From our guest contributor, Frank Sonnenberg. 

If you live for money, it’s time to get a life. The truth is, money can’t buy everything. For example, money can’t buy peace of mind, good friends, a close-knit family, work-life balance, a worry-free day, good karma, time to relax, good health, a golden anniversary, quality time with your kids, a new beginning, natural beauty, happy memories, to name just a few. Many people are actually poor because the only thing they have is money. Are you in it just for the money?

Are you willing to sacrifice your dreams for more money? Some folks justify continuing in a miserable job situation by acknowledging that they’re well compensated. People who live a life of purpose wake up each morning excited to pursue their dreams and make a difference. — Money can’t guarantee that.

Are you willing to compromise your honor for more money? Everything has a price, but not everything should be for sale. Some folks make money by being ruthless or doing unscrupulous things. People with a clear conscience have core beliefs and values that influence their decisions, shape their day-to-day actions, and determine their short – and long – term priorities. The result is that they spend more time listening to their inner voice. — Chances are, they sleep well at night.

Are you willing to squander your happiness for more money? Some people don’t understand the meaning of enough. They think the grass is always greener on their neighbor’s side of the fence. Others understand the difference between wanting and needing. As the Yiddish proverb says, “The truly rich are those who enjoy what they have.” — Nowhere in the proverb is the word money mentioned.

Are you willing to forgo relationships for more money? Think about “the takers.” You know them. They measure every action by how much they will personally benefit, while “the givers” do things without expectation of personal gain. — Which are you?

Are you willing to compromise quality of life for more money? Some people eye a prize without considering the sacrifices required to achieve it. Success has its own tradeoffs. It may demand long hours, time away from family or a significant financial commitment. The key is to understand the requirements for success before embarking on your journey. — Choose wisely.

Are you willing to forgo peace of mind for more money? There are those who feel that happiness lies in having more. So they never have enough. As a consequence, they set very high expectations and are constantly worried and stressed out. — Do you call that happiness?

Are you willing to miss out on life for more money? Some people don’t take time to smell the roses. It’s hard to calculate the value of memories, such as a clean bill of health, first kiss, grandchildren, passing the driver’s test, acceptance letter, visit from the tooth fairy, cheers from the crowd, retirement, “Mama . . . Dada,” bedtime stories, potty training, and “I love you, too.” It’s important to focus on the journey as well the destination. — There’s no dress rehearsal in life.

Are you willing to cash in your personal dignity for more money? Some people are consumed with seeking the approval of others. The most important person to satisfy, however, is you. It’s your life. So do your best. Be your own person. And remember, you’re not finished until you do yourself proud. As the author John Mason said, “You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” — It’s time to be the real you.

This is an excerpt from Follow Your Conscience: Make a Difference in Your Life & in the Lives of Others, by Frank Sonnenberg released November 2014.

For more information on the role money plays in your life, click here.

Frank is an award-winning author. He has written six books and over 300 articles. Frank was recently named one of “America’s Top 100 Thought Leaders” and one of America’s Most Influential Small Business Experts. Frank has served on several boards and has consulted to some of the largest and most respected companies in the world. Additionally, FrankSonnenbergOnline was named among the “Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs,” among the “Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blogs,” and one of the “Best Inspirational Blogs On the Planet.” Frank’s new book, BookSmart: Hundreds of real-world lessons for success and happiness was released November 2016. © 2017 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved. 

From our guest contributor, Frank Sonnenberg

Despite the fact that the majority of people play by the rules and try to do the right thing, there are a number of bad actors in every organization who have no problem advancing their careers on the backs of others. Here are some you may recognize:

Emperors. These people climb the corporate ladder by capitalizing on who they know and where they’ve been, rather than on what they’re contributing today. They may have friends in high places, have their walls filled with diplomas, or have previously worked for a blue-chip company. They’re like an oasis. They may look wonderful from a distance, but the closer you get, the more obvious it becomes that it’s all just a mirage. In this case, emperors truly have no clothes.

Pretty Boys (or Girls). These people really look the part. They are the trendiest dressers, belong to the finest country clubs, and look like they could be on the cover of Vogue or GQ. Similar to Emperors, the Pretty set rise up the corporate ladder based on appearance rather than performance. But their veneer is thin, and when the spotlight gets too bright, you can begin to see right through them. In this case, you shouldn’t judge a book simply by its cover.

