What an awesome moment and it took so Little!!

What an awesome moment and it took so Little!!

I was thinking the other day about how electronic our lives have become. On one hand I can become a little overwhelmed just like many of you at how fast life is and very often how little it requires human interaction as technology continues to grow. You know what I mean I am sure, things that used to be human interaction have very often been transferred to email, text, instant messaging in an effort to "speed up" the process.


The challenge becomes our responsibility of not using technology to such an extent that we forget the reason we do what we do in life. I guess where I am going with this is that if Human beings were meant to have relationships with computers and cell phones I think we would be destined for a very deprived society. Do not get me wrong!! I use facebook, email, text etc.. as much if not almost more than  anyone I know but I almost accept it as a challenge that I must find greater ways to remain connected to people so that I offset my distancing I have created through these "great" tools.

I was thinking recently of how much opportunity I have in knowing some really awesome people and even the tough time I have staying in touch with so many of them and it made me question, "Is there a better way?" I started thinking about my weekly routines and how many hours I have to reach as many people as I desire to reach and it just did not add up!

It was then I realized why these tools were created for me! Maybe a little ego centric thinking they were created for me but if they are in my life I am going to work on the best way I can own them for my own personal use. In thinking about my daily call routine and email routines I thought what is my daily text routine?? Is there a way I could use this device to stay more connected with people I want to reach but often because of busy lives we keep missing each other??

Could there be a better use for texting than "Don't forget the Milk" or "Where are you?" or "How long before you get here?" I started thinking about the many many names that pop into my head each day as I am doing consults, developing our company, building future strategies and for who? Mainly for people who are popping in my head all day long and I am too "slammed" to call!!

I started thinking is there a way to use these "toys" to really create a positive effect and multi task really getting the most benefit from these possible "tools" in the right hands with the right ideas. I started thinking about how I could develop a tool that would be used to simply further my mission in creating a culture in my life and the lives of those around me. What if I took the time to send real messages each day over text?

Messages like;

I was just thinking about you and I hope you have a great day!

I appreciate who you are, do well today.

I know you are making a difference today.

As I thought about how my day and the days of those people I care about could be lifted through sending a quote over a text message or an encouragement the same way. What spark does that place in each of us to do something better with our lives? How incredible would it be if we could create a culture of people using "tools" to empower the lives of those around them by texting positive thoughts and ideas to each other. I started to do it and on one day I sent a text to a dear friend named Mason and it was as simple as simple could get, I thought!

The question I posed over text message was this; "How awesome is your day?"

I thought I might get back "Really awesome!" maybe even "Going to be great thanks for asking" but it was to my incredible surprise that I got back the following email to the simple text message I sent;

Brian-

When I woke today I was sore as heck from my workout yesterday – it felt AWESOME!
I gave thanks that I could move and enjoy working out.
I walked through my house and looked at each of my three kids sleeping – it was AWESOME!
I gave thanks for my home and my beautiful children and the chance to watch them grow another day.
I made breakfast – eggs, blueberry smoothie protein shake and oatmeal – it was AWESOOME!
I gave thanks for the nutrition I was able to enjoy.
I loaded the kids in my truck and drove Aleasha, my 12 year old to her bus stop where she said “Bye Daddy, I love you” – that was AWESOME!
I gave thanks for her gift of love.
I drove Michael, my 13 year old to his reading therapy where he has gone for the last year to learn to overcome his reading disability – he is AWESOME!
I gave thanks that I can afford to provide him the extra help and for his perseverance.
I drove Julia, my 4 year old to her daycare and as I was leaving stopped outside the window to do a chicken dance and make silly faces for her and her friends – it felt AWESOME!
I gave thanks for her laughter.
I drove to the office and sat in my truck and thought about the two clinics and the people in them and the opportunity I had today to help them achieve more – the responsibility is AWESOME!
I walked into the office and was greeted by a huge smile from Jen as she told me I was just in time to join the TEAM for a huddle – the energy was AWESOME!
I gave thanks for my TEAM.
I then sat down to write a dear friend who cared enough about me to ask me how awesome my day today was – that question is AWESOME!
I gave thanks for the friendship I have found with him

Brian, my life is far from perfect, just as I am – but, I am in the perfect place, exactly where I am supposed to be and that is not only perfect, but it is AWESOME!
My life, Brian is AWESOME!

