In The Trenches With Craig Zuber

Written by JT on December 18, 2009

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Here is the link to the call: Join Craig and JT Monday, 21 December at 9 pm EST!

Join me as I interview author and entrepreneur Craig Zuber about leadership, entrepreneurship and his new book In The Trenches: Do Or Die Lessons From The Business Battlefield.

“See” you Monday, 21 December at 9 pm EST.
~JT

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 Interview with Craig Zuber [50:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Leadership Development Training From Frank Kern

Written by JT on December 15, 2009

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

Leadership Lessons From Observing Tiger Woods

Written by JT on December 11, 2009

Tiger Woods made a public statement on his website that he would be taking an ‘indefinite break’ from golf to attend to his family in the wake of recent news of infidelity and marital turmoil.

“After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.”

In so doing Woods made a profound statement about his character as well.

You see, no matter your opinion of Tiger Woods, he is a leader. He is a leader in sport, a leader in business and a leader in life.

In golf, he dominates his sport so much so that the PGA Tour is ‘concerned’ about the absence of Tiger and what it will mean to the Tour’s ratings. The Tour cited a marked decline in ratings while Tiger was away rehabbing a major knee injury in 2008.

And few can argue his dominance of his sport. Earlier in 2009, Tiger became the first athlete ever to surpass the $1 billion mark in earnings. In any sport. By any athlete. Ever.

Make no mistake about it; if Tiger wanted to “push this all behind him” and “block it out”, he could. He is the most mentally tough athlete I have ever seen. But this is about life. This is about family. This is about taking care of priorities.

The thing I was most taken by was Tiger’s brutal honesty and humble request for forgiveness. This simple, yet elegant act is so rare these days, particularly amongst elite athletes and celebrities (or politicians) who often seem to carry themselves with an aloof attitude toward personal responsibility.

Leadership starts with personal responsibility. The toughest decisions in leadership occur when a leader is forced to put their ego aside and make an unpopular choice.

Tiger certainly created a tough situation for himself through his actions, yet instead of hiding behind some nebulous statement, or dancing around creative language and double-talk, Woods came out and asked for forgiveness:
“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try. “

Tiger demonstrated the leadership principle of personal responsibility, even in the face of public humiliation. He showed his vulnerability, his human side.

People need to know that, as a leader, you are human. That you thinks and feel as a human, not a pre-programmed robot. To inspire people to follow you, they have to know that you lead with your intellect, your skills, and your soul. Tiger demonstrated that today with his statement.

It may be easy for the mediocre mind to balk at Tiger’s statement, claiming “he should have apologized” or he “should have begged for forgiveness”, but how often do we admit when we are wrong? How often do we apologize for hurting others, or asking for forgiveness in the wake of a personal transgression?

I am not here to defend Tiger’s actions, but I am in strong support of pointing out the lessons to be learned from his very public fall from grace. It is easy to point fingers, judge, and crucify someone else (particularly a public figure) when they screw up.

Leadership is not about making all the right decisions all the time, but it is about recognizing one’s shortcomings and taking responsibility for them.

And that is what Tiger did. Love him or not, Tiger is a champion, and a leader.

Leadership Development Training From Bear Grylls

Written by JT on December 9, 2009

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

Leadership Lessons From David Goggins

Written by JT on December 7, 2009

“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