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Fido Leadership Book Gets Miami University Spotlight

I have to admit, this was pretty cool. Opening the new issue of The Miamian, the publication from my alma mater, Miami University, and seeing a review of my leadership book The Fido Factor. Even better, they liked it!

Click here to read their review!

There was the cover of the book we worked so hard on for so long. Next to it was a family photo with my husband/co-author and our dogs.

If you’re wondering how all this comes together, let me explain. The Fido Factor is a leadership book based on the wisdom we can learn from dogs. The core message is that leaders, like dogs, are Faithful, Inspirational, Determined and Observant. Take the first letter from those four traits and it spells FIDO.

A few years after publishing our first book (Plugged, a business strategy book) we were ready to take on another writing challenge. In Plugged, we connected the book with one of our passions: golf. So, for the new book, I thought let’s try a similar approach with one of our other loves: dogs.

At first it seemed like a difficult needle to thread. Was there really a way to connect the admirable leadership traits with canine behaviors?

As it turned out, there was. Great leaders are faithful to their teams. They show that no matter the situation, they have the back of every team member. Just like dogs do.

Leaders are inspirational. They lift their teammates’ spirits and help bring out the best in everyone. Just like dogs do.

Successful leaders are determined. They never quit, never give up and always continue working toward their goals, no matter the odds. Just like dogs do.

And great leaders are observant. They see things others miss, pick up on trends sooner and pay attention to the little things. Just like dogs do.

All I know is the next time I’m in Oxford, Ohio, strolling across Miami’s stately campus, I’ll think back on my time in school. I’ll remember friends and parties and teachers who helped me grow into who I am. I’ll reflect on how extraordinary my college experience was. Then I’ll go uptown and get three steamed bialys bagels with turkey and provolone. One for me, one for Dan and one for my dogs.