I am sure that the power we have to change lives is as real as ever in todays technological world. If that did not prove it then read this message again. I am forming new habits in my life using the tools I have at my disposal to remain connected to the people I care about and I hope you will consider developing a routine to do the same. I was thinking about this message and noticed that one day this past week I sent 35 text messages along the same lines as the one I sent to Mason. I have received many responses back but Masons still stands above all at the moment. The way he used technology to impact me a week ago makes me want to work harder at making a positive impact with ANY tool I can find.

What is your routine and how do you stay connected?

Have an awesome day!


Brian

Leadership sinks in!

Hello All,

I remember many years ago when a friend of mine (Dr. Jim Hoven) mentioned to me a book called "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell. I eventually got around to reading the book and found some great principles in the book but I was not quite as excited as my friend had been when he finished reading it. Since that book has been shelved in my library I have been through so many other books and ideas by many great authors. I have encountered so many opportunities to apply the things I have learned and missed many as well. ;-(
I  read a another book released by John Maxwell a year or so ago called Leadership Gold all about holding us accountable as leaders in our lives. The people we affect, The decisions we make, The words we choose.....

It makes me realize more and more every day that my reality and my destiny are created by my daily choices on how I live and how I inspire others. There are times when you are placed in some sort of 
official leadership role that you think boy do I wish I was not the go to person all the time. Have you ever felt that just for a year, a month, a week or maybe even a day I would like to not be the one to 
give the final answer. The reality is that every human being is  a leader. We are affecting and leading the people around us to make decisions every single moment of our lives. As we interact with 
friends, family and strangers alike we make decisions that cause them to react so it is in our decisions that we choose to lead people. The question we must stop and ask is what is the predominant direction we are choosing to go?

What is the Attitude that I project every day?

What is the spirit that I instill in the people around me?

Is it a Positive one?

In reading the book I mentioned above there was such an awakening in me because I could see that my decision to be a good leader was evident in every word I said to ANYONE not just those that I am directly in charge of. If my attitude is on a downward trend there is no way that I can turn that off for just the people who are "in my charge". The decisions begin with me first choosing the effect I have on ALL people. The second is then replicating that same spirit in the people around me. WOW. Is that tough or what? My attitude as a leader will inspire others to make their own choices. It is so easy to say "Well they just don't do it right" or "They did not listen to what I told them to do".
These types of phrases can become "cop outs" or excuses as to why we are not seeing the growth or change in our circumstances that we want.

What effect are you choosing to make?

The next step that I saw John Maxwell overcoming as I read his new book was that not only was he being cognizant of the attitude he was projecting and how he was inspiring others but finally he was putting it all together by learning to listen to those around him. It was obvious he was beginning to trust them to start applying the things they were learning. This is HUGE! If I begin to cultivate the right spirit and then trust others to carry it out I can grow exponentially! 

Instead of me often feeling like Don Quixote stabbing at windmills I can start to feel that I am a part of an army that is accomplishing things by using the culture that I am instilling as a leader. We want 
easy answers but there are none. We want quick fixes but there are none. It is not possible for you to have any marketing, check sheets, measurement standards or magic potions that will alone cause your organization to succeed. While there are some great marketing items out there along with some fantastic check sheets that may bring additional amounts of success it all begins with personal 
accountability.

