» Leadership Development Lessons

Leadership Development Lessons From Waldo

JT — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:11:51 +0000

Military aviators live by the values of leadership development. Whether soaring at the speed of sound at 30,000 ft, or stalking enemy submarines at a couple hundred feet off the surface of the ocean, leadership is the lifeblood of military aviation. Watch this video and see what I learned from F-16 pilot, author, and entrepreneur Rob “Waldo” Waldman. Great insight for every serious entrepreneur. As Waldo says, “Push It UP!!!”

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Leadership Development Lessons From Southwest Airlines

JT — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:42:19 +0000

Check out what happened to me and my family when we flew Southwest Airlines on our way home from Maui. CEO Gary C. Kelly sets the bar high by sharing his vision with every employee and customer. Every entrepreneur series about success needs to see this…

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Leadership Development Means Weathering The Storm

JT — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:52:14 +0000

Check out this video I made from the beach in Maui. It occurred to me while traveling to our family vacation that business, just as in life, is all about weathering the storm. Take notice of the times in your life when you were able to shift the momentum simply by hanging in and riding out the storm.

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Leadership Development Lessons From a 4 Year-Old

JT — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:30:32 +0000

Leadership development lessons can come from just about anybody, regardless of their age. Check out what my 4 year-old daughter, Callie, has to say about her champion mindset and doing what you love!

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Leadership Lessons From Walt Disney

JT — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:48:21 +0000

Earlier this year my family and I took a trip to Disneyland. It was nice to get back to Southern California for a few days, and we had the pleasure of having Mia’s folks join us for the trip.

It was the first time our daughter, Callie, had been to “The Happiest Place On Earth”, and our son Maximus (then 15-months old) was enjoying his maiden voyage as well.

I want to share 3 valuable lessons it took away from Walt Disney as I visited his amusement park.

Lesson 1: Continually upgrade, grow and build.
My two favorite rides when I was a kid were Space Mountain and The Haunted Mansion. When we visited the park in September, BOTH rides were closed. I was bummed.

But the employees of the park did a great job of enthusiastically talking about how those rides are the crown jewels of their upcoming Halloween extravaganza, and were being upgraded for their big celebration.

What did that do for me, the customer?
1.) It immediately took the frustration out of my experience, because I couldn’t help but feel the Disney employee’s genuine enthusiasm.
2.) It made me want return the following month for the big Halloween bash. Gone was my initial annoyance; that was replaced by a sense of anticipation for the future. I wanted to be there, dammit! That is great for business.

Lesson 2: Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For The Sale
From the time you show up to the park until the moment you leave, Disney is constantly selling you. You have the option to show up an hour early; when you do, you are given access to the shops, the Disney characters (gotta get a picture with Mickey!), and of course food and drinks.

You get another opportunity at this when the park closes. All the shops and restaurants are open for an additional hour “for you convenience”. Why? So you can focus on enjoying the park, the rides, and the experience. Sure. But because the rides are closed, and you (and your kids) are far from ready to leave at that point.

The impeccable cleanliness of the grounds, outstanding customer service and perceived value of the product creates an incredible immersion of joy. You almost feel obligated to purchase a souvenir before you leave just so you can take a piece of the experience home with you.

Point here is that Disney is not at all afraid to ask for the sale. They have made a staggering fortune from professionally, confidently, and consistently selling in an almost-elegant fashion.

Lesson 3: Attitude Is Everything
I swear there must be something in the water at Disneyland. Every employee presents a professional, upbeat, and gracious attitude, seemingly every second of the day. I like to think I’m pretty good at picking up on things like this, and I can tell you that in the 3 days we were in hte park, I never once picked up on a bad attitude, fatigue, annoyance, unhappiness, or displeasure from a single Disney employee. And it was all genuine.

How do you get EVERY employee to project an attitude like that?
1.) Create a culture of quality. That means “service first” thinking. In a business like Disney’s you have to serve the customer, and over-deliver the quality.
2.) Total belief in the brand. I doubt any human being, regardless of their level of mental toughness or physical fitness could wear a fuzzy duck/mouse/dog/bear suit in 80-plus degree heat for hours on end, kids pestering you for photos, and the same Its-A-Small-World-After-All music playing over and over (and over) in your head and stay happy unless they had total belief in the brand and the mission.
3.) Money Could Not Be The Only Focus. Money is great, and money is important, but it cannot be the sole motivator for entrepreneurs. Walt Disney passionately loved his work, and that energy transcends time and permeates its way into every member of the Disney staff.

Strive to have that level of influence in your business, too.

