Rebel Magazine Jan. 2012

Challenging Today’s Popular Culture

Jan/Feb 2012

Moral Hazard

Occupy Wall St. Reveals Lessons for Fathers

The Return of Leigh Steinberg pg.46

Approval Addiction pg. 68

Rebel With a Cause: Pencils of Promise pg. 74

YOU CAN FEEL GOOD ABOUT TAKING IT EASY.

We do our part by donating unused in-room products to Clean the World , initiating property-wide recycling, energy, TM

and water conservation, using paraben-free products in VH Spa, sourcing ingredients from local purveyors in Café ZuZu, and donating gently used linens to local shelters. So you can feel good about taking it easy at Scottsdale’s downtown resort.

Click “Green Initiatives” on our website to see a full list of our community and environmental contributions.

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REBEL REBEL

DO DOYOU YOUKNOW KNOWAA

WeWehope hopethrough throughour ourpublication, publication,online onlinecommunity communityand and outreach outreach initiatives initiatives to to in in some some small small way way help help men men become become “better” “better” men; men; better better husbands, husbands, better better fathers, fathers, friends friends and and leaders leaders in in their their community. community.

GoGo to to rebelmagazine.com rebelmagazine.com to to submit submit your your rebel. rebel.

Table of Contents

Career Killer, pg. 68

Learn

Live

22 Plugged In 24 Small Screen 26 Big Screen 30 Versus

34 Force for Good Virgin Unite is redefining how businesses can value helping people and still profit.

38 Fatherhood Success in business begins with happiness at home.

46 Scoreboard The rise, fall and return of Super Agent Leigh Steinberg.

Table of Contents Scoreboard, pg. 46

Force for Good, pg. 34

Culture Shock, pg. 58

Live

Serve

54 The Happy Hotelier

86 Rebel Events 88 Get Involved 92 Give Back 96 Backstory

Chip Conley proves doing good business is good for business.

58 Culture Shock Occupy Wall Street reveals an unlikely lesson for fathers.

January / February 2012

68 Career Killer Don’t let approval addiction sabotage you in the workplace.

74 Rebel With a Cause Adam Braun’s Pencils of Promise, with a little help from Justin Bieber, is bringing education to impoverished children.

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Masthead

Publishers Rick Cabral Tim Halmekangas Michael Kelley Editor in Chief Ron Matejko Director of Sales and Marketing Teri Sullivan Creative Director Maureen Taylor Copy Editor Marie Look Public Relations Coordinator April Atwood Social Media Coordinator David Reis Contributing Writers: Troy Anderson, Ashlan Gorse, Craig Morgan, Steve Siebold, Scott Starkel, Jim Wallis, Tom Watson Editorial/Information editor@rebelmagazine.com Published By Rebel Media, L.L.C. 8937 E. Bell Road, Suite 101 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 o: 480.951.8000 f: 480.991.2888

rebelmagazine.com

Copyright Š 2012 rebel media, LLC. All rights reserved. Rebel is a registered trademark of rebel media, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in rebel is accurate and complete, no liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions. rebel provides information in articles such as phone numbers, times, prices, etc., as a service to our readers. All information has been researched and checked for accuracy at press time. We are not responsible for any changes, or variances in information following publications. rebel is published six times a year by rebel media, LLC. Publisher assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicited materials.

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Editor’s Letter

During a recent phone call I had with someone who was pitching a story idea, the other person mentioned that later in the day he would be attending a memorial for someone who became so overwhelmed by his financial situation that he took his own life.

I didn’t say anything, but I wondered just how bad things could have been that the difficult economic climate could lead this person to commit suicide. It was a little hard for me to understand, as I try to value each day and respect the finite time we are given to walk among our loved ones. To willingly end that over something as superficial as money made me aware of the desperation some people feel toward their situations. It also reinforced how distorted our priorities get, both in good times and bad.

During the boom times, many of us became consumed with the material things we had, and during the downturn, we often focused on what we didn’t have. In both cases, neither was important. They were self-imposed pressures, frequently based on how others would perceive us, and we ended up losing perspective on the things that should always remain most important to us, such as family, friends and being the best person we can be.

Our Culture Shock feature, written by New York Times best-selling author Jim Wallis, discusses how all of us are having our character tested, especially fathers. Wallis explains that these times can act as an impetus to reset our priorities and get back to living for who it is that’s important to us, instead of what we perceive is important, as many of us did during the previous period of excess.

Unfortunately, some have succumbed to the pressure to live up to the artificial standards we set prior to this challenging economic climate. But while some of us view this difficult period as the end, it can instead serve as the springboard to a new beginning.

Ron Matejko ron@rebel4men.com Editor-in-Chief

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Publishers’ Letter

rebel is a men’s publication. for men. why rebel? because culture has replaced character. we recognize we all need help. men especially. we are lost. something a rebel might say: i don’t know. i can help. it’s just a job. i was wrong. you go ahead. i’m afraid to admit. what can I do? my mistake. i’m grateful. money isn’t it. thank you. it’s just a car. i’m sorry. rebels are easy to spot: often broken. atypical. non-conformist. unique. connected. available. interested. vulnerable. more than friends. difference maker. change agent. soulful. appreciative. passionate. honest. real.

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Contributors

Jim Wallis

Jim Wallis is a best-selling author, public theologian, speaker and international commentator on ethics and public life. He recently served on the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and currently serves as the chair of the Global Agenda Council on Faith for the World Economic Forum. Wallis is president and CEO of Sojourners and editor-in-chief of Sojourners magazine. Wallis frequently speaks in the United States and abroad. His columns appear in major newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe. He frequently appears on radio and television, as a commentator on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and on National Public Radio. He teaches a course at Georgetown University and has also taught at Harvard University.

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Ashlan Gorse

Ashlan Gorse is an on-air correspondent for E! News with Ryan Seacrest, for which she has interviewed many of the top names in entertainment and covered all the major award shows. A graduate of UNC with a degree in broadcasting and a minor in music, Gorse began her professional career with Access Hollywood, going from production assistant to field producer before moving to MSNBC as a reporter and segment producer for two weekend entertainment shows. In 2006, Gorse moved to Los Angeles as the editor at large for Life & Style magazine and has since appeared on The O’Reilly Factor, Today, The CBS Early Show, CNN, The Insider and in TV Guide. Gorse gives a lot of her free time and resources to animal-related charities, the SPCA, and children’s and cancer research organizations.

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Tom Watson

Tom Watson is a successful business leader and a dynamic international speaker and consultant who is dedicated to inspiring people to strive for excellence in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. Watson is the owner and founder of Recreation Excellence, a highly successful recreation services and facility management company. He also founded Your Better Life, a company committed to empowering people to achieve balanced success, both at work and at home. Watson is an active member of many organizations, in which he functions as a board member and team leader. He has travelled to Africa, helping governments in Zambia, Kenya, South Africa and Rwanda to establish sport and recreation systems and networks. In addition, Watson inspired his employees at Recreation Excellence to fundraise and finance the construction of 56 homes in Zambia. Watson has also helped sponsor well-digging projects in Kenya and helped send more than 5,000 pairs of eyeglasses to Haiti.

Contributors

Steve Siebold

Steve Siebold is one of the world’s most noted experts in the field of mental toughness training. Two of his four books on the subject are international best-sellers and considered by many of his peers to be the gold standard in the field of psychological performance training. Siebold’s clients include Fortune 500 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, Procter & Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline. He’s been featured on NBC’s Today, Good Morning America, CNN, FOX News and media around the world. He ranks among the top 1 percent of income earners in the professional speaking industry worldwide. For more information, visit Speakerstevesiebold.com and Mentaltoughnesssecrets.com.

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Troy Anderson

Troy Anderson is an award-winning journalist with 20 years of experience at the Los Angeles Daily News, e-newspaper The Press-Enterprise, as well as other news publications. He’s won more than two dozen local, state and national writing awards and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for a foster care series that contributed to “revolutionary” national reforms. In 2009, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office honored Anderson as an “Outstanding Fraud Reporter” for stories resulting in legislation that saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. His other claim to fame is being a descendant of poet, playwright and philosopher Friedrich von Schiller, who invented the melodrama and wrote many famous plays, as well as the poem “Ode to Joy,” which Ludwig van Beethoven set to music in his Ninth Symphony.

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Craig Morgan

Craig Morgan is a freelance writer based in Gilbert, Ariz. He serves as the Phoenix correspondent for Cbssports.com and Foxsportsarizona.com. He also writes a weekly column for The Arizona Republic called “Daddy’s Home” on the challenges of being a work-from-home dad, as well as tackles multiple marketing writing projects for various clients. You can read “Daddy’s Home” at Azcentral.com/members/ blog/thewordsmith or visit his website at Thewordsmithonline.com.

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Plugged In, pg. 22

Learn Plugged In ................... pg. 22 Small Screen . .............. pg. 24 Big Screen.................... pg. 26 Versus........................... pg. 30

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Plugged In After receiving a loan through Kiva.org, Sophea Chum was able to purchase silk materials for her and her husband’s weaving business in Cambodia. (Photo by John Briggs)

LIfeChanging Loans

Kiva.org empowers people to make a small loan and a big difference.

Written by Scott Starkel

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Visit kiva.org if you would like to make a loan today.

I

f you knew loaning as little as $25 could help a Bolivian coffee entries are marked inactive and removed from Kiva.org, which bean farmer or a Ugandan salon owner or another struggling prevents abuse. entrepreneur remain in business, would you do it? We’re not Once the loan is paid back, the lender can choose to fund talking about a handout, but a small loan, also known as a another entrepreneur’s loan, withdraw the money or donate it to microloan, which would be paid back. The founders behind the Kiva, which relies primarily on these and other donations, along nonprofit organization Kiva made a bet that the resounding answer with grants and corporate sponsorships to fund its operations. The would be “yes,” and they were right. organization doesn’t charge interest to its field partners and does Since 2005, Kiva has leveraged the Internet to connect people not provide interest to lenders. Field partners set their own interest through its web portal, so they can fight poverty by providing rates, which are used to cover their operating costs. microloans to struggling entrepreneurs in impoverished communities Since launching, Kiva has provided more than $252 million in around the world. Kiva, in turn, works with microfinance institutions loans to 660,000 entrepreneurs worldwide. The collective results of worldwide — called field partners — to get this funding to the microfinancing are undeniable. Even with minimal effort, we can people who desperately need it. make a great impact on lives around the world. To date, Kiva has Microfinancing is the practice of providing financial services empowered more than 600,000 individuals to make a difference, to low-income individuals and to those who don’t have access to with many more to come. standard banking services. It’s also based on the principle that low-income people are capable of lifting themselves out of poverty if Kiva’s Success Since Being Founded in 2005: given access to traditional financial services. n Total value of all loans made through Kiva $255,185,775 Kiva operates much like an online dating site — without the exaggerated profiles n Number of Kiva users 1,011,003 — by matching a lender with a borrower. n Number of Kiva users who have funded a loan 636,949 Potential lenders can go to Kiva.org and browse the profiles of entrepreneurs who n Number of countries represented by Kiva lenders 216 are seeking a loan to expand their current n Number of entrepreneurs who received a loan 659,997 business or to realize their dream of starting their own business. The site lists how much n Number of loans funded 336,498 money the borrowers are seeking and how n Percentage of Kiva loans made to women entrepreneurs 80.76% much they’ve raised so far.

After deciding which loan to fund, you n Number of Kiva field partners (microfinance partners) 145 can click the “Lend $25” button or select n Number of countries Kiva field partners are located in 61 any amount — in $25 increments — up to the amount remaining to meet the total loan n Current repayment rate (all partners) 98.9% request. Kiva then distributes 100 percent n Average loan size (sometimes divided among a group) $386.11 of the funds to one of its 144 field partners, which are located in 61 countries. Field n Average amount loaned per Kiva lender (includes reloaned funds) $252.84 partners do all the work required to direct n Average number of loans per Kiva lender 7.65 Kiva loans to the entrepreneurs listed on the website. Once a loan is fully funded,

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Small Screen

Up-tempo TV The Velocity channel launches, targeting upscale men.

