About the Book Miracles, judgment, helping others, prayer—in getting the most from religion, taking the Bible literally may not work, nor may taking a totally liberal approach. Going Beyond Literalism (In Religion) examines ways to approach religion and faith that allow the faithful to get the most from their efforts. About the Author Rev. Dr. James L. McLeod celebrates many years’ experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has acquired in his field. He earned the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who, the world’s premier publisher of biographical profiles. Dr. McLeod began his career as minister with the Presbyterian Church from 1963 to 1985. Since 1985, he has served as a minister for the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, and from 1988 to 1999, he held a post at the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Augusta, Georgia. During this time, he was also an educator at Georgia State Schools from 1972 to 1991. From 1991 to 2003, he was active as the president of Brunswick Financial in Georgia. Dr. McLeod contributed to the Brunswick Gallery as president from 1993 to 2003. Prior to embarking on his career, Dr. McLeod received his Bachelor of Arts from Washington and Lee University in Lexington City, Virginia in1959. Following this achievement, he earned his Master of Arts and his Bachelor of Divinity from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in1968. He concluded his education with a doctorate from Mississippi State University in 1972. Dr. McLeod was ordained to ministry by the Presbyterian Church in 1963. In addition to his career, Dr. McLeod is the author of The Presbyterian Tradition in the South in 1978, The Great Doctor Waddel in 1985, and Flannery O’Connor and Me in 2017, among others. He was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati in Washington, DC in 1970 and a councilman of the city of Brunswick, Georgia from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 to 1998, Dr. McLeod served as mayor pro tempore for the city of Brunswick, Georgia. Dr. McLeod is a fellow of the Antiquaries of Scotland and a member of the National Education Association. He is also a member of the Georgia Association of Educators, the Fulbright Alumni Association, the Pinnacle Club of Augusta, Georgia and Phi Delta Kappa. In 1986, he was named a Scholar of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. McLeod has previously been selected for inclusion in the 33rd edition of Who’s Who in Finance and Industry, the 34th edition of Who’s Who in Finance and Business, and multiple editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, and Who’s Who in the World. The son of a minister, the Rev. Dr. James L. McLeod considers himself a “conservative” Protestant. He has spent thirty-nine years in the ministry and is now retired. Dr. McLeod studied at the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, and graduated from Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. He attended Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey and the Emory University School of Theology (Candler) in Atlanta, Georgia.

This book is written to every parent, teacher, and powerful influence in every childs life who desires to see and experience a change in our children and their lives as well. Throughout my life, I experienced true passion and ingenuity when it came to my education. I had great teachers who cared and a wonderful support system at home with my parents, who emphasized the importance of education. Learning was desired by both the children and the educator. We would like to see this passion and desire revived again so that we can create new avenues and lifestyles for our children and our future. Our children can and will achieve greatness with our help.

In Above and Beyond, Dennis L. Richardson, an experienced naval officer, shares the true story of how as newly appointed manager of Assault Craft Unit FOURs Fleet Maintenance Activity, he was responsible for the bottom-up reorganization, culminating more than three hundred sailors at the only East Coastbased maintenance organization facilitating thirty-five Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)from 2014 to 2017. In this arduous environment, the organization was crippled by a broken maintenance philosophy, broken repair processes, and the worst maintenance readiness in years. Richardson fundamentally changed the way they did things through aggressive initiatives, visionary leadership, and key process changes centered on a comprehensive reform of the maintenance philosophy. He then helped navigate the organization by elevating readiness from 37 percent up to as high as 72 percent through innovation and smart maintenance practicesthe most successful readiness in a decade. While guiding the organization through epic changes, Richardson empowered the workforce and created a culture of continuous process improvement, excelling at routine day-to-day maintenance completion to complex depot-level repairs on time with zero production delays. In 2016, they executed 769,000 production hours and saved over $23.2 million in contractor cost avoidance for depot maintenance requirements. The leadership and management efforts of Richardsons team were validated by winning the US Navys nomination for the prestigious Secretary of Defense Maintenance Award; two consecutive years (2015 & 2016). The accomplishments achieved were earmarked as the best maintenance practices of any platform in the navy to sustain the highest level of materiel and combat craft readiness to meet operational commander tasking, which led them above and beyond.

