Check the menu

I pick at my wife Kelli all the time about how she goes to McDonald's and it takes her 10 minutes to order from the menu.  The McDonald's menu has changed some over the years but for over 50 years, it's basically been the same.  With laughter, I say "please order some food Kelli!"

To her defense, she wants to be sure that she orders exactly what she wants based on her current craving.  You should get what you want but you must also realize that McDonald's isn't Burger King where you can "Have it your way!"

L.E.A.D. is no restaurant, but on our menu we offer leadership development, professional baseball development, civic engagement, mentorship and discipline for young men grades 6-12 from the Atlanta Public School System, South Fulton and Dekalb County.

We operate based on the life experiences that allowed me to use baseball to attend GA State University as a student/athlete and later play professionally for the Chicago Cubs.  Now that my playing days are over, I'm a business owner, philanthropist and I love serving others.

I find that the one menu item that parents have issue with from time to time is the discipline of their sons.  I was raised that when you are wrong, it must be dealt with swiftly and firmly.  This is something I’ve carried over to L.E.A.D. and is the way we operate. 

I too was raised in the inner city and I faced challenges everyday as a male.  Learning to make good decisions often comes from making a lot of bad ones previously.  I am not the wisest man on earth but I'm more experienced than the young men that we serve and I'm here for the sole purpose of helping them win the game of life.  Life can deal bad hands and boys play the game differently.  I know because I have been there and have the wisdom that comes from living through it.

It seems that there is a McDonald's on almost every corner.  You can also bet that there is a Burger King not too far away.  L.E.A.D. has a menu that is well thought out and appreciated by most our customers but we realize that not everyone has a taste for our offerings.  That is what makes this country so great because there is always a Burger King around the corner that will allow you to have it your way.