Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    How to Get There from Here...The Ten Lessons That Have Served Me Well
    How to Get There from Here...The Ten Lessons That Have Served Me Well
    How to Get There from Here...The Ten Lessons That Have Served Me Well
    Ebook99 pages1 hour

    How to Get There from Here...The Ten Lessons That Have Served Me Well

    By Coleman H. Ronald D.

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    THEN AND NOW

    In 1971, as an undergraduate student at Loyola University of Chicago, I often sat on the steps of the Chicago Water Tower during class breaks. I watched the traffic flowing north and south along Michigan Avenues bustling Magnificent Mile. As a kid who hailed from the housing projects on the west side of Chicago, I marveled at the late model cars, beautifully tailored pedestrians and the expensive boutiques that lined the street.

    I often wondered, How do you get there from here?

    In 1994, I arrived in Bentonville, Arkansas to assume my new post as the Senior Vice-President of the People Division for Wal-Mart Stores (Sam Waltons term for human resources). Soon to become the worlds largest retailer and private employer, a Fortune #1 company and among the Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For. I had experienced an exciting and satisfying journey.

    Today, residing on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina I enjoy my role as consultant and corporate board member for several public companies. Over the years, I have shared my thoughts on getting there from here in many places around the world. Why not finally put them in a book? Good question. This book is my answer. Enjoy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateJan 13, 2012
    ISBN9781468537437
    How to Get There from Here...The Ten Lessons That Have Served Me Well
    Author

    Coleman H. Ronald D.

    Coleman Peterson Cole Peterson is President/CEO of Hollis Enterprises, LLC, a human resources consulting firm founded in 2004 following his retirement from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He specializes in executive coaching and keynote speaking engagements globally. Peterson, known as America’s top people person, served as Executive Vice President of People for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., where he had the distinction of being the Chief Human Resource Officer of the world’s largest private workforce (today: 2.1 million associates world-wide). He headed human resources during Wal-Mart’s most aggressive global expansion and helped diversify its workforce. Today, Wal-Mart is the country’s number one employer of African-Americans and Hispanics. Peterson serves on the corporate boards of J.B. Hunt Transport of Lowell, Arkansas, Build-A-Bear Workshop of St. Louis, Missouri and Cracker Barrel Restaurants of Lebanon, Tennessee. He is chairman of the compensation and development committees and serves on the nominating and corporate governance committees on both the J.B.Hunt and Build-A-Bear Bear boards. Peterson’s numerous recognitions include: The Award for Professional Excellence, The Society for Human Resource Management’s highest honor; the Lifetime Achievement Award for Human Resource Excellence from Linkage, Inc.; The Chancellor’s Medal for Volunteerism from the University of Arkansas and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas MLK Planning Commission. His most recent recognitions are the National Association of African Americans in Human Resource Professionals Trail Blazer Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas Society for Human Resource Management State Council. Peterson is a Fellow of the Academy of Human Resources, and a member of both Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities. Peterson is a native of Birmingham, Alabama and grew up in Chicago where he obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Loyola University. He and his wife, Shirley, have two adult children and reside in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

    Related to How to Get There from Here...The Ten Lessons That Have Served Me Well

    Related ebooks

    Personal Growth For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      God Speaks in Signs

      Mar 16, 2021

      God Speaks in Signs
      1 min read

    • Article

      Cast Your Burdens On The Lord

      Oct 28, 2022

      I was once accused of constantly ‘dumping’ my problems onto God, handing over all my issues and not letting them weigh me down. Let me share the story… Many years ago, I was driving alone on a highway in Cape Town. I got a puncture and had to pull ov

      2 min read

    • Article

      Check Your Heart

      Sep 23, 2022

      How would you react if I told you that I had a heart condition? You would probably feel sorry for me. But the truth is, I do have a heart condition… and so do you! The older I grow, the more I realise the value of self-examination and reflection. As

