Are you happy with your job and with your career? Are you proud of your company and the people with whom you work? Do you feel like yours is a dead end job? Do you wish you worked somewhere exciting and challenging? Do you wonder if a break will ever come your way? Do your supervisors respect you and recognize your efforts and contributions? Do they listen to you and ask for your input in tough situations? Do they give you the respect you feel you deserve? If you are a supervisor, how would your employees answer these questions about you? Are you happy with your marriage? Is your spouse the kind of supportive partner you would like to have? Are your children turning out the way you hoped? Are your friends everything you want good friends to be? Are you concerned about the direction in which our country is heading? Are you troubled by our nation's economic competitiveness in the world marketplace? Do you worry about the bureaucratic ineffectiveness of our government? Does the moral fiber of our society appear to be unraveling? Do you think our systems of education are adequately preparing our children for the future? Do you feel safe in your neighborhood at all hours of the day? Do the myriad of problems confronting our society leave you feeling discouraged and helpless? If you are like millions of other men and women, discouraged and helpless is exactly how you feel but listen closely. The Difference is You: Power Through Positive Leadership is a message of hope. The principles of positive leadership are powerful concepts that will enable individual men and women to change their lives and the world around them far more than they ever imagined possible. The four major philosophical foundations of positive leadership are detailed as are the five attributes that distinguish powerful positive leaders from managers and supervisors who go through the motions while accomplishing very little. The Difference is You: Power Through Positive Leadership is a practical "how to" manual for aspiring leaders, newly appointed leaders, experienced leaders who want to revitalize their careers and organizations, and for troubled leaders who are struggling to find their way. The book is also a self-help tool for people who do not aspire to formal leadership roles but wish to improve their lives and make a difference in the world around them. Action plans and action proposals are the essential tools of leadership wherever it is found. We will show you how to apply these principles with specific action strategies in your personal life, on the job, and in your community. The reader is challenged to believe that the world needs all the positive leaders it can get. That means that the world needs you!
About the Author: A former Chief Operating Officer of a distribution and inventory management firm, Mel Hawkins has also served as a juvenile probation officer, Court Executive of a unified trial court, manager of a multi-specialty group medical practice, management and leadership consultant, and a small business owner. This experience has given Mr. Hawkins a unique perspective, one that has served him well as an innovator and problem-solver. Educated at Manchester College where he received a BA degree, the author has also earned a Master of Science in Education (Psychology) from the University of Saint Francis and a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University. Mel resides with his wife in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Mel and Chris have three adult children and two grandchildren. Active in his community, Mr. Hawkins attended Leadership Fort Wayne; has served as president and member of the Board of Managers of Byron Health Center, a 500-bed long term care facility; was a co-founder and board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne; co-founder, board member, and former president of the South Side Business Group of Fort Wayne and Allen County. Mel has also served on the board of the Martin Luther King Montessori School, the Alumni Board of Leadership Fort Wayne, and as co-chair of the legislative committee of the Indiana Correctional Association. In the last five years Mel has been allocating and ever-increasing portion of his time to writing. An experienced public speaker, Mel looks forward to the opportunity to promote one of his books. Mel's blog, The Positive Leadership Blog is a companion to The Difference is You: Power Through Positive Leadership, designed to provide opportunities for the author and his readers to interact. A second blog, THE LEADer(c), (Thinking Exponentially: Leadership, Education, and the American Dream). This blog offers articles on leadership, education, healthcare, and restoring faith and hope in the American dream to the millions of Americans who have become disenfranchised and who no longer believe they can exert control over the outcomes in their lives. Both blogs can be found at the author's website at www.melhawkinsandassociates.com. Other books by Mel Hawkins include: Radical Surgery: Reconstructing the American Health Care System Light and Transient Causes, a novel Reinventing Education, Hope, and the American Dream: The Challenge for Twenty-First Century America.