Leadership: Coming to Faith

With the holiday season upon us, we tend to make a religious connection when we read the words “coming to faith”. However, for the purposes of this article I want to move the conversation in a slightly different direction.

What is faith? By definition, it is the “confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea or thing”. Applied to leadership, faith in this context can be viewed as the confident belief in our ability to lead and our capacity for leadership.

How confident are you in your ability to lead and your capacity for leadership? Continue reading…

Preparing for Success in 2014

Preparing for success in 2014. What does success look like and what should we do different in the new year to reach our goals? When we start the planning cycle for a new calendar year that is generally how the conversation starts, isn’t it?

In reaching our lofty goals, we generally begin by identifying what we need to do differently in order to achieve success. But is this really the optimal starting point? Let me offer another approach to help you successfully reach your goals and financial targets.

Success

Rather than focusing on what to do ‘different’, focus on what to do ‘better’ as a first step. Continue reading…

Discover YOUR Formula for Success

Wanted to share some exciting news with everyone. I published my first course on Udemy this week!

Discover YOUR Formula for Success, is a journey of self-discovery. It provides the framework, resources and a step-by-step approach to help participants create a comprehensive personal plan for success and achieve their goals in a balanced way. The new course includes 21 lectures and lots of great content.

Discover YOUR Formula for Success

Much of the content is derived from my work with business owners in our coaching practice and business leaders in our 12-month strategic mastermind program. The course resources include e-books, articles, exercises, templates and tools designed to help participants discover what they really want out of life, and how to get it.

NOW for the really exciting news …

If you’re one of the first 50 people to register, you can order my first course for only $10 (normally $37)!!! Just click the link to register: https://www.udemy.com/discover-your-formula-for-success and include the coupon code BLSLIVE. Please feel free to share this information with others who would benefit from the course content.

Thank you in advance for your support. I look forward to your future success and to helping you Discover YOUR Formula for Success.

Enjoy the journey!

John

15 Things You Should Already Know

15 Things you should already know. Have you stopped to notice how everyone seems to have a list and a number these days? There are numerous blog articles on the 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. steps, habits, skills, ways or qualities that will lead to better sex, health, business results and so forth.

Well, it dawned on me that I’m lagging behind and haven’t reposted my anecdotal list for quite a while. So, here ‘ya go! Below is my ‘home remedies’ list of the 15 things you should already know that you can apply in business and to other areas of life as well. Continue reading…

Whose Normal Are You Challenging?

Whose normal are you challenging? Or better yet, what is normal? Interesting questions, let us explore further.

What is normal or the definition of normal that you are living by today?

According to Dictionary.com, normal is defined as, “conforming to a standard, usual, typical or expected”. However, the Urban dictionary has a totally different viewpoint. It defines normal as, “a word made up by this corrupt society so they can single out and attack those who are different”.

Legacy of Hope

Be careful with stereotypes, judging others, or attempting to live by someone else’s definition of normal. Remember this, “People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they are not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” Continue reading…

Make Continuous Improvement a Priority

Where does continuous improvement rank on your list of priorities? If it is not at or near the top, then it should be.

Continuous improvement is essential to growth in all of the critical ‘Five F’ areas of life – faith, family, finances, fitness and fun. However, for this article, let’s focus on continuous improvement within the context of the business community.

Start out by asking yourself this question, “What would your business look like if Jack Welch, or Warren Buffett, or Bill Gates were running it?” Continue reading…

Marketing Secrets for the New Economy – Part 2

In Marketing Secrets for the New Economy – Part 2 we will explore why globalization has become a key strategic imperative for sustainable business growth and survival in the new economy.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking. There he goes again, beating that globalization drum. Doesn’t he understand that I own a small local business and have no plans to expand globally?

Yes, I get it … but that is today’s reality. We are talking about the future opportunities for growth in the new global economy. Your opinion may change after you have read Part 2 of the article and had time to consider the following chart in more detail.

Global Wealth Distribution Chart

Let us start the globalization discussion by acknowledging the fact that there is no such thing as a local business in today’s rapidly changing economy. Millions of “eyeballs” around the world can gain access to your business from your web site, social media, email lists and other sources, and vice versa. As such, our world has become interconnected, interdependent and open. Continue reading…

Marketing Secrets for the New Economy – Part 1

Marketing Secrets for the New Economy – Part 1 overviews the opportunities we have as entrepreneurs and business owners to dramatically increase revenues and profits in the ‘new economy’. Part 2 will address the importance of globalizing your business for sustainable long-term growth.

We have all heard many times over that most millionaires have a total of seven income sources. In the first part of the article, you will see examples of how you too can systematically create multiple income streams for a business around your greatest asset – YOU.

The image below reflects what these multiple income sources might include for a typical emerging business. I refer to this chart as the “Circle of Life” because it also provides an evolutionary path for scaling a growth business through the various life-cycle stages.

YOU

Now let’s explore each of these potential revenue streams in a little more detail, so you have a better idea of how applicable they may be for your particular situation. Continue reading…

How to Define Leadership

How to define leadership. Based upon the number of articles I have read on this topic of late, it appears to be an increasingly complex challenge.

Why all the recent emphasis on leadership?

If you have read my book, Globalization: America’s Leadership Challenge Ahead, you know the answer. The greatest challenge that we face today is not the economy, it’s not the environment or global warming; nor is it poverty, homelessness and world hunger, population growth, scarcity of resources, or world peace and stability – it is leadership.

Leadership Image

Quite frankly, the thing that is sorely lacking in our country and elsewhere is leadership. There is just not enough of it to go around today to solve all the problems we face as a global society. Continue reading…

Shut Up and Push

Shut up and push. Oddly enough, these four words hold a great deal of significance for me and I hope they will help you overcome obstacles to your success as well in the future. Let me explain.

My wife, Laura, and I will be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary this next month. As our special date approaches each year, a lot of cherished memories always come rushing to the surface. A couple of my fondest memories are the births of our children.

Shut Up and Push Image

Laura was in labor for more than 33 hours with each of our children, Melanie and Daniel. You might say that she liked to “savor the labor”. However, I would never repeat that within earshot of my wife, for fear of being whacked upside the head. Melanie was the more difficult of the two deliveries. Continue reading…