“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…
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” ~Lao Tzu These words spoken by the 6th Century Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu, really captures the heart of leadership for me. Unlike many of the current leaders of today…
“Training is something you do to animals, education is something you do for people.” ~ Joe Contrera Transactions & Exchanges When you go through the drive thru at McDonald’s, there’s a good chance you’re not going for a culinary experience. Going through the drive-thru there is a process that happens about 35 million times…
“What others say and do is a projection of their own reality” ~ Miguel Angel Ruiz Projection is a defense mechanism where we take a part of us that we don’t like (i.e. our arrogant-self, selfish-self, or our untrusting-self, etc.) and project it onto someone else. For example, if we look at someone and…
“Your ability to comprehend what is not being spoken, is even more important than your ability to comprehend what is being spoken!” ~ Joe Contrera Emotional Intelligence, also known as EQ is now a highly sought after skill amongst Leaders. It was initially introduced in the 1930’s by psychologist Edward Thorndike as “social intelligence, and…
Great leaders delegate, and yet many find it extremely difficult to let go! What they fail to realize is the hidden message it communicates to their people. A message that leads to unmotivated, disengaged, employees. Take 5 minutes and learn the importance of delegating, letting go, or dying!
Losing Sight of the Big Rocks Years ago, I had the opportunity to work with a Fortune 100 company going through a merger. At the time, there was immense pressure to make sure five key areas of the integration went flawlessly. Most importantly, the reservation’s systems, which were foundational for driving revenue. Similar companies who…
Leadership Isn’t a Reward for Performance, It is a Calling! The way most organizations choose a leader is to promote a good performer. Even though they may lack the skills, talent, or even the desire to lead. In other words, leadership is a reward for great performance. We take our top producers, promote them, and…
How To Play a Real Game of Follow the Leader Follow the leader is a game many of us played when we were children. The rules are simple: do what the leader does or get kicked out of the game. The last person standing wins, and they become the new leader. Sounds simple, sounds like…
11 Truths About Extraordinary Leaders Below are 11 truths that separate, Managers & Leaders from Extraordinary Leaders: Leadership is something most leaders believe they do extremely well. And yet…poor leadership is still the number one reason people leave an organization. When an average leader is leading, their people say, “Look at what our leader has…