Millennials often get a bad rap. However, when you critically assess Biblical and recent history, young people have usually been at the forefront of transformational and systemic change in multiple areas of our society. Throughout history God has often used those between 17 to 40 to change the world. From Joseph to David to Esther to Mary and even Jesus, God has never had a problem using young leaders to disrupt the status quo or spark a movement. We even saw that during the Civil Rights Movement when a group of college students initiated the Greensboro Sit-In in North Carolina, and this demonstration gained national attention and set an example for others to follow throughout the Jim Crow South.

In this episode of The Disruptors we discuss what it take to be a "Mission Driven" Millennial like those God has used in the past and even now. Enjoy and share this with someone you know it can help!

You can watch it here or listen to the audio of The Disruptors Podcast in my mobile app. I also encourage you to join us for our next live broadcast next Monday at 8:30 PM est.

Recently I was invited to write a guest blog post for No Compromise Magazine. I was asked to write about the epidemic of the killing of black men in America. This is a hot-button issue that is more complex than most people consider before they give their opinions. While the death toll of young black men continues to rise in this country, anger, frustration, and even hopelessness continues to increase also. It's easy for people to givev"black and white" opinions, but few are discussing the real root of what needs to be done. I feel it the responsibility of Kingdom-minded people to take a stand talk about Kingdom solutions. Here is a brief excerpt from my article:

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this epidemic. However, God does give us the antidote to the disease of sin and hopelessness. Please read the full article and I would love to hear your thoughts.
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Full article available at: http://www.nocompromisemag.com/blog-1/2017/6/11/black-men-in-america

The workplace is a much different place today than it used to be. One area where it has changed a lot is employee training. In times past companies were willing to hire unskilled workers and invest the time and money to train them them until they became skilled. That is definitely not the case today.

A recent Gallup survey stated that 33% of CEOs don't believe college graduates have the necessary skills and competencies their business needs. Another poll by CareerBuilder.com ​found that nearly 80% of managers are at least somewhat concerned about current and potential employees lacking required skills, but just about 40% are doing anything to alleviate it

What I infer from putting these studies together is that although companies recognize the lack of certain skills in the marketplace, they are often unwilling to invest the time and money to help people get up to speed. They see it as your problem to fix, not theirs.

So what does that mean for you? Right or wrong, this is the new reality of the American worker. It means you are going to have to invest in your own development in order to move your career forward. You will have to take personal responsibility for developing the necessary skills to stay in demand and ahead of your competition.

Now some people might look at this and say they need to go get more formal education. And while this may be a good option for some, for many others it isn't based on money, lifestyle, lack of time, etc. For these people, which might include you, another option is more suitable: short, inexpensive, on-demand, online training courses where you can learn specific skills directly related to your job or business.

One benefit of this second pathway is that it eliminates all of the unrelated courses you have take in traditional educational programs while pursuing the exact skills you need to acquire. So the focus is on learning, not just doing work to get a grade.

Another benefit is that it's easier to pay for one specific course at a time versus having to spend a lot of money or take out student loans, which leads to a whole host of other issues down the line.

​A third benefit of online training courses is that you can start many of these courses on-demand at your convenience and work around your busy schedule.

This is why I'm excited about the relaunch of my online business school. A few of the benefits of my courses include:

1. Gain skills and knowledge from the latest business best practices.
2. Only the specific information you need without the fluff.
3. Short courses that are only 6 to 8 units so you have a definitive beginning and ending. 
4. Instant access to a private online portal for all of your courses.
5. Multi-media content for different learning styles.
6. Accessible through my mobile app (coming soon!) so you can learn on the go at your convenience.
7. So much more!!!

According to recent surveys, only 23% of company executives believe that recent college graduates have the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. Don't be on the wrong side of that statistic. In this podcast episode you will learn four career building principles to develop skills that will keep you in very high demand.

Enjoy and I look forward to your comments below...

The results of many surveys of millennials show that they are in search of "meaningful work" as it relates to their professional lives. This quest can often lead to some unfulfilling experiences as this desire is noble, but often realistic mainly because their approach is flawed.

​Watch this excellent video from Ryan Hartwig from a TEDx event in California as he explains this myth and how young professionals should approach their careers.

As a young Christian business professional I know that sometimes it can be hard to connect with others who share your faith and desire to grow closer to God. That's why I'm especially inviting you to attend the CBMC Atlanta Marketplace Ambassador Gathering on Monday, April 18th from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM.

The MARKETPLACE AMBASSADOR INITIATIVE is a movement to …

• bring together ALL followers of Christ in our business community,
• stand and pray together for spiritual transformation,
• encourage each other to live as effective Marketplace Ambassadors for Christ.

Click here for more event info and to register...

​​You are significant to God's plan to transform the world through the marketplace. It's time to step up and take you place.​

Why We Must Inspire Youth to Dream Again
What if while you were growing up no one ever encouraged you to be someone great? What if you didn't have anyone close to you say that you could do something special? What if there was never anyone around to say that you could accomplish your dreams?
 
If that were your experience it would probably be a pretty safe bet that you wouldn't expect much for yourself or your future. In fact, you might not even think that you have a future at all. Unfortunately, many youth feel like their lives are a lost cause and not even worth living or planning for. Why? One major reason is their hope has been lost.
 