Written By Ron Matejko

S

Information Visit Velocity at velocity.tv, on Facebook at facebook.com/VelocityTV, or on Twitter @VelocityTV1.

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ince the demise of the Fine Living network in 2010, there has been no widely available television network that targets an affluent audience. And with the exception of Spike TV, which tends to feature more prurient programming, there is no nonsports network that targets men.

Discovery Communications is attempting to fill a need within both demographics following the recent launch of Velocity.

A high-definition network targeting upscale men, Velocity is available in more than 40 million homes and fills the channel slot previously occupied by HD Theater.

Velocity was launched by Discovery Communications which is also the parent company of 139 networks, including Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and TLC. The programming on Velocity focuses on automotive, sports and leisure, travel and

january-february 2012

adventure. Its core programming partner is the National Football League, which is providing two original programs to the network. Holdover programs from HD Theater include Inside West Coast Customs and Mecum Auto Auctions among others.

“In the same way that a car once defined the person who drove it, Velocity will define the viewer who watches it,” Velocity Senior Vice President Robert S. Scanlon says in a statement. “Whether you are a car aficionado or just someone who prefers fast-paced, high-stakes television, Velocity will become a must-have entertainment destination.”

How men respond to content directed toward an upscale demographic during a difficult economic climate remains to be seen, but with the addition of Velocity, the content is there if you want to watch it.

Save a life. Don’t Drive HoMe buzzeD. BUZZED DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING.

Big screen

(

mov ies with a Message

Former eBay President Jeff Skoll uses films to inspire social change.

Written by Ron Matejko

One of Participant Media’s many socially minded movies is Chicago 10, a 2007 film that documented the story of eight protesters, including Abbie Hoffman (pictured), who were scapegoated for the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention.

(Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions)

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N

o one would have blamed billionaire Jeff Skoll if he sat on his fortune after cashing in more than $2 billion in eBay stock when a back injury forced him to leave his full-time duties as the company’s first employee and president. Still in his mid-30s, Skoll had his life ahead of him; however, sitting idle isn’t in his nature, so he did what many other successful entrepreneurs do after enjoying one success — he built a new business in hopes of doing it again.

This time, Skoll was the man in charge, and he decided to use his wealth for good by becoming a philanthropist. One venture he launched was the Skoll Foundation, which supports social entrepreneurship and underwrites more than $80 million in grants per year.

In 2004, he launched another venture called Participant Productions — now known as Participant Media — which is comprised of a handful of entertainment industry executives who share his interest in creating quality entertainment that engages audiences, generates awareness of interesting issues and inspires individuals to take action.

“I used to read authors like James Mitchner, James Clovell and Ayn Rand, and their stories made the world seem very small and an interconnected place,” Skoll said during a conference hosted by the nonprofit TED (Technology Entertainment and Design). “It struck me that if I could write stories that were about this world being small and interconnected, that maybe I could get people interested in the issues that affected us all and maybe engage them to make a difference.”

january-february 2012

New from

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Former NFL standout Joe Ehrmann, whose coaching philosophy was described in Jeffrey Marx’s New York Times bestseller Season of Life, demonstrates how coaches can gain a deeper understanding of their responsibilities of impacting players for a lifetime.

“Joe Ehrmann has a great message, one that coaches and young people really need to hear....He has had

a tremendous impact on our team, helping us to develop championship men on and off the field.”

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“Joe Ehrmann’s message is inspiring, educational, and eye-opening. He is an inspiration to me!”

—Jay Wright, Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Villanova University

“A must read for all coaches, athletic directors, and parents.”

—Dr. Jeanette Boxill, Ph.D., Director, Parr Center for Ethics, University of North Carolina

Joe’s life mission is “to help boys and girls become

men and women of empathy and integrity who will lead, be responsible, and change the world for good,” and in his new book he shares his secret of how he has personally been able to accomplish this.

Find out more at www.InSideOutCoachingBook.com

www.CoachForAmerica.com Become a fan of Joe Ehrmann at the Coach for America Facebook page

Big screen

The following year, Participant’s debut slate of films, North Country, Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck, as well as the documentary Murderball, received 11 Academy Award nominations and one Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for George Clooney’s performance in Syriana. The company’s many social action efforts for these films included a program for North Country that provided support for organizations and advocacy efforts, which resulted in the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Participant Media was responsible for a worldwide phenomenon when it paired with Al Gore on the 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which went on to win two Academy Awards, including one for Best Documentary, and became one of the highestgrossing documentaries of all time. The film was also among the first high-profile public stances geared toward raising awareness about climate change and is credited with re-energizing the environmental movement.

In 2007, Participant Media again made waves with the documentary Darfur Now, the drama The Kite Runner, and the comedy Charlie Wilson’s War. For one of its social action efforts for Darfur Now, Participant Media co-sponsored a fact-finding mission for NBA player Tracy McGrady that resulted in the athlete’s ongoing commitment to support education for Darfurian refugee children, beginning with his underwriting the building of a new school in one of the 12 refugee camps in Chad.

For The Kite Runner, Participant Media teamed with multiple international organizations to support literacy by rebuilding libraries, training teachers and providing computers and other educational materials for the war-torn nation. And for Charlie Wilson’s War, Participant Media allied with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) to promote initiatives for education and mental and health benefits for veterans.

One of the most successful independent films of 2008 was Participant Media’s critically acclaimed drama The Visitor. For its social action campaign for the film, Participant Media co-sponsored probono workshops around the country offering lawyers training in the representation of immigrants detained

by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at bond hearings.

In 2009, Participant Media’s films included The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., along with the highly acclaimed documentaries Food, Inc. (Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary) and The Cove (Academy Award winner for Best Documentary). For The Soloist, Participant’s social action campaign focused on humanizing

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homelessness and mental illness along with grassroots efforts aimed toward collecting donated food and clothing. Among the initiatives were: Orchestras Feeding America, a nationwide food drive involving more than 250 symphony orchestras from all 50 states; Feed the Need, in which nearly 24,000 teenagers secured more than 1.2 million pounds of food; and Teens for Jeans, which collected more than 200,000 pairs of jeans for those in homeless shelters.

Participant Media continued to make an impact in 2010 with the premieres of four documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival, including Casino Jack and the United States of Money, about disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. That same year also saw the release of Waiting for Superman, which gained national acclaim for its documentary about the education issues in our country. Participant Media’s most notable release of 2011 was The Help, which has grossed more than $200 million worldwide since its release in August.

Among the films slated for release in 2012 is Last Call at the Oasis, a documentary about the urgency of the global water crisis which illuminates the vital role water plays in our lives, exposes the defects in the current system and shows communities already struggling with its ill effects. Judging by the previous impact Participant Media’s films have had in shining a light on different social causes, the film will likely be another in a long line of Jeff Skoll’s successes.

Jeff Skoll (Photo courtesy of Skoll World Forum)

WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD? Upload your ideas for screwing business as usual and vote for the best ones. Be in with a chance to win a spot with Richard on the next South African Virgin Unite Connection Trip in 2012.

Join the conversation by tweeting @virginunite #SBAU

UK Registered Charity Number 297540

www.virginunite.com/screwbusinessasusual

Versus

Can a relationship Last When The Woman is the Primary Earner?

Written by Craig Morgan

M

y dad asked the question with an earnestness in his voice normally reserved for matters of life and death. “How will you feel if your wife is making more money than you?”

My response caught him off guard. “That would be sweet!” I said, my eyes widening as the possibilities flooded in. “If she makes enough, I can be a kept man!”

Maybe it’s the changing realities of my generation at play. Maybe it’s my male peer group, which largely shares my beliefs, but this so-called issue never crossed my mind until my dad brought it up.

If we are truly living in an era of equality between men and women, who cares who makes more money as long as both husband and wife are pulling their weight in work, marriage and family?

Money was never the driving force in my career choice. If it had been, I would have taken a job on Wall Street or gone to law school like virtually every one of my college friends. It was an easy path, one paved by the scores of on-campus recruiters eager to tap into the critical thinking skills of Wesleyan University graduates.

I love writing. I love sports. So I went into the newspaper business with my eyes wide open to the meager paychecks I’d receive. My wife got her Ph.D. in political science and took a high-paying job with a government agency. She made more money than me for 12 years, but our checks went to the same account, where they became indistinguishable from one another.

The only time my male ego took a beating was in 2009, when my newspaper, like so many others, experienced dramatic revenue declines and laid off most of its employees, including me.

I can’t deny there is a social construct at work that leads men to tie their identity to their jobs. It’s too bad, because work is rarely as fulfilling as family or relationships, but this is an historical reality that will take generations beyond mine to fix.

When I got laid off, I felt a sense of worthlessness, a belief that I was less than a man. Logically, I knew this was ridiculous. Market forces beyond my control dictated my fate and I still had a great marriage and two great daughters. But fear for my family’s financial future led to a brief, downward psychological spiral.

That ended when I launched an enjoyable and, as it turned out, far more lucrative career as a freelance writer. But my renewed confidence had nothing to do with my increased paycheck. And there was no acknowledgement in our house when my pay surpassed my wife’s this year for the first time since she left graduate school.

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Our marriage has thrived for 20 years, and the size of our respective paychecks has had nothing to do with it. Great communication and a simple focus on shared beliefs and shared goals did the trick — which reminds me, I need to talk to her about that latest purchase at the spa ... “Honey!”

Can a relationship Last When The Woman is the Primary Earner?

Written by Ashlan Gorse

Y

es, a relationship can work when the woman makes more money, as long as the guy is supportive. Some guys aren’t comfortable with the fact that women are making bank these days, and gender roles are reversing.

Many men feel they should still be the head of the household and provide accordingly; but times have changed. For the first time ever, women are heading 18 companies on the Fortune 500 list, including IBM and HP. For us women, it doesn’t make a big difference who makes more money, just as long as the household and family are covered. There’s a saying: “happy wife, happy life.” Men, if you want to keep your girl happy, follow these simple golden rules: don’t sit around doing nothing; provide for your family, be it financially or emotionally; love what you do, pending rules 1 and 2.

I’m proud of the money I make, and I hope any partner I have will be as well. Now, that doesn’t mean I would be fine with my partner

sitting around on his butt while I’m working mine off at the office (rule No. 1). If I’m working hard to bring home a paycheck and he is lying around all day playing video games and drinking beer ... sayonara, slacker!

No one, I mean no one, wants a partner who is a deadbeat. The same goes for men.

No guy wants a girl who is going to sit at home, watch soap operas, and paint her nails while he’s busting his hump at work. People want a partner who is engaging and productive — someone who has a zest for life and wants to contribute to society and the family unit. Women want someone who isn’t a waste of space.

But contributing to the family doesn’t necessarily mean money. There are so many ways to chip in.

Women want a partner who will be just that — a partner (rule No. 2). Do the laundry, cook meals, or clean while your honey is gone. Or, more importantly, take care of the kids. There are so many things that come along with the ”American Dream”: dishes, dry cleaning, car repair, etc. If you can’t contribute as much money as your girl, take over these annoying tasks, and she will be forever grateful. I love when a man cooks for me, and if he cleans up after, he’s definitely getting lucky. At the end of the day, women want men who will put as much as they do into the household, but it doesn’t have to be just about money.

Now let’s say you have a job, but you make less money. This isn’t a problem as long as you love what you do and you follow rules 1 and 2. Are you are a teacher who gets the short end of the payscale stick? Don’t worry. We love you for shaping the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Are you a barista at the local coffee shop who makes minimum wage, but you love your customers’ smiles when they take their first sip of your magical morning blend? It’s all good, because you are passionate about others. (But if you hate your job and complain all the time, we will break up with you right after you show us how to make a latte). Struggling painters, musicians, and other creative types should also be forewarned: If you don’t adhere to rules 1 and 2, you will be a money-less and girlfriend-less artiste.

