Walking Along Side

What is in your hand?

2008-12-28T09:46:00-08:00

I recently watched a talk from Rick Warren at a Hillsong Conference. The talk was based on a simple question. What is in your hand? Rick explained that since the birth of Purpose Driven Life he found influence and affluence in his hand. In Rick's mind, then came the next question. What are you doing with what is in your hand?

This message is part of a carefully orchestrated plan of discovery that God is taking me through. What are the talents and gifts that He has blessed me with? Then, more importantly, what am I doing with those gifts?

See, I belive that when a person recognizes what is in their hand and they use it to the fullest, their life is full, better yet overflowing.

Sadly, when this discussion begins, many belive that this is an exercise of pride and ego. Here's the bottom line, contemplating how we have been crafted, molded and shaped is not about building my kingdom, it is about how I will be used.

I encourge you to ask yourself a very powerfull question. What is in my hand?

The Reality of Racism

2008-12-20T22:47:58-08:00

Today I received a call that really blew me away. The caller was inquiring about renting a room at our cabin up the hill. The caller was a women, she introduced herself by saying that she is calling on behalf of someone else who is looking for an apartment. Her first question was "am I willing to rent to an african american man"? I did not respond right away as I wasn't sure if I was being punked or if this women was being serious. So after pulling the phone from my ear and looking at it as if it were a foreign object, I replied with "of course, we rent to any and all people regardless of race". She said, "ok let me have you talk to my husband". The husband got on the phone and began to explain the situation. He said that they have been helping an older african american gentlemen for quite some time and the apartment he is living in is just too expensive. He went on to say that as soon as people learn that a potential renter is a black man their apartments become unavailable. I assured him that their friend is more than welcome to come look at our place and to let us know if he is interested in renting from us.

So after this conversation I have quite a few thoughts rolling around in my head:

I will never know what it means to be hated for the color of my skin
While Barack Obama has been elected President and equality marches on, racism and bigotry are still openly accepted in many walks of life
What is going on with the callers, what's the thinking behind their question
I am wrestling with my response to the callers, should I have challenged their question and asked them how they felt about people being rejected based on the color of their skin

I have a feeling this is going to stay with me for a few days.

Pure Inspiration #2

2008-06-21T21:52:32-07:00

Dan Zimbardi

Pure Inspiration

2008-06-21T21:39:21-07:00

Dan Zimbardi

A Daddy & GG Day

2008-06-21T14:47:34-07:00

So Lori & PA are helping out at a VBS day as volunteers so GG & I have the day together. We woke up and had some oatmeal for breakfast. A little cartoons then a bath. Then off to the mall for a stop in the Hello Kitty store. Gracie did 2-3 rounds though the store then settled on a pen, a holder for her toy cell phone, some lip gloss and a book of stickers. She was so funny, she would see something she liked, hand it over to me for a daddy inspection then I would hand it back with a thumbs up or down. A slice of pizza for lunch with a lemonade, a little window shopping for daddy (Nordstron half year sale for the boyzs) then cheesecake factory for some goodness. Now its back in the house watching cartoons and trying to escape the sun.

Legacy

2008-06-15T22:04:11-07:00

Tim Russert passed away this week. He seemed like such a great guy with a passion for his work and his family. It's been amazing to watch cable news these last few days and see the love and respect so many people had for Tim all over the world. I cant help but think about Tim's legacy as I watch tribute after tribute. Tim leaves behind a legacy of excellence in his field and more importantly a great love for people. I am sure that his family and many colleagues will carry Tim's legacy forward for generations to come.

I spent some time this year pondering my own legacy. One thing I discovered was that my actions do not always line up with the legacy that I hope to leave behind. This is a tough pill to swallow but it has helped me to think about how I am spending the precious time I have on this earth and reconsider my priorities.

4 Reasons to Sharpen your Leadership Skills

2008-06-02T20:51:41-07:00

There are many reasons to develop ourselves as leaders. However, most companies and organizations simply do not invest in the resources and tools to help their people develop this crucial skill. Additionally, if the individual does not pursue opportunities to grow as a leader, there is an excellent chance they will remain stagnant.

Here are 4 reasons to sharpen your leadership skills:

Leadership skills are transferable across functions & industries-Whether you work in retail, higher education or the public sector, your skills as a leader apply in all settings. Leadership is leadership whether you are the captain of the ship or the captain of the team. Influencing others, developing a vision, motivating people, etc. are all common characteristics of leadership.
Great leaders find it easier to make career transitions-The reality of today's job market and the typical career path is that most people will work for many employers in their lifetime. Beyond working for multiple employers, an individual may want to change industries. Demonstrated leadership skills trump the inexperience of an individual in a particular industry or job function.
Most companies & organizations are looking for strong leaders-Companies & organizations want to hire and promote multipliers. People who can take a small lot and make it bigger and better all the while using less. These are the people who find themselves fast tracking their career and having the most options.
We are all called to lead at some time in our life-I would argue that we all are put in the position to lead throughout the course of our lives. Continuously sharpening your leadership skills will create a more positive outcome in those situations. In the case of emergency, you certainly want to be ready to lead in case you are the only option.

