I am the President and CEO of Muscadine Products Corporation, Paulk Vineyards’ processing sister company. I am married to the most wonderful lady in the world, Jorjanne. We have two boys and live in the middle of my family’s vineyard.
Every once in a while I read a book that demands a response. Every once in a while, I read a book and find myself talking about it with everyone. And, every once in a while, I read a book that YOU MUST READ. That is The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
The Anxious Generation is an alarm sounding for all parents, schools, tech companies, and governments as to why teen mental illness cases are skyrocketing, how social media is downright dangerous to girls, and how boys are lulled into the virtual world and fail to launch into the real world resulting in disastrous consequences. Through research, Haidt outlines how a “phone-based childhood” has replaced the “play-based childhood”, leading to a “great rewiring of childhood” that fails miserably to prepare our kids for adulthood. However, after all of the doom and gloom, he offers clear calls to action for parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments. It’s an all-skate.
If you are a parent, teacher, or even just love a child, I strongly encourage you to read this book. While this book isn’t faith-based (Haidt actually claims to be atheist), much of his research and his conclusions align with what Scripture says about relationships, family, education, and responsibilities. I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book that convicted me so strongly for the ways I’ve ignorantly and foolishly interacted with technology like smartphones, social media, and the internet; and, inspired me to make drastic changes in my home like leaving my phone face down with notifications turned off…except for when it rings because a friend or family member is actually calling. Doom scrolling has to stop.
Anyway, I hope you’ll find a copy of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. You’ll be glad you did.
I’ve never read a book about “manhood”. I do enjoy “The Art of Manliness” podcasts and blogs. I’ve read numerous biographies about influential men from history. But, when it comes to most of the books about “manhood”, I don’t particularly care for them. It’s just that they all seemed the same…”hunt something down, pound your chest and yell loudly, and then run others off who aren’t part of your tribe.”…and, that, honestly, never resonated with me. I was raised by very caring, present, and hospitable men. The version of “manhood” in those other books just doesn’t seem to express humility, nor is it hospitable.
Jorjanne and I have discussed and prayed about how to raise wise, humble men in our culture that obsessed with baiting guys to the edge and then shaming them after the fact. And, we guys deserve all of the ridicule. We allowed and created the messes in our lives. Jorjanne and I know there has to be a better way. And, I believe that what Brant offers in his book might be part of that better way…
Brant draws from the Creation story in Genesis to define manhood by three verbs: Guard. Protect. Watch Over. Masculinity is ultimately about taking responsibility. Just as Adam was charged to do in the Garden of Eden, we men are now also called to be Keepers of the Garden. Whatever your post in life, take great care of it and those in it. We are fully alive and fulfilling our calling when we take great care of our “garden”.
Brant challenges us guys to make 6 decisions that will set us apart:
Forsake the Fake and Relish the Real
Protect the Vulnerable
Be Ambitious About the Right Things
Make Women and Children Feel Safe, Not Threatened
Choose Today Who You Will Become Tomorrow
Take Responsibility for Your Own Spiritual Life
If you are a guy, read this book. If you are a lady, you can also read the book. Better yet, though, buy a copy for the guy in your life for him to read. Since I’ve never read another one, this is the best book about manhood I’ve ever read! Seriously, though, I can say that this book is life-changing, and has the potential to be culture-changing. I found it so impactful that I bought a copy each for my two older sons to read this summer.
I’m in the middle of the book Our Better Angels right now by Jonathan Reckford, who is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity; and, I can’t stop thinking about its potential impact on our community, state, and world. I first heard of Jonathan and his book on the Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast where he and Andy discussed 7 Virtues that Jonathan and Habitat for Humanity have adopted and embodied.
These Virtues are:
Kindness
Community
Empowerment
Joy
Respect
Generosity
Service
I had the opportunty to help build 3 Habitat homes in college with my fraternity brothers. I’m not sure when Habitat adopted these virtues. But, as I read this book and think back on those experiences of helping aspiring homeowners build their own homes, I get excited. As a County Commissioner in Irwin County, I get excited thinking about what we all can also accomplish and become if we choose to come together in kindness, care for each other in community, empower each other to become all that God intends for us, choose and live out joy even when it’s tough, respect each other fully, generously give, and serve with humility from the top down.
