Equipping Leaders for Life

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on “commitment” and its importance to building trust.  Making commitments to one and another and living up to these commitments is absolutely critical in building trust.  We touch on this in our post “The One Thing that Changes Everything” which to learn more about trust we encourage you to read.

Bigger picture wise, I’ve been reflecting on how “commitment” shows up in our culture today and its potential influence on the generations to follow.  Honestly, it’s my experience that we live in a culture that, in general, does not honor commitment.  Yes, if we ask the average person walking down the street if the honored their commitments, they would likely respond “absolutely”.  But really, are we truly honoring our commitments?

Let me set a little context.  First, in conjunction with our friends at Zarvos Leadership & Coaching, we coach five levels of commitment.  They are:

1. “I don’t care”
2. Wishing, hoping, and wanting
3. Trying
4. Committed “Unless”
5. Committed “Whatever it Takes”

(more…)

This past week in one of our advisory boards, we were discussing the topic of “integrity”.  The question was posed, “Are you and your business operating with integrity?”  Now, I don’t know about you, however, I am guessing a high percentage of the folks reading today’s newsletter would answer this question as “yes”.  However, before we answer this too quickly, let’s think about it a bit further.

First, we must define what “integrity” means.  The Merriam Webster Dictionary de­fines “integrity” as:

1. an adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY
2. an unimpaired condition: SOUNDNESS
3. the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESS

Now, let’s break that down a bit further:

• Incorruptibility – de­fined as being incapable of corruption: not subject to decay or dissolution: incapable of being bribed or morally corrupted.
• Soundness – free from injury or disease: free from flaw, defect, or decay, free from error, fallacy, or misapprehension.
• Completeness – having all necessary parts, elements, or steps: brought to an end.

Well, I don’t know about you; however, when we start to look at “integrity” through this lens, these are some pretty high standards to uphold.  As a matter of fact, could anyone of us truly operate in integrity 100% of the time looking at these definitions? (more…)

When you read the subject header, “Do you have a personal board of advisors,” what came to mind? Chances are, some didn’t even open this email as they associate a “board of advisors” with bigger businesses. Many companies have formal advisory boards made up of trusted advisors and thought leaders in a particular industry. They are focused at allowing the leadership of the company a third party sounding board to aid in casting vision and developing big picture strategy. While the concept may be similar, this isn’t the intent of my question. The question is more centered around “you” and your “personal” board of advisors.

Reflecting back on my years in corporate positions, I would tell you that I definitely had great members on my teams who I bounced things off of and even shared a bit of my personal struggles. That being said, due to our working together and, in some cases, having these people report directly to me, it wasn’t easy to maintain a high level of transparency with these individuals. Additionally, since they were in the fire with me, they didn’t really provide that independent third party prospective that is so important in identifying potential blind spots. (more…)

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a Truth@Work webinar with Donnie Smith, CEO, Tyson Foods. Let me simply say, WOW!   In today’s culture, it’s sometime difficult to discern wise counsel when it comes to leadership.   There is an abundance of information and people claiming to have “best practices”, however, do they truly have “fruit on the tree”? So, when you get an opportunity to listen to someone like Donnie Smith, it is truly impactful.

Given this and as a testament to Donnie’s humility, he began the presentation by acknowledging right up front that he’s just another man and there is nothing special about him.  With his southern accent, he says, “Donnie Smith is just eat up with normal. There is nothing special about me, but there is something special about the Lord I serve.”

Much of the context of the webinar was about how Tyson Foods has created a “faith-friendly” culture. If this is of interest to you, I am more than willing to share more on this topic with our partnership with Truth@Work. However, today, I want to focus in on a couple of key points Donnie made that stood out to me. (more…)

If we were to honestly do an assessment of the “heart” of your business, which of the following scenarios would best apply?

“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time:…a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness;…paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on…”

Stated differently, we might list words like: “untruthful, discontent, worry, impetuous, hard driving, immorality, idolatry, fits of anger, emotional outburst, & selfish ambition.”

Wow, tough stuff huh!

Or, is it possible this describes the “heart” of your business?

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard-things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”

Stating this a bit differently, we might list words like: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and others oriented.”   Yes, for those who are familiar with the Bible, these are the “fruits of the spirit” and the passages above are taken from the book of Galatians 5:19-23 MSG. (more…)

In the past few weeks, we have been reflecting on the importance of buy-in and wanted to share a few thoughts. You’ve likely all heard that in relationships and in working with teams of people, it’s important to gain buy-in. However, have you ever truly assessed how good you are personally at promoting and seeking buy-in?

