For more than sixty years, the Memorial Student Center-MSC-has served as the "living room" of the Texas A&M University campus. The MSC was conceived as a memorial to Aggies who lost their lives in the two world wars. More than just a monument to the fallen comrades, however, the MSC and programs initiated by its first director helped the university expand its focus to embrace an even more inclusive future. Author Amy Bacon surveys the development of two functions that quickly became vital to the mission of the MSC: a leadership laboratory for students and its centerpiece location as a place of extracurricular cultural and intellectual enrichment. She demonstrates how the MSC and the traditions that have developed around it blend with the national student union movement in a unique way that enhances the institutional heritage and aspirations of Texas A&M. This attractively illustrated book draws heavily on recorded oral histories, archives, and extensive interviews with key administrative leaders and students. Building Leaders, Living Traditions narrates the story of an institution that has transformed and enriched the lives of thousands of Aggie students and is poised to continue its vital mission. Since publication in 2009, the MSC renovation and expansion have been completed successfully, ensuring the "c" will continue to be central to students and former students alike. While an undergraduate at Texas A&M, Amy L. Bacon '91 served as the vice president of development for the Memorial Student Center. She holds a master's degree in public history from the University of Houston.

For more than fifty years, the Memorial Student Center—the MSC—has served as the “living room” of the Texas A&M University campus. Beyond its lounges, dining, and recreational facilities, though, the MSC has played a vital role in the transformation of Texas A&M from an all-male, all-military, rural college to a university internationally recognized for excellence in a variety of fields. The MSC, conceived as a memorial to Aggies who lost their lives in the two world wars, opened its doors in September 1950. More than just a monument to fallen comrades, however, the MSC and the programs initiated by J. Wayne Stark, its first director, helped the university expand its focus to embrace an even more inclusive future. Author Amy Bacon surveys the development of two functions that quickly became vital to the mission of the Memorial Student Center: its role as a leadership laboratory for students—especially those not in the Corps of Cadets—and its centerpiece location as a place of extracurricular cultural and intellectual enrichment. The various student-led committees of the MSC provided important avenues for students to address social, political, and other interests, while the world-class speakers and arts events sponsored by the MSC afforded access to many students who would not otherwise have enjoyed such opportunities. Bacon demonstrates how the MSC and the traditions that have developed around it blend with the national student union movement in a unique way that enhances the institutional heritage and aspirations of Texas A&M University. This attractively illustrated book draws heavily on recorded oral histories, archives, and extensive interviews with key administrative leaders and students, both former and current. Building Leaders, Living Traditions narrates the story of an institution that has transformed and enriched the lives of thousands of Aggie students and is poised to continue its vital mission for decades to come.

Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.

National Bestseller “Students talk about Stewart D. Friedman, a management professor at the Wharton School, with a mixture of earnest admiration, gratitude and rock star adoration.” —New York Times In this national bestseller, Stew Friedman gives you the tools you need to achieve “four-way wins”—improved performance in all domains of life: work, home, community, and self. Friedman, celebrated professor and founding director of the Wharton School’s Leadership Program and its Work/Life Integration Project, explains how three simple yet potent principles—be real, be whole, and be innovative—can help you, no matter what your age or what you do for work, become a better leader and have a richer life. In this engaging adaptation of his hands-on Wharton course, he offers step-by-step instruction to help you create positive, sustainable change in your world. This proven, programmatic method teaches you how to produce stronger results at work, find clearer purpose, feel less stressed, strengthen connections with the people who matter most to you, contribute further to important causes, and gain greater support for your vision of your future. If you’re ready to learn to lead in all parts of your life—this is the book for you. For a full array of Total Leadership tips and tools, visit totalleadership.org. Also look for Stew Friedman’s book, Leading the Life You Want, which builds on Total Leadership by profiling well-known leaders—from Bruce Springsteen to Michelle Obama—who exemplify its principles and demonstrate how success in your work is accomplished not at the expense of the rest of your life, but as the result of meaningful attachments to all its parts.

Leaders Made Here Building a Leadership Culture Every organization dreams of having enough leaders. Yet most take a haphazard or inconsistent approach to leadership development. They either assume they can find new leaders when they need them or they believe leaders are born-they can't be made. The consequences of this thinking are devastating, creating a perpetual shortfall of high caliber leaders; without them, no organization can thrive. The good news: this problem is solvable! Bestselling author and Chick-fil-A executive Mark Miller describes how any organization can create a culture in which leaders are routinely and systematically developed, resulting in a surplus of leaders. Miller details how to nurture leaders throughout the organization, from the front lines to the executive ranks. He provides a game plan for organizations to create a deep and effective leadership bench. To bring his ideas to life, Miller uses the story of Blake, a new CEO, and Charles, and old friend and colleague, as they search for best practices from around the world to ensure a continuous supply of their most precious asset-leaders. Blake and his team then translate their findings into a practical plan that any organization can use to create a leadership culture that will ensure a sustainable competitive advantage and long-term success.

The strategic consultant and author of Talent Unleashed presents a revolutionary blueprint for organizational success in government. Today’s government organizations face political fallout, media scrutiny, reduced funding, and the challenges of motivating large, highly regulated organizations. In many offices, these challenges have led to a vicious cycle of employee disengagement. As performance declines, scrutiny increases, and employee paralysis sets in. Breaking this cycle requires a new approach. As an Executive Vice President at Franklin Covey, Patrick Leddin helped organizations all over the world transform their culture and unleash their potential with five highly effective practices. In Building a Winning Culture in Government, he shows how government organizations can implement these same practices to inspire their employees, revitalize engagement, and become more responsive to the public interest. In Building a Winning Culture in Government, you will learn to: Lead with purpose and find your organization's mission, mantra, or manifesto. Make the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People your organization's operating system. Inspire people to go beyond your expectations. Build trust withing the organization and with the public. Create loyalty with all stakeholders.