amounts to less than one-sixth of the collective net worth of the 400 richest Americans ($1.25 trillion). So, it does not seem a stretch to suggest that compared to the government and the corporate sectors, the nonprofit sector is, well, underfunded.

Thanks to a century’s worth of quiet philanthropy, combined with some heroic efforts in the past decade, this may be about to change. For decades, the foundations established by Carnegie, Rockefeller, Mellon, et al., have quietly and tastefully distributed billions. In recent years, however, high-profile megagifts by Ted Turner, Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett, and others have begun making those who simply buy toys and hoard their piles look selfish, shallow, and un-American in comparison.

How can we do more to make such folks into heroes—and inspire the entire nation to follow in their footsteps? Lists like the Slate 60 and BusinessWeek 100 are a good start. Here are some more suggestions:

Find image magicians like those who created Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Diamonds Are Forever, Just Do It, the Marlboro Man, Santa Claus, and other marketing concepts that have become integral to our culture. Tell them to make philanthropy—and our great philanthropists—part of our national DNA.

Banish the words charity and gift from the nonprofit lexicon. The new American Dream can’t be about passive, condescending check-writing. It must be about leadership, inspiration, and problem-solving.

Change the tax code to further encourage philanthropy, especially among the rich. For example, increase the income-tax rate on incomes above, say, $200,000 a year, while also increasing the tax-reducing power of charitable donations. Currently, charitable donors can only deduct 50 percent of their adjusted gross income in any given year (and in some cases, only 30 percent). This discourages the 2.5 million Americans who make more than $200,000 to give the bulk of it away, let alone the 10,000 who make $10 million or more.

Re-brand the “estate tax” as the “un-American activities tax,” the “Scrooge tax,” or the “keeping America great by motivating your lazy kids tax.”

Expand the Slate 60 to the Slate 400. Go back to the image magicians and make inclusion on this list more prestigious and impressive than inclusion on the Forbes 400. Competition inspired the Slate 60 to begin with; up the competitive ante.

Supplement the public-adulation carrot with the peer-pressure stick. Cross reference the Slate 400 with the Forbes 400 to create a new list: America’s 100 Stingiest (those who are worth more than $1 billion who contribute the smallest percentage of their net worth each year). Update this list in real time, online, and post it everywhere that the billionaires’ friends, colleagues, and neighbors will see it every day. Include pictures, of course.

When will we know we’ve arrived? When we hear about the latest rags-to-riches high-tech or hedge-fund billionaire and think, “Wow, he or she is halfway to achieving the American Dream.”

Put the web address below in your brower and read about 60 largest American charitable contributions of the last year. www.slate.com/id/2159774/nav/tap1/

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

This morning, I again saw the clip of Jason McElwain (J-Mac to his friends) the 18 year old who scored twenty-one points in the last few minutes of a basketball game last year. Until that moment, J-Mac had been the team manager. Now he’s a hero and he’s won the hearts of many all over the country.

I’ve read about him in Guidepost magazine; I have seen him on ESPN; he was in a story in Reader’s Digest. He’s met President Bush, been on Oprah, and Magic Johnson wants to make an inspirational movie about him (J-Mac would like Mathew McConaughey to play him in the movie).

He’s the unlikely hero - a 5′6″ kid with autism who showed the world that a disability is not a deterrent. While this story touched me the first time I saw, I was even more moved this morning when I saw a young couple interviewed who had a three year old autistic child. They see hope in their boys future that he can do things that “normal” kids do. The parents have shown that video to the little boy as inspiration. He’s already got “game” and seemingly inherited skills from both parents who were players. Think about how differently that boy’s future can be because someone else has paved the way and demonstrated that autism need not limit him from achieving. Think about how different J-Mac’s life could have been had his parents not encouraged him to stretch his limits. Think about the difference you or I can make in the lives of someone else simply by repeating and demonstrating that barriers are only temporary delays as we travel down the road of life.

My friend Willie Jolley (www.williejolley.com), an inspirational and motivational speaker from Washington, DC says, “A setback is only a setup for a come back”. What’s the greatest setback you have ever heard about or overcome yourself? What lessons did you draw from it?

While many of the posting here are about people making the lives of others more rich because of the work they do, never discount the difference “play” can make. Whatever you do, others are watching (particularly our little people). They are watching and learning how we deal with setbacks and how we stretch ourselves in the moments of challenge.

Hoops anyone?

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Watch J-Mac’s story on www.utube.com or by going to:
www.sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2352763
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11526448/

HELP! Some of this material from this blog MAY appear in a book I am writing. While a grammar or spelling error MIGHT pass here, it certainly won’t in the book. PLEASE email me and let me know what you think of these post and offer a correction if needed. Please contact me at www.TimRichardson.com

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com