Am I creating a culture that should be replicated or am I creating a culture that is keeping me where I am? Even worse have I bought into the negativity that is so prevalent in todays world that it is causing me to shrink when I should be growing? It is all about starting with me and the people around me will make their choices based upon my leadership.It does not matter if I am the Business owner Leading my team, If I am the team leading my customers or if I am the customer leading my friends and family. It could be that I am the parent leading my children or the child leading others by what they learned from their parents. It all began somewhere under someone's leadership. Are we leading in a positive direction? Are we leading them to remain the same? Are we leading them in a negative direction?

John Maxwell points out the changes in his leadership style over the years. He points out that he remained open to learning what he was doing wrong so that he could improve upon it. As he shares through out the book it is more than obvious he built some great organizations to great levels of success but what has allowed him to continue to grow is being open to what's next. What can I do different with today than what I did yesterday that will have greater impact on the positive.

I recently made a comment to my friend Dr. Hoven about this last book being such an overwhelming amount of growth in John Maxwell and his ability to communicate through writing. There are so many authors who keep writing the exact same message they found success in over and over and 
over. I was really amazed at how much John Maxwell had managed not to simply repackage the same 21 laws in another format but it was obvious to me that he had really grown. Over the next couple of days that thought stayed with me and I started wondering why was it that this book rang out to me so loud and clear?

The answer was that I really needed it!

There are so many people in my life that are looking to me as a leader to help them reach their goals, it is without any doubt that this book was created just for me. I have really enjoyed applying these 
principles in my own life as much as sharing them with others and it is today that I stand here thanking John Maxwell for his growth as an individual that gave me such a great message to share. With that being said I ask one final question "Was it really John Maxwell that grew so 
much in the past 10 years or was it me?




Cool Leadership Video by General Stanley McChrystal

Thanks for taking the time to Lead!

