Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, understood the importance of choosing a right attitude even in bad situations. She was known to be someone that avoided grudges. One time a friend reminded her of a cruel thing that had happened to her previously, but Clara seemed not to remember the incident. “Don’t you remember the wrong that was done to you?, the friend asked. Clara answered calmly. “No, I distinctly remember forgetting that.”
Greg Tonagel is the head men’s basketball coach at Indiana Wesleyan University. Tonagel and the Wildcats have won three NAIA Division II National Championships in a five year spans with titles in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Since Tonagel took over the program in 2005, he has become the winningest coach in program history both in total wins and winning percentage. Prior to coming to IWU, Tonagel served as Director of Basketball Operations at Valparaiso University, where he also played for legendary Homer Drew and appeared in four NCAA Tournaments as the starting point guard. He also led his LaPorte High School team to the last single class state finals in 1997. Much of the unprecedented success of the Wildcats can be attributed to the culture Tonagel built at IWU. The IWU culture is built around two Biblically transforming principles; I am Third and Fearless. This has helped the influence of IWU basketball to extend far beyond the court. Tonagel and his staff have been committed to using basketball as a platform for discipleship.
Josh McDowell has spoken to approximately 35 million people, in 140 countries. Josh has written or co-authored more than 150 books in over 100 languages including More Than a Carpenter with over 27 million copies distributed and Evidence That Demands a Verdict, named one of the twentieth century’s top 40 books and one of the thirteen most influential books of the last 50 years on Christian thought by World Magazine. Evidence That Demands a Verdict also just won the 2018 Evangelical Christian Publishers Association award in the Bible reference book category.
In 1991, Josh founded Operation Carelift to meet the physical and spiritual needs he discovered in orphanages, hospitals, schools, and prisons in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Josh has received two significant honors from the Russian people because of these efforts. He is the only non-Russian to receive an honorary doctor of pediatrics degree from the Russian Academy of Medicine — in recognition of his work among the children of Russia. Also, Josh is the only foreigner to become a member of the prestigious Russian Club of Scientists. Operation Carelift, which has grown into in one of the largest humanitarian aid organizations based in the United States, is now a part of Global Aid Network (GAiN USA). In addition to many other awards, Josh has been nominated 36 times for the Gold Medallion Award and has received that award on four occasions.