My middle daughter is training for her first kickboxing match at the end of February. It has been an interesting journey for her, coming from several years of traditional martial arts training in Karate and transitioning into the world of MMA. Moving from a more linear, straight-ahead system of fighting to one that is at times more subtle and at times more brutal has been interesting to observe.

The transformation from karateka to MMA fighter has required her to learn a new skill set. Takedowns, grappling, joint locks, and transitions - to name a few. It has required my daughter to become a better version of herself in the gym every single session. It hasn't come easy, and learning these new skills are honed through trial and error.

While she still has a L-O-N-G way to go, she is focused on mastering her craft as MMA fighter, both physically and mentally.

It's also served as a reminder that leaders develop daily, not in a day. When people learn I am known as "The Black Belt Leader" and I'm a 2x martial arts hall of fame inductee, the conversation often turns to martial arts legends such as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li - along with many other famous film and fighting stars. As we talk about their accomplishments, many "wish" they could be just like Bruce Lee or one of these other martial arts legends.

This almost always leads me to ask the question, "Are you willing to do what Bruce Lee did to become who Bruce Lee was?" Bruce Lee was rentless in his pursuit of physical fitness and the mastery of the martial arts. His signature style, Jeet Kune Do, came as a result of years of study of various martial arts disciplines, taking the best of the best and blending them into a mixed martial arts style that remains an effective fighting system today.

The same could be asked of Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, or other famous martial arts legends of the Big Screen. These individuals understood early on that Black Belt Mastery in their chosen Art requires a commitment to becoming a lifetime student of learning - as the Black Belt is not the end of the journey, it is only an acknowledgment one has been recognized as a serious student who is now prepared to really begin to learn.

Whether you're seeking to MASTER your emotions, thoughts, relationships, money, health, or career,..or become a MASTER in leadership, communication, sales, or team-building it requires that you become a lifelong student of learning. It requires a commitment to becoming a better version of yourself daily, an understanding you'll never truly arrive at your destination - because personal growth and development has no finish line.

So as you're pursuing Black Belt Mastery of yourself, or a particular skill set, it is important to acknowledge this is a process that will never be completed. Earl Nightengale reminded us decades ago that 10,000 hours of study is required to become an expert in any given subject matter. And it's only after 10,000 hours of study that you truly begin to become a serious student of the subject matter you're learning - and the pursuit of Black Belt Excellence is a lifelong journey...and one of the most rewarding things you'll ever pursue.

If you strive each day to become a better version of yourself than you were the day before, given enough time and effort, you'll be able to look back and see how far you've traveled, how far you've climbed - and you'll look forward to awakening each day and starting the process all over again to see how much farther, how much higher, you can go.

Become a better version of yourself, every single day!

In the movie, "The Incredibles", Syndrome (the villain) has captured the Incredible family and revealed his sinister plot to sell Super-Technology to the masses. In perhaps what is one of the most powerful statements made in the movie, Syndrome proclaims, "And when everyone's super, no one will be."

Growing up, my grandfather owned and operated a full-service gas station and garage. One of the early lessons he shared with me was the importance of regularly checking the oil levels in a vehicle...something he religiously did with his beloved "Betsy". I continued those habits and from time to time remind my own children to do likewise.

But not everyone had a grandfather or a father who passed on this important knowledge. Several years back, I received call from a young lady who was from Central America attending the same local college as me who needed a ride to class because her car wouldn't start. Thinking it was a dead battery, I gave her a ride home after class, pulled the jumper cables out of my trunk, and thought I'd be the "hero" who saved the day.

I popped the hood of her car, hooked up the jumper cables to my her car battery and mine and said, "Turn the crank." Nothing. You could hear the click of the solenoid and the groan of the starter, but the engine did not start. A friend who was with me grabbed a wrench and reached deep into the engine. After a couple of strong tugs, he shook his head.

"The engine's locked up," he said. The young college student asked what that meant. He explained that, due to a lack of lubrication, the engine had overheated causing the internal gears to seize up. He asked if she had been checking the oil levels in her vehicle, and the "deer in the headlights look" told the tale. "How do you do that?" she asked.

We then asked if she had seen a red light come on as she was driving, and she nodded. "I thought that was a reminder to get the oil changed and I was waiting until the first of the month when I got paid so I could get that done." She was heartbroken when we told her the engine would have to either be rebuilt or she'd have to buy a new car.

Needless to say, several of us pitched in to get her to and from classes the remainder of the semester (her last) and to and from the grocery store as she didn't have the money to replace the engine or buy a new car. Thankfully she was able to get a good-paying job right out of college, purchased a new car, and to this day religiously maintains it. Lesson learned.

The team you're leading is the engine that drives your organization's success. It is the responsibility of the leader to create the environment for creativity and productivity to prosper. When a Team is properly nurtured, trained, and resourced, it can operate like a well-oiled machine, with tremendous results following.

While most leaders do a great job of resourcing their Team (giving them what they physically need to get the job done), along with nominal training, most leaders fail when it comes to nurturing and encouraging their teammates. The failure of leadership when it comes to connecting with their team members on a personal level is akin to ignoring the oil light flashing on the dashboard - and can ultimately lead to the success engine of the operation grinding to a screeching halt.

So what do leaders need to do when it comes to nurturing their team members?

Leaders need to value their people and add value to them through words and corresponding actions. Calling your team members by their name, visiting them in their workspace, asking about their family, and showing interest in their life outside the workplace demonstrates your concern for their welfare and well being as individuals.

Leaders should also continually cast vision, reminding those of the Team of how the work they are doing benefits others. By keeping the vision before the Team and sharing how the work they are doing is making a difference in the lives of others. When people understand their efforts are improving the lives of others, making life better, they feel a sense of accomplishment that drives both improvements in the quality and quantity of results.

It's also important that leaders remind their Team members the organization could not achieve the incredible levels of success they are experiencing without them. The people need to know they matter, they are important, and they are individually and corporately contributing to the organization's overall success. This is an incredible motivator, as it gives them a sense of ownership in the organizational outcomes.

Lastly, leaders should be investing in the personal growth and development of their people. My mentor, John Maxwell, says that leaders should want more for their people. I believe a good leader is committed to continually equipping their people. Why? When you develop those on your Team, you improve the quality of their thinking, which empowers them to see new and innovative ways to elevate and improve performance.

When a leader invests in the success of those on the Team, better employees result. As they learn to lead themselves well and make good choices, productivity improves. Profits rise and new challenges can be taken on, further expanding the influence and impact of the organization in the marketplace.

Leadership candidates emerge from the ranks, allowing a leader to selectively start grooming those who will one day take their place. No organization has ever suffered from an abundance of values-based, results-oriented, people-centric leaders.

Remember, the team you're leading is the engine that drives your organization's success. It's your job to keep that engine running smoothly. Oil the gears regularly with nurturing, training, and resourcing so high-performance results can continue.

One of my good friends and a fellow leadership coach, Jason Stoughton, says, "Crisis and difficulty will not define me. Crisis and difficulty will refine me." I love that statement, as it's an attitude statement of intentionality. It is setting your intention on how you approach the problems that are a part of the human existence.