Several years ago a professor at Indiana – Kelley School of Business shared something that has really stuck with me over time. It was the following equation:

Level of Success = Value of the Idea X Level of Buy-in

So, if we have an Idea that is a “10″; however, only have a Buy-in of “1″, then the Level of Success is only a “10″. Vice versa, an Idea of a “1″ with a Buy-in of “10″ is still a “10″.

What I frequently see is businesses, organizations, and individuals having some really great ideas; however, they don’t take the time to stop and seek buy-in. They tend to be so excited about “their idea” that they get out in front of their teams without ever truly seeking input. In multiple studies, we see that what people value most is that they have an opportunity to contribute and are being heard. When we don’t take the time to allow this with our ideas, we are sabotaging them from the get-go. (more…)

Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to see Oliver DeMille (http://oliverdemille.com/), speak a couple of times and have read his books, Freedom Shift and 1913. In November 2011, he began his speech by telling a story of a successful businessman going to a major university and giving a speech on “Becoming a leader of the 21^st Century”. This link is DeMille telling the story which I would encourage you to listen. What you will hear is that 6 people in a stadium full of 15,000 – 20,000 raised their hands when asked the question, “How many of you are going to change the world?” The speaker then invited these people to come down front and proceeded to conduct a seminar on “Becoming a leader of the 21^st Century” while the rest of the stadium including the President of the university were invited to leave. DeMille made his point quite well by sharing the story and asking a stadium full of people to whom he was speaking the question: “how many of you are going to change the world?”

So, what does it look like to “change the world”? DeMille is one of those people that when he speaks, everyone intensely listens. In a word, DeMille’s purpose in this world is “freedom”. In his book, Freedom Shift, DeMille states:

“Americans enjoy a legacy of freedom and prosperity that is perhaps without equal in the history of the world. The pride we have traditionally felt over the idealism, vision, heroism, and sacrifice of our Pilgrims, Founders, and those that followed them is a part of our national heritage.

And yet it seems that it is no longer alarmist to assert that we are in grave danger of losing the freedom and prosperity that were won at so terrible a cost. Strangely, though, our culture of idealism, heroism and sacrifice is not lost.

Our people still show a great capacity for moral courage, tenacity and altruism. There are still those among us who are willing to take risks, endure hardships and make difficult choices. We still take our hats off when the flag goes by. We honor the sacrifices of our military brothers and sisters; we show compassion to the less fortunate. Why, then, are we sliding virtually unchecked down the slippery slope of cultural and societal decay?

Why are we losing our freedoms?”

In his November 2011 speech and his book, Freedom Shift, DeMille talks about the fact that every hundred years, give or take a few, there is a major world shift for or against freedom. The last major shift in American was during the period of 1913 to 1936. DeMille outlines four specific events which transpired (3 – 1913 and 1 – 1936) which shifted America in the direction of “force” or less freedom. I’ll let you read his books and listen to his speech to better understand what these four events were and how they have changed our world. DeMille states, that what he is sharing, you’ll likely not hear on the news, learn in schools, or other public media.

DeMille believes, which many tend to agree, that we are in the midst of another “world freedom shift” which will happen within the next 10 – 12 years. This shift will either take us dramatically further away from the freedoms our country was originally founded or be a “turning point” restoring many of the freedoms we’ve lost to date.

So, the question comes, what will it take to insure this world shift is “for freedom”? DeMille says, it will not be easy, however, it’s not as difficult as many would have it to be. He emphasizes that the events of 1913 were originated by a very small percentage of the population, 3% – 5% or even less. It’s his belief, that if this same 3% – 5% of inspired leaders band together and do three things, then we’ll make a dramatic difference and “change the world”.

What are these three things? You really need to read DeMille’s books or listen to his CD, however, here they are:

1. A Revolution of Entrepreneurship – Entrepreneurs tend to be free thinkers or Rascals, whom aren’t easily influenced to “follow the herd”.
2. The Rise of Vivacious Readers and Independent Thinkers – DeMille stresses the importance of reading; you’ve likely heard it said “leaders are readers”. He states that very few have ever truly read the founding documents of our country and they aren’t taught in our schools anymore. Adding to this, he states that as readers we must develop our ability to be “independent thinkers versus institutionalized thinkers”.
3. Building and Leading the New Tribes – Referring to Seth Golden’s book Tribes, DeMille speaks of the importance of this small percentage of leaders banding together and building tribes within their local communities.

Again, I encourage you to get DeMille’s books to better understand the history and his position on freedom. Many have chosen to band together with the LIFE community and support the principles DeMille outlines.

