Joe Contrera is the Founder and President of ALIVE @ WORK LLC, a leadership development company dedicated to helping Extraordinary Leaders Achieve Extraordinary Results. He is the author of three books. His latest, Extraordinary Results: Mastering the Art of Leading, Coaching, & Influencing Others, is quickly becoming a must-have resource for leaders in organizations across the country. It will not only change what you believe about leading, it will help you build your leadership skills so that you can successfully influence others.
“The opposite of anger is not calmness, its empathy.” ~ Mehmet Oz Have you ever been in a situation involving another person where you thought to yourself, “You know, if they just worked harder they would be so much better off” Maybe you exited from the highway and at the end of the ramp…
“All creation is a mine, and every man is a miner.” ~ Abraham Lincoln A while back, I was working with a group of leaders from a gold mining company to help them strengthen their Coaching Skills. Towards the end of the week I had an opportunity to tour the mine. My guide Jesse…
“Truth can be found in simplicity.” ~ Joe Contrera Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that seems so overwhelming that we lose our way and end up drowning in a sea of fear, doubt, and confusion. In times like these, it might be helpful to simplify your thought process and boil it all…
“Extraordinary leaders are those who continuously push beyond their comfort zones of what is common, known, and safe, while inspiring others to do the same!” ~ Joe Contrera The difference between a good leader and an extraordinary leader is very clear in the minds of their people. Sometimes it is not so clear in the…
Order, Disorder, & Reorder ~ Richard Rohr Thesis, Antithesis, & Synthesis ~ George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel A Long Time Ago in a Land Far… For thousands of years, civilizations have experienced a pattern of change. According to author Richard Rohr, he believes we experience a time of order where things are settled and stable. Then…
“There’s a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.” ~Steven Wright When it comes to fishing, a lot of fishermen use a leader (an additional section of wire or line) to quickly connect or replace the hook or the lure to the fishing line. The type of leader…
Resentment is like swallowing a poisonous pill and waiting for the other guy to die!” ~ St. Augustine In the world of business and finance, when we refer to the phrase poisonous pill, we are referring to a strategy to fight an unwanted takeover. The purpose is to protect the company from being taken…
“It sure did kick up some excitement in the Senate when one Senator called the other Senators ‘sons of Wild jackasses.’ Well, if you thought it made the Senators hot, you wait till you see what happens when the jackasses hear how they have been slandered.” ~Will Rogers I think it is fair to say…
“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” ~ C.S. Lewis If you look up the definition of humiliation, you will notice words like; embarrassment, shame, indignity, and degradation. If you look up the definition of humility, you will notice words like modesty, humbleness, and a lack of…
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people, and they tell us what to do.” ~ Steve Jobs One of the biggest challenges employees struggle with on a regular basis is dealing with a leader who micromanages. A clients once shared that their manager would…