My pastor, Tim Brooks, shared a personal story this past weekend related on the topic of refusing disappointment. His tractor was leaking hydraulic fluid, so he loaded it onto a trailer and hauled it an hour away to a dealer to fix the leak and service the tractor. He picked it up and drove it home only to learn it would not start. Now he had to load a tractor that would not start onto a trailer to haul it back an hour away to get the problem resolved.

On the fourth trip back (after several "won't start" episodes), he experiences a flat tire on his trailer as he's hauling the tractor to the dealership. And in the midst of trying to jack up the trailer (with a tractor on top) to change the tire in the middle of the road, it starts to rain. Long story short, the dealership had installed the wrong air filter, and that was the culprit.

Tim's observation as he found himself in the midst of all this adversity was a great reminder that we have a choice of how we respond. He said he could have been disappointed, upset and angry - or he could choose to refuse disappointment. He realized "my life is more than just this one scene", and he was going to choose the end of the movie.

My wife lost one of her best friends this week to the coronavirus. Patti sold us our home when we moved to Hot Springs and she and my wife have been good friends ever since. Patti was an amazing chef as well, and split her time between selling real estate and serving as a private chef for families around the world. While she mourns the loss of a dear friend, my wife has chosen to celebrate the life Patti lived and refuse the paralysis that can come from disappointment.

Life is a movie, and we're all on the stage every single day of our lives. Sometimes we're the main character and at other times we're simply the supporting cast of someone else's movie they are living out. Whether we're the star of the show or an extra in the background, there are times when life brings anxiety, worry, sadness, fear, and disappointment. It's part of the human existence.

These things WILL happen. How we respond when they do is what is important. We can choose to be a victim of our circumstances, blaming and lashing out at others, or we can choose to be a victor who learns from the lessons life is trying to teach us so we can become better, stronger, more equipped, and more resilient.

We are victims of our own choices. Why? Because every choice comes with a consequence. Overeat and you get fat. Exercise and you get physically fit. Study and get smarter. But sometimes life throws us a curveball, and we find ourselves experiencing something beyond our control - such as the pandemic we're dealing with right now.

In those situations, we still have a choice. We can choose to accept disappointment. We can choose to become a victim of where we find ourselves due to circumstances beyond our control. We can cast blame on others, cry out for justice, or lash out in anger, frustration, or resentment and harm others (and ourselves) in the process. Victimization is a "Me-Focused" mindset that at its root is selfish and self-serving.

Or we can choose to refuse disappointment. To have a mindset that what we're going through right now is but a single scene in this movie of life. We can choose to be a victor, to maintain a positive outlook, to learn the lessons life is trying to teach us through this moment, and become a better version of ourselves as a result.

We can choose not only to be the main star on the stage, but also the writer, the director, and the producer. We can choose to refuse disappointment, write the next scene of the script, and live it out on the stage for everyone to see and cheer. We can choose to live out an Academy Winning Life of Excellence, the pursuit of greatness, and living a life of significance.

This is what leaders do. They choose daily to be victors over their circumstances. They choose to learn the lessons life is trying to teach them. When they fail, they fail forward and keep moving. When they fall, they get up and get back in the game. They realize what they are going through right now, whether good or bad, is only one scene in the movie of life.

Leaders have chosen to write their own script, to direct their own life, to produce the outcomes they want to be seen and experienced by others rather than to accept how others may be trying to write them into their own movie. Leaders live for a cause bigger than themselves and serve others with passion. They are about making a difference, right here, right now, regardless of what is going on around them.

Disappointments are sure to come, but leaders don't let disappointment define them. They allow disappointment to refine them, make them better, faster, stronger, more resilient, and even more committed to seeing the lives of others changed for the better.

Your life is more than one scene. This too shall pass. Don't let disappointment define you. Allow it to refine you as you daily grow as a leader. Refuse disappointment, and don't settle for what this scene, at this moment, looks like. It's only one scene.

Be the writer, director, and producer of your life's movie - as well as the star. Be the leader God put you on this earth to be. Pursue your calling with passion. Go make a difference in this time, right now, right where you are, and in the words of Ghandi be the change you want to see in the world.

Write the rest of your life's movie, and write it well. Give an academy award-winning performance from your life stage as a leader, a change-maker, someone who makes other's lives better for having been a part of it. The adversity you may be experiencing right now is momentary. Don't let it define you. Let it refine you.

You've been put on this earth on purpose, for a purpose, so write the next scene, get out there on the stage, and perform as the leader you were put on this earth to be. You'll inspire those who are writing to grab their own pen and paper, rewrite their next scene, and live out their own award-winning performance as they inspire others to live life in purpose, for a purpose, and make a difference in the lives of others.

One of the most challenging elements of martial arts training is kata. A kata is a series of stylized movements, blocking, punching, and kicking, also called a pattern or form in some Arts. Each rank advancement in traditional martial arts typically requires a student to demonstrate one or more kata as a prerequisite for promotion.

What is often NOT taught is that kata is also stylized fighting. Each of the movements in kata is performed in a specific sequence, in response to a confrontation or attack. By learning kata and the bunkai (real-life application), a martial arts student is engaging in predictable response training, building muscle memory to automatically respond to an attack with an appropriate defense or counter-attack.

To simply learn kata, without the corresponding bunkai, is like learning dance. It can look pretty, flowing, powerful, subtle, or amazing - but in reality, it is simply going through the motions. It might earn you an orange, green, or purple belt at the end of a rank advancement test, but it won't save your life if you are attacked.

To truly study kata is to be intentional. It requires you are deliberate in your learning both the movements and the corresponding applications. Further, it requires you to look deeper into the movements themselves in order to adapt them to fit various defensive situations you may find yourself facing in the future. To truly study and apply kata in a real-life setting is an ongoing pursuit of excellence. It is a commitment to a lifetime of learning.

Learning to lead ourselves, and ultimately lead others is much the same way. When we are given the opportunity to go to work for an organization, you are taken through an onboarding process where you "learn the ropes" of working and executing your duties and responsibilities. Nearly anyone can learn the basics of a job or position, and that's where most folks stop learning. They gain some level of competency, and then stop learning.

Far too many people simply go through the motions without looking deeper to discover what else may be learned, improved upon, or applied to achieve a better outcome.

Excellence by definition is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. It is a quality that distinguishes you from everyone else around you. Excellence is a pursuit, not a destination. It is a daily commitment to become a better version of yourself by daily doing what you do better than the day before.

The pursuit of excellence takes you beyond simply mastering the basics, but looking deeper into the job or position you hold to see if there may be a better, more efficient way to accomplish the task put before you. It is being satisfied that you did your best today, but not saying this is the best I will ever be able to do.

My mentor, John Maxwell, says, "Leaders develop daily, not in a day." He's right. When you get to the point in your job or position that you're simply going through the motions, you're no longer growing, getting better, or making a real contribution to the Team. You've become a cog in a machine, and a cog can be easily replaced.

