Inspiring Thoughts by Illens Dort – Character – Competency – Compassion – Community

Inspiring Thoughts by Illens Dort – Character – Competency – Compassion – Community

“Be true to character”. Be competent. Be compassionate. Serve your community.

Peter Drucker who was known as the father of modern-day management shared the 4 Cs of excellent leadership. Some refer to them as the DNA of authentic leadership. There are Competency, Character, Compassion, and Community. When you think of leading you need to remember your home, community, and work. You also need to remember to start with yourself. Let me share my thoughts on these 4 Cs. I also invite you to do the same. 

Character: It is your brand, your passport, and your reputation. In my book Thinking and acting with a Compassionate Heart, I have an aphorism that states, “Be true to your yourself. For no one knows you that well.” Your character goes before you. It travels with you. And it stays behind you long after you are gone. When you are true to character, you can have a peace of mind even when you are navigated through stormy water and flying in the midst of thick turbulence. These tough times will call. But you can still remain calm. 

Competency: It is what you owe to people you lead. It is the drive that is in you that propels you to find your talents and passion and to be the best you can. Talent is not enough. It is the dedication, the work ethic and the caring for others that will keep you going when tough times come. I love these lines that I read from the book Becoming Your Best by Steve Shallenberger, “Good, Better, Best. Never let it rest. Til’ the good is better. And the better is best.” Whatever you do, keep doing your best.

I remember when I went to Snow College, many, many years ago. I had a job on campus to clean the offices. I always did my best so when I went back to school the next day I could tell without any hesitation that I was the one who vacuumed that room if someone wanted to know. Even when no one wanted to know I still did my best because I knew I was the one who did it. I wanted to stand behind my work. Being competent is different than being perfect.

Character and competency is about our passion. Compassion and community is about others. And yet all four of them work well together. It is refreshing to have people like Peter Drucker and many others that I enjoy learning from talk about these 4 Cs. Of all these 4 Cs character is the glue. There are a lot of people in the world who are competent. But some of them fall short in the area of character. I can promise you that someone who is true to character will always try to work to give his best. 

Compassion is the good deed that we do to alleviate the suffering of others. This definition applies to every aspect of life: home, community, and work. In business we talk about pain point and solutions to problems. Does what you do solve the problem – remove the pain of your customers. If not, you serve yourself. There is no compassion in self-service. 

Community: This is the basic fabric of society. The first element of your community is you. Your family is your first community. Your deeds influence the members of your community. Your customers, employees, and management team are members of your community. When you are making decisions, do you think of them? Without a community there is no true meaning to anything we do. 

We are in this world together. We need one another. “Be true to character”. Be competent. Be compassionate. Serve your community. My name is Illens Dort. I am grateful that we share the same community.  

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Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort.

Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart – Don’t Be too Quick To Judge

Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart – Don’t Be too Quick To Judge

 “We all wear a little makeup when we go out into this wold. Don’t be too quick to judge another person who wears a different shade or color of makeup than you do.” Illens

Illens Dort is a Certified Speaker, Coach, and Trainer with The John Maxwell Team. Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – author of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort.

Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart  – The Power of Forgiveness

Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart – The Power of Forgiveness

 “Forgive others, not because they always deserve it, but because they and you need the cleansing power of forgiveness.” —Illens Dort

When I was twelve or thirteen years old I had a little disagreement with a lady in our community. I thought I was treated unkindly and I retaliated. The incident was reported to my father who disciplined me. At that time, I didn’t think nor believe I did anything wrong. But my behavior (not being kind) was not in harmony with the principles that my parents taught me. As a payback for getting me in trouble with my parents I decided that I would never say hi to her. The best way to do that was to avoid her all together. If I saw her coming, I would turn my back and go the opposite direction or take a different route.

I was comfortable with behaving this way for about 8 years. Eventually, a silent mutual agreement was formed to never speak to each other again. I thought she did not like me and will probably never like me. For a long time, our arrangement did not bother me. After all I had a lot of people who liked me.

In the early part of 1983, a little over 8 years since that incident had happened, I had a change of heart that constituted a greater change of behavior (even though I was always a good person). I decided to have peace and a place in my heart for all.

One Sunday, after not having seen this lady for over 3 years, I found myself crossing her path. Without thinking about it I walked by her without saying hi. This time I reacted out of habit; I just responded as I had for so long. 

Suddenly, I felt a sense of urgency to return and approach her. While it was uncomfortable at first, I took courage and I followed the prompting of a greater spirit of kindness. I rushed to her and looked her in the eyes and offered my sincere apology. I told her that for many years I wanted to apologize to her. But, I did not have the courage. 

In addition, I was not sure she would accept my apology. I asked her to forgive me for my behavior. At that point, I had already forgiven her in my heart. I just needed an occasion to show it by my action. She responded with the sweetest words that a forgiving soul can utter. She said, “My son, I too have been waiting for you to talk to me. I wished I had the courage to reach out to you.”

