John G. Blumberg - Return on Integrity: The New Definition of ROI and Why Leaders Need to Know It

Praise for Return on Integrity

DONT READ THIS BOOK unless you want to trade the impotence of superficial leadership for something far more powerful. John Blumberg brilliantly unpacks what weve discovered about extraordinary leaders: They possess a powerful blend of confident humility. Defined by deep-seated core values, passionately lived out loud, one person and one company at a time, they are making a profit while making a difference. Dig deep, and find out how ROI can enrich your life, increase your impact, and equip you to leave a legacy worth remembering.

Kevin Freiberg, Coauthor of the international best seller
NUTS! Southwest Airlines Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success

Your life complexity is magnified by the enterprise you lead. You will face inevitable blitzes. Are you ready to step up and face each blitz? The courageous path John Blumberg calls you to travel will fuel your ability to turn trials into triumphs and steward relationships for shared joy!

Jeff Kemp, author of Facing The Blitz, former
NFL quarterback and VP at Family Life Today

Great title... We must return to integritypersonally and professionally! Great book to encourage going deep into the company culture, the employees, and your core values, which determine the success of your enterprise every single time!

Naomi Rhode, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, cofounder SmartPractice

One might assume that faith-based organizations have clearly stated values and lead from their core. But leaders of these communities are not immune to the drift. Return on Integrity is an incredible wake-up call to all leaders as we take a deep look within and begin to lead from the most important and effective place: our core! John Blumberg provides powerful leadership insight and practical application that will empower any senior pastor, not-for-profit president, or CEO to be true to themselves and more successful at accomplishing their mission.

Shawn Williams, executive pastor of leadership development at the Central Christian Church, Las Vegas

In your hands, you hold a force for good. Never before has the need for a message of conduct, standards, accountability, and integrity been in higher demand. This book will change lives and impact decisions in all walks of life and business. Read it. Live it. Share it. Once in a blue moon, a change-the-world book is published. And, now you have it.

Mark LeBlanc, author of Never Be the Same and Growing Your Business

John Blumberg has given us a priceless gift with this engaging book. Integrity and values are at the top of the list of the important and timely topics in individual lives and organizational cultures. As a psychologist for over three decades, I have worked with literally thousands who, tragically, have not heeded the principles, the why-tos, and the how-tos John has described so well. Ive walked through the rubble of their lives with them after what began as a slight drift from values either gradually or suddenly morphed into a devastating derailment. The identification of and adherence to what really matters are hallmarks of the healthy personality, of personal well-being, of whole relationships, and of long-term career success. This is a book that I will recommend and assign over and over!

Dr. Bev Smallwood, psychologist and author of This Wasnt Supposed to Happen to Me

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press

Austin, Texas

www.greenleafbookgroup.com

Copyright 2016 John G. Blumberg

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder.

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Distributed by Greenleaf Book Group

For ordering information or special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Greenleaf Book Group at PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709, 512.891.6100.

Design and composition by Greenleaf Book Group

Cover design by Greenleaf Book Group

Cataloging-in-Publication data

ISBN 13: 978-1-62634-262-0

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62634-263-7

Part of the Tree Neutral program, which offsets the number of trees consumed in the production and printing of this book by taking proactive steps, such as planting trees in direct proportion to the number of trees used: www.treeneutral.com

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

16 17 18 19 20 21 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition

Dedicated to each and every leader at the top who desires to lead from the depth of his or her core.

I also dedicate this to my most beloved Drift Catchers of all... my wife, Cindy, and our three children: Ryan, Kelly, and Julie.

Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart.

A wise person draws from the well within.

Proverbs 20:5

The Message

Contents

Opening Thoughts

T his book is a road map. It is less about finding answers and more about finding your way. In fact, one of its greatest benefits will be to raise questions in your head. And, in your role as a leader at the top, it is guaranteed to get you thinking! My hope is that your thinking will lead you to relevant, creative, and credible solutions. By design, this is not a long book. Neither is it a short read. I hope it will keep you thinking in ways you havent thought before. This book is not as much about getting it right, as it is about doing what is right; I trust that in doing what is right, you will certainly get more right.

This book is not about strength, but it is about courage. It is not about how you appear, but it is about who you really are. It is not about getting rich. This book is about being rich. It is not about stretching for your highest goals; it is more about digging for your deepest treasures. It is not about saving capitalism, but it is about redeeming it. I am less interested in you being wowed by new ideas, and more interested in you seeing old ideas in powerful new ways. This book is not about leadership development. It is about the kind of development that should matter most to leaders. It is about strengthening your core and the qualities of leadership that will emerge when you do.

Anyone who knows me, or who has seen me speak, knows about my love of stories and the critical role they play in bringing content to life. Here, however, Im not going to give you a plethora of success stories about other leaders. Leaders dont need those stories. They develop them. This book is about you becoming a leader who actually creates your own storiesstories where followers find precisely what they need.

Lets be clear from the beginning. This book may be the most important book on business strategy you may ever read. You may not immediately recognize the source of this strategy, because for far too long we have ignored it. But when it comes to leading, this strategy isnt just one more thing. It is everything.