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"The overarching purpose, the big dream, the overarching concept…something presently out of reach…so stated that it excites the imagination and challenges people to work for something they do not yet know how to do." – Robert Greenleaf on Vision Statements Without a vision, our actions lack meaning. And each one of us has a purpose, which implies a vision. So a vision statement defines what the world can look like, given the fact that you’re here and you’re ready to do it. This podcast will talk about how a vision statement gets developed. Join us as we frame the topics we'll be covering over the next few weeks. And strengthen yourself as a leader in your life. To subscribe to Word & Deed, my project to take these brotherhood values into business, visit http://chrisstadler.com/newsletter-signup/ and sign up. Because integrity is a struggle, and we need all the skill and courage we can muster. To join the conversation, visit: www.facebook.com/cvbrotherhood and comment. I want to hear from you.

“Outstanding people have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission.” – Zig Ziglar Without a mission, it’s not just you who’s confused, but everyone around you. You’ll start noticing that people aren’t fitting in, that you hired a bunch of troublemakers. But the problem is often a lack of focus. Your job, as leader, is to build focus, not do the work. You provide the focus and then bring on awesome people who will bring it to life. Join us as we frame the topics we'll be covering over the next few weeks. And strengthen yourself as a leader in your life. To subscribe to Word & Deed, my project to take these brotherhood values into business, visit http://chrisstadler.com/newsletter-signup/ and sign up. Because integrity is a struggle, and we need all the skill and courage we can muster. To join the conversation, visit: www.facebook.com/cvbrotherhood and comment. I want to hear from you.

"The function of a leader within any institution: to provide that regulation within his or her non-anxious, self-defined presence." - Edwin Friedman Edwin Friedman, in his book "A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the age of the quick fix," lists 5 words that will sabotage your healthy organization: sensitivity, empathy, consensus, trust and togetherness. Find out how these concepts are being used to sabotage your organization.

"All these generals who were committed to using "industry best practices," by the end of it, were sitting in a French prison." Being yourself is about turning your mission, vision and values into a strategy. Because when you do that, and you can make a plan to execute, you will have an incredible advantage over others doing the same work. Problem is, nobody can do this well on their own. We need other people to help us and to give help to. Join us as we frame the topics we'll be covering over the next few weeks. And strengthen yourself as a leader in your life.

"Instead of understanding what love is, we just thought 'whatever feels good.'" Healthy and skillful fatherhood, in combination with Motherhood, lays the foundation for healthy kids who are equipped to grow in life. You don't teach them everything, but you teach them how to be, how to protect and how to love. You do this by being there to create a safe and stable home, encouraging their growth through love, patience and filling their little hearts and minds with good things. The thing to understand is that we don't follow the example of some authority, but we learn how to connect with them in our own way. But however you choose to do it, don't neglect love, patience and allowing them the space to flourish. We'll unpack these a little bit. And I'm hoping you'll be inspired to share some of your thoughts on this issue with us.

“To us is given the honor of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history and in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride of our doings." -Bernard Law Montgomery Free people can't be forced to comply; they must be led. So how do you activate other people do what must be done to support worthy work, whether you're a 4-star or a gas station attendant? More importantly, how do you move people to understand and support freedom and human flourishing when it's under attack? In this talk, I expound on Bernard Montgomery's 7 qualities of military leadership, which translate well into non-military leadership, although they may look a little different. Some men are born leaders. For the rest of us, we must develop these qualities that can't be bought, but must grow from your soul through trial and pain.

Quote: “If you want others to follow, learn to be alone with your thoughts. -William Deresiewicz Free people must always cultivate their own ideas. Otherwise, we're only either reacting to, or agreeing with, the ideas of the day. In order to do either very well, we have to know who we are and where our thoughts come from. What's worth living or dying for? Is it better to leave our kids without a father and be a coward, or to give them memories of your bravery? Is it better to create an inclusive working environment based on what society tells you about diversity, or to create your culture that reflects excellence in another way? And how will you know? In this talk, I read Deresiewicz's 2009 address to West Point's plebe class, where he gives us a key discipline in understanding how to think and lead in a world of information overload.

Quote: “The beauty of the soul shines out when one endures one mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper. ” -Aristotle Summary: Adversity leads us through patience, humility and a contempt for the empty promises of the world to give us independence and self-leadership...something inside that transcends and utterly outranks our circumstances.

