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Pope-As-CEO Leadership Lessons

October 31, 2014 10:32 am / Leave a Comment / Russ Hovendick

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

Jone biz cropped

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 →

Posted in: Uncategorized / Tagged: Jone M. Bosworth, Leadership

Another 150 books given to our military heroes!

October 21, 2014 10:27 am / Leave a Comment / Russ Hovendick

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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Posted in: Uncategorized, Vets Corner

SDDVA Staff host booth at Sioux Falls Job Fair

August 15, 2014 11:13 am / Leave a Comment / Russ Hovendick

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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Posted in: Directional Motivation in the News, Uncategorized, Vets Corner / Tagged: SDDVA Secretary Larry Zimmerman, Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether

Directional Motivation Scholarship Winner -Jason Hsieh

August 8, 2014 2:48 pm / Leave a Comment / Russ Hovendick

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

Posted in: Uncategorized / Tagged: Jason Hsieh, Scholarship

‘Comfort Zones’ Are Overrated

July 30, 2014 3:48 pm / Leave a Comment / Russ Hovendick

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 →

Posted in: Helpful Motivation, Uncategorized / Tagged: Comfort Zones, directional motivation, Paul Porras

South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture discusses job opportunities in South Dakota

July 15, 2014 12:28 pm / Leave a Comment / Russ Hovendick

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

 

Posted in: Uncategorized / Tagged: Agriculture, dakotaroots.com, Employment, Lucas Lentsch, Russ Hovendick, sdreadytowork.com, South Dakota

Olympic Motivation

July 9, 2014 4:36 pm / Leave a Comment / Russ Hovendick

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 →

Posted in: Helpful Motivation, Uncategorized / Tagged: Andrew Rock, directional motivation, Gold Medalist Andrew Rock

To My Fellow Veterans

July 3, 2014 7:00 am / Leave a Comment / Russ Hovendick

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 →

Posted in: Military Resources, Uncategorized, Vets Corner / Tagged: Nolan Ruby, Veterans

Kristy Jackson -The importance of Internships

June 18, 2014 7:33 am / Leave a Comment / Kristy Jackson
Kristy Jackson

Kristy Jackson

It is with great pleasure that I write my first blog article! Over the years, I’ve worked in higher education and business, always with a focus on either career planning or organizational development. Simply put, I love to help people “see and seize” opportunities that will help them grow.

I currently work for the local educational co-op, which means that my clients are school districts. While I work on a variety of projects, one area that has caught the attention of parents recently is our internship programming.  Over the past five years, we’ve placed hundreds of high-school aged students into internships at local businesses and non-profit organizations for the handful of school districts that use this service.  It is a great way for students to ‘sample’ a career field, prior to investing time and money at college.

What to do if your school does not have a formal internship program? 

As internships have gained in popularity, I’ve received several phone calls from parents who are seeking guidance as they are attempting to arrange internships for their own teens.  Each student is different, but I’ve found that most teens appreciate help with:

  1. Identifying career fields that are related to their interests
  2. Determining which businesses offer those career fields
  3. Verbalizing his or her goals for the experience.  In other words:  what is your child hoping to discover during the internship?  What strengths do they want to test?  What do they want to learn?
  4. Scheduling.  Teens are busy!  If you can help them to identify consistent blocks of time that could be used for an internship experience, it will make it easier for a business to say ‘yes’ to your teen’s inquiry.

As you help your teen to plan their approach, be sure to prepare them for scenarios that might arise during their initial phone conversation with a business.  Being prepared to schedule an interview, to leave a message, or to handle a ‘turn-down’ are all equally important, and this will make your teen feel more confident.

If your teen is looking for additional support in arranging an internship, remember that your school counselor is often a great place to start.  There are also supportive resources available online, including the Directional Motivation website.  Their ‘Know Your Strengths’ worksheet provides a clear, easy way for teens to identify personal strengths that they can contribute during an internship.  It can be found online at:  http://directionalmotivation.com/worksheets.php#intwkst

Readers: chime in!  What other kinds of support would help your child’s career development efforts?

 

This is a guest blog post written by Kristy Jackson, manager of the Career Link program at EDEC in Sioux Falls, SD.  She serves on a variety of non-profit boards that support the career development efforts of students.

Posted in: Uncategorized / Tagged: Career planning, internship, Kristy Jackson

We are Celebrating June – Dairy Month!

June 13, 2014 3:17 pm / Leave a Comment / Russ Hovendick

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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Posted in: Employer Spotlight / Tagged: Agriculture, Dairy Month, FFA, Foremost Farms USA, Future Farmers of America

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