Today's workplace, and our society as a whole, has become full of people who are content to be cogs. Simply monotonously going through the motions, content with a status-quo existence, and watching their lifelong hopes and dreams die a slow and tragic death. Passion is replaced by indifference, an attitude of uncaring about making a difference in the world.

Far too many people are living mundane lives, content to be average, mediocre, ordinary, or common when they are capable of so much more. Going through the motions is easy, anyone can do that. But simply going through the motions will never lead to a successful, meaningful life of significance.

Within every mundane task you do, there are opportunities to improve upon it, make it better, more efficient, more effective, more economical, or more productive. It is within your power to find those improvements, implement them, refine them, and teach them to others. That only happens when you refuse to settle for the status quo and choose instead to pursue excellence as a lifestyle - becoming a better version of who you are every single day.

So what about you? Are you OK with just being OK, or is there something burning within you wanting more out of life? Do you want to see more success? Enjoy living a life of significance? Making a difference in the lives of others?

If you want more out of life, you have to pursue it. If you want to see more success, you have to daily do what successful people do. If you want to enjoy living a life of significance, then you have to live a significant life of serving others, adding value to them, and finding a need and meeting it. Making a difference in the lives of others starts with you being intentional about living life on purpose, for a purpose, every single day.

That won't happen if you're content to go through the motions. Remember, excellence by definition is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. It is a quality that distinguishes you from everyone else around you. Excellence is a pursuit, not a destination. It is a daily commitment to become a better version of yourself by daily doing what you do better than the day before.

The pursuit of excellence takes you beyond simply mastering the basics, but looking deeper into the job or position you hold to see if there may be a better, more efficient way to accomplish the task put before you. It is being satisfied that you did your best today, but not saying this is the best I will ever be able to do.

Leaders develop daily, not in a day. So start developing, and don't start.

My book, Black Belt Leadership 101, is a great place to start learning to develop yourself.

Having spent a lot of time training sales professionals, including those in the financial services industry, over my 30+ years as a coach and trainer, I've learned quite a few things about how people manage (or mismanaged) money. I can't tell you the number of horror stories I've heard regarding beneficiaries who received an inheritance from a deceased relative, only to blow through that money with little or nothing to show for it.

I've heard similar stories from individuals I've met who worked in the gambling industry. Multitudes travel to Vegas, Atlantic City, or other meccas of gambling in hopes of pulling the one-armed bandit and hitting the jackpot, scoring the winning hand at the blackjack or poker tables, or rolling that winning combination at the craps table. Most walk away empty-handed, but for the few who do "win it big", the vast majority tend to spend their winnings recklessly, only to return to "try their luck" at winning one more time.

I've spent time over the years working with nonprofit groups in some of America's inner cities and in poverty-stricken areas of the world. I've watched as these amazing groups of volunteers do what they can to make the lives of people who are trapped in the welfare system better, but see much of their efforts making little or no difference, as hopelessness from decades of failed (and often abusive) government programs and politicians, failed public schools, fractured families, and crime-ridden streets is rampant.

No matter how much these nonprofit organizations give to make a difference, the handouts the people receive only make their lives better in the short-term. The underlying system that feeds this entrapment has created a dependency on governmental handouts that only perpetuates the status quo of hopelessness.

Handouts don't work. While they may make things better in the short-term, handouts are often not really valued or appreciated, as they have come to be expected. Handouts are often misused, and fail to improve an individual's position long-term for the better. It perpetuates a mindset of dependency, entrapment, and hopelessness.

A dependency mindset is a dangerous thing, as it feeds an unhealthy disdain toward those who are not in the same situation they are. Unchecked, this disdain can morph into anger and hatred that brings out some of the worst qualities in humanity, pitting one group of people against another.

When people's dreams are shattered, their thinking is limited, they only see the world as it is. A handout may make things better for the moment, but it doesn't change the status quo. Therefore, nothing changes, nothing gets better.

Until you can see the world as it could be, you fail to see the opportunity before you. And until you see the opportunity before you, you can't pursue it to bring about lasting change.

People with a dependency mindset have been conditioned to expect the handout. It causes them to feel devalued, unimportant, and often unwanted. This often leaves them frustrated, angry, and resentful - questioning WHY they can't be given more. If the condition is allowed to fester long enough, those with a dependency mindset begin to believe it is their RIGHT to demand that those who have give to those who don't.

Handouts don't work. They don't make lasting improvements in a person's situation. Until you change the mindset from a dependency focus to an opportunity focus, it doesn't matter how much money or resources they are given, nothing changes. Until limited-thinking becomes possibility-thinking, people remain trapped, prisoners of their own minds.

Simply giving people resources (a handout) without the knowledge, wisdom, and training to use them efficiently and effectively results in these resources being squandered, abused, or misused. It ultimately fails to improve the situation of the people the resources were intended to help, leaving them frustrated, angry, resentful, and still wanting more.

Rather than continuing to focus on handouts, leaders shift the attention to giving others a Hand-Up. James Allen said it right when he echoed the words of King Solomon of ancient times, "As a man thinketh, so is he." If you think you are defeated, you are. If you think you are successful, you are. As you think, you become.

Your mind, like a magnet, attracts to it the resources necessary to make your thoughts become reality. Great strides have been made in parts of Africa by teaching values-based leadership in schools, training young men and women to not see the world as it is, but as it could be. As they are taught to envision a better future for themselves, their eyes are open to see the resources before them (that have always been there) to turn thoughts into reality.

When you give someone a Hand-Up, you empower them to see something inside themselves they did not see before, to see an opportunity before them that did not exist, to believe they are capable of something more than they believed they were capable of doing. You release their creative consciousness to see the unlimited potential before them, and the resources that are required to make that become a reality suddenly begin to appear.

But giving someone a Hands-Up requires that you invest yourself in another person. You, as a leader, come alongside them, mentoring and encouraging them along the way. Serving as an accountability partner, a teacher, and a trainer.

History is full of stories of people who started their lives in humble beginnings, but who refused to simply see life as it was. They chose to see life as it could be and set their minds to pursue it - to make what could be become their new reality.

Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Larry Ellison, and John Paul DeJoria to name a few. All came from humble beginnings, chose to believe in themselves and their potential, refused to accept the status quo existence of their lives, and pursued their dream.

These individuals gave themselves a Hand-Up. They also found, followed, and learned from other successful men and women who took the time to inspire, encourage, uplift, train, coach, mentor, and motivate them to pursue possibility-thinking and pursue the world that could be. They did it, and you can too.

Handouts work in the short-term. Handouts are easy. Giving someone a Hands-Up is harder, but much more rewarding. If we all made it our mission to help one person get a Hands-Up in life, change their thinking for the better, to learn to see the world as it could be and pursue it - this world would be a dramatically different, amazing place.

It starts with you. Give yourself a Hands-Up, and then do the same for someone else.

Go change the world!

       

Tensile strength is defined as the maximum amount of stress a material can endure while being stretched or placed under a load before breaking. Any material being used for pulling, towing, or building is subjected to tensile strength testing to assure it is capable of withstanding the stresses placed upon it.