So guys, don’t stress if your woman makes more bacon than you do — be happy and helpful, and she will love you for taking care of her, too.

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Rebel With a Cause, pg. 74

LIVE Virgin Unite .................. pg. 34 Fatherhood ................... pg. 38

Scoreboard . .................. pg. 46 The Happy Hotelier ..... pg. 54

Culture Shock .............. pg. 58

Approval Addiction . .... pg. 68

Rebel With a Cause ...... pg.74

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Feature

Virgin Unite CEO Jean Oelwang and Virgin founder Richard Branson.

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Force

Good for

Virgin Unite is redefining how businesses can value helping people and still profit.

T

Written by Ron Matejko

he idea of focusing on something beyond profits is a foreign concept to many companies, but billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson believes if you do good business and have fun the money will follow. This philosophy is the primary principal behind Virgin Unite, a nonprofit arm of the famed Virgin brands that was launched in 2004 with the goal of combining the resources of their companies to facilitate positive social change with an atypical entrepreneurial approach. This shake-up of the traditional philanthropic model should come as no surprise, considering the Virgin brand — led by the iconoclastic Branson — has thrived for more than four decades by redefining broken, traditional business models. In fact, Branson’s new book, Screw Business As Usual, could easily be amended to Screw Philanthropy as Usual.

The leader of Virgin Unite is CEO Jean Oelwang, who recently spoke with rebel to explain how her organization is serving as an example for how businesses can have a shared focus on helping people and profit.

rebel: What is Virgin Unite about?

Jean Oelwang: Virgin Unite is all about connecting people and entrepreneurial ideas to make positive change happen in the world. We’re built on the

fundamental principle that business can and must be a force for good. So a big part of what we do is work with more than 200 Virgin businesses and others to support them in putting a focus on people and planet at their very core. This comes in all shapes and sizes, from Virgin Mobile helping [to] end teen homelessness, to Virgin Holidays starting a Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in the Caribbean, to [helping] support young entrepreneurs and to create sustainable supply chain opportunities.

We also felt that as a global business, Virgin and Richard had the potential to tackle some of the tougher issues through the creation of new approaches to global leadership. Virgin Unite works with Richard and some great partners to help incubate these ideas, and then supports them to become independent initiatives. For example, we incubated an initiative called the Elders, founded by Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel, with a group of global leaders such as Archbishop Tutu, Mary Robinson, Kofi Annan and several others who focus on supporting peaceful conflict resolution and tackling tough issues, like ending child marriages. We’ve also incubated the Carbon War Room (CWR) with a group of entrepreneurs to look at new business-based models to reduce carbon.

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Feature

Most of all, Virgin Unite is about the wonderful community of people who have come together to never accept the unacceptable and focus on entrepreneurial approaches to solving issues. We are a not-for-profit foundation and are very fortunate that Richard and the Virgin Group cover 100 percent of our overhead to ensure that 100 percent of all donations go directly where they are needed most.

rebel: WHY is Virgin Unite different?

JO: We believe it is time to stop trying to save the world and instead reinvent how we live and work in the world. A big part of this reinvention is changing how we do business to ensure that people and [the] planet are at the core of everything we do. So Virgin Unite’s approach is not about one specific issue, it’s about using entrepreneurial thinking to create new business-based initiatives that can drive lasting change in the world.

For instance, Virgin Unite works with partners in Kenya to deliver a rural transport network of health workers on motorbikes. They don’t just save lives, they run businesses off the backs of these bikes, so they can generate income for their families, as well as reach thousands of people with health care.

Everything Virgin Unite does has an entrepreneurial twist, rather than just handing over a golden check, to ensure people can have work and build the lives of dignity they deserve. As part of this focus, we’ve created Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship in South Africa and the Caribbean, and are seeing some wonderful new businesses emerge that are bringing economic freedom to whole communities.

Critical to the success of business as a force for good is the creation of the right ecosystem to allow these new business models to emerge. This includes getting capital flowing and creating unlikely marriages with the business, government and not-for-profit sectors. A good example of this is how the Carbon War Room recently helped unlock around $650 million of investment into energy-efficiency retrofits in Florida and California. This project has the potential to create more than 17,000 jobs. rebel: How can businesses and leaders be a force for good in the world in 2012?

JO: Richard’s new book celebrates the stories of wonderful people who have already shown that business can be a force for good. With the world population recently surpassing 7 billion, and increasing levels of demand for goods and services, we are on a rapid path to destroy the very natural resources that keep us alive; this will only perpetuate growing inequity in the world.

Since the Industrial Age, businesses have built their wealth off the use of natural resources. Mother Nature’s assets are decreasing rapidly and this will have devastating impacts on the lives of our children and grandchildren unless businesses begin to value and protect these natural resources. Business as usual is no longer an option. What is an option is reinventing capitalism to truly be a

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force for good in the world. We call this new approach Capitalism 24902 because it’s focused on getting business leaders all over the world — all 24,902 miles of it — to look at how we can do what is right for people and the planet.

Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to create new businesses that tackle social and environmental issues. Some of these are profit-making, such as Participant Media, which makes movies that entertain and change the world. Another example is Husk Power, which brings electricity powered by corn husks to thousands of people in India. Others put any profits or social investments back into solving the issue they were built to tackle, like the Big Issue, which is providing work for homeless people and the Khan Academy, which is radically transforming math education for young people worldwide.

Existing businesses are also embracing Capitalism 24902 with great results for their bottom lines. For example, retailer Marks & Spencer launched “Plan A” in 2007 and now recycles 94 percent of the waste generated by their stores, has reduced carbon emissions by more than 13 percent and [has] saved more than $100 million in 2010. Ultimately, Capitalism 24902 is all about listening to, learning from and empowering every single person in your company to do what is right for people and the planet so your team can come to work knowing they are making a difference.

How Can People Become Involved?

You could buy a copy of Branson’s new book, Screw Business As Usual, and join the movement to make business a force for good in the world at virginunite.com/screwbusinessasusual; you can join the Virgin Unite community at virginunite.com; “like” the organization at facebook.com/ virginunite and follow @virginunite on Twitter.

HOW TO

LIVE UNITED: JOIN HANDS. OPEN YOUR HEART. LEND YOUR MUSCLE.

FIND YOUR VOICE.

GIVE 10%. GIVE 100%.

GIVE 110%.

GIVE AN HOUR. GIVE A SATURDAY. THINK OF WE BEFORE ME. REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE AND

INFLUENCE

THE CONDITION OF ALL.

GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.

LIVE UNITED

™

Want to make a difference? Help create opportunities for everyone in your community. United Way is creating real, lasting change where you live, by focusing on the building blocks of a better life– education, income and health. That’s what it means to Live United. For more, visit LIVEUNITED.ORG.

Fatherhood

Balancing Act

Success in business begins with happiness at home.

Written by Tom Watson

It was 2003 and I was three years into building my business.

I left a good public sector job as a recreation director, with benefits and pension plans attached, to pursue building my own recreation company. When I made the transition, I believed I understood the depth of dedication and perseverance necessary to succeed. After all, I was very successful in the public sector, and I couldn’t imagine building a business would be much more difficult than the work I had been doing for years.

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“... Once I learned to balance my priorities, my family life was rejuvenated, and within a short period of time, my business drastically improved.�

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Fatherhood

Year one passed and to my surprise, building a business was every bit as challenging as I imagined it would be — and more so. Although I knew my craft, I underestimated how much time was needed to operate, manage and grow my business. As a public sector professional, I always prided myself in my ability to perform at a high level at work while maintaining a vibrant home life. After work ended, I could often be found out and about with my wife and children, engaging in various activities. I was a super dad, and proud to be such. My earnings after the first year of operating my business were around $30,000 — a mere pittance compared to what I previously earned. I was working harder and longer, and at the end of the year, I had very little to show for my efforts. And so I threw myself deeper into my work. All I knew was that if I wasn’t able to grow my business, I wouldn’t be able to sustain my family, and that fear drove me physically and mentally. By the end of the second year, the business generated a $30,000 profit, the exact same total as the previous year.

Tired and frustrated, I carried on into year three of my business adventure. By now I was spending very little time with my family, and when I was, I was there in body but rarely in mind. I was always distracted, worried, scheming and irritable. I became so focused and consumed by succeeding in my business that the super husband and father image I once had was a distant memory. My wife tried making

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me aware of how my absence was affecting her and the kids. But instead of accepting her feedback and using it to make changes in my life, I became more frustrated and retreated to my office to work even more. “I’ll show everyone,” I thought. “I’ll build this business; I’ll be successful. You’ll see.” And I carried on as I had the previous two years.

Sometimes it takes a real bang on the head to get me to listen and understand when things are going wrong. My first awakening occurred one Saturday morning. Realizing I wasn’t spending enough time with my three boys, I decided to take them to the car wash with me, offering to get them a treat when we were done. The car needed a wash anyway, I reasoned, and if I could get the boys involved with me for a couple of hours, we could kill two birds with one stone.

The trip started out quite fun for everyone, but shortly after we arrived at the car wash, our fun quickly deteriorated. The boys were much more interested in spraying one another than washing the car.

For a few moments, their water fight was fun. But it wasn’t long before my tight-lipped smile turned upside down and I was sternly explaining to the boys that we were there to wash the car and we needed to get back to work before we ran out of time. For the next 10 minutes, I directed the boys on the proper way to wash a car, until finally we were finished. By the time we left, no one was having fun anymore. Frustrated, I cancelled my plans to take the boys for a treat

Fatherhood

“Dad isn’t coming out to play, Brad.

He always says ‘we’ll see,’ but all that means is he’s not coming out. ”

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and simply drove them home. We all got out of the car and silently walked to the house. The boys disappeared inside to play, well away from their father, while I went to work in my office, well away from them.

As I settled in at my desk, I reflected on what took place and realized that I was the reason the morning turned out so miserable. I was the one who hadn’t spent time with the boys that week. I was the one who was grumpy. I was trying to wrap two purposes into one activity — trying to make up for the time I hadn’t spent with the kids, and trying to wash the car because it needed to be done. What started out as a fun outing turned into a chore. I realized that spending time together with the boys was far more important than washing the car the correct way. I was disappointed in myself and decided I needed to do better.

Two days later, Monday rolled around, marking the beginning of another busy week for me. Spring break was upon us, which meant the boys were home from school. I was working from home that day, and as we had lunch, the boys asked me if I would come out and play road hockey with them that afternoon.

During the years, I played a lot of pickup sports with the boys and their friends, and those games represented some of our best times together. More recently, however, it seemed whenever they asked me to play, I usually responded “we’ll see” or “maybe later” before disappearing into my office to work. Often my intention was to work for a little while, and then take a break and join the boys outside. This rarely happened, unfortunately. More often than not I became engrossed in my work and missed my chance to be with them. The odd time I did go out with the boys, I dominated the

T: 7 in

T: 10 in

open up and say anything

want better health care? start asking more questions. to your doctor. to your pharmacist. to your nurse. what are the test results? what about side effects? don’t fully understand your prescriptions? don’t leave confused. because the most important question is the one you should have asked. go to www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer or call 1-800-931-AHRQ (2477) for the 10 questions every patient should ask. questions are the answer.

Fatherhood

I became so focused and consumed by succeeding in my business that the super husband and father image I had once had was a distant memory.

games. If one of them was not playing hard enough, in my opinion, I reprimanded him and reminded him that I wasn’t out there to just goof around. Little if any fun was occurring and little if any positive relationship-building was taking place.

Instead, my sons and I were drifting apart.

As it happened on this spring-break day, I answered the boys as I normally did when they asked if I would play with them. “We’ll see,” I replied distractedly as I finished my lunch and headed back down to my office to work. Halfway down the stairs, I remembered that I left my cell phone on the kitchen counter. I turned back, and as I reached the landing, I heard my son Brad say to his brother Kelly, “No, let’s wait ‘til Dad comes out to play.” Kelly’s reply stopped me in my tracks. “Dad isn’t coming out to play, Brad. He always says ‘we’ll see,’ but all that means is he’s not coming out. Dad’s too busy to play with us anymore. Besides, even when he does play with us, he’s always mad.

