Remembering Mom

Janice Ellen Wheeler, May 27, 1935 – March 14, 2022.

My brother called on March 14, I answered, he paused, then slowly enunciated, mom has died. He shared the few details he had, she hadn’t shown up for their weekly breakfast meeting, he asked her apartment to do a wellness check and that’s when they found she had died. Mom is no longer here.

The announcement of death is, in my experience, always a gut punch. My brothers and I all live a vibrant faith in Jesus, we revel in the hope of the resurrection. Mom was a model of faith, love, and hope. Still, death creates a void in the present. We knew mom’s health was fragile. We knew the two years of COVID isolation and restrictions were wearing on her. We were working to get her more help in cleaning and monitoring her health. We were calling more, picking her up for visits, and talking with one another to ensure she was not isolated from us. And that is part of the void of death – she is not here anymore. Faith never exempts one from experiencing life. Faith provides that anchor and stamina needed to engage, endure, survive, and thrive. Faith moves us toward healing in the face of pain, deliverance in the face of oppression, and hope and comfort in the face of loss and cynicism. Mom is no longer here.

I saw in my mom’s eyes the reflection of hopes and dreams for a family. I saw patience and a commitment to Christ that is personal and real. I saw sensitivity to others and commitment to excellence and a job well done.

Mom’s eyes shone with the reflection of generations living out the hope, faith, and love that have carried and sustained her in trial and triumph, conquest and defeat, and contentment and loss.

These things made her special to me. She was a woman of many talents. She was excellent in her pursuits and vibrant as a woman of faith and ministry. She was a wife of commitment and deep abiding love. She was a co-laborer of many and a healer of broken lives. She set captives free with her warmth and belief that Christ liberates any who will come to him.

But for me, she was my first healer of wounds, comfort in trauma, model of grace and strength. When you see me, I hope I reflect these characteristics of my mom. I love you mom and I am proud to call you this dearest and cherished of names – my mom. I miss you.

Develop the Right Mindset as a Leader

A recent article in Forbes reiterated an MIT study that shows only 12% of employees strongly agree that their leaders have the right mindsets to lead them into the future. The article asked, “What kind of leaders do people want? They want leaders who can navigate the speed and complexity of the digital workplace. They want leaders who explain the why of the work, who connect with empathy, who communicate with authenticity, and who collaborate with openness.”

Dunkin’s point in the Forbes article is that we must do better in how we lead in business. I couldn’t agree more. That is the point behind my book, Lift: Five Practices Great Managers Do Consistently. Engendering trust, establishing a positive environment, giving employees the tools and the empowerment they need to thrive are not optional actions. They are essential actions.

As business resets in the uncertainties around a Covid-19 environment positive leadership becomes even more important. Great practices are not just good for business they are essential for good mental health.

A right mindset builds high-performance teams by consistently building ownership, working facts, knowing their people and themselves, managing activities, and building a climate of hope. The right mindset is one that loves people. Dr. Mick Bates, Associate Professor of Marketing, Taylor University, Upland, Indiana affirms this, “In his book, Lift, Dr. Wheeler expertly and succinctly gives managers in nearly any type of organization tools to love people towards personal and organizational success. He distills decades of organizational behavior and development research, case studies, and his personal experiences into a simple 5-point model for loving people to success.”

Now is the time to develop the right mindset and the actions that mindset engenders.

Purchase Dr. Wheeler’s book Lift in a Kindle e-format or print format at:

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BKWD55D/ (kindle)
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HSB4MJW/ (paperback)