Going back to his speech in November 2011, DeMille challenges the crowd to stop and think about their grandchildren. He says that many of you will have the opportunity to sit with your grandchildren 25 years from now and share the story of how you lived during the time of a major world shift for freedom. With tears in his eyes, DeMille challenged the crowd to really stop and think about that moment. (pause) What will you tell your grandchildren? (pause) Will it be how you lived during one of the most important times in history and sat on the sidelines because you didn’t know what to do. Or, will you chose to engage with 3% – 5% of the population whom are banded together as a community of influence and committed to doing what’s required to insure we have a shift “FOR FREEDOM”!

DeMille’s books, as well as many other great resources related to Freedom, are accessible through our LIFE website. You will need to enroll as a member or customer and then you will be able to purchase DeMille’s products as well as a suite of many other life transformational products. We encourage you to get on a subscription of this information as part of your continual learning experience.

We live in a time where there is more information accessible at our finger tips, than any other time in history. The challenge is discerning, what of this information, is TRUTH? While LIFE doesn’t claim to have all the right information, they do work very hard to discern and publish the information weighted on the principles by which our country was founded.

So, with that, I have one final question for you: “How many of you are going to change the world?”

Sincerely,

Chris

We’re reaching out to our community encourage you to “take a chance”. You see, we know that if you clicked on this blog, there was something that drew you toward a “challenge”. We all have a desire for a “challenge” or “quest” to aspire to be the best we can be. No matter whether this “quest” is personal, spiritual, or business related, it always starts with the right type of thinking. With The Mental Fitness Challenge and many of the other LIFE products, we are focused on aiding you in “living the life you’ve always wanted”. Yes, while it may be buried deep within your heart, you have a picture of what the “life you’ve always wanted” looks like and you need a catalyst to spark that fire once again.

Why do we know this is true? Because that is what life was for us prior to our decision to “take a chance”. We along with thousands of others have made this decision. We encourage you to read the list of testimonials to see firsthand the impact these life transformational products are having. These people have “no dog in your race” and simply want to share their experience with you as encouragement to “take a chance”.

No, this isn’t a “magic pill”! And, frankly, not many will finish “the challenge”. Our experience is that many times, we fall into our “comfort zone” and we think we are “doing pretty good”. When you partner with us on this journey, you’re going to be challenged to re-exam things like your: Purpose, Character, Attitude, Vision, Keeping Score, Financial Management, Leadership, Adversity Quotient, Conflict Resolution, and Legacy to name just a few. When this happens, we often uncover some “blind spots” which need to be addressed. This sometimes isn’t the most “blissful” experience and, therefore, some will choose not to engage in such an intense examination of themselves. For those who choose to engage and continue on the journey, we have story after story of demonstrated results of people “living the life you’ve always wanted”.

So, go ahead, “take a chance”. The MFC has a Money-Back Guarantee which allows you to take the challenge at absolutely no risk. And, with the 3 For Free model, you can take the challenge for FREE! Click Here to start your personal journey.

As a side note, you may be wondering, whether there is a financial incentive behind The Mental Fitness Challenge and LIFE. Absolutely, there is a financial incentive for those who desire to be a part of our “compensated community“. Details of what this might look like can be seen by clicking here and you can enroll by clicking here.

So, I challenge you to do what most people will not do: “TAKE A CHANCE”!
We’d love to partner with you and share in your personal journey. We don’t promise easy, but do promise worth it!

Looking at your business or personal relationships, what is that “one thing that changes everything?” That one foundational “thing” that, if done correctly, will explode the growth of any business or personal relationships. Vice verse, if done incorrectly, it will destroy your business and personal relationships over night. Taking it even deeper, it can make or break you as an individual having self worth. What is it? It’s The Speed of Trust!

Intuitively, most would acknowledge that trust is important. However, how big of an issue is it and how impactful is the “speed of trust”? Stephen M.R. Covey’s book, The Speed of Trust, does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of trust and its impact.

Looking at an organizational level, Covey provides the following statistics:

• “Only 51% of employees have trust and confidence in senior management.
• Only 36% of employees believe their leaders act with honesty and integrity.
• Over the past 12 months, 76% of employees have observed illegal or unethical conduct on the job – conduct which, if exposed, would seriously violate the public trust.”

Looking at relationships, Covey says to consider the following:

• “The number one reason people leave their jobs is a bad relationship with their boss.
• One out of every two marriages end in divorce”

What about on an individual basis.  Covey states: “consider the percentage of students who acknowledged that they cheated in order to improve their odds of getting into graduate school.

• Liberal arts students – 43%
• Education students – 52%
• Medical students – 63%
• Law students – 63%
• Business students – 75%”

Do you think that these students simply cheated just this one time to make the cut? I seriously doubt it. And, they say if you cheat once, it’s always easier to cheat the next time. Deep down, how do you think these students are doing today with respect to “self-worth”?  There is a strong correlation, guaranteed. Folks, trust is HUGE!

