Tag Archives: www.kellycroy.com

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September 11th: A Celebration on a Solemn Day

9 11 Tribute Final

Today is September 11th and our home reflects a dichotomy of emotions.

A woman on the television solemnly reads the names of those who lost their lives ten years ago at the World Trade Center.

…our house is decorated with balloons and streamers.

Airports are on heightened security due to unconfirmed reports of terrorist movement.

…we will eat cake and sing.

Our leaders hold their breath.

…we celebrate my daughter’s birthday.

Today is September 11th.

It’s not easy celebrating anything on such a solemn day, but I cannot allow my daughter to be robbed the joy of celebrating her life. Still, my mind drifts elsewhere. I think about the lives lost, and I briefly question the wisdom of going to a cinema or a shopping mall in fear of some act of revenge on the anniversary of perhaps the darkest day in our history. We proceed. Perhaps our decisions are weighed a little move heavily. Perhaps I am a bit more conscious. I privately and publicly mourn those who died, honor the heroes, and carry on being a father.

That’s what Americans do best; we carry on. March forward. Advance.

We do not forget.

My daughter gets it; the day is no longer hers. An unfortunate lesson. A sad coincidence. A lesson in service, honor,  perspective and gratitude. Families were robbed of loved ones, our country defiled of its innocence and safety, and her day is overshadowed by the remembrance of a tragedy.  In truth, she would have it no other way.  I believe she feels honored to celebrate her life today as a tribute to so many who gave up theirs. At times it seems odd, and at times, perfect.

Yes, today is September 11th. It’s okay to celebrate birthdays, cheer for your football teams, drive your child to soccer, and laugh at a movie. If we didn’t, the act of terror would have succeeded and continued, and the so many who gave their lives so willingly, truly would have died in vain. We must carry on, march forward, advance, yet never forget.

At church this morning we were reminded to forgive, and I know that cannot be easy. I celebrate my daughter’s life while another father marks the anniversary of his daughter’s death, and yet, I know forgiveness indeed takes place. How do you do that? I am amazed. I have much to learn.

September 11, 2001 was an incredibly humbling day for me. It was as if Death itself had given me a glimpse of my own mortality, a reminder of life’s frailty, and an understanding of the horrors man can conceive and act out.  Yet within that shadowy bush of thorns, a blossom of hope and courage emerged like a single red rose, as I was also given a glimpse of the courageousness of mankind, witnessing selfless acts of every day people, stepping forward like the heroes in the comic books I read as a child. I saw giving, sacrifice, compassion, and the complete erasure of nearly every dividing characteristic. On that dark hour we were not aligned to political parties, economic classes, or members of a race. We stood together.

From the ashes of destruction fueled by misguided hate rose a nation united, determined, to advance against a common cause, to make an impact.

On our country’s darkest hour, I was reminded what it means for me to be an American, a Christian, a father, and a neighbor.

Today is September 11th and our home reflects a dichotomy of emotions.

Carry on. March forward. Advance. Never forget.

Happy Birthday Allyson.

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker.

He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation

including corporations, schools, churches, conferences,

and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired.

Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

www.kellycroy.com

1-800-831-4825

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Reward Commitment: Invent a buy-back program

I picked up my daughter’s basketball sitting

Deflated basketball

where she practices at home.  It was as smooth as an apple.  Useless.  All the bounce was gone, and it was becoming threadbare in some areas. I was about to toss it in the trashcan and get her a new one when my daughter stopped me.  She told me she was taking it to practice with her that day and that her coach would give her a new basketball. In fact, she elaborated, her coach would give her a new basketball for every one she wore out.  Wow! What a fabulous idea!

My daughter’s coach did in fact give her a basketball for every one she wore out, but more amazing than that is that her coach instilled in her a desire to practice, gave her a visual goal, and reinforced the successful habits of a committed athlete. Well done.

I incorporated that idea into my own life. I have been wanting a new laptop for some time. Not just any laptop, but the new MacBook Air from Apple. I have saved my money and all I need to do is place the order, but I made a commitment to myself to wait until I have finished the book I have been working on for the past two years. My current laptop used for writing will be replaced with the new one when the book is finished and query letters mailed.

