Leadership Development

What’s the value of one good idea?

At Truth@Work, an organization with which I am involved, we often ask the question: “What’s the value of one good idea?”

Recently, in listening to a CD coming off my monthly LIFE subscription, I was reminded of a story from Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich which illustrates the “value of one good idea”.

In the early 1900′s, Ivy Lee, called on Charles Schwab of the Bethlehem Steel Company. Lee briefly outlined his firm’s services, ending with the statement: “With our service, you’ll know how to manage better.”

The indignant Schwab said, “I’m not managing as well now as I know how. What we need around here is not more ’knowing’ but more doing; not ’knowledge’, but action; if you can give us something to pep us up to do the things we ALREADY KNOW we ought to do, I’ll gladly listen to you and pay you anything you ask.”

“Fine,” said Lee. “I can give you something in twenty minutes that will step up your action and doing at least fifty percent.”

“Okay,” said Schwab. “I have just about that much time before I must leave to catch a train. What’s your idea?”

Lee pulled a blank 3 x 5 note sheet out of his pocket, handed it to Schwab and said: “Write on this sheet the five most important tasks you have to do tomorrow.” That took about three minutes.

“Now,” said Lee, “Number them in the order of their importance.” Five more minutes passed.

“Now,” said Lee, “Put this sheet in your pocket and the first thing tomorrow morning, look at item one and start working on it. Pull the sheet out of your pocket every fifteen minutes and look at item one until it is finished. Then tackle item two in the same way, then item three. Do this until quitting time. Don’t be concerned if you only finished two or three, or even if you only finish one item. You’ll be working on the important ones. The others can wait. If you can’t finish them all by this method, you couldn’t with another method either, and without some system you’d probably not even decide which are most important.”

He went on, ”Spend the last five minutes of every working day making out a ’must do’ list for the next day’s tasks. After you’ve convinced yourself of the worth of this system, have your people try it. Try it out as long as you wish and then send me a check for what YOU think it’s worth.”

The whole interview lasted about 25 minutes. In two weeks, Schwab sent Lee a check for $25,000-a thousand dollars a minute. He added a note saying the lesson was the most profitable he had ever learned. Did it work? In five years it turned the unknown Bethlehem Steel Company into the biggest independent steel producer in the world, and made Schwab a hundred-million-dollar fortune, and the best known steel man alive at that time.

Source: Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich

While this story may be one you have not heard before, the concept of a “must do” list is likely nothing new to you.  We consistently observe that people are more effective and value daily priority list when they use them. So, why highlight “when they use them”?  We’ll let you ponder that question a bit.

So, what’s the value of one good idea?  Is it worth 25 minutes of your time to explore possibilities?  Contact us to set-up a phone call or schedule an appointment where we’ll test the waters.  Like Schwab and Lee, “After you’ve convinced yourself of the worth…send me a check for what YOU think it’s worth.”   Who knows, this brief conversation may be a pivotal time for you and your business.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Posted by on January 31st, 2012 No Comments

What’s the most important investment you can make?

Are you investing in your employees and yourselves personal development? Or, with the economy, is this an area you have consciously cut back?

In a recent article from The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), executives report a slight decline in learning development funding.  In spite of this, they still acknowledge the importance of investing in employee learning and development.

“The findings in our latest State of the Industry Report clearly demonstrate that executives and business leaders know their investments in employee learning and development are keys to survival, recovery, and future growth,” says Tony Bingham, President and CEO of ASTD. “Training and the reskilling of the workforce is a strategic driver for companies worldwide. We are encouraged to see that, despite economic uncertainty, business leaders know learning matters.”

The report shares that on averages, businesses invest $1,081 per employee for learning and development.  The specifics of these investments vary; however, a large percentage is invested in external resources in the form of workshops, seminars, and conferences.  While these environments provide value, learning development effectiveness and retention can be a concern for leaders.  Many have experienced sending their employees off to a 2-3 day seminar, their returning “fired-up”, only to watch this energy fizzle within weeks of the seminar.