He’s no fun anymore.”

I stood there, frozen, in the hallway, not wanting the boys to know I was there, and quietly returned to my office. I sat at my desk, my heart aching, my mind searching back to the last time I freely spent time with my children, with my wife, no strings attached. It had been months. That was a painful realization. I had confused myself about what was important in life. Yes, my work was important, but surely it wasn’t more important than spending time with my children and my wife. It was obvious I needed to find a better balance. Suddenly another realization came to me: My kids were beginning to imitate me! They talked with me less, because I talked with them less. They wanted to be away from me more, because I was away from them more. I was unhappy and on edge, and so were they. I argued, and so did they. I needed to change my approach to life. I needed to consciously do better. I needed to be a better role model for my sons.

For the next 20 minutes, I thought hard about what I wanted from life. Work became my excuse for not interacting with my kids or my wife. I was becoming a lazy husband, a lazy parent and a lazy friend. I was not fulfilling my role as a father. I was not being a good role model for my kids. I wanted my children to know I loved them and enjoyed them. I wanted my children to love and respect me as their father, and I wanted them to know I was there for them.

I wanted my boys to enjoy balanced lives, to be good husbands, fathers, friends and career men. Clearly I was not demonstrating what it took to achieve any of those goals.

With those thoughts in mind, I turned off my computer, headed upstairs and went outside. To the complete surprise of my boys, I played ball hockey with them and their buddies for the rest of the afternoon. I kept my mouth shut and gave no instructions on how to play. I just played with them and let them play with me.

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It was fun. We laughed a lot, and it felt like old times again. As the day dwindled and suppertime rolled around, we walked back to our house. The boys were excitedly talking and laughing with their dad about the games we just finished. I realized how much I missed those moments, and how I never wanted to miss out on being with my sons like that again. I went to bed that night, and talked with my wife about something other than my business challenges for the first time in a long time. We snuggled and, well, the night ended on a happy moment for us, if you know what I mean!

Since that time, I’ve learned to balance my life. I’ve learned how a happy family life can enhance your success at work. I’ve implemented many strategies that allow me to balance family life and business life. I’ve had to be creative to maintain the balance, but the key is making sure your family knows they have you — all of you — when you are with them.

The joy in this story for me is that once I learned to balance my priorities, my family life was rejuvenated, and within a short period of time, my business drastically improved.

I was happier, more creative, positive and confident, and I believe my improved self was the key to growing that little business that was barely clearing $30,000 a year to a company that now has more than 280 employees and generates approximately $6.5 million worth of business annually.

No matter if you are working for someone and chasing the career dream or building your own business, I can’t encourage you enough to ensure you are consciously making sure you are building balance within your life. I think you will be happier if you do, and I believe if you are happier in your life you will find greater success all the way around.

Tom Watson is the author of Man Shoes: The Journey to Becoming a Better Man, Husband & Father. For more information about the book, visit Manshoes.net.

Scoreboard

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change Agent The rise, fall and return of Leigh Steinberg WRITTEN By Ron Matejko Photo by Clint Silverhorn // Location provided by Signature Vacation Homes (Gosvh.com)

I

t was sometime in 2008 and Leigh Steinberg found himself sitting alone in an apartment, deep in the throes of a painful divorce.

The breakup not only signaled a separation from his wife, but his three children as well. Not having that daily interaction with his children was too much to bear — especially for someone who cherished relationships and family so much.

During the months he was alone, with only his thoughts to keep him company, Steinberg found he could no longer cope. Not only from the devastation of losing his family, but also the long line of other personal and professional losses he experienced during the last eight years.

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Scoreboard

Leigh Steinberg became a star who often was surrounded by stars. Pictured: André 3000 of OutKast, Michael Irvin, Leigh Steinberg, Deion Sanders and Big Boi of OutKast. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage)

Beginning with financial losses he incurred due to the Internet crash of 2000, then becoming the focus of a personally hurtful lawsuit (brought by a pair of agents who left him to start their own firm), having two of his three children born with an incurable eye disease, losing two homes to mold, and then suffering the death of his father, the divorce pushed Steinberg over the edge. In search of a source of strength to deal with all the adversity, he turned to alcohol.

As is often the case with those who take this path, Steinberg didn’t find any solutions in the bottle. In fact, his problems only escalated. The man, who for more than 37 years had carefully crafted a holistic image for his innovation of combining sports representation with social responsibility, was destroying his reputation as the pioneer and leader of an ultra-competitive industry.

The alcohol caused Steinberg to behave in ways he normally wouldn’t. Accusations of inappropriate behavior surfaced.

Headlines about public displays of drunkenness brought his issues to light. He was reaching bottom. In late 2009, realizing it was time for a change, Steinberg decided to step away from his practice, which had also been affected by his troubles, and took a much needed break.

“My dad raised me with two core values: one was to treasure relationships, especially family, and the other to be an agent of change,” Steinberg explains. “But on the first one, my children didn’t ask to be born, I parented them. And to lose the everyday intimacy and interchange with them was a major catastrophe.

For the first time in my life, I was in an apartment by myself and among other things, began to drink too much.

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“I also felt as if I needed to explore a more spiritual side of life and try to understand my relationship with a higher power because the pace and frenetic nature of being scheduled virtually 18 hours a day, never lent any time for reflection, and I felt a void on that score. I realized if I kept working and kept up the pace of activity, I might come to the end of my life without understanding the meaning of it. So I knew it was time for a period of reflection and a period to focus on some inner growth.

While I had spent a lifetime changing the world, I had neglected focusing on my inner self.”

Up until that point, Steinberg had changed the world. He certainly turned the sports industry upside down in 1975, when as a law student at Cal-Berkley, pioneered the sports management industry by negotiating a record-breaking contract for classmate Steve Bartkowski, whom Steinberg represented in the 1975 NFL Draft. During the years that followed, Steinberg built an unrivaled sports representation firm that included nearly 200 of the top names in sports, such as Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Oscar de la Hoya and Lennox Lewis, to name just a few. The laid-back Steinberg became the face of the industry and a sports-business icon. Much like the famous athletes he represented, he became a larger-than-life figure.

Steinberg also changed the world with his passion for philanthropy and involvement in social causes. From developing his clients into role models and steering more than $600 million to hundreds of charities and foundations, to raising awareness about concussions and youth sports issues, and the countless time he has dedicated to environmental, economic and political

KNOWING YOUR OWN HEALTH IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. Eric Lindros Concussion Jerome Bettis Asthma

Mario Lemieux Hodgkin’s Disease Ray Lewis Torn Triceps

Brett Favre Concussion

Torn Rotator Cuff

Steve McNair Torn Biceps

Alonzo Mourning Kidney Disease Francisco Liriano Torn UCL

Willis McGahee Broken Ribs

Sean Elliot Kidney Disease

Adam Morrison Type 1 Diabetes Lance Armstrong Testicular Cancer

Mike Lowell Testicular Cancer

Philip Rivers Torn ACL

Hideki Matsui Broken Wrist

Eric Davis Colon Cancer Nenê Testicular Cancer

Shaun Livingston Torn ACL, MCL, PCL

Michael Peca Fractured Tibia Deuce McAllister Torn ACL LaMarcus Aldridge Plantar Fasciitis

All sports fans follow their favorite players’ health. However, not all fans pay enough attention to their own.

For a complete list of the tests you need, and when you need them, go to www.AHRQ.gov/realmen

Scoreboard

Leigh Steinberg was a primary influence for the title character in the film Jerry Maguire, who was portrayed by Tom Cruise (pictured).

Leigh Steinberg … |||| ||||

Represented 60 first-round picks.

||||

WAS AN Advisor for films Jerry Maguire, Any Given Sunday and For the Love of the Game.

||||

Founded Green Sports Alliance to utilize sports as a tool to address environmental issues.

||||

Founded the Steinberg Leadership Institute, preparing students to fight racism and inequality throughout the world.

||||

Wrote the best-selling book Winning with Integrity (1998).

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Served on separate committees to stop relocation by the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Rams franchises.

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Sold his sports agency with partner Jeff Moorad in 1999 for $100 million.

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Received commendations from presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton.

|||| ||||

HAS Spoken at more than 75 universities.

|||| 50

Represented the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL Draft a record eight times.

Remains active in promoting youth sports issues.

former

Was Among the first to address the severity of concussions among athletes.

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issues, Steinberg proved he is about more than showing his clients the money. In fact, it was this drive to leave a positive mark on the world, as well as a concern about the legacy he left behind for his family, that largely steered him out from the depths of his substance abuse. “It was a realization in late 2009, early 2010, that I had a public identity and a good set of core values and tried to be a good father, but facing another year of recruiting professional athletes, another year of running a business, [I] recognized that I simply needed recharging. I needed to take a pause and I became apprehensive that I had never suffered a mid-life crisis because I had children and I parented my way right through that. As opposed to someone who got married young, we had our last child when I was 46. I was actively parenting through that period, where other people my age started to have grandchildren.

“I also began to question whether I shouldn’t be putting more effort into the issues that we as a species were facing since I was initially raised to be an activist but had gotten on this 37-year aside,” he continues. “While I was able to combine those goals with the practice, I started to think about what I would tell my children. In other words, when I asked my father in the early ’50s what he had done to make the world safe from the threat of Hitler and the threat of fascism, he was able to tell me that he fought in the military. I started to contemplate what I would tell my children when they said, ‘Didn’t you know, Dad, that fossil fuel was going away, that the quality of air and water was in peril? Didn’t you know oceans were rising, and what did you do to protect us?,’ That question haunted me.

“And there were issues like concussions that made me feel like an enabler, where I was facilitating athletes entering a sport that would eventually grind up every joint in their body and more significantly would lead many of them, because of concussion, to impaired cognitive function. So I simply felt, as Mario Savio said in the ’60s, sometimes just you have to halt the machine and have the strength to step away from it.”

And so Steinberg did just that. He walked away from his empire, handed what remained of his practice to two agents

Leigh Steinberg with Warren Moon (left), one of three former clients who were inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

who were practicing with him, and for the first time, stopped living to make everyone around him better and instead focused on improving himself.

With the support of his family and programs geared toward treating alcoholism, Steinberg began traveling down a path of sobriety, one day at a time. He learned about meditation, adopted a deeper search for inner meaning, and investigated the role of his faith. Steinberg, who reportedly weighed more than 250 pounds at one point, also took a renewed interest in his health, often frequenting the gym and losing a significant amount of the weight he gained when he was drinking. “I woke up one day and realized I was 61 years old. How did that happen?” he jokes.

Those steps addressed his mind and body. He tapped into his soul by increasing his involvement in social causes. Steinberg wrote books on youth athletics, in addition to his autobiography (out later this year), while also frequently speaking out about concussions and many humanitarian issues.

His return to sports representation, however, will be his bread and butter, and Steinberg has big plans to again reinvent the industry, now that he’s comfortable with his progress since stepping back nearly two years ago. “I started to miss the time I spent around sports and missed that teaching-counseling function,” Steinberg explains. “I still like to negotiate and feel like Robin Hood. I still had a desire to impact popular culture and sports in this country. I had books I wanted to write, movies I wanted to make, television shows to develop, and a whole new set of community-oriented goals to accomplish.”

But Steinberg realizes that part of his return to prominence will entail rebuilding trust among the members of the sports industry, many of whom were last exposed to Steinberg during his most public of transgressions. “The reality is, that if I’ve had some personal issues, it wasn’t a matter of being dishonest or hurting people other than those closest to me, it was a matter of dealing with internal issues and hopefully, I’ve done that,” Steinberg says. “I am far from getting married again,” he

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continues. “I won’t have any more children get an eye disease.