A– Kissers. These people spend all their time fawning over their superiors. You need to reduce costs? No problem. We just won’t give people raises this year. (Too bad there’s only enough for management.) These A– Kissers spend 99.9 percent of their time in closed-door management meetings with little time to provide direction for their own team — regardless of the impact that it has on results. In this case, it’s only a matter of time before their people say “ENOUGH!” and tell THEM to kiss off.

Delegators. They say there are only two kinds of people, those who are willing to work and those who are willing to let them. These counterfeit superstars are in the latter group. They have the power to say: “You want something done? No problem. In fact, rather than get it to you by Friday, how about tomorrow morning?” Then they get their staff to stay late while they walk out the door at 5 p.m. These people always volunteer for more work; are calm, cool, and collected; and have the cleanest desks in the office. How is that possible? It’s because they delegate everything! In this case, the only thing that stops at their desk is the credit they don’t deserve, not the work.

Schmoozers. These folks could win an award for Mr. or Ms. Congeniality. Everybody loves them. Schmoozers know all the ballgame stats; they know how to tell a joke; and they’re up-to-date on the inside dirt. Their colleagues like them so much that they don’t mind taking on their workload while the schmoozer is entertaining clients elsewhere. In this case, work is a party for schmoozers.

Bystanders. These slouches do just enough to get by. They’ve been with the organization for a zillion years, rarely speak up, never make waves, and would make themselves invisible if they could. They spend their day moving piles of paper on their desk while they watch everyone else go crazy trying to get the job done. In fact, when they’re out on vacation, nobody even knows they’re missing. In this case, the last survivors on Earth, along with cockroaches, will be the bystanders.

Scavengers. These are the types who take the credit for everybody else’s work. They surround themselves with wonderful, talented people and spend the day determining if there’s an idea worth stealing and fine-tuning their personal PR machine. In this case, they’ll continue to rise up the company ranks as long as their “credit” remains good.

Busybodies. These individuals spend their whole day trying to prove how busy they are — rather than getting anything done. Whenever they’re asked to do something, they spend twenty minutes describing how much work they have on their plate. In this case, if busybodies ever needed a role model, they could look to a turnstile—it’s out in front, goes around in circles, creates wind, but never gets anywhere.

Any of these personality types sound familiar?

This is an excerpt from Follow Your Conscience by Frank Sonnenberg released November 2014.

Frank is an award-winning author. He has written six books and over 300 articles. Frank was recently named one of “America’s Top 100 Thought Leaders” and one of America’s Most Influential Small Business Experts. Frank has served on several boards and has consulted to some of the largest and most respected companies in the world. Additionally, FrankSonnenbergOnline was named among the “Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs,” among the “Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blogs,” and one of the “Best Inspirational Blogs On the Planet.” Frank’s new book, BookSmart: Hundreds of real-world lessons for success and happiness was released November 2016. © 2017 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.

From our guest contributor, Michael Josephson. 

There’s a lot of loose talk lately about lying, falsehoods, and mistakes.

All three significantly affect credibility, but what they say about the character and competence of the person conveying untrue information is very different. And that difference should make a difference in how we treat future statements.

Falsehood. A falsehood is any statement that is not in actual, objective fact. The statement is untrue, false, or inaccurate, regardless of intent.

Mistakes. Some mistakes are innocent or inadvertent falsehoods where the communicator genuinely and was not careless or indifferent about its truth. Everyone makes mistakes and, depending on the context, most mistakes do not seriously or permanently damage credibility.

Some mistakes, however, are careless as where the communicator genuinely, but unreasonably, believed it was true. Like careless opinions (see below) these sorts of mistakes say more about a person’s judgment and competence than integrity. Repetitive carelessness, however, results in serious damage to credibility because statements simply can’t be trusted.

Mistakes rise to a higher level of culpability when a communicator demonstrates a reckless disregard or indifference for whether the statement is true or not. This recklessness can be demonstrated by reliance on no evidence at all or reliance on information a reasonable person would know is insubstantial, unreliable or patently wrong (e.g., previously demonstrated to be false  – “debunked”). If the statement relates to a significant matter with significant potential consequences it is reckless if the communicator makes no reasonable effort to confirm its truth before uttering it. It is somewhat less reckless if the communicator acknowledges at the time of utterance that the statement is based on unverified or questionable grounds, but even uttering it without reasonable confidence in its accuracy seriously damages credibility and puts the communicator in a category very close to a liar.