Above & Beyond features profiles of 88 former Marines who have impacted the civilian world, including the following accomplishments: Co-developed McDonalds "Happy Meal", Wrote a best selling book titled, Death by Chocolate, As a college project, wrote a business plan for an overnight delivery service, did a tour in Vietnam, and turned the business plan into a twenty billion dollar company, Won 3 Grammy Awards and has a star on Hollywood Boulevard, In 2000, he sold his company for $3.4 billion, 20 times sales, Is a NASCAR Weekly Series Racing Team co-owner and driver, Is fluent in both Chinese and Russian and has run the CIA station desks in both countries, Was a shooter in Vietnam and is now an ordained Minister directing an international ministry, Played a key role in putting Republicans Giuliani and Pataki in as mayor and governor of the Democratic state of New York, Won both a Pulitzer and the Foster Peabody Awards for his investigative journalism. Be inspired by these successful former Marines and more! Book jacket.

In Focused and Free, author John Martin presents a practical, motivating, and concise line of action for overcoming nerve-wracking obstacles and achieving elite levels of success in your personal life and business. Using memorable anecdotes, quotes, and insightful questions that cause you to examine your life in an honest way, he gives you the tools to clearly define, plan, and achieve your goals no matter how big or small they may be. Every day we face tough decisions, nagging tasks, and unexpected threats to our success when we are brave enough to challenge ourselves and chase our dreams. Based on many years of research including the trial-and-error method, John Martin offers the keys to freedom and opportunity using the often-untapped resource of focused planning and targeted action including: Picturing your dream of success with pinpoint accuracy. Planning your journey to achievement through critical research and preparation. Overcoming the frustration of indecision and overthinking once and for all. Developing effective strategies for perseverance in the face of failure. Attaining mental and financial freedom faster than you ever dreamed possible.

Solve the number one problem with today's young workforce—the soft skills gap The number one challenge with today's young talent is a problem hiding in plain sight: the ever-widening soft skills gap. Today's new, young workforce has so much to offer—new technical skills, new ideas, new perspective, new energy. Yet too many of them are held back because of their weak soft skills. Soft skills may be harder to define and measure than hard skills, but they are just as critical. People get hired because of their hard skills but get fired because of their soft skills. Setting a good example or simply telling young workers they need to improve isn't enough, nor is scolding them or pointing out their failings in an annual review. However you can teach the missing basics to today's young talent. Based on more than twenty years of research, Bruce Tulgan, renowned expert on the millennial workforce, offers concrete solutions to help managers teach the missing basics of professionalism, critical thinking, and followership—complete with ninety-two step-by-step lesson plans designed to be highly flexible and easy to use. Tulgan's research and proven approach has show that the key to teaching young people the missing soft skills lies in breaking down critical soft skills into their component parts, concentrating on one small component at a time, with the help of a teaching-style manager. Almost all of the exercises can be done in less than an hour within a team meeting or an extended one-on-one. The exercises are easily modified and customized and can be used as take-home exercises for any individual or group, to guide one-on-one discussions with direct-reports and in the classroom as written exercises or group discussions. Managers—and their young employees—will find themselves returning to their favorite exercises over and over again. One exercise at a time, managers will build up the most important soft skills of their new, young talent. These critical soft skills can make the difference between mediocre and good, between good and great, between great and one of a kind.

In spite of the relatively small number of people passing through its ranks, the Marine Corps produce a disproportionate share of this country’s leaders. It is because Marines are different from the rest of the population. They have a different mindset and handle problems in a different manner. Above & Beyond: Former Marines Conquer the Civilian World profiles 87 former Marines who took that attitude and successfully applied it to the civilian sector. As you read the stories collectively, you will see a camaraderie of many ethnicities, ages, and personalities—some you already know—that make up the U.S. Marine Corps. Read these pages and discover why Jim Lehrer of PBS NewsHour says “There has never been a better testimony to the value of service in the Marine Corps than Above & Beyond.”