We were lucky to catch up with Lenny McAllister recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lenny thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
Both of my parents understood the value of a robust and well-rounded education. They did not spare any expense despite limited resources and they did not shy away from any experience despite their own limited opportunities in childhood. They understood very clearly that a child’s potential mostly rested in that child’s parents, and if those parents had vision for their child and vigor to fight for opportunities for their child, the future for that child could be limitless.
Lenny, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Being an entrepreneur is not just about selling products and services in the marketplace. It’s also about being one that can sell ideas – both new ideas and new twists on older concepts – in the pursuit of more efficiency, more accessibility, and more marketplace satisfaction overall. For me, that applies to the marketplace of civics – the place where we live, interact, and thrive for that “more Perfect Union” that the founding documents of America refer to. Therefore, my work is to encourage a sense of entrepreneurism in our civic way of life: can we make a better democracy with new ways of thinking grounded in the best concepts and structures of America? That’s my challenge and my life’s work. It’s an employ that folks such as Ben Franklin were counting on us all taking on when he noted, “…it’s a republic, if we can keep it…”
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Both my wife and I are second act students, going back to school after internal (separate) family trauma to earn our degrees. And, with those efforts, we had to learn how to constantly reinvent ourselves, finding new skills and new methods to be our best in each moment so that we can earn our way to the next moment. This was not a one-time endeavor, and for the entrepreneur in any field, that ability is not necessarily innate but it is necessary. With faith and persistence, people can learn and hone that ability; we did. Within the initial discomfort of learning the entrepreneurial ways of successful second act people we found confidence; we learned that, amid our discomfort, there can be internal peace. Once that is grasped, any entrepreneur in any field can find the wherewithal to lead through crisis, think multi-dimensionally, and succeed unexpectedly.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Keep joy amid the journey. Plan, then trust and vet your plans. Uplift your teammates. Being tough doesn’t necessarily being be rough. Be focused and fair. Smile. Laugh. Always both remember the business goal of the team and the humanity of the team.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lennymcallister.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lennymcallister/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LennyMcAllister11/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Lennymcallister
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FDFAdvocate/videos
