Sweetheart, You're Home

Today I rose at 3:00 am to join over one hundred people at Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. At 4:20 am, a flight of US Army troops touched down for the first time on US soil after over a year serving in Iraq. These men and women were met by cheering veterans, families, volunteers, even dogs for a surprise welcome home. Led by bagpipes and a young boy in an army fatigues (probably a Boy Scout), these military men and women were completely surprised to have the community come out in the wee hours to an old terminal, closed to commercial flights, in the middle of nowhere.

Now you’ve met the Pease Greeters, men and women dedicated to greeting every military flight to and from Afghanistan and Iraq, 7x24x365. Day, night, rain, sleet and snow hundreds of Pease Greeters gather to welcome, hug, shake hands, and be the face of America until they reach their loved ones at home.

After getting a much needed cup of coffee, the troops attended a brief ceremony where flags, battle cries, and salutes were exchanged, a professional singer (dedicated volunteer) sang the National Anthem, and a chaplain led the Lord’s Prayer.

Then, with camera’s flashing, the troops boarded their flight to Ft. Bragg for a week long debrief before going home to their families. Imagine being the first American civilian these men and women have seen in over a year? There wasn’t a dry eye in the terminal.

As they were boarding the plane, we lined up to say goodbye. I couldn’t help giving many, many much appreciated hugs. Then, one of the service women, with tears in her eyes, melted in tears as I held her in my arms and said, “Sweetheart, you’re home.”

Join me to support our troops: http://www.peasegreeters.org

Trade vs. Aid - Helping Africa

Last week's Global Leadership Summit had a profound impact on my thinking about how to help end poverty in a sustainable way.

What impacted me the most was the discussion on “Trade vs. Aid” delivered by Andrew Rugasira, Founder and CEO, Good African Coffee and African Trade Advocate. As an economist and native Ugandan educated in London, he has made the case for all of us that there is an economic answer to growing the African economy in a sustainable way while pooling together the efforts of those in even the most remote corners of the continent.

We all need to discover further how we can use our God given gifts to impact the least of these with real economic solutions.

My prayer is how God can use me as an entrepreneur and business professional to get more involved in driving the economy of the third world.

Please join me on August 5 & 6, 2010 to fill your leadership tank!

http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2009

http://theglobalsummit.blogspot.com/2009/08/welcome-to-gls-blog.html

http://www.goodafrican.com/


Catherine B. Blake
Sales Protocol International
580 Bay Road
Durham, New Hampshire 03824
01+ 603 828 7312

http://www.marketplaceconnection.org
Sales | Marketing | Media Relations

What is sales, really?

I find myself asking the same question.

Selling is leadership.

It’s cutting a new path toward success.

You can’t sell if you can’t lead, and you can’t lead if you can’t sell.

When sales professionals focus on refining their leadership skills, results happen.

Having said this, some of the greatest leaders who have walked this earth were the most humble.

And, that’s something for all of us to think about.

Catherine B. Blake
Sales Protocol International
580 Bay Road
Durham, New Hampshire 03824
01+ 603 828 7312
http://www.salesprotocol.com
Sales | Marketing | Media Relations