It’s easy to become distracted, but there are techniques we can employ to counter them and become more productive, and I believe creating your own buy-back program is an excellent idea to meet your goals.

Discipline, focus, commitment, and training are the keys to success in any area in life, whether it be writing, sports, art, or anything else. The distractions become less influential when we have a clear measurable goal in front of us.

I hope you can find an area in your life that you can set-up a similar buy-back reward program. Perhaps you can use it with a friend or family member, or perhaps even with yourself.

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker.

He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation

including corporations, schools, churches, conferences,

and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired.

Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

www.kellycroy.com

1-800-831-4825

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Three Commitments For Parenting a Leader

Do you really want your child to be a leader? I posed this question a while back; it received a notable response, and it remains one of my most popular posts. Where do we stand as parents in the responsibility of raising leaders? Weigh the question carefully. Consider the contrasts between raising a leader and a star. Do you really want your child to be a leader?

I hope you answered yes, but I will understand if you didn’t. Leadership and popularity rarely go hand in hand, and leadership requires a lot of hard work. For me the answer is simple; I want to raise leaders. I want my children to be prepared for anything, to make a difference, and live a life of purpose.

If you really want to help parent a leader, you need to make three clear commitments.

1) I will educate my child about leadership. Leadership really needs to be taught. It amazes me how many people don’t understand this simple truth. If you want your child to become a leader, surround her with leadership resources. These can be books, audio, video, and so much more. This includes the comments you make about leaders in front of your children. This includes the leadership examples you take within your community, church, school, and work. If you don’t serve a leadership role, your child probably won’t either.

2) I will provide my child with leadership mentors. A mentor is the greatest gift you can ever provide for your child. Mentors can arrive in the fashion of a relative, a coach, a teacher, an advisor, or many other roles, but don’t take it for chance, and don’t assume these people are mentoring. Set it up. Contact someone you admire, or talk with your child about possibilities, and then meet with them and discuss what you are looking to accomplish. I will include a future post about how to do this, but know this: Mentoring Works. A recent study demonstrated that a teen with a mentor is 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs. For me, sports, Scouting, and my family surrounded me with lots of authentic mentors that provided me with the one on one discussions I truly needed. Mentoring must be one-on-one, consistent, and have a clear purpose.

3) I will encourage opportunities for my child to lead. If you want your child to lead you must allow them to accept leadership roles and encourage them. It may require some extra driving and scheduling responsibilities on your part, and may even create some unwanted drama, but leaders are made during moments of discontent, not harmony. They will not get it right the first time either. They will need to make several attempts at it. With the proper support, education, and mentoring your child will fail their way to becoming a successful leader. Sadly some students finally receive an opportunity to lead, but have not received any education or mentoring about leadership, and fail so badly they vow to never lead again. I understand I need to listen to my child about the types of leadership roles they are interested in, and at other times I will need to encourage possible leadership roles for them.

Leaders make leaders of others, and parenting is one of the most important leadership roles we may ever serve. I hope will join me in raising a leader and give great thought to how you can provide the education, mentoring, and opportunities of leadership for your child. I look forward to reading your comments.

 

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker.

He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired.

Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

www.kellycroy.com

1-800-831-4825

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What’s Next?

Question mark“What’s Next?”

Is there a marathon in your future? Certification? A trip? A new house? A book?

Asking, “What’s next?” can be incredibly powerful, perhaps even a life-changing question. A question that can change the quality of your life. A question that can change your purpose, perhaps even create your legacy. Too often the question is either avoided completely or embraced too quickly.

Some people ask, “What’s next?” with excitement and anticipation. Others avoid it outright.

Avoidance: Why are some people afraid to ask, “What’s Next?” Perhaps they are comfortable and complacent where they are at and they don’t want to disrupt that false sense of security. They live in their past accomplishment, and talk about what they have accomplished. Everyone should celebrate their victories in life, but everyone needs to move on to a new challenge sooner than later. Asking, “What’s Next?” creates progress and forward movement, and it’s fun. Sitting down and planning your next big move, goal, event, project, race, or plan is excitement building time. I love these creative periods of brainstorming and envisioning.