A Misconception of Leadership

2008-06-01T21:33:38-07:00

There are many types of leaders, some are born and some are made. A popular misconception is that you must have a big job, own a company or run an organization to be a leader. Many people demonstrate their leadership abilities on a regular basis in both professional and personal settings. Here are a few types of leaders that you may identify with.

§ Spiritual Leaders-Spiritual leaders are led by the Holy Spirit and not by their flesh. Spiritual leaders are in tune to the Spirits call and direction for their life. A Spiritual leader has natural skills and talents that are magnified by their surrender to God and the touch of The Holy Spirit. Spiritual leaders move others onto God’s agenda (the Blackaby’s).

§ Domestic Leaders-Domestic leaders have a tremendous ability to manage the affairs of a family, household or office setting. Domestic leaders are typically highly organized and place a high priority on maintenance. Domestic leaders are the primary decision makers for the family unit and have great problem solving skills. Domestic leaders manage the household schedule and ensure that everyone is on task.

§ Social Leaders-Social leaders have a big personality and typically create a large following. Social leaders are outgoing and gregarious characters. People tend to want to go where the social leader is going and they are typically the center of attention at gatherings. Social leaders typically have a polarizing personality that makes them loved or not so loved.

§ Executive Leaders-Executive leaders have a great capacity to develop a vision and articulate that vision to the masses. Executive leaders typically run large organizations with complex problems. These leaders have a tremendous ability to influence others.

§ Organizational Leaders-Organizational leaders are great managers that have the ability to execute a plan that coincides with a vision. Organizational leaders understand how to integrate multiple disciplines without being an expert in those disciplines. These leaders are typically very strong communicators and adept at managing complex personalities. Organizational leaders excel at managing schedules, budgets and projects.

No matter what type of leader or combination of leadership skills that you possess, it is important to understand that you are someone that is and will be called upon to lead. The next post will be about why we want to sharpen our leadership skills.

Being the Best in your Workplace

2008-05-26T15:55:21-07:00

This post is about providing for and serving others. In most workplaces we find each individual seeking recognition and praise for their efforts. Considering the fact that most of us struggle so deeply with pride it is easy to understand why the workplace is filled with "it's all about me".

Mark 9:35 says it best "sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said", "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." In Christian circles this is a verse that we hear fairly often in the context of ministry. The greater challenge in my mind is to take this verse to the workplace and allow it to guide our actions with our coworkers, suppliers, customers and business partners.

What if we walk into work Tuesday morning and have one goal in mind, to serve one and all. How can I assist my colleagues when they are in a pinch, how can I support a co-worker who is up for the same promotion as me, how can I help a supplier provide a better service to my company, the list goes on.

I am suggesting that if any person changes their measure for success from being recognized as the best manager, sales person or leader to becoming the person most known as willing to help anyone and everyone, that person will become the best in their workplace. Taking one's eye of the promotion and setting it upon serving others is best advice I have for career advancement.

Be a Servant!

80's Rock T-Shirts & The Entrepreneur in Me

2008-05-25T10:54:10-07:00

I come from a lineage of Entrepreneurs. Here's the run down:

Grandpa Zimbardi-Barbershop
Grandpa Pipitone-Built houses
Dad-Restaurateur, software company, limo company, storage facility and more
Uncle Jerry-CPA & real estate
Uncle Rich-Financial Planner & real estate
Ed-Fulfillmentcentral.com, real estate, telecom

And me, I have straddled the Intrapreneur/Entrepreneuer fence with life in Corporate America working for MGRE & Menlo and being a business owner in Telecom, Franchising, & Real Estate Appraisal.

I was thinking the other day that my interest in the business world started in 7th grade. We had moved to Ga from NY. We would spend the summers in NY with Dad and we enjoyed the flea market at Roosevelt Raceway. My Dad bought Ed and I a few rock t-shirts of our favorite bands. When School started back in Ga, we sported our new t-shirts. Turned out the shirts were all the rage and that's where it all started. We took orders at school, band name, size and color and then sent the orders to Dad to be filled at the flea market. Dad would ship the shirts to us in Ga and we would deliver them to our friends at school. As I think back to the 7th grade, I realized that we utilized a few key entrepreneurial principles to get us started:

Success as an entrepreneur is often tied to the depths of your passion for the product/service you are bringing to the marketplace. We loved music and attending concerts so we had a tremendous desire for what our product represented.
Utilize your network to get started. My Dad and the Flea Market at Roosevelt Raceway were apart of our network in those days. We were able to leverage our network to bring 80's rock t-shirts to the Ga suburbs.
Manage your risk. Our business model was make to order and not make to stock. We only bought the t-shirt from the flea market after we had the order and our customers money. If we had laid out a bunch of capital to carry inventory with the hope that t-shirts would sell we may have over extended ourselves.