I don’t have another father to lose, and hopefully I won’t lose another home to mold. My life was so charmed and golden for so long, I think if anything I have a deeper appreciation for the struggles and circumstances people can find themselves in. I hope it will make me better in terms of relating to the totality of the people I run into. For athletes that have a social conscious and want to leave a legacy and make a difference in the world, I think we’ll find each other.”

Now that Steinberg has his own house in order, it is time for the real-life Jerry Maguire to return to the industry he innovated, with plans to be bigger and better than before. In addition to player representation, his plans for Steinberg Sports include consulting or producing a variety of content across all forms of media including new technologies and applications, development of inspiring sports-themed movies that are based on true stories, building out a market in education on the art of negotiation, as well as marketing, memorabilia and naming rights opportunities.

He’ll also continue development of the Sporting Green Alliance, which uses sports as a platform to address environmental issues and speaking out about concussions, youth sports issues and humanitarian issues. He’s being honest about his past and looking forward to the future. And if that means using his battle with alcohol as a vehicle to satisfy his desire to help make the world a better place, then he is all for it.

“My basic feeling on this is if I can help one person who is either searching spiritually or feeling a sense of emptiness, and it helps them, then that is what I was put on this earth to do,” Steinberg says. “I don’t have any illusions that the billions of dollars in contracts I’ve done will stand the test of time. Putting your name on a building won’t necessary stand the test of time, the newspaper clippings will fade. What are you left with? You’re left with the quality of relationships you had and whether or not you made a difference in this world. I’ve found that Americans love the fall of the high and mighty, and almost revel in it. But the only thing I like more is a comeback story.”

Feature

The happy Hotelier Chip Conley proves you can mix business and pleasure.

Written by Craig Morgan

J

ane Howard had only been working for Chip Conley for three months when she witnessed tangible proof that she had made the right career move. A room attendant at one of Joie de Vivre’s hotel properties, who couldn’t speak English, arrived at corporate headquarters with another, English-speaking woman who was representing her for a complaint regarding a co-worker. Howard’s office was stationed just off the reception area, so she could hear the entire conversation. “[The attendant] wanted to speak to Chip Conley,” Howard says.

A few minutes later, Conley emerged and greeted both women warmly, inviting them back into his office.

“I was the new VP of employee development, so this was really my job,” Howard says. “I wondered how long it would take before Chip brought them in to see me, so I looked at my watch.” Fifty minutes passed before Conley finally arrived in Howard’s office.

“What I loved about that moment was that it happened so early in my tenure,” she says. “I thought, ‘Wow, the founder and CEO just stopped everything he was doing to meet with a room attendant who didn’t speak English, and then he spent the better part of an hour making sure she felt respected and her problem was solved.’”

Conley’s transformational leadership style has been well chronicled in publications such as Fortune and The Wall Street Journal. And the unique designs of JDV’s boutique hotels have captured countless awards, both for their inspirational spaces and for the invigorating experience they create for guests and employees alike.

But this isn’t some formula Conley concocted solely for business profit or notoriety. It’s a life philosophy he employs every day, whether in the workplace, at the corner store, in the books he writes or in the handful of philanthropic ventures in which he is fully engaged. One such venture is the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, which is committed to transforming the disadvantaged Tenderloin and surrounding San Francisco neighborhoods into a better living place by providing affordable housing to a diverse, low-income population.

Conley’s philosophy is inspired by famed psychology professor Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in which the most fundamental needs such as food and water are at the bottom, while the needs for self-actualization are at the top. But Conley has put his own spin on it, with elements of Buddhism and advice from his corporate-disenchanted father, who implored him to “go your own way.”

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Feature

The name of the company Conley founded, Joie de Vivre, says it all. “Simply put, it means finding joy in everything you do,” Conley says. “That doesn’t mean I’m hanging out at the beach all day. I’m a type A guy, so I’m constantly moving, but I like to ask, ‘Where’s the joy in it?’”

In the late 1980s, fresh out of Stanford Business School, Conley was finding little joy in his occupation as a project manager for a commercial real estate developer. “It was more of a job than a calling,” he says.

Armed with a real estate background but only a trace of hotel knowledge, Conley discovered a broken-down hotel in the Tenderloin District that was in bankruptcy on a short-term lease. He formed a group, raised the necessary funds, bought it and transformed it, as his website says, into the Phoenix Hotel, “a legendary rock ’n’ roll hotel catering to the likes of David Bowie, Linda Ronstadt and Little Richard.”

Joie de Vivre now encompasses more than 30 properties in California and Arizona, with affiliates in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Miami and London. Each property is as unique as the neighborhood, city and region in which it resides. For example, JDV’s Scottsdale, Arizona, property, The Saguaro, is inspired by the contemporary architecture of Mexico and the Arizona desert — designed around the native colors

and light of the surrounding landscape.

“We have really put color back into the property,” The Saguaro General Manager Alan Klein says. “For many years, it was stark, with lots of black and white, but the architecture, with the clean lines it carries, really allows you to add a multitude of colors that really show off that design.”

And that was by design. Conley explains, “In the early stages, while our boutique hotel business was getting off the ground, independent hotels were old and dusty and didn’t have any personality that represented the nature of lifestyles today. One of my greatest joys was to create really unique hotels, and I am proud that no one CEO in the world has created more hotels than I have.”

Creating an inspirational space was one thing. Creating an inspirational environment was the crowning achievement that vaulted JDV to success — both critical and financial.

Joie de Vivre Hotels was the winner of the 2010 Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI), ranked highest in customer satisfaction among upper-upscale hotel brands. JDV’s individual properties have captured a litany of awards from various publications in the past two years, such as Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure.

But the company is just as decorated for its workplace environment.

“We pay average salaries, so it’s not like we’re one of the best compensators in the industry,” Conley says. “But we give every salaried person a month-long sabbatical every three years, we have all kinds of events, and we have an accessible culture with less layers, which makes people feel comfortable emailing me or calling me, no matter what they do for the company, because they feel like I’ll listen.”

That, Howard says, is what sets Conley apart. “It’s the emotional connection to employees and customers that Chip really brings,” she adds. “Look at the select companies we love — Southwest Airlines, Google, Apple, Harley-Davidson — they all have it. Their employees love them. Their customers love them, and their investors love them.”

Conley stepped down as JDV’s CEO in the fall of 2010 to pursue two other passions: writing and public speaking. He has authored four books. The latest, Emotional Equations, tells his personal, recent story of “being the CEO of a company when you don’t want to do it any more.” Conley remains JDV’s executive chairman and chief creative officer and says he is still involved, to some degree, with the company he founded — he just reached a point where he wanted to pursue other avenues. But he is still fully committed to making an impact,

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Chip Conley’s business philosophy is inspired by famed psychology professor Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in which the most fundamental needs such as food and water are at the bottom, while the needs for selfactualization are at the top.

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Self - actualization

Morality, creativity, spontaneity, problemsolving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts

Esteem

Self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect from others

Love / Belonging

Friendship, family, sexual intimacy

Safety

Security of: body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, property

Physiological

Breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion

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Chip Conley built his Joie de Vivre Hotels with a mix of unique design and color to inspire both his guests and employees. Photo courtesy of Cesar Rubio.

“ One of my greatest joys was to create really unique hotels.” a fact underlined by his philanthropic achievements. “He has a lot of credibility in the business community, so when he speaks about us, it carries great weight,” says TNDC Executive Director Donald Falk.

“But he genuinely believes in our goals and he has a great affection for the Tenderloin.

He’s just a real down-to-earth person with an enormous social conscience.”

TNDC and Conley created an unorthodox fundraiser 20 years ago — the celebrity pool

toss — to help TNDC ramp up its efforts in impoverished neighborhoods. Conley co-hosts the event each year, and aside from his private donations, the event grossed $350,000 this year.

Conley grew up in Long Beach and likes to point out that he attended the same high school as rapper and one-time Crip gang member Snoop Dogg. “Having that experience — seeing what many people experience — gave me a lot of incentive

to make an impact,” he says. “There’s a saying: noblesse oblige. It’s an obligation to make a difference, and I believe in it wholeheartedly.” The same can be said of Conley’s time-tested business philosophy.

“I will always be the crossing guard at the intersection of business and psychology,” Conley continues. “It can be a bit of an ugly pileup. I’m the one that stops everyday life and says, ‘What the hell is going on here?’”

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Occupy Wall Street reveals an unlikely lesson for fathers.

Written by Jim Wallis

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Culture Shock

“ I said it should be

clear now that wealth doesn’t trickle down, but bad values do.”

I

n the early days of Occupy Wall Street, I went up to New York to meet some of the young protesters who were camping out in Zuccotti Park. I met a young man who was part of the planning group that had been meeting since the summer. At most, they were hoping for a threeday protest, and had no idea a movement was about to be born that would stretch around the globe. They were as surprised as everyone else by the chord that was struck, and were in the midst of trying to figure it all out during those first weeks. As we talked, people kept coming up to him to consult about one thing or another, and I sensed he was a very thoughtful guy beyond his years. I decided this young leader would be a good person to ask the questions: “Why? What motivated you to do this, and what are you trying to accomplish?” I expected to hear some political anger or alienation toward Wall Street and Washington; economic critiques of big banks; some alternative policy agendas; maybe some idealistic socialist or anarchist dreams; or just a more counter-cultural reaction to the ethos of the dominant society. But what I heard both surprised and encouraged me.

The young man, who was in his early 20s, said, “Well, I’ve been thinking about my life, and I’ve decided I want to have children, you know, to be a father, and I don’t want to bring my children into the world like it is right now. I wanted to help try and change some things for the children I’d like to have.”

He wants to be a dad. That’s what led him to become a leader of Occupy Wall Street. There were many motivations in the park among the people I spoke with that first day, not all of them as profound.

The journey of being a good father doesn’t start the moment your child is born, but in the many years before in which you are building your own character and shaping the world your future children will be born into.

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I became a dad later in life. It changed me and what I was already doing as an activist and author and gave me an even deeper reason for wanting to change the world. Luke and Jack, my two boys, who are now 13 and 8, offer me a practical and personal view of the future I didn’t have before. And, as any parent will tell you, they give you a depth of feeling, of love, and of tenacity that you never had before, and still can’t quite explain to friends who don’t have kids. You don’t need to have kids to want to make the world a better place, but it does help. Until you have your own children or, as the young occupier has done, begun to imagine your own family, the future can seem more about your own life than somebody else’s.

My last book is called Rediscovering Values: A Guide for Economic and Moral Recovery, which asserted that the financial

“ Good dads help their

kids to think critically about important issues in the world today.

�

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Culture Shock

crisis was also a moral and even a spiritual one; that bad values and behaviors were at the core of the Great Recession that has caused so much pain and suffering. We lost our balance in so many ways, the gaps between the top and the bottom became greater than any time since the Great Recession, and the risky and greedy behavior of Wall Street should have been embarrassing to even the most selfinterested capitalists. A collapse of values was at the center of it all, on both Wall Street and Main Street.

I said it should be clear now that wealth doesn’t trickle down, but bad values do, and named the “new maxims” that have overtaken us: “Greed is Good,” “It’s All About Me,” and “I Want it Now.” But all this now also hits me as a dad. Those poisonous values are assaulting our children daily, and it sometimes feels to me, as a parent, that they are aimed right at my two sons through a popular culture that enshrines their short-term, narrow, and deadly perspective.

Modern advertising directly encourages our anxiety, fear and selfishness, telling us that our very identity is dependent on what and how much we consume. Again, the target is our children, teaching them the very opposite of what we were taught; not to worry about material things, to love your neighbor; but advertising says worry all the time, trust nobody, and just look out for No. 1.

Contrary to the new maxims, I countered with some new/old

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virtues in my book Enough is Enough, We’re In This Together, and what I call the Seventh Generation Mindset, drawn from our Native American peoples, which says we should evaluate decisions today by their impact on the seventh generation out. Think how radically that would change our economic, environmental, and moral decision-making. It’s clearly consistent with the perspective of a dad thinking about his kids and theirs.

