Renee Tomlinson
Clients value Senior Consultant, Renee Tomlinson, as a trusted partner because she consistently focuses on their desired results. She is effective in helping clients find long-term solutions that give them a competitive edge.
Renee brings nearly 25 years of real-world experience in training, organizational effectiveness, and transition management to her engaging and impactful presentations. Since 1996, when she became a consultant with FranklinCovey, she has earned an outstanding reputation—achieving highest ratings—in customizing and presenting workshops.
Renee has served as a manager and an individual contributor in key, professional assignments for educational and Fortune 500 organizations. She produced and anchored educational cable television programs for Lakeshore Technical College and Jones Intercable in her home state, Wisconsin. She served as the corporate training and communications video spokesperson for California Federal Bank, the fourth largest savings bank in the United States.
In 1993 Renee joined the Covey Leadership Center (now FranklinCovey). She worked closely with the executive leadership team managing organizational projects and employee development.
An industry cross section of Renee’s clients include telecommunications, health care, pharmaceutical, insurance, education, banking, human services, automotive, and information technology. She has also worked with federal, state, and local governmental agencies as well as branches of the military.
Renee graduated with honors from University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire. She earned a B.A. in broadcast journalism.
Renee has been awarded membership in FranklinCovey’s prestigious President’s Club. This honor is reserved for those who achieve in excess of 110 per cent of annual goal.
Renee lives in Montana and enjoys all that the four seasons have to offer.
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The Meaning of Life?
I was listening to NPR recently and caught Garrison Keillor’s installment of “The Writer’s Almanac”. He read a poem by Nancy Fitzgerald entitled, “The Meaning of Life” which I found very impactful. I offer forewarning and ask for preforgiveness from the queasy…
There is a moment just before a dog vomits when its stomach heaves dry, pumping what’s deep
inside the belly to the mouth. If you are fast you can grab her by the collar and shove her
out the door, avoid the slimy bile, hunks of half chewed food from landing on the floor.
You must be quick, decisive, controlled, and if you miss the cue and the dog erupts en route, you must forgive her quickly and give yourself to scrubbing up the mess.
Most of what I have learned in life leads back to this.
The Meaning of Life” by Nancy Fitzgerald from Poems I Never Wrote. © Poetry Harbor, 2001.
As I ponder the poem’s “aftermath”, I make connections to Habit 1, Be Proactive. Highly effective people choose to accept reality and not derail as a result of unfair, unjust, unwelcome, unpleasant life events and circumstances. Fitzgerald advises to “forgive her quickly”. The ability to forgive — and to mean it — is the mark of an emotionally healthy, highly effective person. As Stephen R. Covey writes, forgiveness is a verb – real and sincere forgiveness inoculates us from debilitating bitterness. In Joyce Meyers’ book, “Beauty for Ashes”, (1994 Time Warner), she puts it this way: “Harboring unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping your enemy will die! Unforgiveness poisons anyone who holds it, causing him to become bitter. And it is impossible to be bitter and get better at the same time!”
I also link this poem to Stephen M.R. Covey’s best-selling book and training program, “Leading at the Speed of Trust”. “…give yourself to scrubbing up the mess”. When we “give” ourselves to Right Wrongs, we are taking concrete action by demonstrating one of the 13 Behaviors that build, extend, and restore trust when it has been violated.
Our dog, Sparky. She is preforgiven.
3 Comments to The Meaning of Life?
Renee,
This poem is wonderful! and Sparky is so photogenic…and famous!
Diane
Sam Tomlinson JrApril 28, 2009
Reality and Forgiveness – I guess the “reality” is most of us aren’t as “forgiving” as we should be or say we are………..
Tell Sparky that Daisy Dog and I say Hello.
DavidMay 1, 2009
Reality differs from one to the next. If another were scared, stomach tossing, sick and I should grab them by the collar, dragging, pulling and tossing them into the darkness of night, all the while worried about carpet, it would be they that needed to forgive me. It is normally I, who needs to be forgiven that judges so harshly those who so readily forgive, Ironic.
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March 21, 2009