The recent structural failures at the Millennium Tower and Salesforce Tower both demonstrated what can happen when a tensile strength failure occurs. The engineering failure at the Salesforce Tower disrupted transportation in the San Francisco area as it was to serve as a transportation hub for the city. A small structural failure led to a massive disruption that still isn't fully resolved to this day.

Assuring any material being placed under stress can withstand the forces placed against it is critical to its survival.

People are no different. Each of us has a "breaking point" at which the pressures of life bring us to a point of failure. Anyone who has ever experienced a broken bone, torn cartilage or injured joint can attest to that. But people break in other ways, too.

People can "break" mentally or emotionally, as well as physically. The stresses of life can become so intense, so severe, so traumatizing, something inside of us "snaps" and we experience a tensile strength failure in our lives. This is often manifested in an emotional outburst, such as anger or rage. It's a sign something is broken and needs repair.

When hemp was first turned into rope, it became a tool for pulling and securing. But an individual strand of rope can only endure so much stress before it snaps. By braiding individual strands of rope together, individuals were able to enhance the tensile strength of the rope, allowing it to withstand greater stresses without breaking.

Iron is a metal found in the earth. It is incredibly strong, but it does have a breaking point. Metallurgists discovered when you mix iron and carbon, you create steel. Steel is an alloy that is stronger and more durable than iron. By adding something to an already strong material, metallurgists were able to make it even stronger.

By the same token leaders are strong, but they do have a breaking point. Leaders need to understand their own structural limitations. They need to conduct an honest evaluation of their own abilities and skillset, identifying their own strengths and weaknesses in the process. They need to not only evaluate their own physical condition but their mental and emotional condition as well.

A leader needs to know his or her tensile strength rating and evaluate how they can take themselves through a process of strengthening themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. Becoming a better version of yourself through a lifestyle of learning is similar to the making of steel. You're adding to what's already strong, making you stronger.

Leaders also need to understand the "breaking point" of those on their team. They need to understand the stresses they are under, the limitations under which they are working, and whether or not the expectations placed upon them are realistic and achievable. Far too many teams experience fractures, tactile strength failures, that inhibit their success. If they experience enough of these failures, the cohesion of the team will ultimately break.

Leaders are also metallurgists. Part of their responsibility to those they are leading is to add to their team in such a way as to make them better, stronger, able to better handle the pressures of their job. Leaders equip their followers to better manage the stress that is a part of growing as an organization, and to ultimately strengthen their resolve, improve their skillset, enhance their mental and emotional resolve, so more can be accomplished.

After all, everything worthwhile you want to achieve is always outside your comfort zone, where the pressures of life are increased. It's easy to simply stay where it is comfortable. Working in your comfort zone is less stressful. But achieving real, long-term success requires that you push beyond what's comfortable and reach for the next rung on the ladder.

Your success (or failure) is predicated on what you as a leader are doing to strengthen your own ability to lead yourself and others well and to take your team on this same personal growth journey with you. The tensile strength of your team is only as strong as its weakest strand of cord.

So expose yourself, and your team, to an ongoing regimen of leadership and personal growth content. Through this process, the individual strands of your team are braided into a massive rope that can collectively withstand tremendous stresses and remain intact.

We are a resource to help you do that.

You and your team, like iron, have your own natural strength. Keep adding to what's strong, making it stronger in the process. Then you'll be able to see more, envision more, and achieve more, without fracturing or breaking.

The tensile strength of your team is only as strong as its weakest strand of cord. Don't let that person be you.

It was the semifinals of the 440-yard relay. Our relay team was one round away from the finals. We took our positions at the four corners of the course, got into position, and watched as the runners approached. As soon as our teammate got to a marked point on the track, we started to sprint.

In a relay race, the exchange of the baton must take place within a predefined area on the track. The approaching runner would give a command signaling the runner ahead to reach back to take the baton. If the baton is passed too early or too late (or if it is dropped), the race is over for the team.

That day, we had a commanding lead on the rest of the teams. The finals were one exchange away and the unthinkable happened. The command was given, the runner who would finish the final leg of the race reached back for the baton only to hear the clanging of the baton as it slipped from the approaching runner's hand. Our race that day was completed. We lost.

One of the most critical times for any organization is when the mantle of leadership is being passed from one leader to the next. The continued success of any enterprise is predicated on the preparation of next-generation leadership, and the transition in place to make that happen. Failure in the preparation or the transition process of installing new leaders can spell disaster for a team. This can be the death knell of an organization.

The ultimate responsibility of a leader is to train other people to lead. A good leader begins to groom those who will one day take his or her place in leadership early on. As an example, Mark Cole is the CEO of John Maxwell Enterprises. Mark has spent 20 years working alongside Dr. John C. Maxwell observing, listening, learning, and being mentored to one day take the reigns and lead this international organization.

Your organization is no different. Leaders develop daily, not in a day. The process of raising up and training leaders is a journey, not a destination. Teaching your team members to lead themselves well, make good choices, and perpetually work to become better at who they are will help them become better at what they do.

Having the opportunity to watch you lead is important. Observation can be a great teacher, but it's not enough.

Explaining the WHY behind your decision-making process and the steps you go through in making decisions is even more important. Teaching them the WHY of your leadership is vital to them gaining not only the knowledge but the insight and wisdom to lead themselves and others well.

Good leaders invite their team members to go along with them on their own personal leadership journey. They share books they are reading, podcasts they are listening to, invite them to hear from the mentors who are speaking into their lives, and sharing the struggles they have dealing with and challenges they have overcome.

Good leaders prepare those who will succeed them using a proven 4-step methodology:

No organization ever suffered due to a surplus of good leaders on the team. But far too many organizations suffer (and fail to see lasting success) due to a lack of strong leadership at all levels.

Your job, as a leader, is to raise up leaders. If you're not doing that, you're not leading.

You're dropping the baton.

The leadership training you begin to do today will help assure when it's time to pass the baton, the runner ahead of you is trained, focused and prepared, and the exchange in the transition zone is perfect. That allows the race to continue and the team to win.

I have a love-hate relationship with my BoFlex Max Trainer. I love the fact that it challenges me every time I step on it, and how, in just 15 minutes, I'm improving my fitness, stamina, strength, and endurance. I hate the fact that about three-fourths of the way through a workout this unfeeling, uncaring tormenter keeps raising the intensity of the workout, demanding I continue to give more of myself to get to the end.

Starting is easy. Anyone can do that. In fact, most of us have done that more than once in our lives. We decide we want to lose a few pounds, get in better shape, change a habit, grow ourselves through reading, start a new endeavor,...the list goes on. Fast forward a few days, or a few weeks and where are we?

Starting is easy, committing is hard.

Commitment is the core of ALL success. Success is something all of us would like to experience in our lives. All of us have goals, dreams, and aspirations. Yet how many of us are willing to say and do the things that are necessary to achieve success? To see these goals, dreams, and aspirations take on a life of their own?