But I’m Content: A friend of mine tells me he is content. He believes what’s next will find him when the time is right. In the meantime he relishes in his stories of past accomplishments. I understand that, because he really has accomplished much, but for me I must ask what’s next and seek it out. Life is short and I want to make the most of it. When opportunity presents itself, I will pounce on it. In the meantime, I will be attempting to make my own luck in this world. I will show gratitude, I will be thankful, but I will not be content. There is too much in this world to do. I am thankful for the innovators before me where not content. Mother Theresa could have stopped her life of service in her sixties.

Are your greatest days in front of you or behind you? It doesn’t matter what your age is or your physical status. You can accomplish great things and you should be asking what’s next.

Premature: Some people ask “What’s next?” prematurely. I suffer from this. I am always anxious to move on to the next BIG thing, sometimes my energy shifts before I have completed an important project. What’s next is powerful and important, but it has it’s place and time. Make sure you finish up your project or dream before moving on too quickly. If this happens to you, I encourage you to read my post, “It’s Not Time for That Yet!” and learn how you can maintain those great ideas, finish what you’ve already started, and prepare to ask yourself, “What’s next?”

Magic Hour: The best time to begin envisioning what you will do next is not after you accomplish your current goal or project, but as you enter the final finishing stages. Hemingway always abandoned his writing for the day mid-sentence to keep himself fresh and eager to dive back in to writing. I know I must sign up for another athletic event before I finish competition on my current race or I will get a touch of the blues and fall out of training. I know my wife always enjoys looking forward to a trip. Apple computers has a pipeline of “what’s next” products they are preparing. You should have a list ready in your journal and actually begin working on it as you finish your latest and greatest life victory.

I hope you decide to connect with me on Facebook or Twitter and let me know what’s next for you.

www.kellycroy.com

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker.

He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired.

Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

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Great Leaders Respond Timely.

What’s your response time?Stop watch

Communication is essential to leadership. To communicate well is to influence others into making a difference. Most leaders understand the importance of communication, and they spend a great deal of time on what they want to say and how they want to say it. Unfortunately, many emerging leaders do not understand that WHEN they respond is as important as their message, and in some cases even more.

A leader must master responsiveness.

The story of NASA’s Apollo 13 mission is a highlight in history of how leadership emerges during times of trouble, and how great response time identifies leaders within an organization and in life. The story of Apollo 13 mission is full of heroes, but what I love most about it is how the men in mission control, not just the astronauts themselves, are proven to be heroes for responding timely. They emerge as leaders.

In a world dominated with the ability to communicate quickly with smart phones, laptops, and social media sites, it is sad that so few do. Calls are not returned promptly. Thank you cards are never sent. Emails fill inboxes. Text messages hang in limbo. Assignments miss their due date.

What is the consequence of not responding timely?

Much. You may not be leading a mission to safely return wayward astronauts from a mission gone wrong, but you really should respond to every message with a sincere level of diligence and importance.

Remember, you’re not replying to a message, you’re replying to a person.

How do you feel when you wait on hold, an email remains unanswered, a call unreturned? If you’re like me you begin to question whether it was received, question the person on the other end, become frustrated or worse.

When questions go unanswered people fill in the gaps. They often assume the worst. False information is spread, and negative impressions are formed. Am I not important enough to merit a reply? Is my question less important than others?

Some leaders mistakenly believe that to respond quickly (aka promptly) is a sign of weakness: they’re afraid it will show they don’t have more important activities, and that others will judge them inferior for too quick of a response. But what does a quick response mean to the person receiving it? It tells them, “Hey! I matter. I’m important.” We like people that recognize us, spend time with us, and reach out to us. We admire them. We become enchanted. We want to do business with them. We want to help them. A quick response is endearing. It fosters loyalty. It matters.

I’m hoping that the leaders that dig these communication moats around their castles don’t mistakingly believe they are protecting themselves or their business by delaying their response. They’re not. They are, in actuality, creating more problems, creating more work and damaging the positive image they work so hard to make.

The solution: Respond Timely.

But I don’t have time to respond to everyone. Wrong! You can’t afford not to.You will be surprised how little time it actually takes.