So, what’s an effective alternative?  The leaders at LIFE have hundreds of years of combined experience and are recognized among the world’s top leadership experts.   LIFE has “systematized” a process for providing and reinforcing world-class leadership development.  Businesses and individuals are finding this “systematized” approach to be a much more effective means of provide personal development which is retained.

Here is a brief overview of LIFE:

“The LIFE business launched with the purpose of providing world-class leadership materials to business executives, entrepreneurs, corporate climbers, pastors, church leaders, administrators, community service leaders, public servants, teachers, parents, and anybody who will find themselves in a position to lead. When it gets right down to it, leadership is for everyone. Nobody will be able to make their way through life without needing the draw upon the toolbox of leadership. Sadly, many people lack these tools and therefore get to live with the consequences of being ill-equipped. These consequences include missed opportunities, unfulfilled career aspirations, financial woes, and broken relationships.”

It doesn’t take long to do a bit of research to find that investing in an entire year’s LIFE subscription is considerably less than a 2 or 3 day seminar.  Yes, for as little as $50/month, individuals are seeing dramatic changes in their business, organizations, families, and overall relationships.  Click here to read some of their testimonials.

As members of LIFE, we are plugging a variety of leaders into this leadership development system.  With a simple email or phone call, we can get you started with a LIFE subscription that includes a 30 day money back return policy on all its products.

Want to learn more? Please contact us today!  We guarantee you will not be disappointed.  Also, make sure you ask about The 3 for Free program!

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Posted by on January 20th, 2012 No Comments

The Trilateral Leadership Ledger

Happy New Year!

We hope you had some enjoyable time off over the Christmas and New Years holidays.  Additionally, we hope that you had time to do some personal reflection and are getting your goals and personal development plan put together for 2012.  We all, likely, have heard the Bible verse Proverbs 29:18:  “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  Studies have shown time and time again that those with goals are far more successful than those without.

Today, I want to share a great CD that I recently received off the Launching a Leadership Revolution (LLR) series. In it, Chris Brady discusses The Trilateral Leadership Ledger which Orrin Woodward, co-author, and he talk about in Chapter 4 of their New York Times bestseller, Launching a Leadership Revolution.

The Trilateral Leadership Ledger is a measurement of leadership effectiveness and is made up of three key elements of leadership:  Character, Task, and Relationship.  In the book, Chris and Orrin give leaders the opportunity to assess their current effectiveness by rating themselves and allow others to provide feedback in these key elements.  This 3 min video, gives a great overview:

LLR: 6 - The Tri Lateral Leadership Ledger
LLR: 6 – The Tri Lateral Leadership Ledger

So, how do you think you’re doing in the areas of Character, Task, and Relationships? What would others say?  Chances are, you can relate to doing fairly well in one of these areas and not so well in one of the other areas.

So, what are you doing to grow your leadership effectiveness? As we all know, growth is not optional (reference “You’re Either Growing or Dying).  I mentioned a CD off of the LLR series above.  The LLR series is a systematized process for leadership development which is in the form of CDs, books, and seminars.  With a reasonably priced monthly subscription, leaders receive four CDs and a book of the month with exceptional content.  This content comes from many of the Top 30 Leadership Gurus, as well as other great leaders, and will challenge you and your teams to elevate your leadership effectiveness.  To see firsthand testimonials as to how this, as well as other LIFE subscriptions, are impacting peoples lives, click here.  Additionally, contact us to learn more about  LIFE’s Leadership Challenge & no-risk guarantee.

Whether it be through a LIFE subscription or other means, we truly hope that you are committed to a personal development plan in 2012.  Our primary purpose is to aid others in their development while growing daily ourselves.  Do you need help preparing your 2012 plan?  We’d honor an opportunity to assist.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Posted by on January 3rd, 2012 No Comments

You’re Either Growing or Dying – Which is it?

