Where we were, Where we are and Where we are going

The North Star of Leadership

Number one lesson: LEADERSHIP MATTERS. Duh, right? Everything emanates from the "head" - good, bad and great. I have experienced my share of good and bad leadership traits. Bad bosses lead to bad vibes all the way down the chain (but that is a different yarn!) This yarn is devoted to my north star and mentor from a planet called Dallas.

Why This Matters

In every organization, strategy gets a lot of airtime, but lived leadership is what people actually experience. The tone a leader sets—how they listen, decide, recognize, and course‑correct—becomes the emotional climate everyone works in. Over time, that climate either fuels courage, creativity, and service, or it breeds fear and quiet disengagement.

Nothing makes a person feel more secure and fulfilled than a leader who shares your values, models true ethical behaviors, provides space and opportunities for professional growth, shares the spotlight, communicates clearly and honestly and listens. A captain you can trust to navigate through asteroid fields and follows the "prime directive" of vision, talent, alignment and clarity of expectations. You always know:

• Where we were

• Where we are and

• Where we are going

A leader who encourages innovation and new ways of thinking. A leader who trusts your sometimes goofy ideas or new ways to navigate "where we are going". And when the ship veers off course, a leader who instills honor for learning. One who creates an environment of appreciation and recognition. Someone who will put on a hula skirt and dance at an employee event. Who would not want to live in the Galaxy of Gratitude?

Once you experience a leader of this nature, it sets the bar pretty high for your own performance as well as the measure of past and future direct leaders.

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The Owner's Perspective

A “North Star” leader does more than hit targets. They give people a clear sense of where we’re going, why it matters, and who we can be together on the way there. They model ethics when it’s inconvenient, share the spotlight when it would be easy to keep it, and treat mistakes as chances to learn rather than reasons to shame.

The yarns in this section are coiled around the the support and guidance of Mark Sanders. He was the light in our galaxy and gave us all the opportunity to shine.

For anyone in a position of influence, these stories are a mirror:

• What does it feel like to be led by me?

• Do people know where we’re headed and trust how we’ll get there?

• Am I creating a galaxy of gratitude—or a quiet black hole of doubt?

The Galaxy of Gratitude reminds us that leadership is not abstract. It is felt, remembered, and carried forward in how we, in turn, lead others.