What does a leader need to make timely responses? Some courage, some time, a good attitude, and most importantly a plan. In a future post I will address some productivity secrets that I have gleaned from the greats, and some I probably mistakenly credit to myself. These will be helpful, but you have to convince yourself of the need to respond to the people that contact you.

Great leaders in all walks of life master the timely response. They don’t react. They don’t shoot from the hip.  They measure, weigh, and time their response accordingly. Please consider your communication habits and see if timeliness is an area you may wish to give some greater attention.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

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Action: Leadership Series Part Seven of Seven

Take action

If I could sum leadership up in a single word, it would be a difficult task, but it would have to be ACTION.

Leaders speak when others remain silent. They stand up when others remain seated. They right the wrongs of the world, and create something that never existed before, simply because it was needed. Leaders recognize their part in the world, and understand they have a responsibility to others. They seek to serve a greater calling, and fill their life with a genuine purpose.

Leaders are willing to take a chance to make a change. They risk criticism. They understand leadership is no popularity contest. They ‘get’ that people might not appreciate what they’ve done, and dislike their words and actions. But they understand that not trying is worse. Leadership isn’t really about them.

You can possess every element of leadership I have mentioned: attitude, communication, wisdom, vision, tenacity, and authenticity, but if you don’t follow it up with the final ingredient, ACTION, nothing will ever happen. Nothing.

Leaders not only hear the call to lead, they answer it.

I have decided early in this life that I cannot possibly be right 100% of the time, and probably not even most of the time. I cannot control what other people think about me. I will make mistakes, but I will not allow that to deter me from taking action. While this may be the shortest article on Leadership I have ever posted, it is perhaps also the most important. Leaders take action.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

 

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Vision: Leadership Series Part Five of Seven

Part Five of Seven on Leadership: The Seven Commitments to Answering the Call to Lead

Vision is the GPS navigation system for leaders.

Vision is the entire purpose of Leadership. It’s the dog in a corn dog, the noodles in spaghetti, and the music at a dance. Without vision, a leader is nothing more than someone moving around making noise. The vision is the purpose of an organization. It’s the mission, or the direction in which the organization wants to move toward. Know this, an organization’s vision must be clear to everyone involved, and that is the job of a leader. A leader has this incredible ability to get everyone to enthusiastically work toward this common vision. In times of setback, defeat, and even failure, a true leader rallies everyone toward the vision once again.

The Statue of Liberty holds a special place in my heart as I am sure it does for many Americans. My grandmother and grandfather immigrated here from Ireland.  I grew up listening to my grandmother share stories about being aboard ship and seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time. My grandmother immigrated here because of the American Dream. Being the youngest of a potato farming family during times of great hardship, she was in some way a part of that “wretched refuse” and the journey here definitely made her tempest-tossed.  She was by all means looking for opportunities.

These wise words penned by Emma Lazarus are indeed inscribed on the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal. While we all know that Lady Liberty was a gift from France, many do not know how the large pedestal on which the Statue rests was constructed.

Residents of Manhattan were asked to donate ten cents to help fund the construction of the pedestal. The pedestal would provide a base for the statue to rest and elevate it so it could be seen from great distances. The work would take months to complete and was very expensive.  Nearly all residents were eager to donate to this worthwhile cause, but there were of course a few who saw this endeavor as a waste of time and money.

One such man, complained about the fundraising for the pedestal.  Like an Ebenezer Scrooge, he refused to donate and found fault with everyone who gave money to the project or helped to organize fundraisers.

It is important to note that no one had seen the Statue of Liberty yet.  It was in a warehouse in pieces stored in crates. They had read about it and seen pictures, but it had not yet been assembled in the United States. Everyone was anxious to donate and see this amazing work of art, and beacon of freedom, assembled.  It was quite difficult, however, for this stingy character to visualize the majesty of this ten story statue, and so he never donated to the fund for the pedestal, not one dime.

