Author Archives: Russ Hovendick

My name is Russ Hovendick and my life has centered on helping others. To me there is no greater fulfillment than being able to play a part in positively impacting an individual's life.

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Pope-As-CEO Leadership Lessons

Guest Blog
by Jone M. Bosworth, J.D.

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Jone M. Bosworth, J.D.

Visiting a dear friend in Omaha recently, she shared something one of her Catholic priests mentioned to her: “He said that he was walking out of a restaurant one night, wearing his collar, and an apparently homeless woman stopped him and said, hey, I like your Pope.”

Once I got past the sense that this embodies the makings of a good joke, and consternated about whether the priest had done something immediately to assist the woman (he didn’t, at least according to the second-hand story), I realized that I was in radical agreement with the homeless woman: I like Pope Francis’ leadership thus far too.

I’m not Catholic but I do recognize that popes are incredibly important global CEOs. Because how they lead matters to so many, it also matters to me. According to the Vatican, there are 1.2 Billion Catholics in the world today. In the U.S., 72.8 people self-identify as Catholics.

When His Holiness Pope Francis presented the vision for his papacy, he showed who he is as a leader. He called on Catholics to battle the “globalization of indifference” and challenged the church to be more compassionate, to champion the poor and work to achieve social justice.

Five Francis-Catalyzed Leadership Reflections

  1. As CEOs, the sheer volume of followers makes leading as Pope tricky. It is pretty hard to make 1.2 Billion people comfortable that you’re leading them how they want to be led.

Leadership, however, isn’t really about popularity but about influence, integrity — using your ‘whole person,’ your skills, knowledge, your gut and heart instincts—to do the right thing. Impressively, Pope Francis sent out a survey to gain followers’ perspectives—that’s leading.

Read More →

Another 150 books given to our military heroes!

We are very happy to have partnered with the South Dakota Department of Labor in providing 150 books for a recent military job fair is Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The books “Deployment to Employment: A guide for military veterans transitioning to civilian employment” and “How to interview: What employers want to hear in today’s competitive job market” were distributed to our military veterans to assist in their job search.

Pictured below is Jim Prostrollo, Employment Specialist – Veteran’s Services and Wylla Satterness, Employment Specialist – Business Outreach along with Directional Motivation Founder and Author Russ Hovendick

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SDDVA Staff host booth at Sioux Falls Job Fair

Article Credit South Dakota Department of the Military South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs

The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs was one of over 100 vendors at the Sioux Falls Job Fair held at the Elmen Center at Augustana College Wednesday.
Deputy Secretary Aaron Pollard, Field Officer Steven Lund and Veterans Service Officer Regina Boeve were on hand to answer questions regarding veterans benefits and services.
Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether kicked off the event by reading a proclamation proclaiming Wednesday, August 6, as Veterans and Spouses Job Fair Day in Sioux Falls.
This is the eighth annual job fair offered to assist veterans, military personnel readjust to their civilian life.
Recently, SDDVA provided all CTVSOs with the book “Deployment to Employment,” a guide for military veterans transitioning to civilian employment. The book provides a step-by-stepguide to success in landing civilian employment. SDDVA Secretary Zimmerman believes that the book is a great resource for veterans to use in developing their resume, preparing for interviews and landing a job.

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Directional Motivation Scholarship Winner -Jason Hsieh

The winner of our Directional Motivation Scholarship is Jason Hsieh. Jason is currently an undergraduate student studying at the University of Southern California, aspiring to become a pediatrician. He works with children after school to educate them on numerous areas of health such as eating well and anti-bullying. At the same time, he is also a researcher at the Keck School of Medicine Stem Cell Center learning about the regenerative abilities of periosteums surrounding the bone. When he needs to step away from science and academics, he says he likes to focus on dance – letting his emotions and stress escape through his body as he surrounds himself with music. Congratulations Jason!

Jason Hsieh

‘Comfort Zones’ Are Overrated

Guest Blog
by Paul Porras

This is one that hits home for me for many reasons. Professionally speaking, I’ve always been good about speaking up and making my intentions known. I tend to be pretty open with my boss about what I want out of my career and how I plan to get there. I will ask for a challenging task, a raise, and even a promotion because the fact is, nobody is really going to do that for you. I attribute this to my growth and learning in the military. My trouble, however, lies in the initial acts of doing. Now, I’m not saying I don’t get it done. I pride myself on my work and my efficiency. What I’m referring to is the reaching out of my ‘comfort zone’ to get started on those things that I want. I won’t lie I’m a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to getting started. It’s the apprehension of doing something new that really gets to me and delays my initial reaction. It’s been this way MY ENTIRE LIFE! From learning to swim and riding a bike to even sliding down a park slide for the first time – embarrassing. I digress.