I could write a book on my trip to Disneyland; it was that profound. As a kid, I loved it for the wonder and magic. As an entrepreneur I loved it for the unbelievable attention to detail and world-class professionalism. It was a real treat to witness a top-notch organization operate at such a high level.

If you have the chance to get to any Disney park, definitely go. Take notes, learn all you can, and remember Walt Disney’s quote:
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

~JT

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Leadership Lessons From Dave Stech

JT — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:59:14 +0000

I have been very blessed in my life to have some tremendous teachers. Most of what I share with you has either come from real-life experience or from learning from amazing teachers and friends.

Dave Stech is one of those incredible teachers, and a tremendous friend.

I first met Dave in 2005 (my wife, Mia, actually met him at a real estate seminar). Mia and I were full-time naval aviators, and budding entrepreneurs and Dave was (and still is) and ultra-successful real estate entrepreneur. Mia and I have referred to Dave as our “Rich Dad”, with a tip of the hat to Robert Kiyosaki’s book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, in which his friend and mentor is referred to by this title.

Dave has made a tremendous impact on our lives, both personally and professionally. We have learned enough from Dave to fill volumes. When I struggled in business, he would calmly tell me, “JT, to get where you want to be financially, just add a zero.”

Then he showed me how to do it.

When I was struggling to find my true calling, Dave gave me one the of the greatest pieces of advice I have EVER received. He said, “Follow your true passion, and make sure you do good, have fun, and make money!”

And then he showed me how to implement it.

One thing that is critically important for every entrepreneur to grasp, and something that has made a huge difference in my business, is Dave’s concept of “The Power of 6″.

You can learn more about The Power of 6 here.

As entrepreneurs, we have a tendency to want to be all things to all people. We have a sense that maxing out our Facebook affiliations, having tens of thousands of followers on Twitter, and jumping into every business venture we can make time for is the recipe for success.

Not true.

In my next post, I will share some insight form Dave Stech that changed the course of my entrepreneurial life. Until then, check out Dave’s wisdom at http://www.ThePowerOf6.com.

Go Big,
~JT

PS: Remember to leave me a comment and share this post with other entrepreneurs you care about!

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Leadership Development Training From Frank Kern

JT — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:20:23 +0000

One of my favorite teachers, and a guy I can relate to on a lot of levels, is internet marketing expert Frank Kern.

Frank Kern has transformed the way I think about business, and has contributed a great deal to my leadership development training in more ways than I could begin to describe in one post.

Frank comes off as this laid back slacker of an internet marketer. You can almost imagine him barely taking anything seriously, and you get the sense that he is either on his way to, or coming back from a session of surfing (after all, he IS an avid surfer…).

Make no mistake about it; Frank Kern is a genius. He works hard, creates more value than anyone else I can think of in everything he produces, and the dude is HILARIOUS.

A couple of weeks ago, Frank submitted a video on his blog called State of The Internet Address. It is the best 32 minutes I had spent in a long time, and I took a lot out of his message.

Frank taught me one lesson in particular that I want to share with you today because I believe it is one of the most important lessons I have learned in my entire entrepreneurial career.

Frank said today, more than ever, you must ‘out-cool’ your competition, meaning you must give more value, treat them with more respect, and provide a better experience for them than anyone else can.

This is profoundly powerful to me, and I hope it hits you between the eyes, too. This one attitude can and will pay you fortunes. If more businesses and entrepreneurs really infuse this attitude in their daily practices, I believe we’ll see a rapid turnaround in the economy.

Frank’s message is that powerful.

‘Out-cooling’ your competition is not just a great idea, it is THE best way to shift the momentum in your business in the face of a challenging economy.

It means giving more value to your customers in proportion to the money they give you. Simply outselling, out-marketing, and outperforming your competition will not cut it anymore.

As Frank says, by delivering more happiness to customers and prospects, and deliberately putting forth an effort to make their lives better in everything you do with them, you will enjoy success.

Check out Frank’s State Of The Internet Address here.

Frank Kern is one of my teachers because he emphasizes value first. He believes in over-delivering great content that makes a profound difference in his customers.

I’d like you to check out his site at http://www.MassControlSite/blog and buy his stuff. Seriously, it will change the way you do business forever.

Out-cool your competition today, and you will enjoy more success than you ever dreamed of.

Go Big,
~JT

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Leadership Development Training From Bear Grylls

JT — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:37:55 +0000

If you have ever watch Man v. Wild on Discovery Channel, you are familiar with Bear Grylls.

If you haven’t seen the show (you should watch it every Friday night), Bear is an adventurer who demonstrates how to survive and escape from incredible but totally possible survival situations in the wild.

