First and Foremost

Team,

First and foremost thank you for teaching and guiding me to become the leader and peer that I am. I have to take time away for a little while; however I am so confident in each of you. While, I am away I want you to remember what got us here. I want you to believe in each other, like you have believed in me. I listed some core values that each of us has stored in our heart, and these values will help guide you in my absences.

Teamwork. Each of you must work together towards a common goal. We have all heard the saying there is no "I" in team, you must believe it. There is no one better than the next person; each of you just took different paths to get here. If one fails, we all fail, however when one succeeds we all succeed. I remember watching the Hall of Famer NBA basketball player Isaiah Thomas story and his mom had several toothpicks, and she gave one to each of her kids and told them to break it. By them breaking it, it represented if you work alone you can easily be broken. Then she held 20-25 toothpicks in her hand and tried to break them, when she couldn't she said the world might be able to break one of us, but they cannot break all of us together. Remember together we STAND divided we FALL.

Respect. Treat others as you want to be treated. We are all someone's child, and we do not like being talked about or used. The same people you pass going up might be the ones you have to apologize too on your way back down.

Perseverance. Never quit. Anything worth having is worth working for. You are here for a reason; someone believed in you and your abilities; when you weren't looking someone was praying and cheering you on to victory. Stay focused, and believe in yourself, like I believe in you. Michael Jordan in my opinion the greatest basketball player that played the game, once said, I was counted on to take the game winning shot several times and I missed, I missed thousands of free throws. He failed over and over again, and that is why he succeeded. Do not be afraid to fall, just make sure YOU GET BACK UP.

Honesty. Be honest with your peers, management, subordinates and most importantly yourself. My parents taught me, all you have is person's word. Being honest in the times of adversity builds character, the truth may sting at first, however you will be respected in the long run. Remember a "little white lie," is still a lie.

Courage. Malcolm X said, "If you don't stand for something you would Fall for anything." Do not lose your voice.

Be Appreciative. Always say thank you. Never forget to say good job when someone is trying, if they made a poor decision take it as an opportunity for teaching and development. Everyone likes to feel appreciated and wanted.

Staying close to the values mentioned, will ensure each of you success. These values will get results;