Wrong Opinions. If the statement is conveyed or meant to be received as an opinion by a person who truly believes the opinion, but the opinion is incorrect (not true or accurate), the opinion is wrong but the person giving it is not dishonest. Being sincere, but wrong bears on credibility and trustworthiness in terms of judgment and competence, not honesty. However, like reckless mistakes, a person who gives opinions without a responsible proper basis is, at best, careless and at worst irresponsibly reckless. Labeling something as an opinion or prefacing it with “I believe” are not get out of jail free cards in terms of credibility. Those who regularly state unfounded factual assertions or opinions that go against clear irrefutable evidence cannot be trusted and are often considered dishonest, or even liars, because of their disregard for the truth.

Lies. Lies are falsehoods told with the intent to mislead or to cause someone to believe something that is not true. Some lies are direct, overt, clear misrepresentations; others take the form of intentionally deceptive half-truth or tricky wording intended to generate a false belief. It does not matter whether the communicator believes the false information is major or minor.

There are rare cases where lies or other forms of dishonesty are morally justified (e.g., lying to a terrorist threatening to poison the water supply, during an authorized undercover operation, telling a young child there is a Santa Claus). These little or white lies are more rare and less acceptable than most people who tell them suppose.  but to escape the moral condemnation and avoid the consequences of being a person not worthy of being believed, the communicator of a ‘justifiable lie” bears the burden of convincing those lied to that the conduct should not destroy credibility. The test for any justifiable white lie is: if the person lied to discovers the lie will it destroy trust.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that Character Counts!

Learn more about character education.

Michael Josephson is an influential and internationally renowned champion of character education for youth and ethical conduct in business, government, policing, journalism, sports, healthcare and law. He is credited by many as the person most responsible for reviving and professionalizing the character education in school and youth-serving organizations. In 1992, under the auspices of the Josephson Institute he created CHARACTER COUNTS!, the world’s most widely implemented character development initiative based on a common language of shared values – the Six Pillars of Character) and Pursuing Victory With Honor (1996), a companion program promoting ethics in sports.

Fairness affects everything we do. It shapes our judgment, impacts our credibility, affects our ability to trust, and influences our loyalty and motivation. It can bolster or damage a career, strengthen or torpedo a relationship, and advance or ruin a leader’s authority. What makes a person fair?

Rational. Fair-minded people employ clear and sensible thinking. They examine both sides of an issue before forming an opinion. Fair-minded people make decisions based on hard evidence and reason rather than emotion; they know the whole story rather than just some of the facts.

Objective. Fair-minded people make impartial judgments, free from personal bias. They disclose any bias before offering an opinion.

Open-minded. Fair-minded people are tolerant and non-discriminating, accepting of the views of others. Fair-minded people are true to their own beliefs without forcing them on others. As Oscar Wilde said, “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.”

Reasonable. Fair-minded people challenge others by setting high, yet realistic, expectations. They ask of others only what they’re willing to do themselves. Furthermore, fair-minded people pay a fair day’s wage for an honest day’s work.

Even-handed. Fair-minded people give everyone an equal opportunity to succeed devoid of favoritism. They treat bosses and subordinates with the same level of respect. Furthermore, fair-minded people discourage any real or perceived favoritism that may result from conducting business with friends or acquaintances.

Sound judgment. Fair-minded people reward folks based on the value they provide rather than on the basis of subjective assessment.

Rule abiding. Fair-minded people follow the spirit as well as the letter of the law. They do what’s right rather than what’s politically expedient. Fair-minded people never twist rules for personal gain.

Contributor. Fair-minded people make a concerted effort to pull their own weight rather than living off the hard work of others. They “get in the game” rather than criticizing from the sidelines.

Deserving. Fair-minded people do not request special favors or accept unearned rewards. Furthermore, fair-minded people wait their turn in line rather than pushing their way to the front.

Sound leadership. Fair-minded people earn the respect of their colleagues through their expertise, personal integrity, and ability to foster trust rather than demanding it. When fair-minded people are in positions of power, they “do right” by people and go out of their way to serve as exemplary role models. Furthermore, fair-minded people create a win-win environment. They discourage situations in which people outmaneuver one another to gain the upper hand. They avoid zero-sum games in which one-person’s win translates into another person’s loss.

