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2 life lessons from the untimely death of a friend and colleague
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Reader, you've probably heard me mention the name John Ruhlin here and there. The world lost a good one when he died on August 4th, and there's much heartache as we set out to celebrate his life today. John was a successful entrepreneur, the accomplished author of Giftology, and a highly sought-after speaker. Moreover...
Back in August 2019, John spoke at The Mastermind Project in St. Louis. He captivated the room that day. After hearing the news of his passing, I decided to listen to the podcast from the event. (If you choose to listen, you'll catch a glimpse of the joy John brought to the world.) Two things stood out from his message that day that I encourage you to take to heart, and remember to apply in your own life: “Take care of the family, and the rest will take care of itself”
“What is the most you can do, versus the least you can get away with?”
There's a Swedish proverb that says "A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved, and a joy shared is a joy doubled." I believe there are two things we can do to honor John at this time to halve the sorrow and double the joy:
John’s team has put together this document to help us do that. It’s difficult to comprehend a 44-year-old like John suddenly passing away. Words are hard to come by, so I'll pull a passage from the good book John referenced often: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 I have to believe there is a purpose in all of this. If we share John’s memories, his work, his values, and his vision... ...then we just might double the joy he brought to the world. Rest in peace, John. You were definitely Ken-ough and we'll do our best to carry the torch! Brian |
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Relational leaders, great to see you. First off, thank you for all the feedback on last week’s topic about “demonstrations of value.” I’ve loved hearing how many of you are putting those ideas into action. Let’s keep going on that theme, because as we build referral-based businesses, there’s one thing that separates the good from the great. Emotional loyalty. That’s the moment when someone doesn’t just like you or trust you. They’re for you. The kind of loyalty where your partners would run...
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Hey, Relational Leaders, I had a great conversation this week with one of my coaching clients. He’s got some big sales goals on the board. You know that feeling—trying to stretch but also stay true to how you want to grow. So he asked me, “Brian, my branch manager wants me to go out and market this unique product we have, but I can’t get through the gatekeepers. What should I do?” And I paused. Because honestly, my first answer was, I don’t know. Here’s why. That’s sales. If you’ve followed...