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MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA 
is a community-minded financial services company in the US. Founded in 1883, they are structured as a 501(c)(8) “Fraternal Beneficiary Society,” a category I’d never heard of. This is a designation for organizations which are primarily intended to provide insurance-type benefits to their members.
Modern Woodmen has a rich legacy of service, including widows and orphans, those suffering from the Tuberculosis outbreak a century ago, education, and eye care.
I had a chance this week to talk with John Weidenfeller, the local Regional Director in Northern Colorado. He’s been with the organization for ten years now, opening up the Fort Collins office a few years ago. He’s a strong supporter of the values of this company, and has committed himself to leading a group which is aligned around those principles.
FINDING 
YOUR DEEP VALUES can be like falling in love.
Love is elusive, one of those “I’ll know it when I see it” type of things.
What I’ve described as deep values also can be elusive, because it starts with what you live and breathe every day. For me, I’ve decided that being of service is crucial to my life and my business. People generally have two reactions to this:
MATT SHOUP is the owner of 
M&E Painting, a fast-growing enterprise here in Northern Colorado. Many in Fort Collins are aware of Tim Farnsworth, Matt’s sign guy on the corner of Harmony & College.
But the story of Matt and M&E is much deeper.
Matt started this residential re-painting specialist company in 2005 with his last $100, after getting laid off from a job in mortgage banking. With a passion for customer service and to develop a company of character, he launched in and has been experiencing steady growth ever since. M&E is now a multi-million-dollar company.
I first spoke with Matt back in 2011, and it’s fascinating to see how he’s developing personally, and how this affects his business. It was great to catch up this week and learn more of his story.
YOUR BUSINESS screwed up. Publicly.
You had that blowup with the big customer, and they’re threatening a lawsuit. The press is snooping around and is going to eviscerate you on the front page of the business section.
Things are getting ugly and the pressure is on.
Like it or not, this is bound to happen to you a few times during your lifetime. Read the rest of this entry »
TODAY I HAVE questions but no answers.
I’ve been doing some work recently with another coach, and have found it to be highly valuable. It’s been probably ten years since I’ve worked on my own statement of purpose. I’d like to think that I’ve developed and grown since then.
Here’s the current version of my purpose statement: Read the rest of this entry »
OK, I’LL ADMIT IT: Sometimes my own foundation feels a little uncertain. Despite the fact that I’ve been building this momentum for 15 years now and have been seeing considerable success in the last year, I still have my moments of doubt.
I think it’s part of the human condition.
What do you do when you’re starting to doubt your values and principles? Read the rest of this entry »
THOM SCHULTZ 
runs a Loveland, Colorado based company named Group Publishing. It started 40 years ago as Group Magazine, and quickly expanded to deliver a wide variety of Christian resources for children, youth, and adults.
This is a for-profit company, privately held, delivering religious goods. Their primary customers are Christian churches, groups, and individuals. So I’m not surprised that they base the company on Christian values, and are completely open about it.
But the story doesn’t end there.
JANUARY is a great time to start out with a clean slate.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the powerful concept called “zero based budgeting.” The idea is that you start from scratch and justify EVERY penny you’re spending. Sounds painful, huh?
But there are times when you just get so much stuff built up around your plans and obligations that you lose sight of what’s truly important.
In the previous issue, I talked about how we as coaches can help our clients build deep values into a business. In this context “deep values” refer to those motivations that are more important than just making money and delivering products or services.
I find that many coaches are seeking to build just this kind of businesses: one founded upon and expressing deep values. As a Christian coach, it’s likely that you want to include your own faith as part of the foundation of your coaching practice.
Do you want your coaching to make a difference in the world? Here’s a game plan for making that happen.
OUR 
CHRISTMAS SEASON is now drawing to a close: Today is the twelfth day, and tomorrow is Epiphany!
It’s a time for renewal, in many ways.
The craziness of the secular holiday season is behind us. Even if you just celebrate it as a time to be with family, it can be nuts. Then with gift-giving and religious celebrations, it’s the busiest time of the year.
