Lessons on Life, Leadership and Love

Published: April 13, 2020, 4 a.m.

b"About this Episode\\nToday we are honored to host John L. Gronski, Major General (U.S. Army Retired) on the show.\\xa0 John, is founder and CEO of Leader Grove LLC; an adjunct fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis; and director of the leadership academy for student-athletes at Lebanon Valley College.\\xa0 Today John will talk about Life, Leadership and Love.\\nKey Points of Discussion\\n\\n \\tJohn Gronski\\u2019s life story\\n \\tInvolvement in Iraq\\n \\tCivilian Life Experience\\n \\tImportance of networking\\n \\tCivilian leadership as compared to military leadership\\n \\tBook on leadership\\n \\tEntrepreneurial aspects of writing a book\\n \\tAdvice for the Veterans\\n\\nKey Milestones of this Episode\\n[01:10] John Grosnki\\u2019s life story\\n\\n[05:12] Working experience in Iraq\\n\\n[06:29] Normal civilian life for Army veteran\\n\\n[09:26] Networking\\n\\n[12:45] Leadership; difference in Army and Civilian\\n\\n[16:45] Memorable adventure with family\\n\\n[20:03] Leadership book\\n\\n[24:24] Entrepreneurial aspects of writing a book\\n\\n[31:32] Advice for veterans\\n\\n[32:55] Talking about book reviews\\nKey Quotes\\n\\n \\t\\u201cMilitary creates more leaders than any other organization.\\u201d\\n \\t\\u201cWhether it be a story from experience I had in the military or a story from an experience I've had in the civilian sector, I try to use those military leadership principles and frame them in a story that almost anybody could understand.\\u201d\\n \\t\\u201cI think you really have to understand who your audience is and who you're speaking to.\\u201d\\n \\t\\u201cYou have to be comfortable with making decisions and having the courage to make the decisions.\\u201d\\n \\t\\u201cCharacter really matters, and of course in the military, character based organizations and values are very important to us.\\u201d\\n \\t\\u201cYou have to be true to your values even when your back is against the wall.\\u201d\\n \\t\\u201cIf you're still in the military, you've get to start branding yourself and you really have to get a feel for what is your life purpose and you have to find something, if you're going to be an entrepreneur and get involved with a business, it has to be something that you're passionate about and I think if you could start doing those type of things, you know, Branding yourself, understanding what you believe, what your life purpose is, and then finding something you're passionate about. I think that really helps with the transition.\\n\\nAbout Our Guest \\xa0\\nJohn is a leadership and peak performance expert, a motivational storyteller, and a much sought-after speaker and leadership seminar leader. His presentations feature inspirational stories and wisdom gained from his own leadership experience and the experience of others. John has provided leadership assessments, training and/or keynote addresses to many large organizations and companies including General Dynamics, the United States Army, the National Conference on Ethics in America at West Point, Pennsylvania National Guard, Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network, PECO Energy, Exelon, Comcast, , the YMCA, the Freedom Alliance, Penn State University, Drexel University, Widener University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh,\\xa0 Wilkes University, Lebanon Valley College, Albert Einstein Health Network, Buckman\\u2019s Inc., Delaware Valley Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Schlouch Inc., Boy Scouts of America, Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce, the Kulski Foundation, the USO, Rotary International, VFW, and the Young Presidents Organization.\\n\\nJohn is the author of the inspirational leadership book, \\u201cThe Ride of Our Lives \\u2013 Lessons on Life, Leadership, and Love\\u201d. The book tells the inspiring story about a family on a transformational journey as they bicycled across the USA. This was 1983, no ubiquitous mobile phones, internet, email, Google, nor social media sites.\\xa0 The closest thing to connectivity was a payphone along a dusty road. Through the journey they camped in a variety of places including farmer\\u2019s fields, state parks, behind churches and schools, town parks,"