Brian

No Left Turns

This is a wonderful piece by Michael Gartner, editor of newspapers
large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the
Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing.
--------
My father never drove a car. Well, that's not quite right. I should
say I never saw him drive a car. He quit driving in 1927, when he was
25 years old, and the last car he drove was a 1926 Whippet.
"In those days," he told me when he was in his 90s, "to drive a car
you had to do things with your hands, and do things with your feet,
and look every which way, and I decided you could walk through life
and enjoy it or drive through life and miss it." At which point my
mother, a sometimes salty Irishwoman, chimed in: "Oh, bull----!" she
said. "He hit a horse."
"Well," my father said, "there was that, too."
So my brother and I grew up in a household without a car. The
neighbors all had cars -- the Kollingses next door had a green
1941Dodge, the VanLaninghams across the street a gray 1936 Plymouth,
the Hopsons two doors down a black 1941 Ford -- but we had none.
My father, a newspaperman in Des Moines, would take the streetcar to
work and, often as not, walk the 3 miles home. If he took the
streetcar home, my mother and brother and I would walk the three
blocks to the st reetcar stop, meet him and walk home together.
My brother, David, was born in 1935, and I was born in 1938, and
sometimes, at dinner, we'd ask how come all the neighbors had cars but
we had none. "No one in the family drives," my mother would explain,
and that was that. But, sometimes, my father would say, "But as soon
as one of you boys turns 16, we'll get one." It was as if he wasn't
sure which one of us would turn 16 first.
But, sure enough, my brother turned 16 before I did, so in 1951 my
parents bought a used 1950 Chevrolet from a friend who ran the parts
department at a Chevy dealership downtown. It was a four-door, white
model, stick shift, fender skirts, loaded with everything, and, since
my parents didn't drive, it more or less became my brother's car.
Having a car but not being able to drive didn't bother my father, but
it didn't make sense to my mother. So in 1952, when she was 43 y ears
old, she asked a friend to teach her to drive. She learned in a nearby
cemetery, the place where I learned to drive the following year and
where, a generation later, I took my two sons to practice driving. The
cemetery probably was my father's idea. "Who can your mother hurt in
the cemetery?" I remember him saying more than once.
For the next 45 years or so, until she was 90, my mother was the
driver in the family. Neither she nor my father had any sense of
direction, but he loaded up on maps -- though they seldom left the
city limits -- and appointed himself navigator. It seemed to work.
Still, they both continued to walk a lot. My mother was a devout
Catholic, and my father an equally devout agnostic, an arrangement
that didn't seem to bother either of them through their 75 years of
marriage. (Yes, 75 years, and they were deeply in love the entire
time.)
He retired when he was 70, and nearly every morning for the next 20
years or so, he would walk with her the mile to St. Augustin's Church.
She would walk down and sit in the front pew, and he would wait in the
back until he saw which of the parish's two priests was on duty that
morning. If it was the pastor, my father then would go out and take a
2-mile walk, meeting my mother at the end of the service and walking
her home. If it was the assistant pastor, he'd take just a 1-mile walk
and then head back to the church. He called the priests "Father Fast"
and "Father Slow."
After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother
whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If
she were going to the beauty parlor, he'd sit in the car and read, or
go take a stroll or, if it was summer, have her keep the engine
running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio.In the
evening, then, when I'd stop by, he'd explain: "The Cubs lost again.
The millionaire on second base made a bad throw to the millionaire on
first base, so the multimillionaire on third base scored."
If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the
bags out -- and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream. As I said, he
was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and
still driving, he said to me, "Do you want to know the
secret of a long life?"
"I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre.
"No left turns," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"No left turns," he repeated. "Several years ago, your mother and I
read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen
when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic. As you get older,
your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it
said. So your mother and I decide d never again to make a left turn."
"What?" I said again.
"No left turns," he said. "Think about it. Three rights are the same
as a left, and that's a lot safer. So we always make three rights."
"You're kidding!" I said, and I turned to my mother for support.
"No," she said, "your father is right. We make three rights; it
works." But then she added: "Except when your father loses count."
I was driving at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I
started laughing.
"Loses count?" I asked.
"Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens. But it's not a
problem. You just make seven rights, and you're okay again."
I couldn't resist. "Do you ever go for 11?" I asked.
"No," he said, "If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it
a bad day. Besides, nothing in life is so important it can't be put
off another day or another week."
My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her
car keys and said she had decided to quit driving. That was in 1999,
when she was 90. She lived four more years, until 2003. My father died
the next year, at 102.
They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bought
a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I
paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom -- the house had
never had one. My father would have died then and there if he knew the
shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.)
He continued to walk daily -- he had me get him a treadmill when he
was 101 because he was afraid he'd fall on the icy sidewalks but
wanted to keep exercising -- and he was of sound mind and sound body
until the moment he died.
One September afternoon in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had
to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of
us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging
conversation about politics and newspapers and things in the news. A
few weeks earlier, he had told my son, "You know, Mike, the first
hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred." At one point
in our drive that Saturday, he said, "You know, I'm probably not going
to live much longer."
"You're probably right," I said.
"Why would you say that?" He countered, somewhat irritated.
"Because you're 102 years old," I said.
"Yes," he said, "you're right." He stayed in bed all the next day.
That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we sit up with him
through the night. He appreciated it, he said, though at one point,
apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said: "I would like to make an
announcement. No one in this room is dead yet."
An hour or so later, he spoke his last words: "I want you to know," he
said, clearly and lucidly, "that I am in no pain. I am very
comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth
could ever have."
A short time later, he died.
I miss him a lot, and I think about him a lot. I've wondered now and
then how it was that my family and I were so lucky that he lived so
long. I can't figure out if it was because he walked through life, or
because he quit taking left turns.
Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who
treat you right.Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that
everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it
changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just
promised it would most likely be worth it."

The Golden Circle

GREAT VIDEO AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS MESSAGE!!

But read the intro first ;-)


Each and every time we get together to host an initial training university in our company we have certain key goals in mind. We are well aware that there are owners of a business and a team that the owner relies on to create an excellent product, deliver it with energy and build passion for the why behind the what. In our business as a Franchisor we start by communicating with the owners in order for them to make a decision to join us and if we do that well the owners return to an initial training with their team. Our key focus at these trainings many people assume is to understand the "systems" learn the "mechanics" of operating a franchise at a higher level. The reality is that our main focus at these training is to teach the why behind the what!