Early on in my career, I was at an offsite meeting for up and coming leaders and the CEO of our company (we’ll call Dave, not his real name) made a comment that has always stuck with me. Dave said, “In business, you’re either growing or dying”. Intuitively, that made a lot of sense. I think we all can relate to this statement and it may seem a bit “elementary”.

In my years of leadership, I have heard this phrase used and, with a few exceptions, have supported it completely. Through the years, I’ve been a part of many aspects of business growth to include: mergers, acquisitions, expansions, new facility constructions, start-up/early stage businesses, and others. Without getting into details, I would say that I consistently noticed that our “growth” was at the sacrifice of others “death”. So, what’s the difference in a business which is “growing” versus “dying”? Well, while there are several factors, I believe most will agree, as John Maxwell quotes: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

So, if “growing” as a leader is important, what’s the best approach? Well, first, it all starts with “personal responsibility”. Great leaders take personal responsibility for their personal growth independent of what environment they find themselves. And, a common thread we see with great leaders is that they are avid readers. (Yes, Chris Arnold, who used to joke about how little he read, did say, avid readers.) While there is a place for workshops, seminars, and offsite meetings which I regularly attend and facilitate, plugging into great leadership development content on a daily basis is the best method I have seen to date for continual growth as a leader.

In fact, we are so committed to this approach that we have now partnered with LIFE (Living Intentionally for Excellence) which is lead by two of the World’s Top 30 Leadership Guru, #7 Orrin Woodward and #12 Chris Brady as well as other great policy council leaders. LIFE has a systemized process for the personal development of leaders which is in the form of CDs, books, seminars, and association. It is through subscriptions to life transformation information and association with like-minded people and mentors, that individual are growing their leadership abilities. This growth is not only transitioning to growth in their businesses, but also their families and communities. Check out some of the personal testimonials by clicking here.

So, as a leader, do you read 1, 2, 5, 10 or even more books per month? If not, what if you did? Please notice I did say “read” as statistics do say that the majority of books purchased are never read. Also, how do you decide what to read? Where do you find the best information? With the internet and e-books, there are a tremendous amount of choices out there to choose; so, I caution you to make wise choices. For example, would you rather read a book on how to be a great leader written by someone with “results” or a person who has failed multiple times as a leader and decided to write a book on “how not to fail”? This is another reason I have chosen to partner with LIFE as they only provide information from those who have demonstrated results at a competitive price.

So, what is the best approach? We find that it is a combination of partnering with a 3rd party coach/mentor who can aid in providing an assessment of you and your teams present situation, facilitate an align toward a “growth” mindset, and getting plugged into a systematic process for continual reading and learning.

Are you and your team “growing” or “dying”? How do you know?

Need some help in assessing? We’d love to talk.

For more information on how to become a member or customer of LIFE, contact us.

 

Posted by on December 1st, 2011 No Comments

The Five Temptations of a CEO

One of my favorite authors is Patrick Lencioni.  I find all of his books to be very easy reads and truly applicable to leaders ranging from billion dollar corporations to small business owners looking to improve their leadership skills.  Glancing at my book shelf today, I was reminded of Lencioni’s, The Five Temptations of a CEO.

The fable in this book tells the story of Andy, CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation, who runs across Charlie, an old man in a janitor suit, on a late train ride home from the office.  Charlie engages Andy in a conversation which is quite thought provoking and unveils The Five Temptations of a CEO.  The following is a summary of these temptations which Lencioni provides:

“Temptation #1: Status

Strategy for Overcoming: Focus on results

* Publicly commit to measurable results

* Evaluate your success based on these results alone

Temptation #2: Popularity

Strategy for Overcoming: Hold people accountable

* Confront direct reports immediately about behavior and performance

* Clarify expectations up front to make confronting direct reports easier

Temptation #3: Certainty

Strategy for Overcoming: Provide clarity

* Set public deadlines for making key decisions

* Practice making decisions without complete information around less risky issues

