First Seven Days

The First Seven Days: Exciting Step-By-Step Meetings That Create Powerful Foundations Upon Which Your Organization Will Thrive (Paperback)

By Guy E. White, with Dr. Larry L. Biddle & Richard Parkhouse

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About the book

Two dudes and a stick got the Hebrews out of Egypt - because they had a great boss. However, many of our “leaders” fail the leadership sobriety test: their thinking cannot walk in a straight line, their left hand does not know what the right is doing, driving their organization straight to death, litigation, or, worse - persistent suckiness. Meanwhile, people who understand what the people their teams, groups or organizations need become like Moses parting the waters.

Why do some groups, teams, and organizations survive while others die? How do we improve the chances that a group will thrive? In The First Seven Days, accomplished educator Guy E. White with contributors Larry Biddle and Richard Parkhouse tackle these vexing questions. Inside, Guy reveals the anatomy of a successful organization’s foundation and explains a sure-fire, seven one-hour session method for building a kick-ass team.

In this indispensable, step-by-step guide, we discover that the survival of groups, from bible studies to multinational corporations, depends on the same critical foundations.

The First Seven Days is a book that will transform the way that you build your group, team, or organization from the ground up. It’s a fast-paced, step-by-step guide for any group, new or old, that wishes to create a strong foundation built upon shared values, common vision, and individual and corporate goals with accountability. Provocative and eye-opening, The First Seven Days shows us the principles of successful ideas at work - and how we can apply these rules to making our own organizations become all that they are meant to be.

Author & Contributors

Guy E. White

Guy E. White is a Southern California educator and entrepreneur. Receiving his Bachelors of Arts in English from the University of California, Riverside (2003) and his Masters of Education from the University of La Verne (2006), Mr. White has distinguished himself in his dedication to his wide array of diverse experiences in writing, teaching, business, and educational leadership.

Overall, Guy is concerned with how social environments corporately develop their members and in addressing the shortcomings of these organizations in cultivating the persons within their membership. He believes that all social spaces have the potential to be used in holistic growth: from schools, to coffee shops, to churches. This is clearly visible in his writing and teaching. Mr. White is a third-year doctoral candidate in the School of Organizational Leadership at the University of La Verne. Mr. White has taught at numerous conferences and schools throughout the United States. At some these events, his Leadership classes have lead breakout sessions for hundreds of fellow high schoolers.

Larry Biddle

Born in Denver, Colorado, Larry grew up in Sacramento, California and attended St. Mary’s College of California and the New York University Junior Year abroad Program at the University of Madrid, Spain. After receiving a B.A. from St. Mary’s, he returned to Spain with Middlebury College Graduate School and earned a Masters Degree in Spanish. He has earned 50 hours beyond his master’s degree.

A lifelong educator and businessman, Larry Biddle was assistant director of Coastal Carolina College, in Conway, South Carolina from 1966 to 1974, and his leadership was instrumental in the growth of the institution during those years. In addition to teaching Spanish, Larry coached basketball and baseball, and helped organize the School of Education at what would ultimately become Coastal Carolina University. After eight years as headmaster of a private school, he became assistant principal of Conway High School, which he lead to national prominence as a model school for his #1 Program, a system of rewards and incentives for students, teachers and administrators. The program was adopted by Jostens, Inc., and became a trademark for its scholastic division. He has been a student of the impact of recognition on individual achievement for two decades. In 2005, Larry and his wife were instrumental in the establishment of the Biddle Center for Teaching and Learning, an outreach of the Coastal Carolina University’s College of Education, where he chairs the Board of Visitors.

Larry is president of Burroughs Company, a business that restores and leases historic downtown buildings in Conway. He also presides over the Jerry Cox Company, which operates convenience stores and fuel distribution. Larry has served on the Board of Directors of Burroughs & Chapin Company, an international development company founded in 1895, and serves as vice-chairman of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, as well as a member of the Coastal Education Foundation at CCU. He served three years on the Commission on Colleges as the South Carolina business representative. He was elected as the public member to the SACS Executive Council for 2007. He is a 2005 graduate of the 4-Mastery course conducted by Learning as Leadership in San Rafael, California. At the request of Coastal Carolina University, he served as chair of the Inauguration of the new president in September 2007. The Board of Trustees of Coastal Carolina University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree in 2007. He has been called “Dr. Biddle” for a long time-now it’s official!

Richard Parkhouse

Known throughout educational circles as “Park”, he brings a wealth of knowledge regarding positive school environments and increasing expectations. Park has dedicated himself to developing outstanding student activity and leadership programs nationally. He is a recognized and respected expert in schools and conferences throughout the United States, speaking and teaching in numerous venues. He is a member of the California Association of Directors of Activities Hall of Fame honoring his ability to instill a vision of school wide excellence for all.  Park was inducted into Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame in the first inaugural class in 1998. This honor reflects his commitment to helping develop schools nationally. He has served as an educator for 25 years as a science teacher, coach, activities director, and assistant principal. Park’s vision is to assist schools in taking their mission statement from artwork on the wall to where you can see it and feel it as you walk the halls.

Park presents a wide variety of programs that have proven to have a lasting effect on schools. These programs will bring information and knowledge, but more importantly, staff and students will be involved in the process of enhancing the school climate and effectiveness. The key to the success of his techniques is to create ownership for the stakeholders of the school. This in turn will help to keep the vision and philosophies at the fore front for years to come.