The whole concept of reaching out of my ‘comfort zone’ is intimidating, especially in a professional setting. Can you relate?
I think everyone can on some level. We all have a fearful place that we ignore or sidestep. We let others be the doers and see them reap the benefits. Well, let me tell you this from my personal experience…you can do it – it can be done! If you can dig down deep and suppress your apprehensions of doing something fearful, you will experience both success and true satisfaction. I now realize that this has been true throughout my life, but only recently, and as I begin my new business venture, have my eyes been opened to this epiphany. I’ve stepped outside that ‘zone’, survived, and prospered! I guarantee the same will be true for you. So please, heed my words…’comfort zones’ are overrated!
A few lessons learned:
• Latch onto someone that pushes your limits and holds you accountable to your goals and dreams – a spouse, a mentor, a boss, a coach, anyone.
• Take a deep breath, say a quick prayer (if you do that), and leap!
• Believe in yourself and your abilities. You have no idea what you are capable of until you try, and believe me you are capable.
• Realize why you are doing what you are doing, and do it!
Read More →

South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture discusses job opportunities in South Dakota

Secretary Of Agriculture Lucas Lentsch visits with Directional Motivation founder, Russ Hovendick,  about employment opportunities in South Dakota, upcoming projects,  as well as his path to becoming secretary. Lucas brings a unique background of experience to the position which includes: farming, food manufacturing, military and also being a small business owner.

Useful Links:
SD Ready To Work

Dakota Roots

 

Olympic Motivation

by Andrew Rock

Gold Medalist Andrew Rock

As an Olympic Gold Medalist, I am asked frequently about my motivation, drive, and commitment towards excellence. What does it take to achieve beyond what you think is imaginable? How did you manage all of the hard work it took to get there?

First, I want to say that I believe the following principles apply to many circumstances – athletics, career, job search, etc. A few of my thoughts on this:

Goal Setting:

To start, I believe strongly in goal setting. What do you want to accomplish or be? Once you have that established you can then decide how you are going to get there. In order to have an unwavering motivation, I think it is essential to set small goals that are measurable and achievable. You need to feel like you are making progress in order to stay committed. These goals cannot be so difficult to achieve that you lose hope but must be challenging enough to make sure you are working hard and committing yourself towards your ultimate goal. Read More →

To My Fellow Veterans

by Nolan Ruby

Nolan Ruby

Standing at the starting gate of a summer long overdue, (considering the winter most of us have had,) already a few picnics and barbeques into June’s extended sunny days, and just a few days away from a long weekend of cold drinks and fireworks, it’s tempting to fall into our tried and proven, comfortable routines. We move through our schedules towards the next “check in the box,” and we forget I fear that ambition and sense of wonder which caused us to request a tour of duty within the armed forces. We have a job, and it’s meeting the needs for now, so we settle, we accept, and we start to think that perhaps the most accomplished days in our lives may be behind us. We look for that feeling of achievement like we once had, only to find a world of supervisors who do not seem to understand our past success. We find a world full of cubicles and digital deadlines, and we may become disheartened.

Have you ever had these thoughts? Sir Frances Bacon once stated; “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he is yet alive.” Can you relate to that? If you can, if I just explained in detail your feelings, have you settled? Do you want more? If so, how hard are you willing to work for it?
Read More →

We are Celebrating June – Dairy Month!

June is national Dairy month. Our friends at Foremost Farms USA celebrated this occasion by hosting a leadership conference with Wisconsin Future Farmers of America. Agriculture is the backbone of America and Foremost Farms believes that many of the future leaders within the agriculture community will result from the nurturing efforts of the Future Farmers of America organization. Directional Motivation salutes both of these organizations for carrying the banner for today’s agriculture.

 

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The Value of Military Veterans in the Workplace –HRAM event in Omaha

On Tuesday, April 8th Russ had the privilege of addressing the HRAM (Human Resource Managers of the Midwest) conference in Omaha, NE. The theme of the conference centered on discovering the value of our military veteran community. Organizations quickly learned the unique talents that transitioning veterans bring to the table and the benefit that they can bring to the companies that hire them. It was fun to play an active part in making a difference for our veterans. Thank you to the HRAM group for the opportunity to highlight our veterans!

Other speakers at the event included: Teri Clark, Bonnie Bessler, Chad Storlie, Tianna Robinson, and Evan Downey

Tianna Robinson

Russ Hovendick & Tianna Robinson

Russ Hovendick

Russ Hovendick speaking at the HRAM conference in Omaha.

Chad Storlie

Chad Storlie

Teri Clark,

Teri Clark

Bonnie Bessler

Bonnie Bessler

Evan Downey

Evan Downey