Temptation #4: Harmony

Strategy for Overcoming: Establish productive conflict

* Draw out differing opinions and perspectives from staff members

* Engage in and allow passionate discussions about key issues

Temptation #5: Invulnerability

Strategy for Overcoming: Build trust

* Acknowledge your own weaknesses and mistakes

* Allow direct reports to see your human side”

I enjoy this book for various reasons; however, the story involving “a janitor” is definitely a highlight.  You see, years ago in leading a manufacturing facility, I had one of those life changing conversations myself which involved a janitor.  Following a meeting with the leadership of the union representing that facility, I was cornered walking out of the room by one of their representatives.  He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Chris, you truly believe the janitors job is just as important as your job, don’t you.” To this I reply, “Absolutely!  We may have different roles on the team; however, mine is no more important than any other.”  This man’s recognition and approval of my servant leadership style was a cornerstone for me as a leader.  Also, validating this approach is that particular team’s realization of a 400% improvement in profitability within a 18 month period.

So, can you really learn something from the janitor?  When is the last time you tried?  You see, most leaders are too focused on Temptation #1:  Status that they would never dream of spending time with a janitor.

Feel like challenging me on this one?  Don’t worry, it’s not the first time.  For you Colts and Peyton Manning fans, you likely could make a case that Peyton’s role is far more important than the janitor who cleans the locker room.  Based off the results we are seeing on the field this year without Peyton, the evidence may support this thought.  However, is this really the truth, or could there be another possibility?  What if the janitor didn’t do his/her job?  Go ahead; play that one out.

So, do I really believe that that the janitor could have lead the turn around of a facility or quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts?  As one whom studies and coaches individuals and their teams in the area of leadership development, I would pose to you that this is the wrong question.  Clearly, some leaders are gifted and continually are pursuing excellence over and above others they lead.  The question is do these leaders have the humility to roll up their sleeves, clean a few toilets along the way, and acknowledge the contribution of everyone on the team.

For a more in depth review and information on Patrick Lencioni, The Table Group, and his books, click here.

Need an assessment of your team’s performance and how your personally doing on these temptations.  We have a process that will help and would love to discuss.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Posted by on November 2nd, 2011 No Comments

LIFE Launches 11/1/11

“LIFE (Living Intentionally For Excellence) is a movement of entrepreneurs dedicated to raising the bar on themselves and their communities for life.  Consistent success is never achieved without a goal of excellence.  Often, people choose pleasing means and then accept whatever means are necessary to achieve it.  Winning is for the few, but anyone can choose to be a part of that few – the few who will do what it takes to win – the few who choose the live intentionally for excellence.”  pg. 188 LIFE by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward

LIFE is a business system combining world-class intellectual property in the areas of Leadership Development, Personal Development, Community Building, and LIFE Coaching which serves individuals and communities who are Living Intentionally For Excellence.

We presently are seeking business partners who are hungry, teachable, ambitious, and honorable to lead the launch of LIFE which begins on 11/1/11.   Click here for additional information and contact us to further discuss.

 

Posted by on September 3rd, 2011 No Comments

The Productivity Loop

Recently, I have had the opportunity to read Chris Brady’s book, RASCAL.  In this book, Brady defines key characteristics of a Rascal Leader and even has a self-assessment for testing your “rascalinity”.  Brady’s humor and passion clearly make this book an easy read and his heart for freedom is readily apparent.

In particular, one of the things that I related with this book and wanted to pass along to you is “The Battle Plan – The Productive Loop.”

Productivity Loop

As you will likely recall, Arnold Business Advisors LLC mission is aiding businesses and individuals in truly defining what “success” looks like and building strategies to achieve this “success”. Substituting the word “success” for “dream” in the loop, we offer the following.

Brady states:  “Rascals start out ignorant like everyone else.  They simply don’t know what they don’t know about a certain subject, and they may not even realize they are Rascals.  But then new information finds its way into their consciousness, either through a good book, a friend, a life experience, or whatever.  The new information suggests a path toward accomplishment, a route of opportunity, an idea to be tried.”  Or, in our terms a “picture of what ‘success look’s like’”.  From this, the process begins.

