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April 20, 2020 by dpadmin Leave a Comment

Virtue:  Why is this important?

There is a common language known by everyone on the planet that influences human behavior.  It’s a little like gravity.  Everyone experiences it.  A few try to defy it… but then gravity always seems to do its job.

Virtue is the common language for understanding the kind of human character and resulting behavior that keeps humanity united where we can create civil societies for human flourishing.

Virtues are historically referred to as the higher values that describe character and govern our behavior.  One could say that Virtues are “Identity or Character Values” and other Values could be referred to as “Activity Values”.  Both are important but the chicken clearly came before the egg.

Different cultures, families, businesses and communities will have different  “Activity Values” but the “Identity Values” have remained consistent throughout recorded history.  This common understanding crosses all of the boundaries of race, class, color, creed, sexual orientation, family history and national origin.  Even the theists and atheists agree on the value of virtue although they may disagree on the origin. Virtue crosses the boundaries that normally bring separation and in its place there remains a foundation of unity allowing a starting place for the most important conversations.

We would all like our children, globally, to be Courageous, Humbleand Moderate.  Every parent would teach them to be Honestand develop a sound, consistent character with Integrity.  We would like them to be Peaceloving and Charitable, and as they mature, Wise.  Gracious, Lovingand Mercifulare descriptions we would choose for them, with great Hopefor a Justand civil society where all are honored.  In summary we want them to be Good and Loving people.

We want this to be true for our family, friends, those in our communities and the people we work with.  Seeing these character qualities grow and be practiced and experienced can change a culture.

The story of human history has seen a battle for virtuous character formation and practice.  At the same time we struggle with the forces that entice us to act in ways that oppose the embrace of virtuous behavior.

We all know the struggle surrounding unhealthy ego when we find ourselves reaching for validation through fame, fortune and influence.  History shows us again and again that when we don’t have the “Strength of Character” required to manage the forces of these powerful influences, they will destroy us.

I spend much of my time working with business leaders who all agree on these basic concepts surrounding Virtue and it’s importance in creating sustainable multigenerational businesses.  For example, no one wants to hire someone with inconsistent honesty or a lack of integrity yet we often shy away from the direct conversations around these deeply human concepts in our businesses.

There is increasing agreement that business’s can actually have a virtuous character.  It is this character that sustains a business through all of the challenging times.

If we can first separate “Identity Values” from “Activity Values” we could start to consider our personal and corporate identity more clearly, as it informs all of our activity.

There are many lists of Virtues that do not have common agreement across all the boundaries of culture or faith groups for example.  However, I think everyone on the planet commonly understands the Virtues below.

Review the following list and ask if you would like to remove any of these Virtues or Identity Values from the Character of your children, family, friends or co-workers.

  • Humility
  • Courage
  • Integrity
  • Grace
  • Hope
  • Justice
  • Wisdom
  • Goodness
  • Peace
  • Love
  • Moderation
  • Honesty
  • Mercy
  • Faith
  • Patience

I think we would all like to be associated with people and businesses and live in communities who embody this list of Virtues.

I would invite you to consider refocusing our character, and the character of our businesses and communities, back to something we’ve always known.

Join me in the great journey of virtuous character formation that has built the story of humanity down through the ages.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Dave phillips, virtue

December 28, 2018 by dpadmin Leave a Comment

The meaning of life

As we embark on a new year, its a great time to reflect on an important question: What is the meaning of life?
Victor Frankl

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor.  His best-selling book Man’s Search for Meaning chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate, which led him to discover the importance of finding meaning in all forms of existence, even the most brutal ones, and thus, a reason to continue living. He was asked about the meaning of life and he had to think about it as a prisoner of War in WW2.

The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life. Frankl saw three possible sources for meaning: in work (doing something significant), in love (caring for another person), and in courage during difficult times. Suffering in and of itself is meaningless; we give our suffering meaning by the way in which we respond to it. . . . 

Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you will feel and do about what happens to you.

This brings to mind the words of another thought leader – Wayne Dyer: If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.

So as the clock turns to midnight and a new year begins, think not about goals and new year’s resolutions; think about specific ways you can change your perspective to change your life.

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December 18, 2018 by dpadmin Leave a Comment

The Taboo Team Topic Is About Trust

Often Trust is a restricted discussion because of what we think it can mean.  Saying “I don’t trust you” seems like character assassination… and it may be… but it may not be.  We all know that the wheels will fall off your bus when trust starts to leave a relationship.  Let’s first define the kind of trust we’re talking about.

Trusting someone with your life is a different level and type of trust than trusting someone to be on time consistently.  Of course there are several levels in between.  First we need to define what level of trust you’re talking about because the wild card is that  “Perception is Reality”.  How people perceive your actions will define whether or not trust has been broken or harmed in some way.  The big question is “how will I know when I’ve violated their perception of trust?”

The simple answer is that you need to get the taboo trust topic up on the table where it can be examined in the light.  Having these conversations before trust is compromised can save the day.  At least two important things happen when this pre-problem conversation occurs.