Oh, how great it felt. I conquered the enemy of my soul. She was not my enemy. I was not her enemy. The enemy was my attitude toward her and the feelings I harbored in my heart for so many years. We both were friends who needed to be liberated by the power of forgiveness.

I walked back home that afternoon with such a great joy and peace. My burden had been lifted. I had found my friend. 

Since that moment, our mortal paths have not crossed again. She was the age of my mother. She probably already left this world. I am so glad I had the courage to make that move; first to forgive her and second to ask her to forgive me. 

If you have someone that you need to forgive, take this moment to start the process in your heart. Look for opportunity to show it by your action. Plan it. Pray about it if you need to. Act on the prompting of a greater spirit of kindness. Life is too short.

 Go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort.Amazon to secure a copy of the book.

Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart.

Inspiring Thoughts by Illens Dort – No Stranger in the Land

Inspiring Thoughts by Illens Dort – No Stranger in the Land

“I have yet to meet a stranger. For, there is none.”

      In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, stranger is defined as “a person or thing that is unknown or with whom one is unacquainted.” The reverse of this definition is also true. Once we take time to know someone or to be acquainted with that person, that person is no longer a stranger. The question remains how long does it take us to know someone?

    Some years ago, I was attending a networking event. There were eight of us at the table. We had not met before. We were given 2 minutes each to share something about us and briefly talk about our businesses. Before we were done, I no longer felt I was in the company of strangers. If within few minutes of interaction with one another I had a different feeling about these people, that also means what I thought of them was only a precipitated judgement. Once I devoted the time to get to know them I was no longer a stranger to them; and them to me. They were friends that I had to cultivate. Changing the way I think of others helps me be more mindful of how I need to treat them.

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Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort.

Inspiring Thoughts by Illens Dort – Kindness and Love

Inspiring Thoughts by Illens Dort – Kindness and Love

“A meal prepared and served with kindness and love not only feeds the body but also the soul.” 

I love to cook. There were times my children reminded me that I was a little too creative with my cooking skill. We love when the family gathers together for dinner. Now that five of them are married; we also enjoy the company of their spouses and our grandchildren. 

 One day after I spent a couple of good hours preparing the food, I was a bit tired and anxious to start eating. The children were having a great time visiting one with another. After a couple of invitations to come to the table for a dinner, I showed a sign of impatience. I was thinking in my mind, after all I spent a great deal of time preparing the food. I don’t like cold food. On top of that I am ready to eat (meaning I am really hungry), let’s get going. One of our daughters kindly asked me a simple question: “Dad, did you eat something?” That question caused me to ponder and reflect on my behavior for I knew what she meant.

It was during that moment I realized that I forgot two key ingredients; love and kindness. The meal was delicious and the table was well garnished. But I could have extended the invitation with a little more love, kindness, and patience. Since that day, I learned my lesson. When I cook, I make sure I eat something so I can control my emotion. I don’t let my stomach control my spirit and my heart. I also make sure that I don’t leave out these two ingredients; love and kindness. 

If you like this post, I invite you to take a moment to share it with people in your circle of influence. Click on the picture to share your thoughts in the comment field below.

Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort.

Inspiring Thoughts by Illens Dort – Do Good Anyway

Inspiring Thoughts by Illens Dort – Do Good Anyway

PEOPLE ARE OFTEN UNREASONALBE

AND SELF-CENTERED.

FORGIVE THEM ANYWAY.

IF YOU ARE KIND, PEOPLE MAY

ACCUSE YOU OF ULTERIOR MOTIVES.

BE KIND ANYWAY.

IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL, YOU WILL WIN

SOME FALSE FRIENDS AND SOME TRUE ENEMIES.

SUCCEED ANYWAY.

WHAT YOU SPEND YEARS BUILDING

SOMEONE CAN DESTROY OVERNIGHT.

BUILD ANYWAY

IF YOU ARE HONEST,

PEOPLE MAY CHEAT YOU.

BE HONEST ANYWAY.

IF YOU FIND HAPPINESS,

PEOPLE MAY BE JEALOUS.

BE HAPPY ANYWAY.

THE GOOD YOU DO TODAY

MAY BE FORGOTTEN TOMORROW.

DO GO ANYWAY.

GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU HAVE,

IT MAY NEVER BE ENOUGH.

GIVE YOUR BEST ANYWAY.

FOR YOU SEE, IN THE END,

IT IS BETWEEN YOU AND GOD.

IT WAS NEVER BETWEEN

YOU AND THEN ANYWAY

—-Mother Theresa

If you like this post, I invite you to take a moment to share it with people in your circle of influence. Click on the picture to share your thoughts in the comment field below.

Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort