First, Ask Yourself The Following

Maybe you, your leaders, and teams have benefited in tangible ways, but we suspect not to the degree you’d like and more likely, not to the extent that you could have. Here’s why…

A Different Leadership Approach

Many leadership development initiatives fall short because they emphasize traditional learning models over modern living and experiential models. What we mean by this is that leadership theory, models, and ideas are often learned but never quite LIVED. In this sense, many leaders know how to intellectually do a thing, but fall short in bringing the power, strength, and resolve to pull it off. And don’t get us wrong, knowledge and learning are important, but I think you’d agree that almost anything that we don’t know could be easily looked up with a 2-minute Google search.

The point being, knowing the process, facts, and tactics are no longer enough to effectively lead. Because as mentioned, everyone either already knows or can easily find out with an internet connection. In this way, information and know-how are ever-changing commodities. Plus, as leaders, know-how and information, especially if we are doing it right, is in the hands of those we lead. Or said differently, our people should know as much or more than we do as leaders. This is the foundation of having a high-performance culture and team. Despite this, many leaders haven’t gotten the memo and are still clinging to the notion of learning and knowing as the gateway to being better leaders.

The Modern Rise of a Leader

At Rise of a Leader, we offer leaders a different experience. One based on Living and not learning. As we say, we are not concerned with what our leaders learn, but rather what they activate, live, and make real. It’s this shift to Living Leadership that allows leaders to see in themselves the principles, ethics, and foundation to support the people and projects they lead. Also, it’s in Living Leadership that leaders begin to see beyond the numbers and tactics of leading. They start to see how much of their power to influence comes from the intangible side of FIRST congruently living by principles. The late great Stephen Covey, calls this Principle Centered Leadership. He says:

” Principle-centered leadership is practiced from the inside out on four levels: 1) personal (my relationship with myself); 2) interpersonal (my relationships and interactions with others); 3) managerial (my responsibility to get a job done with others); and 4) organizational (my need to organize people…) ” ~ Stephen R. Covey, Principle Centered Leadership

Or said differently, inside-out requires that we start with level 1, then 2, then 3 and 4. Meaning, the starting point for effective leadership is rooted first in living by principles. It’s the relationship with yourself and the commitment to living with discipline, congruence, and purpose. It’s this foundation that ultimately creates and sustains, your power to lead. And of more importance, Living Leadership not only powers your potential to lead, but it also unlocks others so that they willingly receive your leadership. That’s why we say you must “Live It to Lead It.” Because by Living It, others will see it, experience it, start to believe it, and then follow it. This is how great leadership works!

But despite this, far too many of us focus on the tactical side of trying to learn how to lead and influence. For example, we might focus on level 2 and obsess on learning interpersonal communication skills. Or we jump to level 3 and 4 for managerial and organizational tactics. The whole time, being certain these will lead to better results. But this is tantamount to running before walking or seeking fruit without ever planting a seed. And yes, this backward approach may produce an immediate positive outcome, but it often fails in times of challenge when you need it most. This isn’t opinion, but a matter of law and fact. Because any fruit reaped without sowing seeds and building a strong foundation, can’t and won’t produce for long.

Don’t take our word for it, confirm this with your own experience. Haven’t you in the past fallen for the glitz of a new leader, but with time you eventually saw his/her true colors? Now ask yourself, why did they fall short as a leader? We’d argue it wasn’t because of their knowledge or what they did or didn’t know. It was simply because they didn’t Live It. They looked it, talked it, but in the end didn’t walk it.

Now, if you’re serious about self-exploration look inside yourself for a time when you’ve fallen short as a leader. I’d bet it also wasn’t about what you didn’t know, but more about trying to lead from a story that you had NOT fully and wholly lived? For me, this has always been the root of not living up to my leadership potential. When I scrape away all my stories, what’s left is that I talked about it, even knew about it, but just didn’t LIVE IT. And if we’re honest and raw with ourselves, the biggest take away isn’t that we fell short. Rather it is that no matter how good of a leader we are, there is always a higher level of leadership waiting to be met. And to our point, we will only meet this level when we finally start LIVING at this level.

Here’s a hint, your leadership and life would dramatically improve. We say this because though historically significant, Living Leadership is even more important in today’s modern business environment. Just think about the people we lead today. Don’t they expect and demand high levels of transparency and empowerment from leaders they can trust and respect? Even staunch Baby Boomers have been infected by how Millennials, even if new to the job, audaciously and unapologetically ask for more of their leaders.

In short, gone are the days of authority leadership rooted in titles, tenure, and past accolades. People just don’t care; they want leaders who walk the walk TODAY. They want leaders who Live It. Not just because of it’s effectiveness but also because Living Leadership helps others activate their personal potential, purpose, and power. Just think about how starved most people are when it comes living up to their potential and experiencing day to day power and purpose. With Living Leadership you become an example of possibility, which naturally skyrockets your power to influence and lead. And here’s another truth, you can be this type of modern leader. The catch is, it’s not likely to happen through a traditional learning based approach. You’ll have to master level 1 and LIVE It!

And as a happy side effect, once you begin Living Leadership you not only will transform your power to lead but also your strength to transform other areas of your life. That’s why many of our graduates say that Rise of a Leader was life-changing. And this makes sense given Living Leadership isn’t something you do between the hours of 9  to 5pm. It’s something you LIVE 24/7.

Transform Your Leadership Life

Becoming a better leader through Living Leadership is a process that yields not only some immediate fruits but more importantly builds deep roots that will allow you to grow into the leader you envision yourself being. We help our leaders to be who they truly are meant to be, as Goethe once said:

“ Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is; treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be. ” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

So if you’re looking to be the leader that you COULD and SHOULD be, then join us. But be warned, Rise of a Leader is only for leaders who are serious about realizing more of their leadership potential, overcoming real challenges, and RISING as a leader.

CONTACT US TODAY!

Or call: +1 (915) 213-6464

¹Leadership Development Factbook 2014 Bersin by Deloitte, 2014. | ²Survey on the Global Agenda World Economic Forum