Hope is a very powerful concept. With a lot of it, we feel like we can conquer the world. Without it, we feel like that world has conquered us. That's why Solomon writes in Proverbs 13:12,
 
                                "HOPE deferred makes the heart sick, but a DREAM fulfilled is a tree of life."
 
Having hope is a really big deal. It's not just a good feeling. It's an essential element connected to the dreams God places in the hearts of every human being in our childhood. But if those dreams are not recognized or nurtured, people end up living out what Solomon expressed in Proverbs 29:18,
 
                                          "Where there is no prophetic VISION the people cast off restraint…"
 
Much of what I see from our young people today is connected to the fact that they are hopeless, which causes them to reject and disregard moral boundaries. Many of them have experienced so much in such a short time of life, including violence, poverty, sexual abuse, bullying, exploitation, and so on. Without divine intervention their lives will either be cut short through self-destructive activities, or they will live long lives of repeated regrets, failures, and ultimately unfulfilled potential.
 
A Powerful Alternative to Hopelessness
That's why we're so excited about launching Club D.A.R.E., which stands for “Dreams Are Realized Everyday.” This is a youth development movement on a mission to inspire 1 million teens to “dream B.I.G. dreams and do B.I.G. things.” We expect these B.I.G. dreams to impact their families, friends, communities, and potentially the world.

To make this happen, a core part of our strategy includes the development of: 

• Mobile apps
• Motivational books
• Live events

As great as this sounds, we can't do it alone. We need your help to turn the dreams of 1 million teens into reality. You can give your tax-deductible donation at this link, which will help to fund these resources that will be launched very soon.

We are in real danger of having a lost generation of young people who have given up on life. We can't let that happen. OUR future depends on their dreams. 
 
Please partner with us today to impact our youth. To learn more about Club D.A.R.E. go to www.clubdare.org.

The summer is over and most of the kids around the country are back in school now. Of course many of them who were able to get summer jobs used their money on new clothes, school supplies, and other things teenagers typically like to buy. Unfortunately, though, for many teenagers who are back in school, what used to be a common activity over the summer to earn income is becoming less common.

According to this article in Bloomberg Business, "at 41.3 percent, the July labor force participation rate of teens was the lowest for the month in the post-World War II period." The article goes on to say that what they believe are the three primary factors for this precipitous drop:

1. This generation is lazy (or they have other more interesting non-employment options)
2. Typical teen jobs are drying up
3. Teens face competition
   

While our economic is still recovering, it looks like teenagers are still playing catch up with employment. Why is this important? One reason is the many life lessons teenagers have the potential to receive through work, including integrity, communication, social skills, financial literacy, and much more. With fewer jobs in the marketplace to learn these skills, teenagers will fall further behind as they try to grow into the responsibility of adulthood.

That also means we must be proactive in creating opportunities, such as entrepreneurship training, to equip our youth to learn these necessary skills.

Why do you think teen employment is so low? What if anything can the church do about it?

Read the entire article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-07/why-american-teens-aren-t-working-summer-jobs-anymore

Recently I read an article online that focused on the challenges many African-American teens face in their own communities and how in the past it was taught that your education was the ticket to escape. The author was challenging that notion with some points that supported the premise that these teens should be taught how to change their communities rather thatnlook for the first chance to get out.

While I definitely agree with the overall theme in the article, one of the things that jumped out to me was the fact that this is not an issue just for African-American teens. We need to be teaching all young people across all cultures the importance of investing in the communities they grow up in while they are there.

Here are five reasons why I believe we should teach all teens focus on impact in their communities versus escaping them:

1. Awareness: When youth don't have an escapism mentality they will become more aware and sensitive to the issues the see around them. They also will begin to dig deeper to look at root causes and not just accept surface answers or reasons as to why things are the way they are. 
2. Perspective: One's perspective changes in a positive way when they become more aware of the root cause of issues around them. Usually a change in perspective leads to a change in behavior.
3. Ownership: Have a long-term  perspective of living somewhere gives youth a greater sense of investment in place where they are living. The more that they are invested in their community, the more proactive (vs. passive) they will be in protecting what they view as valuable.
4. Resource: When youth develop a deeper awareness, greater sense of ownership, and a broader perspective of their communities they can then become a resource by using their time, talents, treasures (money), and thoughts (creative ideas) for the benefit of others. They become valuable assets who contribute to solving problems and positively impacting lives.
5. Influence: This attribute is usually built over time based on respect gained through demonstrated character and accomplishments. Youth who grow up and contribute to the betterment of their communities are able to leverage their reputations and contributions to lead others in significant ways, including financially and policy.

Youth are often overlooked and undervalued as community development assets. However, they are in the perfect position to become positive change agents. If we can get them to see it in themselves, maybe we can turn more communities around.

Read the full article, Teach black students they can change communities, here: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/jul/07/teach-black-students-change-communities-not-escape

The new clothing line launched by Atlanta area high school seniors Jordan Williams and Brandon Iverson is called Young Moguls. However, this is by far not their first business venture. They started in business together when they were 10 years old selling toys.

Click below to listen to  hear the inspirational story of their journey and how they are empowering other teens to pursue their dreams also.

You can read the original article posted online at WABE, Atlanta's NPR Station, here: http://wabe.org/post/atlanta-teen-entrepreneurs-working-be-young-moguls