57 | A Culture of Creating Hope, Strength, and Joy | The Feedback Loop of Gratitude

The Data Binge

Today's episode features Joe Forline. Joe is a Sr. Manager of Chapter Advancement at Make-a-wish America. Make-a-wish creates life changing experiences for children with critical illnesses. Founded in 1980, Make-a-wish has granted over 330,000 wishes for children with critical illnesses in the US, and 15,800 wishes in 2019 alone - when a child's wish is granted by Make-a-wish, it helps build the physical and emotional strength needed to combat critical illness. This idea, making contributions of energy, gratitude, and love in the form of acts of kindness, are at the center of the today's episode.

Joe brings with him both a Bachelor of Science and a Masters in Mechanical engineering, and began his career as a product engineer at L3 Technologies, an Aerospace & defense business, who provides solutions to DoD, the United States Intelligence Community, and Nasa. You will learn more about what pulled Joe to Make-a-wish, and you'll learn more about the idea of purpose and the very human emotions that come along with serving others. If you are wondering how you can contribute to the welfare of others, or you are searching for something to be a part of that will enrich your life and the lives of others, you'll find this episode enlightening for you, as Joe helps us navigate the essence of giving and the simplicity of the process.

If you would like to contribute at any level or capacity, to create a life changing experience for a child with a critical illness, you can navigate to wish.org to learn more.

Key Takeaways:

[06:44] What Joe’s role is at Make-A-Wish

[09:46] The mission of Make-A-Wish, the magic of a wish to the child that it serves

[16:29] A favorite story of Joe’s favorite wish, and other memorable examples

[18:31] What prompted Joe to do work that serves others, and how Joe made the transition from aerospace and defense, to a non-profit.

[23:24] How the work at Make a Wish has changed the way Joe sees the world.

[26:06] “Mission Monday moment’s” – the importance of anchoring an organization in it’s mission, and how this impacts culture

[29:02] The feedback loop of gratitude expression within an organization, and the lasting impact across it’s people.

[34:28] How gratitude can help define and direct organizational culture

[37:03] Applications, methods, and tools used to generate gratitude across an organization

[45:57] Additional thoughts on how to contribute to causes we care for – how to get started

Memorable Quotes:

[09:46] “Our mission is laser-focused. We, together, grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illness. That’s all we do. It’s simple and that’s what everyone is marching towards.”

[12:27] “I joined Make a Wish for a number of reasons but ultimately, I was brought up that giving back to others and serving others was just something you did. It was important and that’s ultimately the purpose of life, to serve others.”

Resources:

Joe P. Forline LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-p-forline/

Joe P. Forline Email - [e-mail]

Make a Wish - https://wish.org/

Brody’s Wish - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US0AICx_LKs

Gabe’s Wish - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRl1cpR-eF8

Kudos App - https://www.kudos.com/

Richard K. Davis - https://wish.org/news-releases/new-ceo

Gordon Ramsay - https://www.gordonramsay.com/

Life Rolls On - https://liferollson.org/

Thank you for listening!

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