Meet Rick Sykes

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rick Sykes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rick , thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

There are a lot of problems that assist in our world today such as poverty, crime, drugs addiction, hunger, mental illness, depression, discrimination, sexism, racism and litany of other problems. Honestly, I am a person that tends to focus more on finding solutions and resolving issues rather than spending much of my time, energy and resources on the problem itself. I really think my optimism as well as my compassion stems from my mother, Dortha Mae Sykes. I observed my mother go through some very challenging things in her life, but she seems to always maintain a positive attitude and outlook on life. Observing my mother’s struggles and her way of looking at things, has given me the resolve and mindset of turning struggles and problems into stepping stones.

OPTIMISM for me means this (acronym).

Opportunity
Purpose
Transparent
Involve
Mission
Initiate
Serve
Make (a difference)

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Don’t Engage N Road Rage is a Michigan based company committed to promoting road rage education, awareness, safety and resources across the country. We are both a nonprofit and limited liability company. The company was founded by Rick V. Sykes, Sr. in January 2017, and we are currently celebrating 8 years of impacting, changing, but more importantly saving lives.

Don’t Engage N Road Rage Has 5 Goals:

(1). Maximize partnerships, projects, programs and other platforms to advance our mission and message of road rage awareness

(2). Educate high school students, soon-to-be drivers and young drivers to be respectful, responsible and reasonable while on the road.

(3). Strategically target Millennials as they represent over 50% of all road rage incidents

(4). Increase awareness on gun violence and road rage as it has increased by over 400%

(5). Encourage people to practice self-discipline, seek help for anger management, stress, etc

Most recently, Don’t Engage N Road was presented with a proclamation by the mayors from various cities including Ann Arbor and Lansing, MI (the State’s Capitol). In addition, the company partnered with BlackBoxMyCar, which is the largest dash cam provider in North America to further increase aggressive driving and road rage awareness and safety. Every year in August we host a Don’t Engage N Road Rage 5k Run and Walk both virtually and in person.The Don’t Engage ALL EARS Podcast is scheduled to be launched the end of June 2025. The Victims of Road Rage is scheduled to be released in July 2025, not to mention our Annual Concert featuring Julian Joel and Family Sykes August 2025.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My greatest asset has been determination, consistency and integrity. Also, listening and my willingness to learn from my mistakes and capitalize on them has greatly benefited me in a myriad of ways.

My advice to others would be this, develop the skill set listening, stay focused and consistent, collaborate with other like-minded people and learn how to say “NO” to things that are not in alignment with your mission and purpose.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Honesty, reading and applying the bible has been rewarding in every area in my life including marriage, parenting, respecting others, integrity, serving, community outreach, compassion, money, debt and being a change-agent.

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