Selfless. Fair-minded people are empathetic, willing to walk in another person’s shoes before making a judgment. Furthermore, as fair-minded people climb the ladder of success, they lift up others and are genuinely happy for their success.

This is adapted from Follow Your Conscience: Make a Difference in Your Life & in the Lives of Others By Frank Sonnenberg © 2014 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.

Frank is an award-winning author. He has written six books and over 300 articles. Frank was recently named one of “America’s Top 100 Thought Leaders” and one of America’s Most Influential Small Business Experts. Frank has served on several boards and has consulted to some of the largest and most respected companies in the world. Additionally, FrankSonnenbergOnline was named among the “Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs,” among the “Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blogs,” and one of the “Best Inspirational Blogs On the Planet.” Frank’s new book, BookSmart: Hundreds of real-world lessons for success and happiness was released November 2016. © 2017 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.

Learn more about character education.

From our guest contributor, Frank Sonnenberg.

We’re all confronted by countless choices each day. Some have minimal consequences, such as whether to have our ice cream in a cup or cone, while other decisions can be life changing. And while some of these choices may impact our lives today, other choices may not affect us for years to come. The important thing to remember is that we are a product of the choices we make. Each decision helps to define who we are and how we’re different from one another. Making good choices begins with taking charge of the decision-making process.

Manage the big stuff. It’s very easy to get sidetracked by insignificant issues in life. If you spend a lot of time on trivial stuff, you won’t have time to contemplate things that matter.

Values matter. Make decisions that are consistent with your core beliefs and values. The alternative invariably leads to regret.

Learn from the past. Learn from your experiences and the experiences of others. Identify situations where you’ve had a similar choice in the past. How can you apply those lessons learned to the existing situation?

Know what you know and what you don’t know. Don’t try to be an expert in everything. Seek input and advice when variables lie outside your comfort zone.

Keep the right perspective. View an issue from every vantage point. What do the facts say? What is your intuition telling you? Is your conscience trying to tell you something? Listen up.

Don’t procrastinate. You’ll rarely have all the information that you need to make a “perfect” decision. So don’t demand perfection. The philosopher Voltaire warned against letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. That advice still holds true today.

Once you make a decision, don’t look back, make it work. Don’t second-guess yourself. You can’t relive the past. It’s a waste of valuable time and energy.

Life’s not about checking an item off your to-do list or trying to impress others with how busy you are. Life’s about being content with where you’ve been, where you are now, and where you’re going. It’s about being proud of who you are, what you represent, and the impact that you’re having on others. This begins and ends with the choices that you make. So give some serious thought to every choice you face. As Albert Camus once said, “Life is a sum of all your choices.” Are you happy with the path that you’re choosing for yourself? The choice is yours.

This is adapted from Follow Your Conscience: Make a Difference in Your Life & in the Lives of Others By Frank Sonnenberg © 2014 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.

Frank is an award-winning author. He has written six books and over 300 articles. Frank was recently named one of “America’s Top 100 Thought Leaders” and one of America’s Most Influential Small Business Experts. Frank has served on several boards and has consulted to some of the largest and most respected companies in the world. Additionally, FrankSonnenbergOnline was named among the “Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs,” among the “Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blogs,” and one of the “Best Inspirational Blogs On the Planet.” Frank’s new book, BookSmart: Hundreds of real-world lessons for success and happiness was released November 2016. © 2017 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.

Learn more about character education.

From our guest contributor, Michael Josephson.

We demonstrate the virtue of respect for others by being courteous and civil and treating everyone in a manner that acknowledges and honors basic human dignity.

An important but often neglected aspect of respect is listening to what others say. Respectful listening is more than hearing. It requires us to consider what’s being said. That’s hard when we’ve heard it before, aren’t interested, or don’t think much of the person talking. It’s even worse when we act like we’re listening but are just waiting for our turn to speak.

The fact is, most of us don’t listen well, certainly not all the time, and especially with those closest to us. Kids are especially adept at tuning out their parents, but parents are equally skilled at ignoring or dismissing as foolish or irrelevant what kids have to say.

The disrespect of not listening is most apparent when others ignore or patronize us (rolling their eyes in a show of impatience or contempt or faking interest with a vacant stare or wandering eyes).

We all want to know that what we say and think matters. But if we want others to care about what we say, we need to care about what they say. Like all the important virtues, we teach respect best by demonstrating it. So listen up! It’ll make people feel better, and you may learn something.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Learn more about character education.

