Over the course of my life I have read and been influenced by a great many books. It always seemed like the perfect book appeared when I needed to read it the most. A few weeks ago I was asked to share some thoughts on my latest book, Extraordinary Results for Life, and to recommend 5…
How Do I Dissolve My Ego? In our previous video we discussed the biggest obstacle blocking your path to changing your mindset. Your Ego! This week we Joe continues the discussion by sharing two critical characteristics needed to continue the process of creating the change you want in your life! Watch leadership speaker, Joe Contrera…
Defining Leadership … I’m an Excellent Driver Defining leadership is about as easy as trying to describe the experience of tasting chocolate to someone who has never experienced sweets. Why? Because everyone has a vastly different opinion about how to define leadership. I once heard a so-called expert on everything define driving in traffic and not…
How To Achieve the Results You Want in Life If asked, “Do you know how to achieve the results you want in life?” How would you answer? If then asked, “Are you as successful or happy as you want to be?” How would you answer those questions? We’ve all heard the saying that happiness is…
Why Leadership Development Fails or When Ads Subtract Yesterday, I sat down at my computer to catch up on the latest news, I opened up my web browser and clicked on an article. In less than a nanosecond my screen was filled so many ads that I could not decipher article from the ads. So…
Leading Others is a Privilege I am often asked about whether leaders are born or trained. I personally despise the use of the word training when it comes to developing leaders. I think we train animals … we educate leaders. Yes, leaders can be developed. However, if a leader has the skills but doesn’t understand…
A while back, a friend of mind and I were discussing the topic of commitment. I was sharing a situation where I felt that I needed to be ‘all in’ or not. Sitting on a fence for too long can become uncomfortable. My friend was telling me about a television show he watched where they asked a guy if he knew how to swim. The guy replied, “Sure, I watched videos on the internet and practiced on the kitchen floor!”
At different times when I ask my clients if they believe they are achieving excellence, I often hear “No, I wouldn’t say excellence, but we’re better than we were X years ago!” My first response when I hear that is always, “Well what if you were mediocre 2 years ago? Congratulations, you’re now better than mediocre! Are you really okay with that?”
Leadership – Do You Draft or Pull? A few years ago I participated in a Sprint Triathlon (a shorter version of a triathlon which includes swimming, cycling, and running). During the event, I had an opportunity to notice two different approaches by two different racers. Both people were involved in the exact same race and…
The Missing Key to Leading Others One of the biggest challenges facing a leader is the ability to step back and influence others to get results. The key is to get results without doing the work yourself or micromanaging your folks into becoming clones so they do the work the exact same way you would.…