Inconsistency is the death of our dreams. And our dreams die daily because we fail to follow-through with the essential elements to keep our dreams alive. How many lives remain unfulfilled because they have chosen to start, but not to commit? Not to finish?

Successful people choose to do daily what unsuccessful people choose not to do.

So if you want to not just start well, but finish well, what should you do?

The first commitment you must make is to start well. That requires you to lead yourself well and make good choices. It requires you to pause before you start, look inside yourself, and count the cost this success journey will cost you. It requires that you take an inventory of what is going to be needed to get you to the finish line. After all, no one wants to get halfway up Mt. Everest only to discover you left something essential at base camp.

Starting well also requires a personal inventory. It's that moment you stare deeply in the mirror to see yourself, your character, your values, and validate the dream you're going to pursue is worth the investment of time, energy, and resources to bring it to life. You've first got to believe in your heart of hearts this is a dream worth pursuing and answer the question, "Am I willing to see this through to the end, no matter what?'

Starting is easy. Committing is hard.

The second commitment is taking action. This is the initial and ongoing test of commitment. You can make all the decisions to act you want, but until you actually take the first step, the second, and the third, nothing happens. You've got to start moving or you spend your life at the starting line, never getting closer to achieving your goals.

Action creates movement. Without movement, there can be no momentum. It takes a lot of energy to get a train moving. But once it starts moving, momentum takes over and the energy required to keep moving is significantly less. Once you start taking action (and keep taking action) you create momentum that moves you closer to achieving both short-term success and long-term significance.

The second commitment is the longest. It demands the most of you. Commitment requires that you see it through to the finish line, no matter how far, no matter how long, no matter how hard. Along the way, you will slip, stumble, and fall. The trail will not always be flat and the water will not always be smooth. But it is the commitment you demonstrate in the good times that makes it easier to stay committed in the difficult times.

To get to the finish line, to reach your goal, to see your dream come to life, you've got to stay in the race. You've got to remain committed.

Starting is easy, committing is hard.

The third and final commitment is finishing well. Back to the BoFlex example. It's about two-thirds of the way through a workout, as the intensity continues to rise, that you are tempted to coast your way to the end. It is in that moment that you have to dig deeper, find a reason to keep going and finish strong. Not just for yourself, but for those who are watching your example and replicate your results.

Finishing well is the opportunity to not only see the outcome of reaching that milestone, but looking back to see all of the output that was required to get you there. It's not just seeing what you've done, but what you achieved to get there in the first place. Finishing well is coming to the realization this is only a checkpoint, and there really is no finish line.

Even as you see the results of your commitment, the seeds you've sown, nurtured and watered, come to life, and bear fruit, you realize there are more dreams, ambitions, and goals yet to achieve. More mountains to climb, more rivers to ford, and more jungles to explore.

Finishing well brings you to the realization that this is only the starting point for greater commitment, and a greater opportunity to see even greater success. It is when you evaluate all you have learned along the way and see that you've become a better version of yourself. You now realize that you are capable of so much more, and you re-enter the process of starting, committing, and finishing once again.

One of my personal mentors, Mark Cole says it best. "Committed doers move a dream to a lifestyle." Leadership is measured in results, and as we start, and commit, we grow in our ability to lead ourselves, and others well.

It is through this process that we realize that not only is success within our reach, but true significance is as well. Success happens to us as we achieve our goals, dreams, and aspirations. Significance is what happens through us along the way that affects, influences, motivates, encourages, and inspires to not only start, but to commit, and to succeed.

And once you've tastes significance, success will never satisfy you.

Starting is easy. Committing is hard.

But it's worth it.

So begin...and continue.

"I will persist until I succeed." (Og Mandino)

I was on a call with Mark Cole, CEO of John Maxwell Enterprises, Tuesday night as we discussed what's happening here in America and around the world and how (as leaders) to respond. In the conversation, Mark mentioned a recent collaboration between Pastors Steven Furtick and John Grey to discuss the recent killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black American, and America's response to this senseless tragedy.

As these two men talked at length about race relations and solutions to bring hope, healing, restoration, and unity to our nation they discussed the importance of leadership. Pastor Furtick made a statement that stuck with Mark Cole and he expounded upon in our call.

These words also resonated with me as I thought into the power of Pastor Steven Furtick's comment in his exchange with Pastor John Grey:

In the subsequent dialogue that followed, Mark shared that learning is better when we are learning from teachable teachers. He shared that his mentor, Dr. John C. Maxwell, is still actively learning at the ripe young age of 73. Mark reminded me that leaders who are growing and learning are able to continually deliver deeper insights into what they are teaching to others.

Why?

They are sharing what they are experiencing and learning from others and from life as a result of remaining open to growing and maturing.

As I thought into my call with Mark late into the evening, I thought about Pastor Furtick's words. My mind flashed back to my early years in school. I sat, and I learned. I thought about the times I have spent with my mentors over the years, and it was when I sat at their feet and leaned into what they were sharing that I gained some of my greatest insights into their life experience. It was there I learned to grow, mature, and gain that all-important life experience of applying what I learned.

We learn when we're listening, not speaking.

Sitting makes listening easier.

In the Gospels, we read, "Jesus sat down, and He taught the people." The multitudes sat around him and listened. It was there they learned. No distractions, no unnecessary movement. Eyes focused on the teacher, ears tuned to His words, and the mind concentrating on what was being imparted and storing that teaching for future use.

People became better because they took the time to sit, listen, and learn.

Position and posture matters. Putting ourselves in a position where we can hear, even when the message is uncomfortable, challenges our deeply held beliefs or prejudices, and stretches us to consider the insights and opinions of others is where real learning can begin. Removing the distractions so we can focus on the person speaking and the insights they are sharing,

In the martial arts we would sit, either formally or informally, at the feet of our instructor so we could be taught. It was there we learned through word and through illustration. Our thinking was stretched, our minds were engaged, and only after we gained insight could we stand to start making application of what we had been taught.

When we listen, we learn. Sitting makes learning easier.

It is a limiting belief system that says "I'm right" and "everyone else is wrong". It causes us to infer the nefarious actions of one (or a small subset of a group of people) onto the entire populace of this grouping based on race, color, creed, class, or ethnic origin. This limiting belief system can even be extended to include one's vocation or geographic location in a particular area or region.

It is divisive. It is destructive. It is wrong.

Reacting is never productive and the end result is hatred, violence, and destruction. If people remain in the reactive phase too long, society crumbles into chaos. This leads to the destruction of social norms, resulting in a fractured society where each tribal group looks out solely for the interests of its own. No longer a united collective working for a common cause, each group wars against the others fighting for scarce, limited resources with a complete disregard for the value of the property rights of others. In extreme cases, even human life is devalued or completely disregarded. People become expendable.

The second response to a crisis is to REFLECT. It's the opportunity to take a seat, to pause and examine what has happened through the lens of reflective thinking. Getting to the root cause of WHY something happened is necessary because it is there that answers and real solutions can be found. Reflection gives us time to see things from the perspective of others. It also allows everyone involved to have that all-important "man in the mirror" moment where each of us has to be honest as to what we have done (individually and corporately) that brought us to the point where we now find ourselves.

