Lessons on Life, Leadership and Love

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About this Episode

Today we are honored to host John L. Gronski, Major General (U.S. Army Retired) on the show.  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.  Today John will talk about Life, Leadership and Love.

Key Points of Discussion

• John Gronski’s life story
• Involvement in Iraq
• Civilian Life Experience
• Importance of networking
• Civilian leadership as compared to military leadership
• Book on leadership
• Entrepreneurial aspects of writing a book
• Advice for the Veterans

Key Milestones of this Episode

[01:10] John Grosnki’s life story

[05:12] Working experience in Iraq

[06:29] Normal civilian life for Army veteran

[09:26] Networking

[12:45] Leadership; difference in Army and Civilian

[16:45] Memorable adventure with family

[20:03] Leadership book

[24:24] Entrepreneurial aspects of writing a book

[31:32] Advice for veterans

[32:55] Talking about book reviews

Key Quotes

1. “Military creates more leaders than any other organization.”
2. “Whether 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.”
3. “I think you really have to understand who your audience is and who you’re speaking to.”
4. “You have to be comfortable with making decisions and having the courage to make the decisions.”
5. “Character really matters, and of course in the military, character based organizations and values are very important to us.”
6. “You have to be true to your values even when your back is against the wall.”
7. “If 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.

About Our Guest  

John 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,  Wilkes University, Lebanon Valley College, Albert Einstein Health Network, Buckman’s 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.

John is the author of the inspirational leadership book, “The Ride of Our Lives – Lessons on Life, Leadership, and Love”. 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.  The closest thing to connectivity was a payphone along a dusty road. Through the journey they camped in a variety of places including farmer’s fields, state parks, behind churches and schools, town parks, fairgrounds, and even fraternity houses, John and Berti Gronski and their 15-month-old son Stephen experienced the best of Americans. John shares the lessons learned on this adventure that made a lasting impact on his leadership philosophy over the following decades as a military officer, combat Veteran, and business leader.

The Ride of Our Lives: Lessons on Life, Leadership, and Love

Website:  www.LeaderGrove.com

Website:  www.JohnGronski.com

About Our Sponsors

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AMVETS invites you to join us in ensuring that our elected leaders never forget the sacrifices made by those who have taken an oath to defend this nation. The event is free to the public, but sign up to ride, volunteer, or donate by going to rollingtoremember.com. Once again, that’s rollingtoremember.com.

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