“...the people must either be chivalrous on its own resources, or else choose between the two remaining alternatives of brutality and softness. This indeed, part of the general problem of a classless society, which is too seldom mentioned. Will its ethos be a synthesis of what was best in all the classes, or a mere ‘pool’ with the sediment of all and the virtues of none?” -The Necessity of Chivalry by C.S. Lewis Summary: Is chivalry worth bringing back? Maybe it’s right to bring definition to manhood, so we don’t become cowards who look for the easy route of brutality (fake manhood) or softness (fake love). Notes: For a full reading and visual of Lewis’ “The Necessity of Chivalry,” check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBT9LasyC3E

Quote: ““If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” --Sun Tzu, The Art of War Summary: Make a plan that will advantage your abilities by making a SWOT analysis. It’ll give you an unfair advantage over your competition. Notes: Deep Dive, by Rich Horwath. Rich shares many of my frustrations about business strategy and the inability to see their blind spots. An example of a SWOT from Startup Themes.

Quote: “People have a greater tolerance for evil than for violence. If crooked gambling, thieving and robbing are covered over folks will tolerate it longer than out right violence, even when the violence may be cleansing.” Louis L’Amour, The Daybreakers Summary: Do you want to lead? I hope so. If that’s the case, put being “good” before being popular...and even before winning. Because those external things will damage your character. Luckily, there are ways to fight back. Here’s one attitude change that will help you fight other people’s expectations. Notes: Quote from The Daybreakers, by Louis L’Amour, found here: http://amzn.to/2mW4CdQ Inspired by A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, by Edwin H. Friedman, found here: http://amzn.to/2np4pgP Quote from The Man Called Noon, by Louis L’Amour, found here: http://amzn.to/2molhUb

“Nobody has ever gone from slavery to freedom with the slaveholder cheering them on.” -Edwin H. Friedman Summary: Directness in communication clears out all kinds of confusion. Unfortunately, lots of people benefit from that confusion. And even though their explanations are very logical, they’ll sound very reasonable. It takes a leader with directness and a lack of concern for what seems reasonable to cut those people off at the knees and get the culture moving to a healthier place.

“You can survive without help from others. But to get stronger at a faster rate, reach out to the right guys with the expectation that they can and will make you stronger.” Summary: To move forward faster, you need to reach out and let guys know how they can help you. This is a summary for how to reach out in a way that’s not needy, and how to help in a way that doesn’t disrupt your life.

“The search after the great men is the dream of youth, and the most serious occupation of manhood.” Thoreau America has a manhood problem. Society has shifted gears to advantage those who wield dishonesty and use passive-aggressiveness like a weapon, elevating evil and disparaging good. You can join ‘em, or you can beat em’. The only way to win back our country for our families, brothers and society is through becoming stronger individuals who grow into leadership. The Combat Veterans Brotherhood begins teams in May to make each other stronger, get educated and get effective. And we want you to join. Visit forum.combatbrotherhood.com and set up an account to start the conversation.

“Initiative, when it fills your heart, becomes an irresistible force, carrying you to victory.” Bold, focused action gets results. But doubt makes it tough to believe in your plan, and it can kill initiative. If you can find a good plan and give yourself reasons to believe that you can trust that plan--if you can remove doubt--you can build the momentum to strike hard, strike fast, and move toward victory with conviction.

Don’t look for “victory at all costs;” focus on “integrity at all costs.” Summary: Focusing on things you can’t control weakens your resolve and puts you at the mercy of others. But boldness comes when you focus on your own integrity and your own effectiveness, regardless of what others are thinking and regardless of the severity of their emotions and outbursts.

Quote: “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Summary: Some people complain. Others worry. We’re interested in acting. And Martin Luther King Jr. provided an example of skillful action, demonstrating discipline and focus in his approach to combating a government and a society that held a skewed view of truth. He exercised what you might call “intelligent extremism” to shake a society back into reality. Here, in his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, MLK expressed his sense of justice, and explains his reasoning and his tactics.

“One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Summary: Some people complain. Others worry. We’re interested in acting. And Martin Luther King Jr. provided an example of skillful action, demonstrating discipline and focus in his approach to combating a government and a society that held a skewed view of truth. He exercised what you might call “intelligent extremism” to shake a society back into reality. Here, in his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, MLK expressed his sense of justice, and explains his reasoning and his tactics.

“A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.” Summary: Marcus Aurelius, author of “Meditations,” gave us an instruction book on how to be the strongest version of yourself. Smart, capable and ready to take on life’s challenges, working from the inside out. You want lasting life change? Then it’s time to start thinking differently.

“May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.” Resolutions fail when the excitement of the new year fades. Accountability will make it last.