Learning to pay attention and knowing what to pay attention to is a key discipline for leaders but one that rarely comes naturally to those of us who are barreling thought life with our eyes fixed on a goal.

- Ruth Haley Barton

For those of you that have that spark in your heart for the EXTRAordinary, you may know What . He is the young boy that was the centerpiece of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory story. If you remember, Willy Wonka was determined to find the young person that had the heart [passion] to gift the entire Chocolate Factory too. Wonka was not looking for the smarts to run it because he could train the young person about chocolate this and chocolate that. Instead, he wanted Charlie Bucket, a young person who had the character, integrity, and heart to nurture the organization and take care of the Umpa Lumpas.

A real life story:

There was a young college sophomore that found a passion in his business classes to open an outdoor outfitter by the age of 30. He had 8 years, so he started working toward the goal. Every project he did in his Management and Marketing classes were based around an outdoor outfitter’s success. His diligence and precision would drive his professors crazy, telling him to work on other industries and products. The student would not let up! During this time, he was working for an outfitter and took a semester off to thru hike the Appalachian Trail (yeah, all 2100 miles). When he returned, the owner approached him about rising in leadership and grooming him in the industry. Years later, the student (now graduate) and owner made a win-win agreement for buyout over 6 years because the student had the heart for it! That young man was my brother, Jason Berry, co-owner of Footsloggers in Boone, NC and he started the buy-out at 26 years old. Jason heard his heart and listened, but most importantly; the owner recognized his employee’s heart and listened.

I have spent my adult life searching for the Charlie Bucket candidates to recruit and build. I have run into thousands of mediocre candidates that when asked “What is your dream job?” they respond with “to work at your company.” I call that bull *%#$! If your dream job is to work at my company, you are deranged! Living a life higher than mediocre means so much more than a company, it means changing the world and defining reality.

Do you know who your organization’s Charlie Bucket is? Are you the Charlie Bucket of your organization? Have you ever met a Charlie Bucket in another organization? This is why we startedSocial Village, to help people, organizations, and businesses find them!

There will be more to the Charlie Bucket story to come. I have plenty of stories of those young people that I would bet my life’s work. They are the bold thinkers of their generation. I would like to hear your stories. Also, if you feel you have the “Bucket,” I want to humbly coach you to greatness. The best thing that EVER happened to me was for leaders to tell me I was Charlie Bucket! If you find one, tell them immediately and coach them intensely. Let their head grow large with the idea of making the world a better place!

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorius triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

I bid you a EPIC journey until we meet again! –  Theodore Roosevelt

Monday, on the MTV Video Awards, Kanye West showed his true colors re: what he thinks about himself and how he values other people’s talents, skills and feelings. If you have not seen the video, I would suggest that you watch it.

It’s our belief here at Social Village that every opportunity is a learning opportunity and every experience is a learning experience. That being said, what can we learn from Kanye West?

1)    No matter what your opinion on a situation or topic, how you voice that opinion can overshadow what you actually say. Think about how people will perceive you!

2)    Just because — in the heat of the moment — something seems like a good thing to do or say, does not mean it is. Take the time to think about and clearly evaluate what you have to say before you verbalize it.

3)    In the Village, everything you say and everything you do has an affect on someone else. Since Monday, Kanye has been on a lot of TV and web shows apologizing for what he did. All the while, Taylor Swift’s CD’s sales are soaring and Kanye’s approval rating is now crashing.

4)    Respect others. Enough said!

This morning I was sent this email, which I found astounding. There are still people out there who just don’t get blogging! Do people really still think this way? Really?

Does your company see the value of blogging? Or do they view it the way this company does?

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Marketing Specialist to Marketing Director:

“We have spoken about this in the past and only mentioned the value to [CEO] in speaking a few months back. A WordPress/Blog functionality would be a great fit for showcasing our value on our new website. Can you and I discuss for a few moments today?”

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Marketing Director to Marketing Specialist:

“This takes time and effort to even consider an much more to actually implement/maintain.

For what end in mind would we consider or pursue such a thing?”

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Marketing Director to Business Development Officer for Approval:

Your thoughts?”

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“No blog for Company Z or Company Y. We don’t want Companyt Z or Company Y resources consumed on this at this time or in a maintenance mode hereafter. If Department X and Department Y wants to pay the [web administrator] to set it up for them and wants to spend time blogging…that’s their cost to shoulder. Thanks”