Check out the podcast and book. If you ever have the chance to serve with Habitat, DO IT! If you ever have the chance to go overseas and serve, TAKE IT! You’ll be glad you did.
I love the Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year holiday season. We express gratitude for all God has blessed us with, then we celebrate the birth of Jesus our Saviour, and then we have a week to reflect and plan the next year. Unfortunately, it’s easy to slip into this scenario…
Let me encourage you with a new plan for the New Year.
I consume almost everything that Michael Hyatt publishes. His wisdom, humor, and relatability are a breath of fresh air. Years ago, I discovered his Life Plan template and tried it out. I haven’t missed a New Year’s Eve or Day since where I don’t use his template to plan my next year. Check out the template here and take some time soon to make your own Life Plan.
I also love this time so that I can think through the upcoming year for my company. During the fall of 2020, I wrote about my company’s mission, vision, values, & brand commitment. Check it out here. Below is our updated purpose, mission, vision, and brand commitment as we head into 2022!
Mission: We make life better with the things we grow and for the people we get to know.
Purpose: MPC exists to…
honor God
serve others
pursue excellence, and
grow profitably.
Vision:
MPC will be THE first and last call when people think of muscadine products from juice to powder to extract to wine.
MPC will be THE source of genuine, healthy, and natural products for people hoping to live a genuine, healthy, and natural life.
MPC will be THE custom processor of choice for regionally grown and sourced ingredients.
Values: We are & strive to be…
Honest: Choosing to be truthful in whatever you say & do. Telling the truth even when it hurts because not telling truth undermines the relationship.
Humble: Putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.
Hungry: (initiative): Seeing what needs to be done & doing it. Make it Better! Looking for good to do!
Smart (wisdom): Finding out what you need to do & doing it. Make it Better: there’s always a way to make things better.
Take it Personally: treat it like it’s yours because to the customer, it is personal.
Collaborate with Others: we’re better together.
Replace Ourselves: none of us will do what we’re doing here forever.
Remain Open Handed: it’s ultimately not ours to hold onto.
Trusting: Putting your confidence in someone you can depend on. Being someone others can depend on.
Generous: Making someone’s day by giving something away.
Kind: Showing others that are valuable by how you treat them.
Disciplined: Doing what you need to do now so you can be better later.
Persevering: Refusing to give up when life gets hard. Finish the job!
Resilient: Getting back up when knocked down because finishing the task at hand matters.
Curious: Seeking to understand the world & people around us because they are fascinating. Seeking to discover something new so you can be better at whatever you do.
Creative: Using your imagination to do something that makes someone’s day, makes a difference or solves a problem worth solving.
Responsible: Proving you can be trusted with what is expected of you. Taking care of what you have because it all belongs to God anyway.
Conscientious: Details matter…from the parking lot to the paperwork and from the bins to the bottles. It ALL matters.
Knowledge: Discovering something new so you can be better at whatever you do.
Resourceful: Leveraging what’s at hand to overcome.
Brand Commitment: We help you celebrate the best things in life.
So, there you have it. If you work here and wonder, “Why are we doing this task?”, what you are doing should fit within this context.
If you visit us or partner with us, my goal is that you consider yourself better for having interacted with us. And, you should see these values play out through your interaction with our team.
Bottom Line:
Carve out some time to reflect and plan. You’ll be glad you did….there’s lots to anticipate!
Over the past year, we’ve brought on several new team members and expanded the scope of our business well beyond just squeezing muscadine juice and the four walls of our building. Originally we only pressed and bottled muscadine juice. Today, MPC offers a number of ingredients and services around the world, and Paulk Vineyards sells juices, jellies, and wine throughout the country. Because of all that’s going on, I was recently reminded that I need to define and remind everyone what we’re all about. I figured my blog will be as good a place as any so that you can also check out other things I’ve written to better understand what we and I am all about.