Whether it’s someone looking to find a new career, start a business, partner with a new business, increase sales, work through a difficult relationship, raise their leadership capabilities, increase team effectiveness, or many other circumstances, individuals become aware of the possibility of “success” and normally immediately are skeptical. Things like, “I’m not good enough to do that” or “we’ve tried that before” come to mind.  However, then, “curiosity” is raised leading to a process of “learning”, followed by “excitement” to a point where we need to take some “action”.  But, prior to this “action”, we have that critical step of “overcoming fear”.

Assuming a Rascal “overcomes fear”, they immediately transition into action which enters the “Productivity Loop” and progress is seen.  However, our experience is that many don’t “overcome fear” which leads to “inaction, becoming paralyzed and frustrated” to a point where they meet the “Fork In The Road”.

You see, it’s not the initial lack of overcoming fear that diminishes our dreams or picture of success, it’s at the “Fork In The Road” that most experience the “make it or break it” decision. Will we “wimp out” or, as “Rascals”, will we reengage in our dream and press on to a point where we find ourselves in the productivity loop and having the experience of “Being In ‘The Zone”!”

Brady states: “‘The Zone’ is a concept that describes a peak performer in a moment all their own, where they are doing exactly what God built them to do, to the best of their ability, with all of their faculties aligned and intensely focused.”   It’s that point at which we’re hitting on all cylinders and seem invincible.  I’m sure you have experienced it at points in your life.

So, how are you and your team with being “Rascals” and operating in “The Zone”?  What’s your “rascalinity” score?

It’s our experience, which Brady also comments, that most need a coach or mentor to continually stay in the Productivity Loop.  He states that this coach or mentor should “have fruit on the tree” and not just “academic knowledge” for aiding in Rascal development.  For this reason, we mentor with those who “have fruit on the tree” and provide the same for our clients.  Would you like to further discuss? Click here to email.

Dare to be a Rascal and have a FANTASTIC day!

Best regards,

Chris

P.S.  For more blogs on fear, click here.

Posted by on August 16th, 2011 No Comments

So, what do killer whales have to do with training humans?

Recently, I have had the opportunity to read some of Ken Blanchard’s books and share time with a few leaders in one of his organizations.  One of the things which has become quite obvious through my studies is why Ken finds himself at the top of the leadership development community.  From the beginning, with The One Minute Manager and Situational Leadership to now, Ken and his teams have aided thousands of organizations on implementing the principles of what is often referred to as “servant leadership”.

Whale

Most recently, I was reading Blanchard’s book Whale Done – The Power of Positive Relationships. This is the story of a man named, Wes, who found himself visiting Sea World to “get away” from his draining corporate job.  During this “get away” Wes encountered a life changing experience.  After observing a SeaWorld show with killer whales, Wes asks the lead trainer, Dave, the question, “What’s the secret?  How do you trick these animals into performing for you?  Do you starve them?”  With much surprise, Dave shared principles the entire team of trainers learned from Shamu, one of the world’s largest killer whales.  Taking it a step further, Dave reveals that these same principles learned from Shamu are principles leaders all around the world are implementing with their teams.

So, what do killer whales have to do with training humans? More than you think!  As the story relates, and has been demonstrated by many organizations adopting principles, Blanchard outlines, “WHALE DONE” leaders and their organizations consistently outperform “GOTca” managers.  WHALE DONE leaders are focused on improving relationships by building trust, accentuating the positive, and redirecting energy when things get off track.  Emphasizing this “power of positive relationships”, Blanchard notes “You can’t punish a 9,000 pound Orca Whale, and then expect the trainer to get in the water with him.  Just as you can’t beat on your work team and expect them to improve their productivity at the end of the quarter.”