So the economic crisis also has to do with being a good dad, just as my young friend at Occupy Wall Street figured out. It’s about protecting your children from the onslaught of the consumer culture and, even more importantly, instilling a very different value system in their souls. (Do a fun little quiz during television advertisements with your kids by asking one another “What are they lying about?” or “What are they trying to sell us?” See who figures it out first!)

Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned about being a good dad to my boys. Good dads teach their kids that too many people are left out and left behind, at home and around the world. Every Christmas afternoon, our family goes to the World Vision website and each boy gets to choose a gift for a family in a developing country — a goat, sheep, cow, chickens, etc., after looking at what each could do for a poor family. Then we choose some others as a family to give. This year Jack decided to sponsor a little boy named

Take time to

be a dad today.

C a l l 8 7 7- 4 D A D 4 11 o r v i s i t w w w . f a t h e r h o o d . g o v

Culture Shock

Mufti from Ghana who has the same birthday as him and they have developed a long-distance relationship. The boys also get to decide how our family gives our money away and what causes and organizations we want to support. By the end of the day, our kids are just as interested, and sometimes more, in the gifts we gave than the ones they got.

Good dads help their kids to think critically about important issues in the world today. My boys learn the difference between charity and justice — that giving is good, but rules, and policies, and laws also need to change. My son Luke’s debate team, where sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders argue questions like “Should we get out of Afghanistan?” and “Is torture ever justified?” and “What is the best way to create jobs?” While I was helping him prepare for his first debate, Luke said to me, “Dad, I know your position on all these issues, and of course I agree with you, but I have to learn both sides!”

Good dads teach their kids that the economy as it now works is not sustainable. If everybody had a Ferrari, one of the hottest cars that boys love to look at and talk about, the planet couldn’t survive.

I find that their generation has a much keener environmental sensitivity than mine does, and they are often pointing out how we as a family could live in a “greener” way. I was putting Jack in the shower one night when he forgot he had some other “business” he had to tend to first. But it took longer than expected, and the shower was still running. “Dad, this is the day after the day after the day after Earth Day, and you are wasting water!” he scolded.

Good dads teach their boys that real men play on teams. One

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of the most dominant values of our culture is rugged individualism, and it’s especially present in boys who want to be “real men.” For our family, sports have been a primary teaching environment for learning that individual effort and discipline is fundamentally linked to your teammates and to your commitment to the team. That we are indeed in this together is a primary lesson of team sports.

Ours is a baseball household, and my wife, Joy, puts a sign outside our front door which says: “We interrupt this family for baseball season.” She — despite being from England, where they don’t play baseball — has become the AA Commissioner for Northwest Little League; and I have coached both Luke and Jack since they were 5 years old. I plan my travel speaking schedule around baseball practices and games, and on the baseball field that we live right next to and where we play most of our games, I am mostly called “Coach Jim.” When Luke’s All Star Little League baseball team won the DC championship with an amazing, come-from-behind, lastinning team effort and then went to the Regional Championships in Bristol, Conn., it was an experience of a lifetime for the kids and all their families. Life lessons.

Our home is the “clubhouse” for our sons’ various teams and for school and class activities, for kids and parents alike — a role for your own house that I recommend to other parents. Joy, who is also the PTA President, loves to throw parties for parents and kids! One of the things I like most is to come home from work or a trip to find our family room full of boys. When I say, “Hi, guys,” the replies are both “Hi, Dad” and “Hi, Coach.” All the gatherings — the bedtime reading, discussions and prayers, the coaching, the play dates and

Culture Shock

sleepovers are all part of the social and spiritual formation we want our two boys to have. What the consumer culture does, with its backwards values, is to assault them with what is indeed another kind of negative spiritual formation, and a parent’s job is to offer something deeper and stronger than what the materialistic and popular culture does.

Good dads are present as their kids work out what it means for them to be good neighbors in this globalized world. I used to have more than 200 speaking engagements a year that kept me on the road most of the time. When I became a father, I had to cut back. I came to realize that these two boys are my most important “audience,” and if I don’t reach them with the values I hold dear, I have missed something very important. One night, Jack gave me a new strategy.

I was telling him before bed that I would be traveling the next day and wouldn’t be home the next night. “Why do you travel so much, Dad?” he asked. “Well, part of my job is to talk to people about the things we talk about at home,” I answered. Jack said, “I know that, Dad, but why don’t you just go down to the end of the street (where there is an NBC studio) even more often, talk to lots more people on television, and still be home to put us to bed?” When thinking about my work and schedule, bedtime issues come first.

I know my boys are listening and learning. Even better, they are passing these lessons along. When the sad news stories were

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breaking about the bullying of gay youth, causing some to commit suicide; I wanted my boys to know what happened and think about it. The value that “Might Makes Right” is also deeply embedded in our culture, as well as our foreign policy, and especially attractive to boys. Teaching the alternative to “might for right” is a very countercultural value that we work hard to uphold. On the way to school one day, I asked if they had heard the news about all this. Jack hadn’t and Luke had, but Jack reported that a boy he knows at his school sometimes bullied other kids. Before I could say anything, Luke spoke up to give his little brother some advice. “Jack, you are an athlete, a good student and popular. So you need to speak to him, because he will listen to you. Jack, the responsibility of the strong is to protect those who are weaker. Your job is to make sure nobody gets bullied at your school.” There was nothing more to say.

And my sons’ understanding of that message is worth more than many of the other successes that I can imagine.

My sons have become one of the primary reasons for my social activism. They aren’t just passive receptors of their parent’s values, but now are working out those values for themselves in their own world, which will one day make them good dads for their own children. The lesson from that young “occupier” rings true than whether you have children or not, you can start being a good dad today by working for a better world for everyone.

HE SAVES LIVES. YOU CAN TOO.

Help prevent suicide. If you want to learn more about the warning signs and how you can help prevent suicide, contact SAVE. There is hope and you can help. Firefighters, doctors and others save lives, you can too.

For more information www.SAVE.org

In a crisis call the National Suicide Prevention LifelineTM 1-800-273-TALK

Feature

Career Killer

Don’t let approval addiction sabotage you in the workplace.

Written by Steve Siebold

s

ome men consider themselves lucky to even have a job these days, while others sit comfortably at the top of the corporate ladder. And then there are those men who have a job and have been stuck in the same old position for years. While they have dreams of promotions to management and the C Suite, there’s something holding them back. It’s not a lack of job performance or that management doesn’t like them, but rather a more serious psychological problem that’s probably affecting all areas of their lives. It’s called approval addiction, which means you value others’ opinions above your own. It stems from believing, “I won’t be loved or accepted unless others approve of my behavior.”

Many mental health experts are convinced this addiction is worse than addiction to drugs, booze or sex, because it’s conformity at any cost, and it impacts everything we do in life.

Approval addiction is usually deeply rooted, dating back to a much earlier time in our lives. There was probably a time or times when someone close to you emphatically disagreed to the point you felt

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hurt, shocked and like you were run over by a Mack truck. It could have been a parent, sibling, best friend or teacher. It could have also been an experience in a public setting where many people disapproved. In some cases, the approval addict can recite criticism he or she received 50 years ago word for word.

Regardless of what triggered your approval addiction, the key is to look ahead and overcome this so it doesn’t interfere with your career and other areas of your life.

There are a number of common thoughts around career-related approval addiction: What if other people don’t agree with me? What will happen if I make my presentation and my co-workers think my ideas don’t make sense? I think I have a great idea for this new project, but nobody will ever go along with it. It’s better to keep quiet and stay below the radar because I really can’t take the criticism. I can’t be myself at work because no one will like the real me. My reputation will be ruined if… Making mistakes is not an option. I would be so embarrassed if a co-worker had to correct me.

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One Man’s Example Scott works in the marketing department of a national electronics retailer. He’s not in an entry-level position, but because of his prior experience he’s considered a junior account manager role. His job duties have him helping with advertising campaigns, industry trade shows and market research. Scott has worked at this company in the same role for more than two years. While he’s a good employee, smart, and always on time, he’s been overlooked for several promotions.

Scott recently had an idea that could boost sales and show a stronger ROI on marketing campaigns. While his idea seemed good in his own mind, he knew the company would have to front some money to implement it, and he was only 80 percent sure it would actually prove successful. Still, it would be worth speaking to management about it.

The problem for Scott is that he suffers from approval addiction, so he kept the idea to himself. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In fact, there have been several occasions during department meetings when others questioned Scott for being so quiet. It’s not that he’s shy or introverted; he’s just extremely addicted to the approval of others. In his mind, getting all of his co-workers and management to always be 100 percent in agreement with him is more important than anything else. He needs that validation from others in order to feel good about himself. Scott often wonders why he can’t just be himself during work, speak his mind, give input and stop being a people-pleaser.

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T:10”

Feature

Performance Anxiety At least for Scott, he was working in a career he chose. Some men hold jobs in fields that don’t interest them. The reason: to please someone else.

Mike grew up in an upper-class family. His dad was the partner in a statewide law firm, and his mom was very successful in real estate. He had everything a kid could need or want growing up, did well in school, had plenty of friends and participated in extracurricular activities.

The one thing he also had his share of was pressure to perform.

Mike’s parents made him study constantly, sit at the piano practicing for hours at a time and demand nothing but perfection.

From the way his dad spoke, Mike pretty much inherited a career in law while he was still a toddler.

Sure enough, Mike graduated at the top of his class, graduated from law school and took a job with a law firm. As smart as Mike is, he never became a great lawyer. He bluffed his way through his job each day, but deep down inside, he was miserable. He was living somebody else’s dream. The one thing Mike loved more than anything else growing up was cars. He dreamed of building them, taking them apart and even racing them. He never pursued that dream because he knew his parents would never approve. He was making good money practicing law, but always felt as if something was missing.

Get Help In the worst cases, approval addiction can eventually lead to depression. Those suffering usually reach a breaking point when they realize they are doing everything in their lives to make other people happy and not doing anything to fulfill their own dreams and aspirations. At this point, it will be much more than your career; everything you do will be severely impacted.

If you are addicted to the approval of others and it interferes with your career or any other area of your life, seek professional help. Find a specialist in cognitive behavioral therapy who can help you focus on your emotions, behaviors and thought process.

The good news is that once you overcome approval addiction to any significant degree, you’re free of the psychological chains that bind you from ever experiencing world-class success.

You’ll quickly catapult your level of success in your career, and everything else will fall into place because you’ll be living for you.

As Bill Gove, the father of the professional speaking business used to say, “I am responsible to my employees, customers, and business associates, to be honest, sincere, and to act with integrity… but I am not responsible for their attitudes or behavior towards me. I hope they like me. It’s more pleasant that way, but if not, it’s not my problem.”

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Information Steve Siebold is one of the world’s most noted experts in the field of mental toughness training. He is the author of the international best-selling book 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of The World Class.

Or visit: Speakerstevesiebold.com and Mentaltoughnesssecrets.com

Rebel with a cause

45,000 //////////////////////////

the number of words the average pencil holds

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The Stuff

Adam Braun’s Pencils of Promise, with a little help from Justin Bieber, is bringing education to impoverished children.

Written by Troy Anderson // Photos by Nick Onken, Pencils of Promise

A

dam Braun was a Brown University student backpacking around the globe when he discovered his higher calling in life. In India, amid devastating poverty, he saw a young boy begging on the street and asked him what he wanted most in the world. “A pencil,” the boy replied.

“I gave him my pencil and he lit up,” Adam says. “He was so excited about it.

It was this really transformative moment where I suddenly realized the power of education. It’s a great metaphor.”

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Million

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Adam grew up in Greenwich, Conn., an affluent suburb of New York City. Many of his friends’ parents worked in the financial industry in New York, and he became fascinated with Wall Street, dreaming of one day becoming an investment banker. “I was really interested in finance and making as much money as possible,” Adam says. “I had a lot of early formative experiences at hedge funds, private equities and banks. I just had that kind of entrepreneurial edge. I’ve created and run small businesses since I was a little kid.”

