I created a neighborhood controversy last week when I reported seeing a small red fox in my yard face-to-face with a neighborhood cat. Yes, the fox was in my front yard! I opened the door and the fox immediately took off for the woods. Feeling it was my civic duty, I posted a note on the neighborhood web group area telling people what I saw and urging them to keep their pets safe. I have chosen to make my two cats completely indoor cats for the time being. I didn’t realize that my simple posting would create such troublesome behaviors.

Within an hour, Animal Control was at my front door (not at my request). These very nice, professional people told me about the habits of foxes and Animal Control’s role in the community. If I said the animal was rabid (it wasn’t), they would be forced to catch and kill it. If I said the fox had threatened me, Animal Control would take action. My neighbors went into an uproar demanding me to report the fox as vicious, threatening and a nuisance.

I thought the fox was fine where he was. He wasn’t causing any trouble. He (or maybe it was a she, I really don’t know) lives somewhere in the woods behind our houses and was out for a stroll. People, the developers did cut down 38 acres of trees behind us in the past couple years to build more houses. Where is a fox supposed to live?

Ethical behavior and value-based choices are important to me. Lie about the situation to get a specific outcome? What about my neighbors’ feelings? When it came down to it, I couldn’t lie. I said if the fox (and the foxes’ family which is out there somewhere) becomes that big a problem, we need to contribute money to get the fox family safely relocated. It’s not always about the result — sometimes it’s about the journey. I think lying to get something done is still lying. Do you think it’s OK to lie to get a specific result? In the process of defining ourselves (and the ReInvention Station), it’s important to know your values and make ethical personal and business decisions.

A couple weeks ago, Curt mentioned several books he had read. I’m a fan of the local library, so I went and selected the books. While there, other books jumped off the shelf and into my bag (what can I say, it happens … and I have a big bag). One book was Full Steam Ahead by Ken Blanchard and Jesse Stoner. It’s an easy, quick read like most of Ken Blanchard’s books. The subtitle – Unleash the Power of Vision in Your Company and Your Life – caught my eye. That’s what Curt and I have been talking about. We have a vision for the ReInvention Station; it just needs more meat and more understanding around it – and improved words for communicating it.

I had my first a-ha moment on page 27. Jim and Ellie were talking about full steam ahead. From the book: “Full steam ahead intrigued me. That night I did some research to see what I could find out about steam engines. I learned that the steam engine was without doubt one of the most influential inventions in the development of industry and civilization. In fact, the development of the steam engine made modern industry possible. Until then, people had to rely on their own muscles, the wind, or animals such as horses for power. One steam engine could do the work of hundreds of horses. It could supply all the power needed to run the machines in a factory. A steam locomotive could haul thousands of tons of freight. Steamships provided fast, dependable transportation. Full steam ahead certainly did describe the transformative power unleashed by vision!”

ReInvention Station. A steam engine at the station. Powerful. Fast, Dependable. Transformative. Influential. That’s what we want to be. 

Although I found the book a little too sappy for my taste and the ‘friendship’ between the president and a new, lower-level employee and the surrounding ‘relationship’ put me off, the true message of the book was good.

It’s full steam ahead for the ReInvention Station. Have you read any good books lately? Can you see the ReInvention Station vision? What ideas can you add to the vision? Let us know.

So who is Candy? Candy is the planner and doer. Give me a vision and the corresponding box and boundaries I must work in, and I’ll make it happen. I’ve been accused of not always seeing the big picture … my criticizer’s are somewhat correct. But tell me the big picture and the dream and I can translate that into next steps … and then make it a reality.

I spent 21 years with General Motors, about 11 in Spring Hill, Tennessee, at Saturn. Much of that time was in a corporate communications role. I also did some leadership coaching, change management and organizational development work. At some point (same as Curt), the work wasn’t as much fun anymore, and I moved on. I’m in the final stages of writing my first book (you’ll probably hear about that another time) and am working on the nonfiction book proposal to agents/publishers.