Every single person in these rooms is mantled with making a personal decision to wake up and live a more powerful life, but first they have to WAKE UP!

As we set the stage the first day of our trainings there is a question I often pose as I talk about why we do what we do. I share with everyone the principles of our right to choose our destiny. I am completely aware at this point that people do not do what they do well because of a paycheck but rather.....

People do what they do well because they are inspired to do so.
People do what they do well because they are empowered to do so.
People do what they do well because they know why they do so!

One of the statements I pose at the opening session is that we will spend the first four days learning new, systems, new mechanics, new reporting and new ideas but we are well aware that even if you are not the owner who chose to join our company you now have the right to choose. Every human being has the right to control their own destiny so we want each person to hear why we do what we do and then make that choice for themselves. Our role is to teach people to be better leaders in their world. It is not solely about a product but rather about a direction of life we must all choose for ourselves and then after choosing lead others to the same conclusion that they have the right to choose as well.

I often say that to me Success is two things; First Becoming a better me during the time I have to live on this earth. Maximizing my talents and minimizing my weaknesses creating me into a better human being. Second it is helping others do the same thing in their lives.

Success is learning and then giving it away.

All of the other things that people often associate with a life of success, things like money, homes, cars, trips, freedoms are a lasting result of the two items listed above ALWAYS.

The final question I pose as I often wrap up these introductions to training. Is that after these four days there is a question I will have for you that goes like this; Who is the leader in your office and the answer I am looking for is very simply "I am"

As it is said where the head goes the body must follow. We change minds in order to change lives!

My favorite quote to use in these sessions is from Aristotle when he said "The ability to entertain thought without accepting it is the sign of an educated man"

Education always exists in our ability to keep hearing without the fears that often cause us to shut ideas, people and purpose out because we are just feeling overwhelmed, tired or confused.

The following Video was sent to me by a friend who had watched it and it inspired him. It is presented by Simon Sinek and is probably his best known speech called the "Golden Circle". I implore you to watch this video as the message it contains can be life changing in allowing us to understand the why behind the what!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4


Have a Great Day!   -   Brian

How do I become Weird?

How do I become Weird?

It sounds like an unusual question but in my opinion it is one strong key to all life holds.

I was with a friend this week at dinner and we were going to meet up with his roommate (Tom) to talk about all this crazy positive belief and mastermind stuff. My buddy (Ross) is so much into the ideas of changing himself through learning and searching new ways to grow but his roommate is much more cautious. As we all sat and talked it was clear this was not going to be an everyday discussion about sports and current events. It was almost out of the gate that Ross asked Tom what he thought about a relationship like the one Ross has with me. Now to be clear understand that Ross and Tom have been roommates in college for the past two years and now are doing the same thing in their first year of employment. Tom has known Ross as a guy to hang with, watch TV with and do all the normal things you do as roommates at this turn of life and growing. Ross and I have talked many times that some of his friends have a hard time digesting the desire he has for growing, learning and connecting at a much deeper level. All of these discussions led to the question Ross asked Tom;

"So what do you think of mine and Brian's relationship?"

Tom Answered quickly and politely "I think its cool"

Ross replied quickly "You don't think it is weird?"

Tom said "no it's cool"

Then the turn came which stood out in my mind. Ross said to him " I think it's weird" "I think I like being weird"

As the conversation continued it went down a path of why be normal when normal is not extraordinary? It was a thought process all about not fitting in as much as trying to stand out by doing the things we need to do to be excellent. We often struggle with making room in life for building the disciplines it takes to be successful. We are very often overwhelmed with things, tasks, lists etc. and we have to remember how to control these "things" through our routine of discipline.