Without any further adieu, here is Muscadine Products Corporation’s Mission, Vision, Values, & Brand Commitment:
Mission: MPC exists to…
honor God
serve others
pursue excellence, and
grow profitably.
Vision:
MPC will be THE first and last call when people think of muscadine products from juice to powder to extract to wine.
MPC will be THE source of genuine, healthy, and natural products for people hoping to live a genuine, healthy, and natural life.
MPC will be THE custom processor of choice for regionally grown and sourced ingredients.
Values: We are & strive to be…
Honest: Choosing to be truthful in whatever you say & do. Telling the truth even when it hurts because not telling truth undermines the relationship.
Trusting: Putting your confidence in someone you can depend on. Being someone others can depend on.
Humble: Putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.
Generous: Making someone’s day by giving something away.
Kind: Showing others that are valuable by how you treat them.
Hungry: (initiative): Seeing what needs to be done & doing it. Make it Better! Looking for good to do!
Disciplined: Doing what you need to do now so you can be better later.
Persevering: Refusing to give up when life gets hard. Finish the job!
Resilient: Getting back up when knocked down because finishing the task at hand matters.
Smart (wisdom): Finding out what you need to do & doing it.
Make it Better: there’s always a way to make things better.
Take it Personally: treat it like it’s yours because to the customer, it is personal.
Collaborate with Others: we’re better together.
Replace Ourselves: none of us will do what we’re doing here forever.
Remain Open Handed: it’s ultimately not ours to hold onto.
Curious: Seeking to understand the world & people around us because they are fascinating. Seeking to discover something new so you can be better at whatever you do.
Creative: Using your imagination to do something that makes someone’s day, makes a difference, or solves a problem worth solving.
Responsible: Proving you can be trusted with what is expected of you. Taking care of what you have because it all belongs to God anyway.
Conscientious: Details matter…from the parking lot to the paper work and from the bins to the bottles. It ALL matters.
Knowledge: Discovering something new so you can be better at whatever you do.
Resourceful: Leveraging what’s at hand to overcome.
Brand Commitment: We add value to the things we grow and the people we get to know.
So, there you have it. If you work here and wonder, “Why are we doing this task?”, what you are doing should fit within this context.
If you visit us or partner with us, my goal is that you consider yourself better for having interacted with us. And, you should see these values play out through your interaction with our team.
I’d love to get your thoughts, too. What are you all about?
A few years ago, I identified the values that I want everyone working with me to embody. These are descriptive values and not purely aspirational values. In other words, to work with our company, you need to be living out these qualities already and not aspiring to live them out. Those values are Humble, Hungry, Honest, and Smart.
Fast forward a couple of years, and Michael Hyatt wrote a blog post about them…thanks Mike! Then, even better, Patrick Lencioni wrote a book about three of these values entitled, The Ideal Team Player. Check out both resources…they are really good reads!
Again, for me and my team, we will be Humble, Hungry, Honest, and Smart. We will be Humble in our words and actions, putting others first by giving up what we think we deserve. We will be Hungry, self motivated to get things done. We will be Honest in whatever we say and do, even when it hurts. And, we will be Smart, showing common sense as we work with others.
Now, I challenge you to also identify the qualities of people you want to work with and then start living out those qualities. Be the person you want to work with is working with. We can all use a little more empathy and compassion these days.
I’m curious, what 2-4 characteristics (from this list or otherwise) do you value most and live by?
I haven’t published anything here in a while. There’s an almost-two-year-old to thank for the absence from my very own blog (more about him and our family in another post).
Most of my posts are related to improving leadership skills and family health. However, because of the recent global pandemic, I’d like to discuss an idea for personal physical health…and, it’s an idea near and dear to my life….the mighty muscadine!
As you may know, my family grows muscadines, which is a native southern American grape. I like to say we grow America’s native grape at Paulk Vineyards. As it turns out, our muscadines are extremely healthy for you, and I encourage you to read more about this topic at muscadines.com.
