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!

LOVE WHAT YOU DO

Do You L-O-V-E What You Do?

“When work is a pleasure, life is joy! When work is a duty, life is slavery.”  ~ Maxim Gorky    No matter which survey you look at, overall employee disengagement at work still remains frighteningly low. Which means that the percentage of employees who have loudly quit, quietly quit, disillusioned, and disengaged continues to negatively…

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ARE YOU ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

ARE YOU DEDICATED TO ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE?

“Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity.” ~Warren Bennis   At different times and with different clients when I ask them if they believe they are achieving excellence, too often I hear… No, I wouldn’t say excellence, BUT we’re better than we were 2 years ago! Each time I hear this my first thought is this,…

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FORGIVENESS A PATH TO FREEDOM

Forgiveness: A Path To Freedom?

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” ~ Lewis B. Smedes   The topic of forgiveness is a prickly one because some folks believe that there are situations in life that not only unforgettable but equally unforgivable. Regardless of whether you agree or not, I think it…

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Are You Being Authentic or Are You...2

Are You Being Authentic or Are You…?

“You have to be authentic with yourself before you can be authentic with others.”  ~Joe Contrera    * Years ago when I was married, my wife and I were going through a rough patch, and so we separated for a while. After a short time, we reconciled, and in celebration of our decision, we threw…

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Are You Getting What You Want...Or Need

Are You Getting What You Want or…?

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well you just might find, you get what you need!” ~ The Rolling Stones Hard to believe that after 62 years, The Rolling Stones, are still touring and performing for audiences all over the world. While watching a friend’s video post of their…

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you might be a lousi leader - 3

Youuuuuuuu….Just Might Be A Lousi Leader

“The most difficult matter is not so much to change the world as yourself.” ~ Nelson Mandela   It is amazing to me, that in this time where there are countless videos, seminars, workshops, books, and podcasts on how to be an extraordinary leader, we continue to hear story after story and see example after…

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When's The Last Time You Focused on W.I.F.T.?

When’s The Last Time You Focused on W.I.F.T.?

“Baseball (*Leadership) is like church. Many attend, but few understand.” ~ Leo Ernest Durocher   When I was a kid, we spent hour after hour in our narrow driveway playing baseball. First base was the fence post, third base was the spigot, you get the picture… We didn’t use a regular baseball, we used using…

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HOW TO BOUNCE BACK AND IMPROVE YOUR RESILIENCY

How to Bounce Back and Improve Your Resiliency

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, Couldn’t put Humpty together again.” ~Samuel Arnold   There has been much debate about whether Humpty Dumpty was actually an egg or not. The point here is that whatever he was, he certainly didn’t have a whole…

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So You Want To Change Your Culture...Here's How

So You Want To Change Your Culture? Here’s How!

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”  ~George Bernard Shaw   As a leadership speaker, coach, and consultant for a few decades, I have come to the realization that not every company or leader who says that they want change, really does. The reasons vary, and while…

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