Personally, I’m married, have three stepsons and one daughter and son-in-law who are pregnant with my first grandbaby. I’m a NASCAR and Tennessee Titans fan and usually doing some kind of craft (crocheting baby booties) while watching these sports.

On our ReInvention Station journey, you’ll see Curt’s dreams and Candy’s focus on making them a reality. 

A strategist and visionary. A dreamer. A forward and big picture thinker. AND A tactician. A next steps doer. An impatient results focused planner.

All of our co-workers and friends know exactly whose name attaches to which description. It doesn’t really matter. Together, it’s a tremendous partnership.

OK. So Curt is the visionary, the dreamer. His past includes 30 years at General Motors, 17 of those in Spring Hill, Tennessee at Saturn Corporation (where we met). His assignments included development of Saturn’s just-in-time logistics and production system, plant manager, new product launch director and director of e-commerce. At some point, the work wasn’t as much fun anymore, so Curt moved on. He’s followed (or blazed) several different paths including a stint in the private equity world as vice president of Indian Motorcycle, as well as his real estate ventures focused around adaptive reuse of commercial properties. An interesting intersection of his exposure to industrial facilities as manufacturing assets now turned to alternate uses in an environmentally responsible utilization of existing buildings.

One of his current projects is The Mill at Lebanon. His dream is for the Mill to be preserved and transformed into a mixed use space including, of course, the ReInvention Station. Curt brings an especially unique and broad perspective to the ReInvention Station. His experience in the manufacturing environment combined with his technical education at Kettering University, his business education at Harvard Business School, and his multiple entrepreneurial ventures provide the perfect blend of expertise to guide this endeavor.

On the personal side, Curt is married and enjoys his two great sons. His hobbies include historic preservation of residential houses and restoration of antique and classic cars (come check out Hot Rod Alley, a museum at The Mill at Lebanon which features several of his own cars).

Who is Candy? Find out in another blog … coming soon.

Curt and I have been talking about this ‘reinvention’ idea for quite a while. Early on, we Googled reinvention and read what others are saying and doing regarding it. Then comes the day, June 8, 2009, when Curt and I decide to take the next step. We again Google ‘reinvention’ and what do we find on page one but www.gmreinvention.com. Hmmm. It hadn’t been there before when we looked. Us two former GMers didn’t expect to see GM thinking in the same words as we were thinking. But we agree, whether you are an individual or an organization, for profit, non-profit, entrepreneur, whatever — there is a need for reinvention.

ReInvention Station … what’s in a name? There is meaning within our name. Reinvent yourself, your organization, your business, your spirit. It’s about change. It’s about evolving and reemerging and becoming new and better. It’s energizing and enriching.

It’s time to go public with the dream. The Mill at Lebanon is very cool, architecturally phenomenal space — perfect for corporate meetings, retreats, training and other learning opportunities. But we don’t want to just be run-of-the-mill (pun intended?) meeting space. In fact, when we worked for major corporations and small businesses and planned meetings, we looked for spaces and people that met our needs. We didn’t find them. Sure, we found plenty of spaces — party places, wedding planners, picnic grounds, hotels with families running around and other distractions. What we needed was the ReInvention Station where successful business people and entrepreneurs and leading business/personal coaches come together to reinvent themselves — to evolve, enrich, energize and reemerge. We couldn’t find it. So we created it.

And we created it at The Mill at Lebanon, a 200,000 square foot former textile mill on 15 acres outside Nashville, Tennessee. We are a meeting facility. And an event space. And a learning place. And so much more.

Actually, this is the dream — to create this space and be so much more. As we continue to create and grow the ReInvention Station, we need your help. We want to continue to listen to you — our future clients. What do envision? What should we include? Where do you fit in?

Leave us a comment. Drop us an email. Let’s talk…

We have a wonderful and unique former textile mill outside Nashville, Tennessee — The Mill at Lebanon — with plenty of parking and meeting space. We are creating a Reinvention Station where organizations, entrepreneurs and individuals will come to evolve, emerge, enrich and energize.

Won’t you come along on our journey as we continue to grow and create?