Speaking of Leadership
Dan on Twitter- danmulhern: Manage ur mind in the recession. Grt post by @ellenfweber http://bit.ly/bHSQR9 See why I'm having her on Sat's show http://bit.ly/8krEqu
- danmulhern: Got some good ideas for this week's radio show for #LaborDay. Share YOUR ideas or good ????s on my FB fanpage http://bit.ly/bsYBss
- danmulhern: RT @SocialGuide When is the Best Time to Tweet? http://bit.ly/cAaxdZ
- danmulhern: @mcort What do you think of this small-sample-research on the best times to tweet? http://bit.ly/SwLtd Are there better sources?
- danmulhern: What do you think would be good questions 4me to raise on radio 4 #LaborDay? Future of the middle class? Of org labor? plz RT
May
22
A Lesson from the Bikers
Filed Under Uncategorized
Friends,
Saturday evening we held the annual celebration of the Governor’s Service Awards. The fabulous Fox Theater in downtown Detroit was teeming with leadership stories, as forty finalists in eight different categories were feted for their efforts to build communities from the western edge of the Upper Peninsula and all the way across the Lower.
The show stoppers – quite literally, for it took about 10 minutes for them all to get on and off the stage – were the members of the Wolverine Harley-Davidson HOG Chapter #1332. Many of these folks pride themselves on being out of the box, as individuals. They love their independence – their freedom to hit the open road, which symbolizes a broader desire to be free to live their own way.
The Chapter as a whole has gotten way out of the box of what most of us would think a Harley club would be about. They won the Governor’s Award for the “Exemplary Community Service Program.” They do four huge charity rides a year, often with over a thousand riders and raise between $20,000 and $50,000. They have given financial support to a variety of causes such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Toys for Tots. Recently they have organized an event which reunites children with their former foster familes, and the cool thing about it is that they offer the kids transportation to the party, on the back of a Harley. (If RFL were a little more tech-snazzy, I’d link to the video clip with happy little kids posing like tough bikers!)
The real life results have been wide and profound for the HOGS and the people and charities they have served, yet the leadership lesson may seem overly simple. Steven Covey boiled it down to two words, in the first of his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Be proactive! The HOGS are innovating, creating from scratch, and doing what few would expect of them. What might you do this week that’s out of the box, unexpected of you, perhaps surprises people, but expresses some desire you have to make a difference in the world you are in? You’ve got to be proactive to…
Lead with your best self,
Dan
Comments
Leave a Reply
Product Specials
Everyday Leadership: Getting Results in Business, Politics, and Life (Paperback)
Everyday Leadership offers strategies to improve leadership skills, achieve results, and gain greater satisfaction in these hectic times. It speaks to the everyday leader, whether that person is a principal, pastor, parent, or CEO.
$23.33
$19.99