In addition to knowing how to have disciplines we must realize how to have the openness to be vulnerable to people in our lives. We are so busy building masks and living up to images of ourselves that we often forget to actually become ourselves. As the three of us talked over dinner it was very cool to discuss the weird people who had gone before us and taught us lessons on how to live life. People like Andrew Carnegie and Napolean Hill who fathered the modern day mastermind. In talking about these people it reminded us that success exists inside of us becoming honest and willing to let others in.

Ross had posed it correctly when he said "I like being weird"

As I journaled after the fact and logged this moment into my writings it made me think about Malcolm Gladwells book "Outliers" A book defining the traits of someone who lies outside the "Norm". In this book he studies example after example of people who seized opportunity when it presented itself. As you read the stories on Bill Gates, The Beatles, and many other well known people it made me realize they were all weird! They went to such extra lengths to try to do something they really loved! They were each in love with the idea of getting up and doing what they wanted to do. This is a huge secret in reaching your potential is in finding what it is about your life you love to do and then being excited each day to embrace that opportunity!

The mastermind concept of allowing people to really know you, accept you and love you for who you are is so powerful. We are all taught form the day we can process thought to be a "good" little boy or girl. I think that somewhere along the line most people forget to become who they are instead of who they think they should be. In the act of becoming who we are supposed to we become normal.

I heard it said recently that only 5% of our population will be able to fund their own retirement without assistance from the government. 95% = Normal, 5% = weird

I heard the statistic recently that only 3% of our country's population earns more than $250,000.00 per annum.

I heard recently the stat that only 1% of the worlds population controls 99% of its wealth.

All of these statistics revolve around financial success and my belief is that success is much greater than finances but finances certainly do return to us over and over when we become powerful enough to make a difference in the world we live in by using our talents at the highest level. I think it proves that the "Normal" people are certainly creating something different than the "Weird" people.

I read allot of Biographies, Autobiographies and business books in general on people who created great success. I watch for trends and common traits that allow these people to play the game at a different outcome in hopes that I can learn something new to implement. I try very hard to share what I learn as I am a big believer in Zig Ziglar's quote 'You can have anything you want if you help enough other people get what they want!"

In my mind there are certain key elements to creating success;

Disciplines which create routines for Growth.
Openness which makes us stronger through our vulnerability.
Planning which allows us to really use the talents we have everyday and enjoy each day to the fullest
Excitement to create a better world through our visions of what we can be and who we can help.

First initials coincidentally spelled D.O.P.E. and that is the best drug I could ever imagine. The drug which allows us to be who we are, do what we love and create a vision and a plan for changing our lives the most when we work to change the lives around us.

A friend of mine (Sean) sent me an email this weekend as he was deer hunting in the top of a tree;

Sean wrote - Three things that make me happy. Family, friends, and experiences... Any world problems i should solve while im 20 ft up in the tree :).

I responded to him;  What do each of us need to do personally to eradicate lack of tolerance allowing every person to feel free to be real and more powerful to make better use of their lives. You asked so that's my outstanding question!        Brian

Sean wrote back;

Get rid of fear. Trust. Love. Understand. Realize there is no perfection. Communicate. Listen. Believe. Stop thinking about only ourselves. Understand our strengths and exploit them not our weaknesses. Look for opportunity to lead others to their goals. Stop demanding. Drop the social restrictions. Be who we are suppose to become not what others tell us to become.  Learn from others failures and celebrate their wins...it would be a better world. I will do my part.

I have confidence in telling you all that Sean is weird and I am very proud to call him a friend. He is focused on his disciplines, his openness, his planning and his excitement each day to make the changes he wants to make. As you read his response you will not see a fear of who is supposed to be but rather a confidence shining through for who he is. My goal is to use my life in such a way that I allow people to be honest with me. If I know who they are maybe I can help them become who they want to be. I hope this message today encourages you to sit down and think about 5 new things you could do this week to make yourself a little bit weirder. If we could all help each other in becoming weird instead of normal the world would most certainly Change for the better!

Have a great week!!