Adam had a great girlfriend and great friends, made good grades, played varsity basketball and looked forward to living the life he always wanted. But that little boy’s answer in India — “a pencil” — would be course-altering.

Following his trip to India, Adam spent five years backpacking through more than 50 countries, handing out thousands of pencils across six continents and talking with the local children and their parents. Their stories made it clear there was a need for an international charity that could help the tens of millions of children in the world who don’t have access to an education, and Adam began to envision an organization that could build schools based on a model of community ownership and empowerment.

Adam came back to the U.S. a man on fire, wanting to help these people gain access to the quality of education he had growing up. His father, Ervin, says he and his wife saw the writing on the wall when Adam told them how astonished he was at the level of poverty and lack of education throughout the world. “He almost couldn’t understand why he was so blessed to have this opportunity when so many millions don’t,” Ervin says.

Knowledge is Power Adam’s desire to bring global attention to the issue of education in the developing world is an issue close to his family’s heart — an ideal first emphasized by his grandmother, Eva Braun. She grew up in a small village in Hungary and attended a one-room school with one teacher, an experience that impressed upon her the importance of a good education. At age 14, the Nazis sent her and her family to the Auschwitz concentration camp, but she’s the only one who made it out. “There were a hundred miracles that helped me survive,” says Eva, now 81. After the Allies liberated the concentration camps in 1945, Eva returned to Hungary and eventually married and escaped with her husband to the United States during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Her husband studied dentistry in Hungary, and so he became a dental technician in the U.S. They stressed the importance of a good eduction to their two children, both of whom grew up to also become dentists and even marry other dentists.

“My husband and I thought education was the most important thing,” Eva says. “To help people get an education, that helps the whole society — the kids and everybody. We came to this country and sent our children to college. The most important thing to us was their educations.”

Adam, who graduated from Brown magna cum laude, made it his mission to spread his grandmother’s — and his own — confidence in the power of education to the far corners of the world. Following his extensive worldwide travels, he landed a job at consulting firm Bain & Company, where he soaked up as much knowledge as he could.

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Rebel with a cause

Combining the skills he learned at B&C with the information he gained from talking to the directors of nonprofits worldwide, Adam finally made his philanthropic dream a reality in October 2008 with the founding of his organzation, the appropriately named Pencils of Promise (PoP). The initial investment? $25.

“Adam was a brilliant student throughout his academic career,” Ervin says. “He was just very gifted in numbers, economics and finance. When he said he wanted to pursue a career in philanthropy, we were a little concerned. I said to Adam, ‘Why don’t you combine your instincts in finance with your burning desire to create good in the world.

Instead of building a couple of schools, why don’t you become successful in building a whole education system in the developing world?’”

To raise money for PoP, Adam threw a birthday party, asking friends to give $20 at the door. About 400 people came, raising $8,000. He later hosted a masquerade party and asked people to donate $60 each. He threw another party for New Year’s Eve and soon had enough money to build his first school in Laos. “By the time I got home [from

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Laos], four months later, we had a school built, there was a movement following us online, mainly on Facebook, and I started to build leadership and volunteer teams,” Adam says.

In the beginning, the 20-something volunteers met after work from their corporate jobs. Then PoP built three schools, established a presence in more than 20 cities and brought on more than 100 individuals as

january-february 2012

core members. In its first two years, 98 percent of the donations were for amounts of $100 or less, about half of which came from members of the Millennial generation and other socially conscious youth. Today, more than 400,000 people follow PoP on Facebook or Twitter, or are part of its email and donor database. “We have the largest social media following of any nonprofit started in the last four years,” Adam says.

nce upon a time, there were a dozen eggs.

What’s a dozen? a little boy asked his father. A dozen is twelve, his dad said, count them.

The boy counted: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,

©2005 United Way of America. Registered trademark of United Way of America.

eight, nine, ten, a lemon, twelve! That’s right! said the dad. And do you know where eggs come from? he asked.

Yes! shouted the boy. Where? said Dad. The store! Dad laughed and laughed. He couldn’t argue with that one.

Everyday moments can become learning moments. Because learning starts long before school does. So tell stories. Count the groceries. Identify colors. Even a chore with your child will become much more. Find out more at bornlearning.org.

Rebel with a cause Superstar Support Since its founding, PoP has built or broken ground on more than 50 schools in Laos, Nicaragua and Guatemala and raised more than $3 million. And its unique approach to establishing schools — which has been applauded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Barbara Walters and Katie Couric —involves an impressive amount of generous support, as well as on-site research and development.

To build a school, PoP first meets with the education ministry to get a list of the villages with the greatest educational needs. “The way the model works is very different than most,” Adam says. “We don’t just come in and say, ‘We want to build a school here,’ show up with a bunch of Westerners, build a full school and leave a village with this big, beautiful structure left there.”

Next, PoP staff members visit the villages to gain an understanding of the culture and learn how to best help create a sustainable school system for the area. A community is required to provide 20 percent of the

“By giving $1 per ticket, what he’s actually done is turn hundreds of thousands of fans into a new generation of philanthropists,” Adam says. funding and must agree to train and provide a teacher for each classroom. “They don’t have to put up the actual dollars,” Adam explains, “but what they do is make it up by collecting the raw materials and actually performing the labor.” Once constructed, thanks to the dedicated work of village volunteers and local laborers, the school is provided supplies via PoP and its Sanitation, Hygiene, Identity, Nutrition and Environment (SHINE) program to ensure long-term student and school success.

Of course, PoP admits the success in funding these schools could not be achieved without the support of many individuals, businesses, organizations and very generous high-profile celebrities — international

Pictured left to right: Usher, with Justin Bieber, who is a major supporter of Pencils of Promise, and Jaden Smith.

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“pop” superstar Justin Bieber, to name one.

Bieber — whose talent manager, Scott “Scooter” Braun, is Adam’s brother — graciously donated $1 per ticket from the second leg of his North American tour to PoP, and has earmarked a portion of profits from his concerts, fragrance and new album (Under the Mistletoe) to PoP and other charities. “By giving $1 per ticket, what he’s actually done is turn hundreds of thousands of fans into a new generation of philanthropists,” Adam says. “From the start, we’ve always cared about creating a movement and training a new generation of young leaders who take action at home and abroad. Justin is the perfect person to represent that for a new generation.”

Odds of having 3 multi-platinum albums

Toni Braxton encourages you to learn the signs of autism at autismspeaks.org Early diagnosis can make a lifetime of difference. © 2010 Autism Speaks Inc. “Autism Speaks” and “It’s time to listen” & design are trademarks owned by Autism Speaks Inc. All rights reserved. Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment.

Rebel with a cause

10

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the increase in wages a child will earn as an adult with A Single year Of Primary School //////////////////////////

The 17-year-old international recording superstar is a spokesperson for the organization and one of its biggest supporters.

He often encourages his 14 million Twitter followers and other fans to do whatever they can to make the world a better place, whether it is through volunteering, donating to PoP and other nonprofits, or as he urges in his song “Pray,” praying for healing or divine assistance.

“Growing up, I never really had a lot,” Bieber told the crowd at a recent jampacked fundraising gala, which raised more than $1 million for PoP. “I grew up with my mom. My mom raised me. She did an amazing job, but we didn’t have a lot of money. We lived in low-income housing.

She was doing everything she could to make sure I was taken care of. My grandparents helped us a lot. They were always coming over with groceries.”

Ervin explains, “What people don’t know about Justin is that he’s just a regular kid with a giant heart. He loves children and is so caring for others. Scooter introduced him to what Adam is doing and they just all felt it was a good thing to do. The thought of being able to help these young kids around the world was a natural for him.”

A Millennial Movement Adam says the Millennial generation, teens and 20-somethings, is one of collaborators who are collectively achieving the mission of making a positive contribution to the world. He believes this generation wants to have lives filled with meaning and depth, much like he did when founding PoP.

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“I think there is a shift in consciousness among the emerging generation,” Adam says. “We realize that through digital platforms and other tools, every person can create good, and it’s not limited to a select few. You feel better about the way you’re spending your time and the meaning and purpose of your life when you are giving back and helping others make a change.”

Adam hopes PoP will become the Millennial generation’s first great “for-purpose” organization to make a significant impact on the world. “We’re part of the Millennial generation that is starting to come of age and we feel we can do something great,” he says.

The work PoP is doing couldn’t be more in line with this generation’s vision to make a positive contribution. Today, one in five adults, or 862 million people, in the developing world can’t read or write.

Illiteracy is one of the strongest predictors of poverty. Women’s illiteracy rates exceed 70 percent in more than 20 developing nations.

For millions of children, the future is bleak: 125 million primary school-aged children, two-thirds of whom are girls, are not in school. Approximately 150 million children do not complete primary school, and another 200 million suffer in poor learning environments, according to CARE, a humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.

“Education is the key to unlocking the potential in any individual,” Adam says.

“And just because somebody isn’t born into a life that starts in the states — Iowa, New York City or Los Angeles — doesn’t make them any less qualified or any less capable of creating an impact in the world versus someone who was born in Laos, Nicaragua or Ghana.”

january-february 2012

Education is at the heart of social and economic development. Education reduces poverty and crime, lowers child mortality rates and promotes economic growth, social cohesion and good governance.

Educated mothers are more likely to have healthier children and higher incomes, and studies show that education contributes to the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Research has found that every year of schooling increases individual wages for both men and women by 10 percent.

At the fundraising gala, Adam shared his plans for the upcoming year and shared a story about a recent two-week trip he and Bieber took to Africa. The experience made an impact on both of them and provided a clear direction on where they, and PoP, could next facilitate positive change.

“We were driving through Mozambique and Justin was looking at all these slums,” Adam recalls. “I think it was his first time in the developing world and he just looked at me, and I swear, he was like, ‘I feel like I’m going to cry. Can’t you do something about it?’ And I’m proud to announce we are going to Africa. We are going to be in Ghana by July 1.”

PoP hopes to have broken ground on 100 schools in Asia, Latin America and Africa by the end of 2012. And it will continue to focus on building schools mostly in rural locations, where the average family income is $300 to $500 per year, and children lack not only access to an education, but even the most basic education-related resources, such as paper, books and writing supplies.

“A pencil holds 45,000 words on average,” Adam says. “And so with that one small act [of giving a pencil], you can unlock a child’s true promise — which is why we call it Pencils of Promise.”

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To learn more about PoP and how to get involved, visit Pencilsofpromise.org

//////////////////////////////////////////

The fight against cancer isn’t up2 somebody else.

It’s up2 me. It’s up2 you. It’s up2 every single one of us.

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Serve Rebel Events .............. pg. 86 Get Involved . ............. pg. 88 Give Back ................... pg. 92 Backstory . .................. pg. 96

Rebel Events, pg. 86

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Events

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Charity Drive Join us in our mission to help the community.

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irst off, if you are reading this, we thank you for taking an interest in rebel magazine. Now that we have captured your attention, this is also the perfect opportunity to let you know that the rebel brand is about more than our print and iPad magazines. Our other core mission is to reach out to the community and get involved. Whether that means offering up our assistance to an existing cause or a new venture, rebel wants to partner with you and help make a difference.

Rebel is currently building out its community events schedule for 2012 and is seeking organizations as potential partners to help those in need. Our interests range far and wide, but there is definitely a soft spot for opportunities that help men become better men, since that is in line with the overall mission of the rebel brand.

In addition to our readership, rebel can offer the use of this sleek luxury bus that is pictured above. The rebel bus can serve as an attention-getting mobile billboard to promote an event, help with transportation or be utilized in any other way you can imagine to benefit a charitable organization or event.

Since our last issue, rebel has been involved in a couple of community events. In one case, the bus was used to transport team rebel and a group of volunteers to a Habitat for Humanity location where we helped frame a three-unit townhouse. In another case, use of the rebel bus was donated and put up for bid to help raise funds during a recent Make-A-Wish outing.

If you would like to contact rebel and discuss how we can work together, contact Michael Kelley at 480.951.8000 or michael@rebel4men.com.