From our guest contributor Frank Sonnenberg.

The simple truth is that not everyone treats success the same. Some people who achieve success remain humble, never forgetting who they are and from whence they came. The others? Well, we can learn from their mistakes.

Success is temporary. Success is a journey, not a destination. When you become successful, don’t rest on your laurels. As soon as you take your eye off the ball, you risk losing your edge.

Stop feeding your ego. Don’t isolate yourself from reality by building relationships with people who stroke your ego. Surrounding yourself with “yes people” is just like talking to yourself.

Compete against yourself. When you compete against others, it’s easy to emphasize winning over self-improvement. However, when you compete against yourself, you both win.

Even experts have room to learn. Never stop growing. Know your limitations and admit when you don’t know something. It’ll help to keep you grounded.

Listen up. Discover what others have to offer and ask for their opinions before opening your mouth. It shows that you value their opinions as well as their insight.

No one’s perfect. Be quick to apologize for your mistakes. You’ll never learn anything or impress anyone by making excuses and diverting blame. And a little humility will remind you that you’re human.

Share your success. You may be successful, but there’s a good chance others helped you along the way. Find creative ways to share the credit and pull people up the ladder of success along with you.

Remember your roots. Remember where you came from and what you’ve learned along the way. Help others by mentoring them.

Get off your high horse. Treat everyone with dignity and respect. You may be successful, but that doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

Bragging is ugly. There’s a difference between excitement and bragging. We know you’re thrilled about your new “toy,” but others may be cutting back on their basic needs — be sensitive. As John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach, said, “Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

Trust me. Money and success can’t buy a person’s trust or guarantee a good reputation. You earn these through your words AND actions. There’s nothing more valuable in life than integrity. Trust me.

This is adapted from Follow Your Conscience: Make a Difference in Your Life & in the Lives of Others By Frank Sonnenberg © 2014 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.

Frank is an award-winning author. He has written six books and over 300 articles. Frank was recently named one of “America’s Top 100 Thought Leaders” and one of America’s Most Influential Small Business Experts. Frank has served on several boards and has consulted to some of the largest and most respected companies in the world. Additionally, FrankSonnenbergOnline was named among the “Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs,” among the “Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blogs,” and one of the “Best Inspirational Blogs On the Planet.” Frank’s new book, BookSmart: Hundreds of real-world lessons for success and happiness was released November 2016. © 2017 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.

From our guest contributor, Michael Josephson. 

Confession: When I was younger, practicing gratitude as a way to find inner peace, contentment, and lasting happiness seemed ridiculous to me. It was too simplistic, too cliche. I wanted to dismiss it, but I couldn’t. I needed help. So I decided to follow the research and see where it led me; for a few months, I would practice gratitude intentionally and regularly.

My first step was to write down three good things about my day. I did it every day, even on days when this was a struggle. In one study participants who were asked to do this for 21 days reported feeling more optimistic, less anxious, and even slept better — immediately after and three and six months after the study. Another study showed that participants who kept a gratitude journal for 10 weeks reported having fewer health problems and spent more time exercising.

My second step was making a rule to say thank you at least once a day. I wasn’t a rude person, just always in a hurry, and now I would make a point of actually pausing to say thanks. Expressing gratitude to others has been shown to do everything from improving romantic relationships to increasing happiness and depressive symptoms. One of the most powerful ways to do this is by writing a gratitude letter to someone, but I found a simple text message to a friend has similar benefits if you mean it.

New research has shown that positive interactions with strangers leads to feeling more cheerful and increasing your sense of belonging. So saying thank you to a barista who makes your coffee can lead to feeling happier just like saying thank you to friend does.

My third gratitude habit was to pause and savor something once a day. It sounds silly to have to learn to do this, but I realized the stress of my early life had made pausing and savoring moments seem like another luxury I couldn’t afford. Ever since I could remember, I’d rushed through every experience in my life instead of being there. But I made a deal with myself to try to be more present, so I tried. I stopped eating while standing up. I would literally stop to smell the flowers I’d bought for our kitchen. In one study students were instructed to savor two pleasurable experiences per day and reflect on each for a few minutes. They showed significant increases in happiness and reduction in negative feelings.

