Now, that takes guts! And, muscle, hands, and heart too!

When a building is on fire, is your natural tendency to run away from it or toward it? If you were inside it, would you run out as fast as you could or would you run back in the burning building to save a coworker?

Think about your coworkers...

Would you risk your life to save them? Any one of them? Would any of them risk their lives to save you?

Well, risk his life is what Jim Baker did.

Jim is a Kansas City firefighter who was on the scene of a smoke-filled building two months ago today. He was inside, along with his captain and others, when evacuation orders were shouted from those outside. As firefighters from seven companies made their way outside, Jim noticed his captain was not among them. Jim ran back inside the smoke-filled, pitch-black building to find his captain.

Captain Joiner's airpack got snagged on something, and he was stuck. As fire was nearing him, Captain Joiner radioed for help and saw Jim Baker coming toward him. A very strong Jim Baker freed Captain Joiner and got him close enough to the exit for others to help him out of the building.

Jim risked his own life to saved another. Jim saved his captain's life that day.

Both men suffered burns but are recovering, with more healing to come.

The guts of a firefighter are unfathomable to me. But, I recognize when someone uses their muscles, hands, brains, and heart in a gut-filled manner. Saving a life: now that takes guts!

I don't know Captain Joiner, but I do know Jim Baker. I've known him his whole life, and, honestly, his behavior that day is not shocking. No one I've spoken to about this has said, "Really? Jimmy Baker did that? No way!" Most people just nod their heads and say something about what a good person Jim has always been. They are right. His family is one of my all-time favorites. I love his family and am glad to write about Jim as today's Gut Check role model.

Would I be like Jim and run in to a building to save a life? I don't know. But, I am going to work on making the trip worth it in case someone else is faced with that decision about my life.



(http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Firefighters-Recovering-from-Burns/TL4jbeDBI0ajo24MsaPEJw.cspx)

Conjuring up the Christmas Spirit

A dear friend recently asked for a little help conjuring up the Christmas spirit. You should know Pat has a family he loves, a good job he likes most of the time, and a positive outlook on life. He's not down-and-out or self-centered or a Scrooge of any kind. Pat is a great guy doing the best he can to make the world a better place every day.

His question made me wonder if many other similar non-Scrooge-like people struggle to find the Christmas spirit. I've certainly felt the same way. Have you?

With red & green decorations sparkling everywhere, radio stations blasting Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer since Halloween, holiday parties, company parties that can't be called "Christmas" or "party", etc. how could Pat not be in the Christmas spirit already?

Maybe because those things don't really help? Speaking for myself, but doubting I'm alone, the radio stations' competition to be the first to play Christmas music is more annoying than cheerful. The stores pushing Christmas up further every year screams desperation louder than celebration. The horror stories about company holiday events are more nightmare-like than dreamy.

I am not alone, right?

Instead of recommending to my church-going, family-loving friend that he put on some holiday music, buy his presents, and just snap out of it, the list below was shared. It includes a few ideas from me, along with some from others. I share it here, just in case anyone else is searching for the spirit of the season and hasn't found it yet.

1. Write a list of things you are grateful for in 2009, and the people who helped make them happen. Ponder your list every day.
2. Think of how you can honor the people on your list best for the next two weeks. Honor, not meaning gifts. And, the people could be in heaven.
3. Think of how you can make others feel extra special for 2 weeks and don't think about being in the Christmas spirit. Focus on others instead of the holiday.
4. Volunteer at a church, shelter, or food bank. You could even hold your own food drive for a food bank, toy drive for the Marines, or clothing drive for a shelter. And, go there to help sort and store the items.
5. Shovel a neighbor's driveway.
6. Stay within your budget. Anticipating credit card debt can ruin the holidays and the first few months of the new year. Set a budget and stay within that amount.
7. Be Secret Santa by giving a $10 gift card away at the gas station, grocery store, or church.
8. Adopt a family through your church or a shelter. Opportunities for this are plentiful right now.
9. Start a new family tradition.
10. Play with your kids' toys as if they are the greatest things in the whole world.
11. Play with your kids as if they are the greatest things in the whole world.
12. Go to church and really pay attention. No daydreams, no checking for friends in the crowd, no playing around. Really listen and ponder it all--whatever church it may be.
13. Sing Christmas music as boisterously as possible! Belt out the songs at church! Blast the radio and belt out your best Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer ever!

If you do all the items on the list, you could Simply Have a Wonderful Christmastime!

Who knows, while conjuring up the Christmas spirit for yourself, you're likely to do the same for those around you. And, that is the true spirit of the season.

It's Bring Your Brain to Work Day!

Too many managers these days are micro-managing the engagement right out of their people.

Some managers believe they need to micro-manage the minutia in the midst of financial struggles. Some have resorted to having every decision go through them, which is highly stressful and lowly productive. Some managers are sending the signal that employees should keep their noses to the grindstone, not ask questions, and do only what they are told to do.

You've probably dealt with employees who have managers like that lately. You can tell because it is like dealing with someone who did not bring their brain to work. They cannot think beyond what a training manual advises. They cannot make any exceptions to the rule. They might even say something like, "That's not my job. You'll have to talk with someone else."

When managers clamp down, employees get the signal that their ideas are not necessary. While some employees may enjoy coasting in their jobs for a short time, most will resent being treated like monkeys (as in "any monkey can do this job") and will clam up. They will not take initiative for process improvement, customer solutions, revenue generation, or cost savings.

Clammed-up employees leave their brains at home because their managers clamped down and are doing all the thinking for them.

This month's Harvard Business Review has an article about this very topic called "To Be a Leader, Give Up Authority". The authors share research which "provides hard evidence that leaders who give in to the urge to clamp down can end up doing their companies a serious disservice."

The HBR article goes on to stress that leaders are not micro-managers. Leadership is about building responsibility for the business throughout the organization. To build such responsibility, employees need to bring their brains to work. The organizations which will succeed beyond this current economy are those who inspire creativity and innovative thinking. Brains are needed for that!

Be careful: if you send the signal to employees that their brains are not needed at work these days, they just might leave them at home. Send the signal, instead, that this is Bring Your Brain to Work Day and you will inspire the type of thinking and behavior that will lead to success.