Entitlement Trap; Teaching Children Values; Family Entrepreneurship Event with Richard Eyre; Top 50 Tours

"…keeping your family great"

HEADLINES: (about family this week)

Oops — Caryn Kopp Link — in Tuesday's insight focused on exec ed offerings and books, we left out the link to Caryn Kopp's Gazelles Growth Institute one-hour online seminar on "Overcoming Objections." Here's the link.

Family and Community Safety — Gazelles' Memphis coaching partner, Michael Synk, wrote an insightful blog yesterday on how the Memphis police department is using real time data and daily/weekly huddles to significantly drive down crime in an initiative called The Blue CRUSH (Crime Reduction Utilizing Statistical History). Crime is down 29% from 2006 – 2010 and continuing to drop in 2011. It's worth sharing with your own local law enforcement team. Take three minutes to read Michael's blog to learn what they are specifically doing to crush crime.

"Teaching Your Children Values" — this is the title of Linda and Richard Eyre's book my wife Julie and I are utilizing with our four children (ages 3 – 14). We're following their step-by-step 12 month process in 2011, taking one value per month (Peaceability this month) and discussing it at each of our weekly family meetings (Sundays). Julie also takes the Eyre's description of each value and posts it on the mirrors in each of our bathrooms as a way to reinforce a particular value (remember, we still have therapy funds set aside for our children). BTW, the Eyre's, who have 9 children themselves and are the top YPO parenting resource, have written several books – all worth reading. Right now I'm also reading, with my two oldest sons, Richard Eyre's book on Serendipity.

Family Entrepreneurship Conference with Richard Eyre — looking for something to do with the family this summer? Just announced, July 1 – 5, 2011 in Park City, UT, Yanik Silver and our friends at Maverick Business Adventures are hosting a family event where you can join like-minded CEOs and successful entrepreneurs and their families for a long weekend to inspire, educate and build your family's entrepreneurial spirit (and have a bunch of fun on the Alpine Sleds at the Olympic Park, Xtreme Ziplines, etc). Mention Gazelles on the application and you'll get the Maverick-member price. Here's a link.

Actual Businesses Launched — at the conference there are specific business and thinking sessions for 2 different age groups (ages 6-12 and ages 13-23) tailored to their interests and comprehension. And the young entrepreneurs will break into groups and be tasked to create a real businesses 'on-the-fly' during the event! Each group will then be handed a business they will run and develop, culminating in an actual 'on-the-street' mission during the 4th of July festivities.

Avoiding the Entitlement Trap — while the children and young entrepreneurs are working on their ideas there will be special sessions on raising more independent and entrepreneurial children while avoiding the "Entitlement trap" by the premier expert in this area, Richard Eyre. The Eyre's, as I mentioned above, have been tremendous guides for Julie and me as we raise our four children. But it's not just me singing their praises; they also have high praise from Oprah, Stephen Covey, Bill Marriott & more.

Another Family (or Individual) Option for the Summer — just named one of the Top 50 "Tours of a Lifetime" by National Geographic Traveler, congratulations to dear friend and Gazelles' client Lauren Hefferon and Ciclismo Classico. They won for their Mediterranean Island Hopping trip. According to Traveler, the winners were selected amongst companies with solid reputations in the industry and the tours "offer a short but deep dive into far-flung cultures and transformative experiences. Their criteria included tours designed for experience, immersion, sustainability, and cultural connection.

June 25 – July 1 Island of Sardegna — Lauren is also personally hosting a private multi-sport family event (get to hang with the owner of Ciclismo Classico) on the beautiful island of Sardegna off the coast of Italy. Julie and I and our four children will be participating as well. We have space for one more family if interested. Here's a link to more info. Her company's various tours have been our family's "tours of a lifetime" as well. Thanks, Lauren.