Some time after the construction of the pedestal and the assembling of the statue, the man’s grandson begged him to go and see the statue.  He tried to refuse, but couldn’t. Upon arriving at Ellis Island, the man was in complete awe of Lady Liberty.  He was literally speechless. The statue’s size and grandeur, as well as the sense of freedom it conveyed overwhelmed him. Eventually the man and his grandson ascended to the top of the observatory inside Lady Liberty’s crown.  With a tear of shame running down his cheek, the man took a silver dollar from his pocket and jammed it into a small opening  he discovered.  He could not stand knowing that he was not part of something so wonderful.  He was unable to visualize what could have been.

Do not be like this man in Arthur Miller’s wonderful story, Grandpa and the Statue.  Answer the call to lead and make a difference in the lives of others. See the potential of yourself as a leader.  Our life is brief, but the contributions we make and the roles of leadership we choose are timeless.

If you do not have a vision yet, adopt one you admire until you can construct your own. Sometimes we use the vision of others as leaders, especially in sports teams.

The vision must:

1) Be incredibly short! In one sentence be able to state the vision.

2) Bring everyone together to achieve it, not separate individuals.

3) Challenge people to do their best work and become their best!

4) Be shared regularly.

5) Inspire enthusiasm and excitement. You are part of something bigger.

6) Encourage participation beyond normal expectations.

7) Everyone must understand how they can contribute to the vision.  If they don’t know, that’s your fault as a leader.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

 

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Tenacity: Leadership Series Part Four of Seven

Part Four of Seven on Leadership: The Seven Commitments to Answering the Call to Lead

Tenacity! What an unusual word! But I love saying it out loud, and I love it even more when it is used to describe someone. (Especially me!)

You want respect? Develop tenacity, the ability to never give up, be discouraged, or quit. I can think of few greater qualities in a person. Seek the thrill of a challenge.

Tenacity is within every person who has ever accomplished something great. It’s the most important quality of any hero in a book or in the movies. You must enjoy the thrill of a good challenge.

Leaders finish what they start. They finish it even when doing so is no longer convenient and requires some incredible effort.

I found out long, long ago that I simply cannot always be right.  I will make mistakes. I have decided, however, that the mistakes I do make, will always be made in attempt to make a positive difference in the world.  I will never make the mistake of inaction. There is no such thing as failure.  There is succeeding and there is not trying. Each failed attempt is a step toward success. Maybe a tiny step, but a step none the less.

The secret to his success?  Keep trying.  Seek the thrill of a challenge.

The word leader comes from the concept of being out in the front. In fact, one of the oldest leadership principles is: Lead from the the front!  As obvious as this principle is, sadly it is in fact one of the most ignored.

Throughout history the leaders were the ones who led their men in battle from the front, exposing themselves to great danger in the process. Seeing their leader out in the front inspired the soldiers to give their best, extinguish their fears, make sacrifices, and most importantly become a leader themselves.  When one leader would fall, he would be remembered fondly as a legend, and another would rise up in his place.

Typically war is long with many a battle lost. Leaders need tenacity to fuel themselves and those they lead to fulfill the vision, achieve the goal, secure the reward, complete the quest.

Tenacity is the fuel in the belly of leaders.

Tenacity is gained by a true belief in the vision you are leading everyone toward.  You can’t fake that. It’s assisted certainly by confidence and courage, but it also has much to do with personal pride.

Commitment and loyalty are two fading qualities in the modern world.  I think that is why we find tenacity in so few leaders.  We see many qualified men and women give up in the face of adversity because it got hard, it became unpopular, or it was going to take too long.

Tenacity is built with every decision no matter how small.  You discipline yourself into having high levels of tenacity. It’s partly physical; you need to work out. It’s part mental; train your mental endurance. Don’t stop short of any goal no matter how small and you will build your tenacity.

The greatest attribute of tenacity in a leader is that it spreads!

You remember the game Simon Says: everyone does what Simon says to do.  Well, a lot of people think that is leadership.  There is this mentality that whatever the boss says everyone will do.  In reality, everyone does what the boss does.   If the boss comes in early, everyone is a little more willing to do so.  Same thing if the boss stays late, picks paper off the floor, and rewards people for their efforts.  This is also true if the boss comes in late, goes home early, and ridicules.  People do what their leaders do. Don’t quit, and neither will your team.

Develop your tenacity each and every day.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.