We hope you've been enjoying your Monday Morning Motivator. If you've received this issue for the first time - welcome aboard! It only takes a couple of minutes to start your week off right with the MMM! Be encouraged by the success or great ideas of others in your business community.

From Class Dunce to World-Class Neurosurgeon

This week we share a powerful story about an unlikely person who went on to change the field of Neurosurgery.

Ben Carson vividly remembers a playground conversation during which his fifth grade schoolmates selected him as the dumbest kid in their grade. In fact, after some debate, his classmates decided he was probably the dumbest kid in the world. Looking back from his vantage point as a world-renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Carson can laugh at the memory. However, had he not been empowered as a young student, Ben Carson may never have shaken the belief that he was stupid.

Leaders Empower Others by Believing in Their Potential

Ben's mother, Sonya Copeland, chose to marry at the age of 13 to escape an untenable family situation. The marriage eventually unraveled, leaving Sonya alone in raising her two sons: Ben and Curtis. Sonya noticed her boys were lagging behind academically, but she was convinced they had the potential to excel in school.

Leaders Empower Others by Teaching Them the Skills Needed to Succeed

In an effort to focus her sons on their studies, Sonya curtailed their television time, ordered them to read two books per week, and made them submit book reports to her. After receiving the reports, she would mark them with red ink and discuss the reports with the boys. Ben had no idea that his mother was illiterate and that she only marked up the papers to give the appearance of having read them.

Through time, Ben's steady diet of books paid off. Thanks to his newfound study skills and increased reading comprehension, Ben's grades improved, and perhaps more importantly his self-esteem was repaired. By the time he graduated, Ben had reached the top of his class, had received a full scholarship to Yale, and had been voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by his classmates.

Leaders Empower Others by Prodding Them to Take Risks

After graduating from Yale University and attaining his graduate degree at the University of Michigan, Dr. Ben Carson quickly won acclaim for his skill as a surgeon. By age 33, he became the youngest ever director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

In subsequent years, Dr. Carson empowered fellow surgeons to take risks by accepting seemingly hopeless cases. He resurrected an abandoned surgical practice of removing a hemisphere of the brain to alleviate a patient's chronic seizures. Later, he pioneered methods to operate on brain stem tumors, and he became the first doctor to perform brain surgery on a fetus inside the womb. Most famously, he successfully separated conjoined twins in 1997. All in all, his courage led to empowering advancements throughout the field of neurosurgery.

Leaders Empower Others by Recognizing Their Successes

As a parent, Dr. Carson was troubled by the disparity he witnessed between the profuse accolades given to sports stars, and the near-neglect of top academic performers. In an effort to celebrate the achievements of scholars, Dr. Carson launched a non-profit organization-the Carson Scholars Fund. Each year, the fund awards nearly 600 scholarships to high school students who have excelled in the classroom and community. By honoring the dedication of students, the Carson Scholars Fund empowers kids to work just as hard on their studies as they do at their sports.

Summary

Had Sonya Copeland not taken the initiative to empower her son in his studies, who knows what Ben Carson's life might have looked like? Thanks to her empowerment, Ben developed into one of the world's foremost surgeons, and his life has added tremendous contributions to the medical community.

As a leader, your decisions to empower, or not to empower, your people have a direct impact on the future trajectory of their lives and your company. Don't be stingy with your investments in your team. By affirming their potential, broadening their skills, pushing them to accept risk, and celebrating their successes, you'll propel them and your business into stunning accomplishments.

Have a great day unless you chose otherwise.

Drago

PS - We just finished 10 New TV spots for Mattress Mattress, you can view three of them at AdamAdGroup.com in our video section.

PPS - With almost 20 projects on the go and several in the pipeline we are beginning to see a trend with our clients preferring 3D as their choice of digital media production. Nowhere is this more apparent than in our new show reel, which we would like to share with you this week.
Click Here!

We also wanted to say Thank You for allowing us to meet with you every Monday Morning. The MMM has experienced incredible growth with a subscriber base of 19,805 people. To sign up for the MMM Click Here!

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Success Stories

This week we would like to recognize one of our media partners, KVOS TV. We have long preached on the power of television and the internet and KVOS has leveraged both in a fantastically affordable package.

We will be hosting by invitation only a special two day event, June 2nd & 3rd.

You should attend if:

You need to promote your business.

You would like to learn about an incredible and affordable advertising tool.

You're not sure which is best for you - TV, Internet, or both.

You want an exciting new advertising plan for your business.

You are interested in a great learning event, where you have a chance to win some great prizes.

These 1-hour presentations will be conducted Tuesday June 2nd in Burnaby, at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Center (4331 Dominion St., Burnaby) and June 3rd in Surrey at the Northview Golf & Country Club (6857 168th St, Surrey)

Seminar times both days are at 3:30 PM.

There will be great food and just by attending you will be eligible to win our two grand prize TV's, restaurant gift certificates and more.

To register email : plegree@kvos.com or
call 604 714 - 1914 with your name, company and what day you would like to attend.

Can The Adam Advertising Group help your business, or do you have a success story we should hear about?
Contact Drago Adam at drago@AdamAdGroup.com
or call 604 937 -8886 or 1 866 923 - 6477

PS : We wanted to say Thank You for sharing your Monday Mornings with us. The MMM started three years ago with 35 subscribers, today's issue is going out to over 19,805 Weekly Subscribers.

Click Here! for our newsletter archive.

Quote Of The Week

"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others."

(Jack Welch)

Word Of The Week

Jocund (JAH-kund) : Marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively mirthfulness.

eg : I had heard that Perry had been in a sour mood lately, so I was surprised and relieved to discover that he was his usual jocund self when he met me for coffee.