      2 min read

    • Article

      After the Flood Recedes

      Apr 26, 2020

      After the Flood Recedes
      7 min read

    • Article

      Very dark Thoughts

      Apr 15, 2021

      Very dark Thoughts
      3 min read

    • Article

      Saturday, May 22

      Apr 15, 2021

      IN MAY 1983, MY HUSBAND, young sons, and I set out for our first visit with our families since moving to the Midwest six months earlier. Unfortunately, our air conditioning stopped working two hours into the trip. I was hot, miserable, and grumpy unt

      1 min read

    • Article

      Understanding The Power Of Prayer

      Jun 24, 2019

      Prayers for the elections have come and gone, and the emphasis should now shift towards continued prayer for stability, peace, and justice in the nation. What most people do not always realise is the fact that constant prayer involves interaction wit

      1 min read

    • Article

      Tough Self-love

      Apr 13, 2021

      Tough Self-love
      4 min read

    • Article

      Lukewarm Faith in the Church Today

      Nov 25, 2022

      Last month I led a biblical pilgrimage tour to Turkey with JOY! Travel. We visited the sites of the 7 Churches of Revelation. At each site we received relevant teachings from the group pastor about the letters written to the churches in the book of R

      1 min read

    • Article

      Sunday, December 26

      Oct 15, 2021

      “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of

      1 min read

    • Article

      Beyond ‘40 Acres And A Mule’: Commentary On Reparations

      Jul 2, 2020

      Can America find a more just future without paying for past wrongs? Columnist Ken Makin explores the historical context of calls for reparations.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Saturday, December 4

      Oct 15, 2021

      Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death befo

      1 min read

    • Article

      Cremora Christianity

      Sep 29, 2023

      Do any of you still remember that comical advert for the Cremora coffee creamer? The one with the man shouting: “It’s not inside, its onnnnnnn top!” “Your Christianity is not like a cape that you can take off when it suits you!” were my mother’s wise

      2 min read

    • Article

      Evidence That Christians Are Being Greatly Influenced By The LAWLESSNESS Around Them

      Aug 19, 2019

      According to a recent state of dating report from ChristianMingle.com, the largest Christian online dating site, only 13 percent of respondents said that they would not have sex before marriage. And, only 13 percent said that they would move in toget

      1 min read

    • Article

      America's Next Generation Of Muslims Insists On Crafting Its Own Story

      Apr 12, 2018

      A new generation of American Muslims has moved from defending itself, as Muslim communities did in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, to defining itself.

      7 min read

    • Article

      3 Things to Know About the ‘Real’ Thanksgiving

      Nov 22, 2017

      For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is not synonymous with blessings and praise. Rather, the day is a reminder of a dark history that is rarely told in its entirety. Year after year, elementary school children create paper turkeys and dress up as

      4 min read

    • Article

      Overcoming Our Separation From God Part II

      Sep 4, 2020

      The fact that God has to take the initiative to reveal Himself to us chafes against the rebellious heart of man. We don’t want to submit to the ways of God and His revelation of Himself. People often try to create a god convenient to their desires:

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of Listening

      Jun 30, 2020

      The Art Of Listening
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for How to Get There from Here...The Ten Lessons That Have Served Me Well

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      How to Get There from Here...The Ten Lessons That Have Served Me Well - Coleman H. Ronald D.

      How To Get There

      From Here… The Ten

      Lessons That Have

      Served Me Well

      Coleman H. Peterson

      28786.png

      AuthorHouse™ LLC

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.authorhouse.com

      Phone: 1-800-839-8640

      © 2012, 2014 by Coleman H. Peterson. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 02/06/2014

      ISBN: 978-1-4685-3745-1 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4685-3744-4 (hc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4685-3743-7 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2011963494

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Contents

      Foreword

      Dedication

      Introduction

      About the Author

      I. Setting the Stage

      1. Have a Goal

      2. No Shortcuts

      3. Work Hard

      II. Acquiring Skill Sets

      4. Education is an Opportunity and a Privilege

      5. Listen: Understand the Power of Feedback

      6. Develop Your People Skills

      III. Your Personal Values

      7. Have Humility

      8. Get a Life

      9. Help Somebody

      10. Be Thankful

      Endnotes

      Foreword

      Life is definitely a journey and not just a destination. How could we possibly plot out every detail of a full and purposeful life? How could we even know what the future will bring and how we will fit into that picture? What can we plan and control and what do we need to do to go with the flow? These are questions I am asked as a successful entrepreneur and a community leader. What they are really asking me is, How did you do it? Can you give me the magic formula? My answer is almost always a few questions, What is YOUR passion? What do you want to do more than anything else when you wake up every day? What plan are you going to put in place to be sure that your passion becomes your everyday life? How are you going to enjoy all the teachable moments along the way and enhance your personal and professional life?