Brian

5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

This was a great article by John Maxwell....

5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

Dr. John C. Maxwell
The Sahara plays tricks on the eyes of its travelers. As the desert sun beats down on the sand, heat waves rise from the ground. Light bends as it passes through the superheated air, painting illusory pictures on the horizon. To thirsty travelers moving through the Sahara, it often appears as if an oasis looms in the distance. However, as the voyagers journey on, the oasis proves to be nothing more than a mirage.

Unfortunately, the ranks of leadership are inhabited by a host of mirages: people who look impressive from a distance, but end up being disappointments. After being fooled by a few mirages, followers become jaded about leadership. That seems as true now as it ever has been. Our trust in leaders has been shaken as politicians have reneged on promises, CEOs have squandered money entrusted to their firms, and managers have advanced self-interests above all else.

To restore society's confidence with those in power, leaders have to be able to inspire. I'm not talking about inspiring someone to buy into the corporate vision statement, to meet quarterly sales goals, or to work more efficiently. These aren't bad things, but right now, people are looking for a leader attuned to their personal needs. They want leaders who will encourage them, believe in their potential, and help them grow.

5 Attributes of an Inspirational Leader

ATTITUDE OF SERVICE

To be an inspirational leader, you must adopt an attitude of service toward those you lead. This requires laying aside selfish interests to add value to another person. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." When you serve, you awaken something magnetic inside of you. People are drawn to follow you because they know you'll find ways to make them better.

AFFIRMATION

To inspire means to have a positive view of others. If we're not careful, we become fault-finders, magnifying the flaws in everyone around us. Instead, leaders should emulate gold prospectors - always on the lookout for potential gold mines. When they find traces of ore, prospectors assume there's a rich vein to unearth, and they start digging. In the same fashion, leaders ought to search for the best traits within a person and commit to uncovering them.

One of the best applications of this idea is expressed in what I call the 101 percent principle: Find the one thing that you believe is a person's greatest asset, and then give 100 percent encouragement in that area. Focusing on a person's strengths inspires them by promoting confidence, growth, and success.

ATTENTIVENESS

Great inspirers know the desires of those they lead. As much as people respect the knowledge and ability of their leaders, these are secondary concerns for them. They don't care how much their leaders know until they know how much their leaders care. When leaders attend to the deeply felt needs of their team, the determination and commitment of each team member skyrockets.

AVAILABILITY

Leaders inspire by intentionally investing time in the people they lead. They make themselves available. People cannot be nurtured from a distance or by infrequent spurts of attention. They need a leader to spend time with them - planned time, not just a conversation in passing.

In our fast-paced and demanding world, time is a leader's most precious commodity. While it feels costly to give up, nothing communicates that you value a person more than the gift of your time. In addition, investing time to develop others has a way of reaping dividends. As Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked, "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

AUTHENTICITY

To inspire, leaders have to be genuine. More than anything else, followers want to believe in and trust their leaders. However, when leaders break promises or fail to honor commitments, they reveal themselves as being inauthentic, and they lose credibility. Trust rests upon a foundation of authenticity. To gain trust, a leader must consistently align words and deeds, while showing a degree of transparency.

Summary

Inspirational leadership can be confused with momentary charisma. I prefer to think about inspiring as more of a process than an event. More than a brilliant speech, it's cultivating habits of brilliance that manifest themselves daily. By modeling the five attributes of an inspiring leader, I trust that you'll win the respect of those you lead and earn the right to influence them.

Why some people do not get Results

You can have it if you want it!

I came across this video interview with Tony Robbins, Frank Kerns and John Reese and it will make you realize more than ever how much power each and every thought you have can make in your life. Slow down and take the time to watch these two short part videos to think about what thoughts can do to change your reality. The time is now to look for ways to make a difference in the lives of your friends, your Team, your Family and YOURSELF!



Tony Robbins Interview with Frank Kerns Part 1

Tony Robbins Interview with Frank Kerns Part 2