  1. You will create clarity on trust expectations.
  2. It now becomes an “OK” team conversation to have.

When I ask teams, couples or individuals if they have talked about trust before there’s a trust issues the answer is almost always “NO”.  Consider talking about the three important aspects of trust:

  1. Describe to others how you will act when your in your “Trust Flow State” when trust is high.
  2.  Ask for what you need from them to keep trust levels high.
  3.  Describe how you may act when trust drops.

Here’s the answers from a senior executive I connected with recently.  He said:

  1. I’m direct and to the point and assume trust is in place until something happens.
  2. I need others to be direct with me and if there’s a trust issue they need to come to me directly and hash it out even if it’s very difficult to do.
  3. When my trust drops I avoid people or issues and start work arounds.  Doesn’t work very well but sorry to say, that’s what I do.

What are your answers?  Is it worth talking to your team about it BEFORE there’s a problem?  If your answer is NO, I’d like to hear why.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

December 11, 2018 by dpadmin Leave a Comment

Reading List for The Holiday Season

With the holiday season approaching, you may have some time to dedicate to a good read.  You can find a list of reading recommendations from Dave on our Resources page. The titles listed are books that Dave has personally read and has taken valuable information, lessons and tips from. In our upcoming posts Dave will share short VLOGs on these titles and what he found most beneficial from the read.

Click here to view the complete list!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

December 4, 2018 by dpadmin Leave a Comment

3 Steps Towards Building A Trusting Team

The pathway to building trust is not always straight and the level and kind of trust is not always clear. Trust is the corner stone of effective teams, but nobody seems to know how to build it intentionally. You know when you don’t have it and usually know what happened to erode trust.

You can solve this problem before it becomes a problem with three simple questions. Before I tell you what they are I’ll tell you why this will work.

When these kinds of conversations become OK to have, you’ve effectively given your team permission to talk about the tough issues. This is the most important piece of the trust building puzzle… permission.

Ask these three simple questions to your team. One on one is best and then take it into a team setting. You’ll be surprised that people will tell you how they act BEFORE there’s a problem and in doing so, you’ll find out what’s important to them to build team trust. Here are the three questions:

  1. How do you act in trusting relationships?
  2. What do you need from me to build and maintain trust?
  3. How will you act when your level of trust drops?

If you listen well, everything you need to know about building trust with your team will be revealed to you.

Take good notes and respond accordingly.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

November 20, 2018 by dpadmin Leave a Comment

Different Is Not Wrong…

Different Is Not Wrong…But we often act as though it is!  We each have a hidden belief that everyone is like us and if they’re not… well… they must be wrong.  This little piece of irrationality is alive in all of us.  To get over it, the truth is we need to get over ourselves.

In fact when we quiet our ego to listen, we’ll learn that the perspectives of others can truly enhance our work and our lives.

I have found younger couples tend to marry opposites.  After all, why would we want to marry someone just like us? We would be bored to tears.  However, older couples tend to marry someone who is more alike.  Interestingly, the younger opposites have more nuptial success.

In working teams who all think the same way, I have seen many slow, comfortable… train wrecks!  Getting along with people who are very distinctive and unique in their thinking and actions is the price of admission to high performing teams.

It is this diversity of perspective that brings together required wisdom for strategic business decisions to meet simple business objectives in markets filled with complexity.

Different is not wrong, it’s just different, and I’d say…  better!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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Dave is an experienced executive mentor and speaker for high performance CEO’s and business leaders across North America. His work covers topics ranging from the boardroom to the bedroom in some of the most challenging and even troubling areas of the leaders life.

Recent Posts

  • Virtue:  Why is this important?
  • The meaning of life
  • The Taboo Team Topic Is About Trust
  • Reading List for The Holiday Season
  • 3 Steps Towards Building A Trusting Team
  • Different Is Not Wrong…

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Dave Phillips
Dave_Phillips9Dave Phillips@Dave_Phillips9·
29 Dec 2018

Just Posted #Blog - What is the meaning of life?
With the new year just around the corner, lets take a moment to consider this question.
https://buff.ly/2qHAByT

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Dave_Phillips9Dave Phillips@Dave_Phillips9·
19 Dec 2018

New Blog Post: The Taboo Team Topic Is About Trust
"Is it worth talking to your team about it BEFORE there’s a problem?"
https://buff.ly/2DoJqG3

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Dave_Phillips9Dave Phillips@Dave_Phillips9·
17 Dec 2018

#MotivationMonday

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Dave_Phillips9Dave Phillips@Dave_Phillips9·
11 Dec 2018

Looking for a good book to read this holiday season? We have a list of books on the "Resource" section of our website that are great reads with very valuable information on leadership, habits and effective teams.
https://buff.ly/2E4p9WC

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Dave_Phillips9Dave Phillips@Dave_Phillips9·
10 Dec 2018

#MotivationMonday

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