There are three steps to savoring: Anticipate the experience, be present during it — no checking email while drinking your coffee — and then reflect on it for a few minute to extend its positive effect. Anticipation is key; studies have shown that planning a vacation makes you feel happier than actually taking it.

Here’s the punch line: Despite my extreme skepticism, practicing gratitude changed my life.

It didn’t turn me into some happy-go-lucky person I was never meant to be (or, frankly, wanted to be). But I developed a fundamentally different way of thinking and moving through life, one in which I stopped taking for granted all the tiny good moments that were already part of it. I stopped looking for happiness out there and learned to find it right here. I felt more connected to friends, family, and my colleagues, and even on the toughest days, I managed my stress better (which research shows is a long-lasting effect of practicing gratitude).

My advice? Give gratitude a shot.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Michael Josephson is an influential and internationally renowned champion of character education for youth and ethical conduct in business, government, policing, journalism, sports, healthcare and law. He is credited by many as the person most responsible for reviving and professionalizing the character education in school and youth-serving organizations. In 1992, under the auspices of the Josephson Institute he created CHARACTER COUNTS!, the world’s most widely implemented character development initiative based on a common language of shared values – the Six Pillars of Character) and Pursuing Victory With Honor (1996), a companion program promoting ethics in sports.

Learn more about character education.

I don’t have enough time. I can’t afford to right now. It’s not convenient for me. It’s too hard. It doesn’t fit in my schedule. Do these phrases sound familiar? Have you used some of them yourself?

We have the tendency to put off performing acts of kindness for a variety of reasons. They might even be the phrases stated above. However, while we are waiting for the perfect time or for ideal circumstances we are missing countless opportunities. Never underestimate the power even the smallest act of kindness can have.

Mark Bezos is a volunteer firefighter in New York City. During a TED Talk, Bezos referred to a thank-you letter that was mailed to the fire department after a house fire incident. The woman who sent the letter thanked the department for all of their help and for their bravery. Yet the thing she remembered most from that night? How Bezos had gone into the burning house to retrieve a pair of shoes for the barefoot woman standing outside in the pouring rain while the firefighters helped extinguish her house. Bezos concluded the TED Talk with a simple statement. “Don’t wait…if you have something to give, give it now.”

No act of kindness is too small. While we may not all have the opportunity to retrieve a pair of shoes from a burning house, we are capable of other acts of kindness. For example, take a moment to smile at the barista who makes your coffee in the morning. Slow down long enough to hold open the door for the person behind you. Wave at your neighbor when you go to check the mailbox. You don’t have to wait until you’re successful or until you have money in order to show someone else kindness.

Want to see the full TED Talk featuring Bezos? Check it out here!

Learn more about character education.

People with courage possess ten shared characteristics. They should remain as guideposts in your journey through life:

• Self-confidence. Courageous people believe in themselves. They know who they are and what they stand for.
• Conviction. You always know where courageous people stand. They’re passionate about their beliefs and values and have consistent and predictable behavior.
• Integrity. Courageous people know the difference between right and wrong. They don’t just talk about honor; they live it every day by following the letter, as well as the spirit, of the law. They are trustworthy, objective, fair, and tolerant, and they stand up against injustice — backing their words with action.
• Leadership. Courageous people aren’t deterred by adversity or afraid of what people may think of them.
• Compassion. Courageous people put other people’s needs ahead of their own.
• Objectivity. Courageous people believe that people are willing to make tough decisions if the options are presented to them in an open, honest, and objective manner.
• Strength in adversity. Courageous people aren’t afraid of swimming against the tide or challenging the status quo. They stare adversity in the eye — running toward the problem rather than away from it.
• Change masters. Courageous people step outside their comfort zone to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
• Embrace the unknown. Courageous people follow their intuition. If information required to make a good decision isn’t available, they follow their instincts.
• Action. Courageous people put their money where their mouth is. They know that it’s not enough to talk about doing something — instead, they act.

Frank is an award-winning author. He has written six books and over 300 articles. Frank was recently named one of “America’s Top 100 Thought Leaders” and one of America’s Most Influential Small Business Experts. Frank has served on several boards and has consulted to some of the largest and most respected companies in the world. Additionally, FrankSonnenbergOnline was named among the “Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs,” among the “Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blogs,” and one of the “Best Inspirational Blogs On the Planet.” Frank’s new book, BookSmart: Hundreds of real-world lessons for success and happiness was released November 2016. © 2017 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.