In times of true reflection, all parties find there is plenty of blame to go around. Why? None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes. We all have our own limiting beliefs, preconceived ideas, prejudices, and behaviors that have contributed to our initial reaction to a crisis. It's in times of reflection we see the shortcomings in our own lives and how our own choices have contributed to the crisis we are now facing.

It's in times of reflection we realize that nothing changes until something changes. Each of us has to change for the better. To realize we are not part of a tribe based on race, color, creed, or ethnic origin but are part of the global human race. It's in times of reflection we realize that we must treat other people the way we want to be treated.

It's in times of reflection that forgiveness is fostered and ways to proactively unify to change things for the better are cultivated. The mindset changes from "me vs. them" to understanding that "we're all in this together".

The third way people act in response to a crisis is to take action, to RESPOND. In the response phase, this is when we take a STAND TO IMPROVE the situation for the better. It's when tribalism is defeated, with each side acknowledging its own part in the origins that led to the crisis. It is in a proactive response that individuals come together in UNITY for the common good of humanity.

John Maxwell spoke into the crisis we are dealing with as a nation this past Monday. As he talked about the senseless death of George Floyd and the rioting taking place across our nation, John noted, "We are ALL better than our worst reactions."

It is a message our nation (and the world) needs to hear.

John also shared a memorable teaching from his father Melvin. As he sat at his father's feet as a young boy, Melvin challenged his son to (1) Believe in people, (2) Value people, and (3) Unconditionally love people.

I've talked often about how our choices create the consequences of our lives. If we don't like the consequences we are experiencing, we must change our choices. Not only do our choices shape our future, but (as Mark Cole says) our actions compound. That which we do consistently multiples the results of what we experience in the future.

There will be a day of reckoning when we will come face to face with the compounded impact of our choices, individually and corporately. On that day, we will either PAY UP or we will PROFIT FROM the choices we have made. We will either be ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, or we will cease to be a global force for good in our world.

Martin Luther King, Jr. longed for the day when people would not be known by the color of their skin but by the character of their heart. King understood that it was a mark of maturity as a nation when we could see things from another person's perspective, find the common good, and focus on what unites us as a unique creation of God.

That can't happen until we stop reacting, sit down, and start listening, learning from each other, and reflecting on how we together make things better. It is my hope and prayer that America can take a seat, learn from teachable teachers who aren't seeking to divide us but unite us, and come out of this crisis better as a nation.

It's only then that we can take a stand and bring about lasting change that benefits the whole of the nation, and not just the individual parts. Abraham Lincoln said it best when, in the midst of the Civil War, he declared, "United we stand, divided we fall."

The dysfunction in society cries out for values-based leadership that believes in people, values people, and unconditionally loves people.

It starts with you and it starts with me.

It starts with treating other people the way we want to be treated. Treating other people with dignity and respect. Loving others in the same way we love ourselves. Lending a helping hand. Sharing our life experience. Understanding we won't always agree on everything, but we won't let those minor differences divide us.

Dr. Frederick Price Jr. recently said, "Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for is own first, but not to the exclusion of everyone else." We're imperfect people, and we always will be. But when we, like Dr, King, find and pursue a cause that can unite us as a nation, incredible change can (and will) take place.

There will always be haters, regardless of race, color, religion, creed, or ethnic origin. They are vocal, but they are very small in number. We can hate right alongside them, or we can unite as a nation and drown out their hatred with a message of hope, a message of grace, a message of dignity and mutual respect, and a message of unconditional love.

We can choose a different path. It's a choice.

It starts with sitting before we take a stand.

When we listen, we learn.

When we learn, we get better.

When we get better, we make better choices.

When we make better choices, we all enjoy better consequences in life.

It starts with sitting before we take a stand.

I've been teaching one of my daughters to drive, and we recently ventured out onto the bypass to get in some highway driving time. After we made our way up the onramp, merged onto the highway and settled into the flow of traffic, we drove for a few miles before I asked if she was going to use the cruise control.

After talking her through the steps, we finally got the car into cruise mode. As her foot came off the gas and she realized she wasn't going to have to manually manage the gas pedal, the drive settled into a routine. We practiced turning the cruise control off and on a few times, toggling the lever to speed up and slow down. It ended up being a non-eventful ride around town, which is always good when you're learning to drive.

As we talked through what we learned from our time driving, one statement stuck out. When we started talking about activating the cruise control, my daughter said, "It was like the car was on auto-pilot. I didn't have to do much of anything. It was like I was simply along for the ride."

Yes, cruise control makes the driving experience easier. Not having to manually keep your fit on the gas pedal, especially on a long trip, reduces stress and makes the trip less tiring. In a sense, you are almost on auto-pilot and simply along for the ride.

But in life, living life on cruise control can be a bad thing. It's easy to just go through life by default rather than live life with purpose, on purpose, for a purpose. We can (and far too often do) allow the circumstances and situations of life to dictate how we live. Or we can choose to be intentional about living our lives, overcoming circumstances and challenges, to accomplish great things.

We are all creatures of habit, so it is easy to slip into cruise control mode throughout the day. It's easy to do. No thinking is required. It is said that we spend up to 95% of our day essentially on auto-pilot, living life on cruise control, without consciously thinking into our circumstances and situations - simply accepting whatever life brings our way.

In cruise control mode, we don't take action. It's passive. We live life by default and the status quo becomes the norm. When we're on auto-pilot. We are not consciously aware of what is happening, what we are doing, where we are going. It's like driving down the highway only to realize you've been on the road for hours and have no idea where you are and what potentially interesting sites you've failed to notice along the way.

Living life in cruise control mode is also unfocused. It allows you to go down the highway of life without being intentional. As long as you don't need to stop for fuel, eat, or use the bathroom, you can just zone out and keep going. And because it is unfocused, the endless opportunities life presents to us are often overlooked or ignored.

A cruise control life lacks creativity. Why? If life is on auto-pilot, there aren't many problems to solve, opportunities to seize, and dreams to pursue. A cruise control life defaults to doing things the way they've always been done. No creativity required. It's allowing the good enough life of complacency and mediocrity to become the default to living a life of so much more.

It's easy to just go through life by default rather than live life with purpose, on purpose, for a purpose.

Someone living life on cruise control isn't leading in life, they are simply passing through. No energy, no excitement, no passion, no intensity, no curiosity, no reaching for what's next. It is a mindless state of existence where the focus is on simply getting through the day rather than seizing the day and making the most of what it offers you.

When you're driving and engage the cruise control, your speed remains relatively unchanged until you tap the brake, depress the gas pedal, or run out of gas. It's a comfortable, relaxing ride. When we're in cruise control mode, we are the same way. We aren't growing, stretching ourselves to get out of our comfort zone.

Our greatest opportunities to see success are always outside our comfort zone, But we will never seize them unless we slow down, or speed up, and get out of the cruise control mindset where we're comfortable. If we're not uncomfortable, we're not growing, getting better, and becoming a better version of ourselves. Growth is always uncomfortable.

