Speaker, faithful companion inspire future leaders

Perhaps you could call the idea Caz Russell, of Montandon, had one day after training his Labrador retriever as a Wright brothers moment.
“The Wright brothers didn’t know how to fly a plane. They didn’t know how to build a plane. They had no one to tell them how to do it,” said Russell. “They put their ideas on paper, put them into action, went to Kitty Hawk, climbed up a sand dune and jumped.”
While Russell hasn’t done anything as monumental as flying the first plane, he has reinvented himself after a surprising revelation.
“I’ve been a waterfowler and decoy carver for about 30 years. I decided I wanted a lab to do my retrieving,” he said. “After a few years of training my previous lab, I realized one day that there are some similarities in how you train a dog and how we should train ourselves.”
From that breakthrough realization, Russell started to develop a speaking program to help people communicate better, to value others and to become the best leaders they could.
“Kindness, patience, goodness, humility — they are all traits that you need to use when training a dog to be obedient willingly. I want her to be obedient to me out of love and trust,” Russell said. “To get there, I need to find what she values and show her that I value her by providing it. Praise, repetition and respect are at the core of that.”
In 30 years of working in the electrical industry, Russell saw a need for those same traits in human interaction. He developed an inspirational speaking program with the help of his second Labrador, Chilli, based on those concepts.
He began to offer sessions throughout the state. From local school groups to safety meetings at the Hotel Hershey, Russell and Chilli made an impact on a variety of fronts.
“Chilli would go out there and be obedient and do what I asked of her. She’d retrieve an items in the bleachers or do something else I asked of her. People would be amazed,” he said. “Then I’d talk about how I trained her. By repetition. By praise. I didn’t give her treats but I gave her lots of praise. That is the same way with people. When you find what they value and show them that they matter, you can connect with them in new and powerful ways.”
Meanwhile, Russell became more involved with the John Maxwell Leadership program after reading the book “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by Maxwell. He realized that the style mirrored what he was experiencing with Chilli.
“I learned about the John Maxwell University and began to realize what you can learn from your computer at home,” Russell said. “I signed up for his online university program.”
Russell ultimately earned certification to be a teacher and coach of the John Maxwell leadership material, even getting an opportunity to attend a conference in Orlando, Florida, with Maxwell and other leadership gurus.
While he is still working up the ranks in that phase of things, Russell has been taking what he’s learned and helping others. He will be a speaker on Wednesday at the Meet the Panthers program in Milton.
Russell will also be conducting a John Maxwell Mastermind Group study on the topic of “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect” over the course of seven Wednesday mornings at the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce in Shamokin Dam starting on Sept. 16.
He is also continuing to speak at various churches and events throughout the Valley on a variety of topics, especially communication and connecting with others.
“I tell people, I don’t speak dog and Chilli doesn’t speak human, but she knows what I want by my body language, my tone of voice and how I carry myself around her. It is like the saying, a lot more is caught than taught,” he said. “People respond to that and also when they see her choosing to be obedient. She wants to please me just like I want to make her happy and protect her.
“It doesn’t matter if we are eight or 68, everyone likes to be nurtured, praised and know you value them. You can add value to others simply by being in tune with them, learning to value them first and taking the time to show that appreciation.”
For more information on Russell and Chilli, visit www.cazrussell.com.