Chief Bill Halmich is one of my heroes.  He has served in our amazing local Volunteer Fire Department for decades, and has provided leadership through his role as Chief for many of those years.

Recently, I found myself having a chance meeting with Chief Bill in a local restaurant. He was having a quick bite before his next meeting; I was enjoying a second cup of coffee in between this and that. 

We picked up right where we left off the last time we talked; it had to have been at least a year. We began discussing local and world events which inevitably led us to a conversation about leadership. And then we shared a few memories from the sixties.  The Chief was a young soldier serving in Vietnam then. I was a completely clueless high school student, drawn into the wartime drama through the news media while saying good bye to friends disappearing into a far-away jungle, for what seemed like an eternity. And for my friend, Eddie, it turned out to be so.

I have always appreciated Chief Bill's war stories. I walk away with some amazing leadership lessons every single time. The kind of lessons one can only learn in combat.   For some reason, I felt the need to 'fess up to being an Old Peace-Nic'. Not so much the hippy kind, but the Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela non-violent activism kind. Chief didn't seem all that surprised to learn that little tidbit about me.   

I wanted to thank him for making it possible for me to study peace. He allowed that he was proud to have helped.  Our conversation ended all too soon, but I was reminded that Chief Bill and I have many things in common.  And, that perhaps, we may share a Passion for Peace. 

Mother Teresa suggested that "if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." Nelson Mandela put it this way: "Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of Peace."

We Wish You Your Best Year Yet... and most especially a year filled with PEACE and Goodwill!  

Your Coaching Challenge, Should You Choose to Accept It:

"Peace Begins with a Smile," according to Mother Teresa.  What small, daily steps might you take to intentionally generate Peace and Goodwill in the coming year?  

If you'd like to share your thoughts as an inspiration for 

others in our Quality Coach community, please post on our Quality Coach Facebook page.  

We'll see you on line next Monday. Cheers!  Coach Jeanne