Values - The Grindstone Institute

Grindstone exists to help grow people who wish to learn how to align their passion and vocation, improve their communication with others, and be more engaged citizens. All of us benefit when more people are living self-aware, purposeful lives in the service of others.

— Mike Dovilla

LEADERSHIP

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.

—John Quincy Adams

Leadership is a choice, not a position.

—Stephen Covey

Leadership doesn’t happen by accident. Leaders are sharpened over time through a process of deliberation, action, and reflection. Grindstone is built on the premise that leaders are made, not born, and that a self-governing society has an obligation to develop them. At this moment in history, our society needs humble, selfless men and women to step up and lead others by serving them. We need them in government, in the corporate board room, on the factory floor, and in our civic organizations.

Grindstone offers a robust set of personal assessment tools, team workshops, and one-on-one coaching sessions to help develop leaders who seek to use their unique talents to serve others while realizing durable, lifelong improvement.

COMMUNICATION

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

—Epictetus

People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.

—John Maxwell

How we communicate can determine how successfully we navigate life’s opportunities and challenges. At a time when people increasingly seem to be talking past – rather than to – one another, the significance of clear, concise, caring communication cannot be overstated.

Grindstone has resources to strengthen your ability to be a better listener and increase your discernment of others’ behaviors and motivations, all of which will improve your chances of being truly heard and understood.

PATRIOTISM

Americanism means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood – the virtues that made America.

—Theodore Roosevelt

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.

—Ronald Reagan

Even after more than a dozen generations have come to its shores, the United States remains a beacon of freedom for those pursuing their dreams. We are blessed to live in a remarkable nation, but its longevity is not automatic. In order to sustain a republic in which the people rule, we must share and celebrate what makes this a unique experiment in all of human history.

Grindstone delivers programs designed to foster greater understanding, civility, and gratitude for this great nation. We believe every American – regardless of background – has a reason and a responsibility to love our country.

SERVICE

Love impels people to serve.

—St. Augustine

Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

There is nothing quite like serving a cause greater than self. And there are so many opportunities to serve. We believe a particular area of need is connecting young people with older adults. Fostering multi-generational experiences strengthens our communities, allowing youth to develop important social skills and broader perspectives on life and providing elder adults the chance to continue engaging in meaningful activity that cultivates and strengthens future generations.

Grindstone builds cross-pollinating programs for youth and senior citizens. We believe every life has innate worth and our society is stronger when we work deliberately to make one another better.

FAITH

Basic to our democratic civilization are the principles and convictions that have bound us together as a nation. Among these are personal liberty, human rights, and the dignity of man. All these have their roots in a deeply held religious faith – in a belief in God.

—Dwight D. Eisenhower

If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

—Ronald Reagan

We live in a time of pluralism where opinion masquerades as fact and people’s assertion of “my truth” causes restlessness and uncertainty. Fortunately, there is such a thing as Truth, which is a gift from God. The Founding Fathers, recognizing this reality and the capricious nature of man, built their new republic on a firm foundation of faith in the Almighty with a government of laws rooted in a moral code. It is now our obligation to pass along that precious gift to future generations of Americans.

Grindstone partners with churches, civic and fraternal clubs, and other leadership development organizations to underscore the important role that faith has always played in American society.