Living life on cruise control limits our potential. It's easy to just go through life by default rather than live life with purpose, on purpose, for a purpose.

Remember, life doesn't have a reverse gear. Life, like the interstate, is one-way traffic. If you mindlessly miss the exit, you've got to keep driving. You can backtrack, but you can't go in reverse. If you're mindlessly going through life in cruise control mode you may drive right past the offramp to your next incredible success opportunity.

The good news is you're in the driver's seat. You're behind the wheel. The brake and gas pedal are at your feet. It is within your power to tap the brake, depress the gas pedal, or simply turn off the cruise control and be intentional about driving your life.

You can live life with purpose, on purpose, for a purpose.

Be an active participant in living your own life.

Don't just go along for the ride.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

It's a question you, like me, probably heard many times during your formative years. For me, someone who just celebrated the 30th anniversary of my 29th birthday, I'm still asked that question from time to time. But we likely all answered that right of passage question at least half a dozen times in our lives.

Among the common responses were statements like, "I'm going to be a fireman. I'm going to be a doctor. I'm going to be a nurse or a teacher. I'm going to travel the world. I'm going to be a millionaire. I'm going to open my own business. I'm going to be a movie star. I'm going to be in a famous singer."

As children, we all had BIG dreams, BIG aspirations, and BIG goals for the future. I was going to be an FBI agent or be a Secret Service agent and protect the president. That answer changed a few years later to a doctor, or a lawyer, or both (like my grandpa). Our dreams changed as we discovered new things, new interests, and began to think about what COULD BE in our lives as our future was before us.

But then come the Dream Killers. Those who rob us of our dreams, hopes, and inspirations for the future. They convince us that dreaming BIG, believing the impossible is possible, is a myth, and we need to conform to be just like everyone else. And before you know it, the vivid dreams of what COULD BE are replaced with WHAT IS and we stop pursuing what our heart was really set on achieving.

We conform.

Over the years, I've met a number of Dream Killers. The parents of children who were intent on seeing their children never achieved their full potential. Comments such as "You're stupid, just like your Daddy (or your Mommie). You'll never amount to anything. I don't know why I'm wasting money on you to take karate classes. You're pathetic. You're always going to be fat, ugly, dumb, or worthless. Why would you ever want to be a ______________?"

Those words rob a child of the opportunity to discover, develop, and deploy the amazing potential that resides within each of us. Dream Killer.

Hungry young minds that are open to dreaming BIG and believing the impossible is possible are subjected to a regular regimen of LIMITED THINKING training by often well-meaning parents and other authority figures. These individuals often pass on their own dashed hopes and dreams to their offspring, programming them with a self-limiting belief system that often chokes out the dreamer within. Rather than being taught to reach for the stars, they are programmed to be content with mediocrity, the status quo.

It's ALWAYS been this way in our family. Nothing is going to change. Why would you think you are going to be different, something more? These conversations happen far too often in homes, crushing the incredible potential that exists in their children.

Dream Killer.

I've met Dream Killers in the schoolyard. Many cruel, humiliating conversations have taken place on playgrounds and in classrooms for decades (and still do to this day), silently strangling the life out of the dreams and aspirations of others. You've got to look, talk, and act a certain way to "fit in". This leads to a herd-mentality of conformity and status-quo thinking that squelches creativity, and the passion to pursue one's dreams.

Dream Killers are also in the classroom. Teachers who are more focused on teaching you WHAT to think instead of HOW to think. Personal growth and development are not taught, but conformance with generally accepted societal norms is. Critical thinking, independent thinking, out-of-the-box thinking, problem-solving give way to teaching a student how to perform so they can pass a standardized test and be just like everyone else.

We also see Dream Killers in business. Rather than developing the potential of their employees and encourage the creative discussion of "How do we do this better?", I see employers try to enforce job descriptions or mandate a task must always be done in a certain way. Employers seek to manage people and performance rather than lead people in a growth-focused environment where innovation and creativity become the spark that ignites peak performance and profitability.

I have yet to meet a person that does not have the potential to do more, to become more. But I have met far too many people that no longer see that potential within them.

What we need are more Dream Resurrectors today. People who will encourage others to awaken the dormant dreamer within. People who are themselves growing, discovering their own potential, and taking others on a personal growth journey with them. People who will see the potential within others, and help them see what they can't yet see themselves.

We need people to believe in other people. To challenge them to discover, develop, and deploy the creative genius within. To not give up on their BIG dreams and to keep chasing the impossible dream. To help others believe in themselves, and become a better version of themselves, every single day.

And to remind ourselves, and those around us that it is never too late, no one is ever too old, to dream (and to pursue) that impossible dream.

Samuel Jackson didn't get his big break in Hollywood until the age of 43. Stan Lee, the Godfather of Marvel Comics, created The Fantastic Four at age 40. Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 50. Rodney Dangerfield got his big break on the Ed Sullivan show at the age of 46.

Vera Wang wanted to become an Olympic skater only to fail. She kept dreaming and started in the fashion industry at the age of 40. Today, the Vera Wang Collection is among the most respected fashion lines in the industry.

Susan Boyle appeared on Britain's Got Talent in 2009 at the age of 47. Her breathtaking performance stunned Simon Cowell and led to an amazing singing career. Alan Rickman landed his first major movie role in Die Hard with Bruce Willis at the age of 41. Today he's known for his role as Snape in the Harry Potter films.

Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, worked as an engineer for most of his life. He didn't really find success until he released the Model T in 1908 when he was 45 years of age. Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book, Little House, in 1932, at the age of 65.

Anna Mary Robertson Moses (aka Grandma Moses) started painting at the ripe young age of 78. Her paintings were featured on postage stamps and one of her paintings sold for $1 Million in 2016.

Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart when he was 44. Today, Wal-Mart is the #1 big-box retailer in the world.

Two of my favorite dreamers are Harland (aka Colonel) Sanders and Ray Kroc. Sanders, at the age of 62 franchised his "finger-licking good chicken" and later sold his Kentucky Fried Chicken empire for millions of dollars. Kroc purchased the McDonald's franchise at the age of 52 and grew it to become the world's largest fast-food chain.

One last individual I'll mention, Momofuku Ando. An obscure name, I'm sure. You may not know his name, but if you've ever lived in a college dorm, or started out on your own in a small apartment, you know his invention. At the age of 50, Ando invented instant ramen noodles.

Why did they succeed when so many others failed? They refused to yield to the Dream Killers in their lives. They said I will not be content with mediocrity and simply living life by default. They boldly declared I will pursue my dream with passion, I will learn from my mistakes. I refuse to quit and I will stir the creative genius within until it ignites into a roaring flame of success.

Essentially, they kept saying I CAN while the rest of the world believed the lie I CAN'T.

What about you? Are you going to let the Dream Killers snuff our that BIG dream within? Are you going to let circumstances and situations hold you back, or are you, like the BIG DREAMERS, refuse to believe the lies you have been told about your potential?