While the concepts discussed in this book seem quite simple, they tend to be more complex to implement.  For example:

“The WHALE DONE Response

·         Praise people immediately.

·         Be specific about what they did right or almost right.

·         Share your positive feelings about what they did.

·         Encourage them to keep up the good work.”

 

Simple…right?  Well, when is the last time you heard your boss, spouse, parent, coach, etc. provide you with this type of WHALE DONE response?  It may have been awhile.  This isn’t a criticism of these folks. It simply is that our culture tends to have been raised by “GOTca” managers.

These are the types of leadership principles and many more like them which we study daily and work with businesses and individuals to implement.  As a matter of fact, we encourage you to stay tuned for an upcoming announcement associated with our recent partnership with two of the world top leadership gurus.  Developing leaders and their teams is clearly our passion and we’re focused on continuing to surround ourselves with the world’s top leaders in order to best support businesses and individuals we serve.

If you would like to learn more about “servant leadership” or High Performance Leaders and their Teams, please contact us.  We would be glad to offer books, CDs, personalized coaching, and strategic consulting services to anyone sharing our passion.

Posted by on June 30th, 2011 No Comments

It’s About The Experience!

When you go to McDonalds, why do you go there?  Is it for the great hamburgers?  Maybe the great icy coke, thick shakes, sundae’s, or apple pies?  Or, maybe, it’s none of these and it’s really about the “experience”.  The “experience” of convenience, kids playing on the playground, consistency of how the food tastes, clean bathrooms, and more.  So, when it comes to the “experience”, how do you describe this to someone?  Simply put…you don’t! Really, you have to “experience” it for yourself firsthand in order to “get it”.

Well, the same holds true with High Performance Coaching.  You don’t “get it” until you “experience” it. Whether you’re looking to grow profits, create a culture of excellence, learn how to influence people, be a better husband/wife, or improve other aspects of your life, the process is very similar.  And, a key part of that process is having a catalyst, change agent, coach, or non-biased third party to act as a sounding board, maintain a focus on vision, push you for commitment, provide accountability, as well as many other aspects of support.

As an example, we recently had a conversation with an owner who was of the typical, “I don’t need someone to tell me how to run my business” mindset.  After several months of coaching with their Team, this individual admitted that they were initially of this mindset; however, believe our contribution was one of the best things that has ever happened to their business.  We hear this same story over and over once people get past the initial resistance and choose to start to engage in the “experience” of High Performance Coaching.

 

By the way, we should mention that we also pay for and value this type of “experience”.  While we are continually learning more and more about coaching, success, leadership, and other aspects of personal and team development, we too still need someone or, in our case, teams of individuals coaching and mentoring us as leaders.  We pay as much, and in many times more than, our clients for these types of services which has aided us in seeing revenues increase 31% and profits increase 57% this year.

Arnold Business Advisors LLC provides a wide range of coaching experiences for businesses and individuals. Our client portfolio is diverse and includes international coaching clients. We don’t claim to be the least expensive option for coaching services; however, we do focus on “success” and exceeding expectations.  What this looks like is normally a significant multiple of our fees.

Are you ready to test the waters on this “experience”?  Your one click or phone call away and we guarantee satisfaction.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Best regards,
Chris

Posted by on April 26th, 2011 No Comments

12 Words That Will Change Your Life & Business Forever

As many of our followers are aware, we are members of Truth@Work which is a non-profit organization founded in 1998. Their focus is to develop products, programs, and services designed to help Christian business leaders integrate their faith into the marketplace.  This past week I had the opportunity to participate in one of my most favorite roundtable discussions.  It is “12 Words That Will Change Your Life & Business Forever“.

So, what are those “12 Words” that could be so instrumental in turning around your business and have been so impactful in the lives of many?  Well here they are:

“Nothing to Lose.
Nothing to Hide.
Nothing to Prove.
Nothing to Fear.”

In the content, which can be viewed in Truth@Work’s sample curriculum link, Ray Hilbert, CEO, Truth@Work challenges business owners to “imagine living a life and running/leading your business/organization leveraging these ’12 Life and Business Changing Words.’”

