Welcome to the The Extraordinary Leadership Blog

Joe Contrera is the president and founder of ALIVE @ WORK ® LLC. He helps Extraordinary Leaders Achieve Extraordinary Results. Joe is the author of four books, his latest book, Extraordinary Results for Life: Discover Your Path to be UN-ordinary, is the follow companion to his previous title, Extraordinary Results!

If you’re looking to dramatically change your life, both at work and at home, this series is a must read for you or those you lead!

We hope you enjoy the blog, and please be sure to share these blogs with your friends and colleagues who want to have a more ALIVE @ WORK ® Mindset in the workplace!

Forgiveness Do Elephants Forget

The Unlimiting Power of Forgiveness!

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”  ~ Lewis B. Smedes   There is a popular saying which states, “Forgive and forget.” While that sounds simple, it isn’t always easy! Sometimes, horrific things happen in life that are caused by the actions of others. These situations can…

Details
The Disconnection Between HR & the Business

Reconnecting HR and the Business

“Sometimes we are so damn determined to be heard, seen, liked, right, or to win a conversation that we fail to listen to each other. In doing so, we create chasms when what we really need is to create connections!”  ~Joe Contrera   For years, I have had the opportunity to observe both the pleasures…

Details
ARE-YOU-YOUR-GREATEST-ASSET

Are You…Your Greatest Asset?

“You are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming, and encouraging your greatest asset.” – Tom Hopkins Over the course of the last 25 years in the leadership development business, I have come to realize a few things about developing and educating employees, more specifically in the area of Leadership Development.…

Details

Leadership is a Privilege

“Leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed.”   ~Mwai Kibaki   I am often asked about whether leaders are born or trained. I personally dislike the use of the word training when it comes to developing leaders. I believe we train animals…we educate leaders.…

Details
THE POWER OF ONE

Got T.A.G.S?

“You must look within for value, but must look beyond for perspective.”  ~ Denis Waitley   At times it can  be easy to forget the idea that it takes just one idea, one action, or One belief to transform the world. Whether that be the world-at-large or the much smaller world that you inhabit, especially…

Details
HOW TO F.A.C.E. CHANGE

How To F.A.C.E. Change

“In any given moment, we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.”  ~Abraham Maslow   Life constantly unfolds, and when it does, it provides an array of opportunities for us to F.A.C.E change. Change can take on a variety of faces, it may mean that we need to let…

Details
Education Experience & Leadership

Education, Experience, & Leadership

Last week I wrote about Honesty, Wisdom, & Leadership. In that blog, we defined wisdom as the accumulation of knowledge and experience. We also discussed the importance of honesty in relationship to wisdom. This week, I want to do a little deeper dive into the topic of knowledge and experience. Specifically knowledge in the context…

Details
HONESTY WISDOM & LEADERSHIP

Honesty, Wisdom & Leadership

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”  ~Thomas Jefferson   Being a leader means you must constantly work at acquiring both wisdom and experience throughout your career if you are to help others achieve success. That said… Let’s first define wisdom which is simply, “the state of being wise.”   Following that path…

Details
HOW DO YOU MAKE BIG DECISIONS

Need To Make a Big Decision?

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.    ~ Nelson Mandela   With Father’s Day right around the corner, I find myself in somewhat of a reflective state. My Father passed away 14 years ago and I can honestly say we were very close. All of this got me thinking about the decisions…

Details