Good Leaders: Who sparks what’s possible in you?

Good leaders can look back on their lives and identify specific people, and specific moments when someone helped them see the possibilities in their leadership. For me, there have been several. One of the most significant conversations was with Mark Bergman. You may know him as the inventor of the HANDy Paint Pail. He sparked “what’s possible” in me, and we wrote a book together.

The moment of truth

The recent publishing of The Bucket List Book is a tribute to the impact Mark had on the trajectory of my life and career. In a low moment eight years ago, Mark helped me see that I was paralyzed by fear, and totally stuck in my career. He jolted me out of a career coma with the question: “Do you believe in your own success or not?” It was a question that wasn’t really a question. “With a strong vision, failure is not an option,” he coached. “You have to stop focusing on the fear and start thinking about living your Bucket List. If you can find a way to visualize a compelling picture of success, you will not fail.”

What this book is really about: deep down, people really want to help each other.

Since I started Good Leadership Enterprises, Mark and I have been engaged in a wonderfully fun and creative philanthropic journey. We use his invention as a “collection plate” to raise money for various charities. Over the course of six years, we’ve raised over $200,000 for organizations around the country. Neither of us imagined the HANDy Paint Pail would also become such a symbol of goodness and giving.

Other sparks

So far, this book-writing endeavor seems to be totally worth the effort. This review by international-bestselling author Richard Leider, creator of The Power of Purpose, Repacking Your Bags, and Life Reimagined, is all the affirmation we need: “Please don’t have a midlife crisis. But if you do, drop everything and read this book. It will not only change the way you think about your life, but how you choose to live it. And the good news is that you end up smiling!”

Special thanks also to Delane, Carolyn, and Linda, who said many times: “This book is begging to be written!”  So, Erin, Tasha, Chloe, Ben, Melinda, and I proceeded, inspired by this quote, from the author of The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho: “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”

Join us for the book launch

You can register here to receive free samples. And you can pre-order your copies of The Bucket List Book. We are taking bundle orders for the book launch party on June 23, hosted by Kevin Warren at the headquarters of the Minnesota Vikings.

So…who sparks “what’s possible” for you?  Or better yet – who are you sparking “what’s possible” for?

Next week I will share the summary of the book introduction by my friend and client, Kevin Warren.