“How would your relationships be different? How would your family be different? Your marriage? Your interaction with employees, customers, vendors, prospective clients, even your competitors?”

If you’re like most, you wrestle greatly with these words. How could anyone imagine running their business with a mindset that they have “nothing to lose” when dealing with “employees, customers, vendors, prospective clients, even your competitors?” And then there is “Nothing to Hide” — You want me to share and disclose everything to my customers?  And, “Nothing to Prove” – How do I differentiate myself without promotion?  By this point some may say “this is absolutely ridiculous.”

In the video, Ray discusses an analogy of living “closed fisted” versus “open handed.”  Imagine you’re living “closed fisted” or “attempting to control” circumstances in your life or business.  How are these control issues manifesting themselves in circumstances?  When we’re living “closed fisted”, we do have “perceived” control of the employees, customers, marriage, finances, etc..  However, what happens if someone comes along and wants to make a contribution to these circumstances?  Living “closed fisted” doesn’t allow for others to contribute. Stating it another way for those who have a belief in God, living “closed fisted” and attempting to control our circumstance doesn’t allow for Him to bless our business/lives.  Vice versa, if we live “open handed” or “palms up”, we do run the risk of others “taking” things away; however, we also have a much greater opportunity for others to contribute and bring possibility to the circumstances.  Working with High Performance Leaders and their Teams as well as knowing many Truth@Work members, I could share numerous stories of where people have made the shift from living “closed” to “open” and have seen remarkable results.

Still having a hard time believing?  Well, let me share a personally story. In October 2008, I was downsized after having an extremely successful career in Corporate America.  It was shortly following that I met Ray Hilbert and heard him share these “12 Words”.  Most that knew me at the time would likely say that I had a huge heart; however, I attempted to control situations fairly regularly.   It was during that same meeting where Ray discussed “What is holding you back?  — Fear” which can be seen in an earlier blog post. It was at that point that I made a conscious decision to truly focus on living my life “open handed” with a servant leader heart and launched Arnold Business Advisors LLC. I enrolled in a non-faith based transformational workshop at Zarvos Coaching and Consulting which further allowed me to get conscious of control issues in my life and a lack of trust in His provision.

Like most start-ups, we wrestled in the first couple years.  Revenues in 2010 were $3K beyond our target which we find interesting that they would be so close not having a clue at the beginning of the year as to how we would achieve them.  YTD 2011, our revenues are up 24% and profitability is up 57% over the same period last year.  Our revenue target for 2011 is 20% greater than 2010, and we once again do not have agreements in place coming close to supporting these types of numbers.  That being said, the numbers I have shared are the numbers and, to date, the calls, agreements, and payments have always come at the right time.

Adding to this, we won’t get into all the particular at this point; however, a couple months ago, there was one last piece of the puzzle that we were attempting to “hold on to” which our Truth@Work group challenged us on.  The next couple days, we made a conscious decision to start living “open handed” with this area as well.  The very next day was when I received a phone call which has now developed into a business opportunity for my wife, Lisa, and I to jointly launch an additional leadership development business in the very near future. In parallel with this, our clients have similar stories and are seeing remarkable results when leading their organizations with more of an “open” mindset.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, we strongly encourage you to wrestle with these “12 Life & Business Changing Words”. We also want you to know, you can’t do this alone! Find yourself a group like Truth@Work or a coach/mentor which will look you in the eye and have those tough conversations.  The benefits are truly PRICELESS!  As mentioned above, we’re still looking for that next client and would love to discuss possibilities.

As always, we appreciate your support.  We also hope that you have enjoyed this new newsletter format as it was formulated from last months survey feedback.

Thanks again, and have a FANTASTIC day!

Best regards,

Chris

PS…Want to learn more about Truth@Work and/or being a Chapter President?  Click Here

Posted by on April 18th, 2011 No Comments