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GUARD IT WITH YOUR LIFE.

W I T H A S T R O K E , T I M E L O S T I S B R A I N L O S T. If you suddenly have or see any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately: Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body • Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding • Difficulty seeing in one or both eyes • Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination • Severe headache with no known cause

Learn more at StrokeAssociation.org or 1-888-4-STROKE. ©2004 American Heart Association Made possible in part by a generous grant from The Bugher Foundation.

NOTE TO PUB: DO NOT PRINT INFO BELOW, FOR ID ONLY. NO ALTERING OF AD COUNCIL PSAs.

Get Involved

Architecture for Humanity

In Good Company

Three businesses offer different ways to earn green by being green.

Written by Ron Matejko

B

usiness doesn’t have to be all about greed and improving the bottom line to satisfy shareholders.

There are many examples of companies that were founded based on socially conscious principals and the goal of making the world a better place. Rebel has identified three companies that are not only doing good business but offer opportunities to get involved and make a difference ourselves.

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Founded in 1999, Architecture for Humanity is a nonprofit design services firm that seeks architecture solutions to global crises, and acts as a conduit between the design community and humanitarian needs. That may not sound very sexy, but this organization is making a big impact on building a more sustainable future worldwide.

By tapping a network of more than 50,000 professionals willing to lend time and expertise to helping those who would not otherwise be able to afford their services, Architecture for Humanity is offering design, construction and development services where they are most critically needed. Collectively, improved design has led to lasting change in numerous ways, including reducing poverty while providing access to water, sanitation, power and other essentials; bringing safer shelter to areas prone to natural disasters; reducing the footprint of existing structures to address climate change; and many others.

To date, Architecture for Humanity has completed hundreds of projects worldwide that have helped more than 2 million people. A couple examples include housing projects in Biloxi, Miss., following Hurricane Katrina, and reconstruction projects in Haiti.

In a changing and increasingly vulnerable world, design skills are needed more than ever. If you wish to provide pro bono services in the areas of architecture (licensed and unlicensed architects can contribute), landscape architecture, engineering and others, both short and longterm opportunities exist. Depending on the project requirements, design professionals can work on-site or remotely from their homes or offices. /////////////////////////////

To learn more or to join a local chapter, visit Architectureforhumanity.org.

DOMINIC MONAGHAN FOR

PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS

Photo: www.SebreePhoto.com Grooming: Natalia Bruschi for The Wall Group Styling: Tara Swennon for the Margaret Maldonado Agency Shot on location at the California Wildlife Center

share the world Rapid land development forces animals like raccoons, rabbits, deer, coyotes, and squirrels to live in closer proximity to people than ever before. Your actions can and do have an impact on the natural environment around you. Please consider a humane solution to wildlife issues in your community or in your own backyard. For more information on what you can do to help wild animals in your area, please visit PETA.org.

Get Involved The Appleseed Fund Many of us say we want to support companies that are doing good business.

Corporate social responsibility is at an alltime high and The Appleseed Fund provides us with an opportunity to put our money where our mouth is. The Appleseed Fund (APPLX) is a mutual fund that invests solely in undervalued sustainable companies that balance the generation of profits with an awareness of their impact on the environment and society.

The highly selective approach factors in both positive and negative attributes of a company, and layers on the organization’s own idea of what a stock could be worth.

Thestreet.com recently listed The Appleseed Fund as one of the 10 Best Mutual Funds for 2012. This information is not to be construed as investment advice; consult with a financial professional before investing in a mutual fund.

Recyclebank Unless you’re a kid collecting bottles and cans for a little ice cream money, the 5-cent redemption for each item isn’t going to do much to fatten the wallet. Any gains from recycling are more emotional — for doing something to benefit our environment — than financial. Recyclebank recognized the need for a better incentive program to entice more people to recycle and devised a plan to make the rewards quite a bit more appealing.

Through a series of programs designed to help members increase their “greenness” in their homes and neighborhoods, Recyclebank offers rewards through coupons, discounts and savings on products from most major brands. This way, we reap the rewards of not only brightening our community and helping our environment, but also truly benefit from meaningful savings. In addition, by recycling and helping to reduce the amount of items at your local landfill, your municipality will reduce its waste system costs, meaning your tax dollars can be allocated elsewhere.

Participation is simple. Sign up to have your recycle bin outfitted with a special ID tag that is provided by Recyclebank.

The bin is weighed when it’s collected, with the total weight equating to points that can be redeemed for thousands of commonly used products at more than 1,500 local and national businesses nationwide. To date, Recyclebank has more than 3 million members who are making an impact. /////////////////////////////

The number of programs and products are too great to mention here, so if you are interested in registering for an account in your area, visit Recyclebank.com.

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/////////////////////////////

For more information, visit Appleseedfund.com.

Noble Corp.

4.0%

Nabors Industries 3.8%

Novartis 6.7%

Sprott Physical Gold Trust 6.5%

Hanes Brands 4.1%

SK Telecom 4.9%

Sealed Air 6.1%

Willis Group Holdings 4.9% Mabuchi Motors 5.2%

Dr. Ci: Labo 5.2%

Appleseed Fund Top Holdings As of 9.30.11 /// % of Total Portfolio

Give Back

Coffee Talk

Starbucks launches a program to give the job market a jolt.

Written by Ron Matejko

A

merica’s employment situation is improving, but at a very slow pace.

These incremental increases in new jobs are painful for those who have suffered through long periods of unemployment, and many are understandably expressing their concern about how to expedite this process. While many are simply shouting about the problems, Starbucks CEO and Chairman Howard Schultz is setting an example for other large companies by implementing a program he hopes will be part of the solution.

In November, Schultz unveiled a new philanthropic campaign with the Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) called the Create Jobs for USA Fund. The purpose of this fund is to raise donations that will help create and sustain jobs in underserved communities throughout the United States. Donations can be made at nearly 6,800 company-operated Starbucks stores in the U.S. and online at Createjobsforusa.org.

The endeavor was kicked off with a $5 million donation from the Starbucks

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Foundation. Donors who contribute $5 or more will receive a red, white and blue wristband with the message “Indivisible.”

The wristbands are individually handmade in the U.S. and all component materials are manufactured by U.S. suppliers, so the effort is also helping support American manufacturing jobs.

“The Create Jobs for USA program and Indivisible wristbands provide Americans an opportunity to help support job creation at a time when we have alarming unemployment and many struggling small businesses,” Schultz said in a release. “The more we stimulate demand and increase the purchasing power of middle class consumers, the faster we will recover.”

Every dollar donated will go toward creating new jobs, and each donation will

january-february 2012

have a sevenfold effect, as for every $5 donated, $35 in loans will be issued to small businesses. According to the OFN, one new job will be created for every $3,000 in donations.

Schultz has been outspoken during recent months, voicing the frustrations that are shared by many regarding the inability of the U.S. government to develop a plan that addresses the current economic situation.

He says that with Washington in campaign mode, business leaders need to assume responsibility for taking meaningful steps in addressing the job market.

The program created by Starbucks represents a rare stance by a large company that is willing to put itself out front and attempt to provide a solution to our current problems. Hopefully, this program will serve as an example of a proactive measure that can make an impact, and inspire more large companies to follow suit.

Give Back

Existing to Give

Project 7 sells consumer goods to help social causes.

Written by Scott Starkel

W

rath. Greed. Sloth. Pride. Lust.

Envy. Gluttony. These seven deadly sins provide a list of character flaws that define the worst traits within us. Using these negative qualities as the foundation of a cause-related business model might seem like a stretch, but Project 7 is doing just that while improving lives around the world.

Founded in 2008, Project 7 is the brainchild of founder Tyler Merrick, who wanted to turn the seven deadly sins upside down. For example, instead of focusing on a person who is gluttonous, focus on helping the person who has nothing to eat.

The mission of Project 7 is to make positive change in seven areas of global need: Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Hope for Peace, House the Homeless, Quench the Thirsty, Teach Them Well, and Save the Earth.

The mission is accomplished by using everyday consumer goods, like bio-bottled water, gum, mints and coffee as the vehicles to fund these endeavors. Every time someone purchases one of these specially

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Contribute Project 7 is helping to change the world — one tube of gum, bottle of water, or cup of coffee at a time. To learn more about Project 7, purchase some merchandise, or find a location in your area that sells their products, visit Project7.com.

labeled products, many of which are made or packaged with recycled materials, more than half of the profits are directed toward that area of need. For example, if you buy “Teach Them Well” products, Project 7 donates to education-based causes. And a fruit tree is planted every time someone purchases a “Save the Earth” product.

The company stresses that it doesn’t want you to buy more stuff, but rather to change the way you buy. And Project 7 brings the causes to you, as their products are available nationwide in grocery stores, health food stores, coffee shops and college campuses.

They’ll even deliver them to your home.

This model allows consumers to support a

january-february 2012

specific cause, simply by making a “little purchase that makes a big impact,” as Merrick likes to say.

The company’s goal is to “Change the Score” — to make a significant, measurable difference in the lives of people around the world. Judging by the following figures, the score is starting to become lopsided in favor of the forces of good.

Take a look at what Project 7 sponsored from January through September 2011 for an idea of the impact your purchases can make.

• Served 444,115 meals in American communities.

• Planted 402,058 fruit trees.

• Provided 5,569 days of shelter, food, education and health care for orphans.

• Paid for 6,812 malaria treatments.

• Assured that 5,632 people would have clean water for a year.

• Set up 4,622 weeks of schooling for children in Africa.

•A rranged 5,352 days of counseling for children whose lives have been ravaged by war.

The most dangerous animals in the forest don’t live there.

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Backstory

The Love of Money

By Rick Cabral

T

hroughout my life I heard it said that “money is the root of all evil.” I did not pay a lot of attention to what that meant, but in certain situations, when I felt it was appropriate, I would chime in with my two cents and act like I knew something profound. However, it wasn’t until about five years ago, when my wife and I were watching a rented movie that I heard the actor say “it’s not that money is the root of all evil, but it is the love of money that is the issue.” For some reason, that particular moment hit me square in the face. Why? Because I loved money.

By the time I was 5 years old, I began to realize the value of money. I purposely kept change in my pockets so I could jingle it to impress others around me. I also accumulated dollar bills I received from birthdays or the occasional handout from my father. I kept them neatly pressed together and spent far too much time enjoying the way they smelled and felt in my hands. From my perspective, I concluded very early on that having money made you powerful, important and very happy.

Throughout my teen years I watched, in awe, men who had “made it” in our world — the athletes, business professionals and even my dad. I wanted so much to have what they had — cars, money, houses — but most of all, what I wanted was the peace that I thought came with all of that money.

By the time I got out of college, I had somehow made in my mind that concrete connection between wealth and happiness. Although I saw my father very unhappy at times with his success, I knew I

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was different. My focus on materialism and possessions had become myopic to say the least. I read many books about wealth-building and became a Tony Robbins fanatic while beginning my career in real estate development. Essentially, the chase was on.

My late 20s and early to mid 30s were a blur. I moved from New England to Arizona to start a new adventure. I came for the weather, but I also came for the pro-growth business climate. I met my future partner through an acquaintance and we quickly formed a land acquisition, holding and development company.

Aided by a very shrewd partner and my insatiable addiction to making deals, I found myself making outrageous sums of money.

Early in our partnership, I found myself obsessing over future profits, and my partner and I would plan what we would do with our proceeds. After the first 25 or 30 deals, I began to notice a sense of sadness at each closing. It was as though the larger the success, the emptier I felt. I kept wondering if this was all there was in life.

By my mid 30s, after achieving all the financial goals I could have ever imagined, I found myself at rock bottom. It was as though all I learned as a boy was a lie. From as far back as I could remember, culture and the media brainwashed me into believing financial success was the path to happiness.

As I sat in my office, with what the world would consider everything, I found myself at a crossroads in my life because I did not feel powerful, important or happy — all the things I felt I had been promised.

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