If you find yourself wanting to find consumer products to improve your health and immune system, visit Nobility Products. Our Mighty Muscadines can help you take control of your health.
I recently spoke at my Rotary International District 6920 Annual Conference. Our District Governor, Hamsa Thota, is encouraging each of our local clubs to begin a mentorship program…and specifically, to encourage agri-business entrepreneurship. He was looking for a story to encourage current Rotarians to mentor students and young adults…and I have just the story.
During my senior year of high school Mrs. Linda Roberts, my math teacher (and, best teacher of all time!) encouraged us to find a PAL. These were Partners in Action for Learning…I think. This could be anyone with a job we wanted to do to someone we thought was cool. I chose Dr. Robert Hingson. Dr. Hingson and his wife, Toby, retired to Ocilla from Pittsburgh, PA.After they retired here, Dr. Hingson and my grandfather became friends through our Ocilla Rotary Club. I remember going to dinners with them as a child. And, I thought he had an interesting story. As it turns out, he lived an incredible life that I was fortunate to learn about my senior year of high school.
Chris & Mrs. Roberts
Dr. Hingson was a retired anesthesiologist, Dr. Hingson was also a professor, inventor, and humanitarian. He spoke at the Rotary International Convention in 1978 as the keynote speaker. He traveled around the globe helping immunize people using technology that he invented. And, he retired to Ocilla! And, as most people do, they had a connection. Mrs. Toby’s grandfather built the home some years prior, using the same bricks used to build our county’s courthouse. How cool is that?!
As we finish another school year, I think about Mrs. Roberts, who was one of the most influential teachers in my life…and, who continues to brighten everyone’s day whom she encounters. And, I think about the tremendous impact Dr. Hingson had on the direction of my life. As he mentored me, I gained a vision of how I can use my talents and resources to benefit others around the world. I’m very grateful for Mrs. Roberts’ mentorship in my life and her leadership as she encouraged us to seek out a mentor. And, I’m grateful for Dr. Hingson, who simply shared his time and stories with me.
May we all follow their examples and share our time and resources with those behind and around us.
I recently read one of the most encouraging, powerful, and yet, self-evident, books. The Power of the Other by Dr. Henry Cloud is the great reminder that our culture has, yet again, misguided us. Especially here in the United States, we value independence. We celebrate people who appear to succeed on their own. We aren’t, however, told the entire story.
What you know instinctively, though, is that your best and worst seasons in life weren’t entirely about the market or your skills. Your best and worst seasons were also about who was with you. For better or worse, your friends and family were playing a large part in the results of those seasons and whom you were becoming. I know that my greatest accomplishments and challenges overcome have been, and will be, in close relationship with others.
In his book, Dr. Cloud identifies four approaches, or corners, to connection. In order for you to truly succeed in life, we need to intentionally avoid the first three corners and seek out the fourth corner. His four corners are:
Disconnected, No Connection – I see this corner often in men who say, “I can pull myself up by my bootstraps. I’ve got this!” Or, you might be new to a town or job. Instead of seeking true connection, you maintain your independence, further isolating yourself.
The Bad Connection – Because we are all made for connection, you might find yourself connected to a person who makes you feel inferior, guilty, or something is wrong with you.
The Pseudo-Good Connection – Where Corner Two connections leave you feeling bad, Corner Three connections make you feel good. That can’t be a bad thing, can it? You just might find yourself surrounded by people who only tell you what you want to hear. Remember The Emperor’s New Clothes?
True Connection – This is the corner where you want the best for others, and others want the best for you. As Dr. Cloud puts it, Corner Four connections, much like a Navy SEAL parachuting into hostile territory, ask themselves and seek the answers to three questions:
Where am I?
Where is the enemy?
Where is my buddy?
You can recognize these Corners in just about every aspect of life. And, I believe we will do ourselves and our loved ones well to seek out and cultivate true connection with a handful of people…people who will help us arrive at a better destination.
Question: How has a healthy relationship helped you achieve greatness or overcome a challenge?