The interesting thing about Bear is who he is as a man. He is a former British SAS (Special Air Service) commando. SAS is the British counterpart to the U.S. Navy SEALs. He survived a parachute malfunction which nearly paralyzed him. He turned that setback into motivation to climb Mt. Everest.

He not only recovered from his injuries, but succeeded in climbing to the summit of Everest, and became the youngest Briton ever to do it.

The reason I admire Bear and consider him one of my teachers is because of his humble nature, focus on his family,and his unwavering positive attitude even in the face of extreme danger.

He taught me a valuable lesson in one episode where he was setting a trap to catch food. He said, “So much of survival is about opportunistic hunting.”

That quote stuck with me for years as I pursued my entrepreneurial dream. I have never thought of business as survival, but if you have ever watched Bear operate, you’ll see that he not only survives (i.e. barely gets by), but thrives.

So much of business is about opportunistic thinking. Looking for opportunities where others quit. Seeking win-win situations in negotiation. Creating fortunes with sound business practices, and the fine art of making a rapid decision and confidently sticking with it.

Another of my favorite quotes from Bear came in a YouTube video I viewed recently. In the video, Bear tells the story of his harrowing decent after reaching the summit of Everest.

I was taken by how he attributed his survival to his special forces training, and how a quote form a unit leader stuck with him in the toughest of times on Everest. The man told Bear, “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is often just that little word: ‘extra’.”

Watch the video here.

Bear Grylls is absolutely one of my favorite teachers, and I promise if you follow him, you will not only glean tons of leadership development training, but you will learn a lot about life, business and high-achievement.

Live like Bear, and give that little bit of ‘extra’ in everything you do.

Go Big,
~JT

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Leadership Lessons From David Goggins

JT — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:01:16 +0000

“The only easy day was yesterday…”

It’s the U.S. Navy SEAL way of life. It is posted in their training facility in Coronado, California and is truest definition of their training I have ever seen.

If I could write in explicit detail what it takes to become a SEAL, you’d quit reading before you got to the end of my essay. It is that brutal.

David Goggins is a U.S. Navy SEAL, and he makes the training, work schedule and lifestyle of this elite commando unit look like a warm-up exercise.

I first heard Goggins speak on a conference call several months ago. I was taken by the blend of humility and intensity, sacrifice and dedication to something he “hates” and his unbelievable threshold for pain and endurance.

I say “unbelievable” and immediately show my cards. Goggins is not like everyone else. He is not even like every other SEAL. Goggins is special. Goggins doesn’t just have “another gear” to help him accomplish his remarkable tasks, he has a whole different mindset universe.

David Goggins is not only a U.S. Navy SEAL, he is also an ultra-marathoner. A typical marathon is 26.2 miles (Goggins will run twice that in a typical week). An ultra-marathon can be 100 miles or more.

100+ miles, run all at once. Without stopping. With. Out. Stopping.

Here is the part that is ASTOUNDING about David Goggins, and why I consider him one of my teachers. In Goggins’ own words, he “hates running”. He gets up at 3:30 every morning (can you do that?) and goes for a 15 mile (or longer) run. Then he bikes to work (a modest 25 minute bike ride). Then puts in a full day of kicking ass and taking names (he’s a SEAL).

Then he takes a break.

At lunch, he’ll go for a “short” 3-5 mile run. Kicks more ass, takes more names. Then he bikes home. Then he does another short run. But he “hates” it.

What the HELL is going on here?

David is committed. He does what he “hates” because he is committed to the Special Ops Warrior Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising money for children of soldiers killed in combat.

More on why David Goggins is one of my teachers.

He lost some valued members of his team in a mission in Afghanistan. He could have mourned (which I’m sure he did), said it wasn’t fair, asked why they had to die, and used their deaths as an excuse to be mediocre.

But instead he Googled “10 hardest things to do” and did it. And “hates” it.

Leadership is often times about doing what we don’t want to do. It is about enduring pain, sacrificing personal comfort, and going all-out when we feel we have nothing left to give.

It’s also about dedicating oneself to a cause bigger than ourselves.

To this day, when I feel like “it’s not worth it”, or the comfortable blanket of procrastination snuggles tight around my mind, I remember Goggins getting out from under his blankets at 3:30 and doing the thing he “hates”.

Come to think of it, I might hate running more than him, but he has inspired me to get back into it.

David Goggins is a true leader and inspiration. I hope he has the same impact on you, and your business!

Go to www.DavidGoggins.com and see what I mean. Read his amazing story and tell me if you agree that Goggins is a true leader.

Go Big,
~JT

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