      I was able to turn this curiosity into a successful retail career. I turned every person I met into a mentor—someone I could learn from. I started Build-A-Bear Workshop in 1997 after a successful 20+ year career as a retail executive. Today Build-A-Bear Workshop is a public company traded on the New York Stock Exchange with global revenues over $400 million.

      Cole Peterson is one of my mentors. I have had the advantage of his friendship and coaching for over 25 years. The concepts Cole Peterson introduces within this book—How to Get There From Here . . . The Ten Lessons That Have served Me Well is the perfect life planning book for young people starting out in their career or those who want to make a major life or career change. It is never too late to re-think your goals, set a plan and go for it and smell the roses along the way.

      How to Get There From Here is a business and life strategy guidebook focused on helping you turn your passion, your personal values into a career that is fulfilling and financially rewarding. It doesn’t mean you have to have every detail planned out—quite the opposite—that would take the fun out of life for sure. It would also hinder the mistakes we all must make that keep us humble, help us learn and mature. There are no easy roads to success but How to Get There From Here will be an inspiring jump start to your journey.

      —Maxine Clark, Founder and CEO, Build-A-Bear Workshop

      To: My family,

      My friends and,

      Those unexpected people we meet who stimulate our lives

      Introduction

      I am a Chicago West Side inner-city kid whose career ultimately took him to a small town in Northwest Arkansas—Bentonville, home of the No. 1 company in Fortune magazine’s top 500. During my tenure there, Wal-Mart became at times the most reviled, yet the most admired company in the world.

      This book is not about Wal-Mart, however. It is about one man’s journey from the housing projects of Chicago to a position as the human resource chief of the world’s largest private workforce: 1.5 million people. It is a story of my growth during a 32-year career as a corporate human resource executive and how it has shaped my life.

      In the course of this book, I hope to share what I have learned in three areas:

      • Setting the stage for career building

      • Acquiring the essential skill sets

      • Clarifying personal values

      For whom is this book written? For a number of people. It is written for the person newly entering the workforce, looking to get ahead. It is written for middle managers looking to advance their careers. It is written for the person working for a corporate, governmental or nonprofit organization. Finally, it is written for those who are simply interested in becoming a better person.

      Whatever your reason for reading this book, I hope you find what you are seeking.

      Blessings,

      Cole Peterson

      About the Author

      Cole Peterson is President/CEO of Hollis Enterprises, LLC, a human resources consulting firm founded in 2004 following his retirement from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He specializes in executive coaching and keynote speaking engagements globally.

      Peterson, known as America’s top people person, served as Executive Vice President of People for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., where he had the distinction of being the Chief Human Resource Officer of the world’s largest private workforce (today: 2.1 million associates worldwide). He headed human resources during Wal-Mart’s most aggressive global expansion and helped diversify its workforce. Today, Wal-Mart is the country’s No. 1 employer of African Americans and Hispanics.

      Peterson serves on the corporate boards of J.B. Hunt Transport of Lowell, Arkansas, Build-A-Bear Workshop of St. Louis, Missouri, and Cracker Barrel Restaurants of Lebanon, Tennessee. He is chairman of the compensation committee on all three boards. He serves on the nominating and corporate governance committees of Build-A-Bear Bear and J.B. Hunt. He is a member of the executive committee and public responsibility committees of Cracker Barrel.

      Peterson’s numerous recognitions include: The Award for Professional Excellence, The Society for Human Resource Management’s highest honor; the Lifetime Achievement Award for Human Resource Excellence from Linkage,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1