What’s the economics associated with trust? I’ll let you read the book and learn a much more comprehensive overview of the cost of trust. However, a formula which Covey offers is:

“Decrease Trust = Decrease Speed Increase Cost

Increase Trust = Increase Speed Decrease Cost”

Seems intuitive, right? But is it really a problem for you personally in your organization and your relationships. We work with a lot of organization, have a variety of relationships with individuals, and our experience is consistent with many of the statistics being shared above.

So, what do we do with this “crisis of trust”? Covey outlines “The 5 Waves of Trust – Self Trust, Relationship Trust, Organizational Trust, Market Trust, and Societal Trust.” Notice that the first wave starts with “self trust”. In the book, Covey discusses how “self trust” is gained, or lost through, “The 4 Cores of Credibility – Integrity, Intent, Capabilities, and Results”.  I believe it’s important to recognize that many think if you’re an honest person, or a person of integrity, you are “trustworthy”. Well, Covey challenges this and contends that “trustworthiness” is actually the combination of these 4 cores. For example, I might be the most honest, best intentioned individual you know; however, you likely wouldn’t trust me to do brain surgery on you or a loved one. Clearly, I don’t have the capabilities or results which would build this type of trust.

Moving on into the book, Covey outlines The “13 Behaviors” which will significantly enhance your ability to establish trust in both your personal and professional relationships. It truly is a great read and I encourage you to click through and get your copy.

In his LIFE Success talk a few weeks ago, Kirk Brittles, discusses Covey’s Speed of Trust and the great impact that trust has in all of life’s relationships. “Trust is built as you speak openly and honestly in a tactful manner. Developing an ‘I’ve-got-your-back’ attitude will help create a ‘Speed of Trust’ with everyone you associate with. Taking pride in yourself and your actions and being up-front, open, and honest when you make a mistake will only help you in the long run.” This success talk is one of many other talks existing in the LIFE compliment of products that we recommend plugging into and sharing with your teams.

With all of this talk on trust, I would be remise if I didn’t briefly go down the path of “trusting” and “distrusting” individuals. The question I get asked frequently is: “What do you do with a non-trustworthy individual?”  My response is, you have to find a way to bring trust to that relationship. At the point you bring mistrust, you become part of the dysfunction in the relationship. Mistrust occurs when you don’t stop and deal with the conflict or issue immediately with the person(s) involved. This topic is far beyond the scope of today’s message and there are multiple resources we would recommend in the event you would like to learn more. Please feel free to contact us for more specifics.

So, while I haven’t offered a lot of actionable content, I hopefully have given rise to the importance and impact of trust. Additionally, I have offered a few great resources to plug into to continue to assess, learn more, and take actionable dialog for personal development.

Please feel free to go to our blog and comment on this post or any of the others to provide and seek input from our community.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Last night, we once again had another great challenge group discussion.  This week’s discussions were based off Orrin Woodward’s, book Resolved:  13 Resolutions for LIFE – Resolution # 3 – Attitude – “Choose to Be Positive in All Situations”.  While there were many great takeaways, the majority of the group truly related to “reframing circumstances”.  This was a light bulb moment for some and a great reminder to others that we are always at choice as to how we react to “circumstances”.  The meaning we assign to the circumstances can either be dis-empowering and empowering.  Additionally, our reaction greatly influences the people around us.  Likely, you’ve heard and experienced the phase “if momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy” in the home.  While the group chuckled when one of the members brought this example up, we all can relate firsthand to the influence our attitude has on those around us.  For your benefit, I encourage you to click on Challenge Group Questions – Resolution 3 and reflect on these discussion questions.

So, what are these Challenge Group’s and how can I become a part?  Great questions!  Challenge Groups are meeting all around the world as part of The Mental Fitness Challenge (MFC).  The MFC is best described in the link attached and we’re seeing lives transformed across the world as people engage in this challenge.  We have partnered with top leadership experts Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady, and the other partners of LIFE to bring the MFC and other LIFE products to communities around the globe.  We encourage you to take the challenge and share how it has changed you’re life in our blog comments.

We can’t stress enough that these are challenge “groups”.  Much of your experience in going through the challenge comes from surrounding yourself with like-minded people wanting to make a difference in each other’s lives.  When is the last time you truly reflected on key aspects of your life and had a group of people encourage you in this process?   As mentioned, we have groups meeting all around the world; so, please don’t hesitate to contact us to find out how to be a part of an existing group.

While we don’t promise easy, we promise worthy and wouldn’t it be worth a 90 day Mental Fitness Challenge to insure you’re on course to Live the Life You’ve Always Wanted!!