Your future awaits. Your BIG dream is still there. Pursue it with passion.

Keep telling yourself I CAN and one day YOU WILL!

At the age of 13, my parents relocated from a big city to a small town. I thought I would have the opportunity to go from being a BIG CITY NOBODY to a SMALL TOWN SOMEBODY! Sure enough, it happened. I became the target of every bully in school.

After a few weeks, my dad enrolled me in martial arts classes. I was initially excited. I'd watched The Green Hornet on TV (and Batman, too). When I arrived, I learned I was the only teenager in the karate school. My only saving grace, so I thought, was a 24-year-old girl who was my workout partner. Only she was one of the toughest fighters in the school.

So I went from being beaten up at school (for free) to having my dad paying for me to be beaten up by adults, including a girl, to teach me how to defend myself. But over time, I learned to defend myself and the bullying stopped...and without having to fight. As I learned how to fight, I began to walk with quiet confidence and also learned how to de-escalate situations that had previously led to bullying.

I fell in love with martial arts, and years later I have black belts in multiple disciplines and have been inducted into 2 martial arts Halls of Fame for my advocacy roles in teaching predator awareness, anti-bullying, and rape & assault prevention. I've been privileged to train with some of the "Who's Who" in the martial arts world, and have taught not only here in the United States, but in Guatemala, Zambia, Cameroon, and the Caribbean.

Did you know that only 2% of Americans will ever enroll in a martial arts class in America? And out of all of those who do enroll, only a handful will see the process all the way through to earning their 1st-degree black belt. Even fewer will go beyond earning an advanced black belt ranking. The number earning a 5th-degree ranking or higher is even more minuscule.

Most students do not realize the Black Belt is not the end of the journey. It is only the beginning. In traditional martial arts, the black belt was a symbol of a student who had earned the Senior Instructor's trust. The black belt was representative of the Senior Instructor recognizing the individual as a SERIOUS STUDENT who could now be trusted to truly learn the advanced lessons of martial arts training.

But along the way, I learned something even more valuable. Character traits such as honesty, integrity, self-discipline, self-control, compassion, dignity, humility, and respect. I learned to stand up for those who could not stand up for themselves. My instructors taught me more than just punching and kicking, they taught me how to lead myself well, make good choices, and to embrace leadership as a lifestyle.

As I have reflected on this over the years, I've come to the realization that not everyone can (or will) earn a black belt in the martial arts. But I believe that EVERYONE has the capacity to become a Black Belt Leader in Life. Anyone who is willing can learn the same character qualities and lifestyle traits required to earn a black belt in the martial arts and learn to live their lives with Black Belt Excellence.

In my subsequent conversations with Martial arts school owners and instructors, I have reminded them that while they put out some great students who can perform at a very high level in the areas of self-defense and competition if they fail to also teach their students to lead themselves well, make good choices, and learn how to effectively lead others, have they just trained them to be a Black Belt and not a Black Belt Leader in Life?

In my more recent conversations with corporate America, I point out there is a growing leadership deficit in society, as leadership is not taught in schools, nor in today's homes. Employees are entering the workplace, being put in positions of supervision or authority, and lack the basic knowledge of knowing how to lead themselves well, effectively communicate, or to build teams of high-performance, non-leader-dependent teams that are motivated and successful.

Everyone is leading someone, somewhere, right now. The question everyone has to answer about their leadership is two-fold. How well are they leading themselves, and how well are they leading others. The answer to the first part of the question answers the second.

It's not just martial arts schools that need Black Belt Leaders, it's families, businesses, churches & synagogues, schools, non-profit organizations. Black Belt Leaders are individuals who are committed to becoming a better version of themselves every single day so they, in turn, can do a better job of lead themselves and those who are following. They are committed to personal growth and development, as they understand it's only a serious student (the black belt) that gets to learn the more advanced aspects of leadership.

Just like earning a Black Belt is only a new beginning, so Black Belt Leadership is a journey, not a destination. It's a commitment to a lifetime of learning, growing, and getting better at who you are, so you can become better at what you do (and how you do it).

So, if everyone is leading someone, somewhere, right now, why just be a leader when you can be a Black Belt Leader, and live life with Black Belt Excellence?

Leadership is in short supply in America. In this time of crisis, we need men and women who will rise to the occasion, equip themselves, start leading and challenge others to do likewise.

Leaders live life on purpose, for a purpose. Most people live life by default, accepting whatever life brings their way. That's not living, that's existing. That's excellence giving way to mediocrity...and mediocrity will never experience real success in life.

Carly Fiornia says, "The status quo has great power. Leaders challenge the status quo to change things for the better." Don't let a status quo mindset hold you back.

What about you? I believe ANYONE can be a Black Belt Leader in Life! Everyone has within them a Black Belt Leader waiting to be discovered, developed, and deployed to make a positive difference in the world.

Yes, you can learn to lead yourself (and others well) as you learn to live life with Black Belt Excellence.

Ready to start your own Black Belt Leadership training? Pick up a copy of my new book, Black Belt Leadership 101 to learn the 10 essential qualities of a Black Belt Leader. or visit my website and sign up for my digital course, Black Belt Leadership - The Master Class where I teach these 10 leadership qualities in an interactive environment through audio, video, and downloadable worksheets.

My book includes a discussion guide allowing you to go through an interactive, reflective journey either alone, or as part of a small group book study.

Interested in personal coaching, or group training for your staff or employees? Contact our office today. If not me, hire someone who can help you develop yourself as a leader.

A few months back, I had a young man pick me up for lunch. He wanted to talk about what was going on in his life and ask for some advice. I climbed into his rather expensive sports car, a gift from his dad. As we drove to the restaurant, I noticed the car seemed to be vibrating slightly...what my grandpa used to refer to as a shimmy.

I had my suspicions but wanted until we got to our destination before I dug a little deeper.

When we stopped in the parking lot. I exited the vehicle and walked to the front of his car. The outside edge of the passenger-side tire was worn smooth, and the steel belting inside the tire was starting to become visible. I pointed this out to the young man, who was surprised to realize he was driving an unsafe vehicle. He asked how this happened.

As I explained the vehicle was out of alignment, he asked what that meant. I shared with him that when the tires are mounted on a vehicle at the factory, the tires, suspension, and steering are aligned so the car will drive straight and true. If the tires and suspension are out of alignment, the car will tend to pull or drift to the left or the right, requiring the driver to be making constant adjustments with the steering wheel to keep the car going straight.

The young man said he remembered hitting a "monster pothole" a few months back and thought he had blown a tire. After stopping to check his tires, and finding them still inflated, he kept driving. He noticed the car began pulling and he was having to constantly make corrections with his steering wheel...but didn't know what caused it. Afraid to tell his dad, he just kept driving. The end result was replacing two expensive tires and having the front-end of his vehicle realigned.

Just as a tire shows the wear and tear of being out of alignment, so a leader's actions show wear and tear when they are misaligned. In John Maxwell's recent "Leading Through Crisis" webcast, he talked about the importance of good leadership in times of difficulty. One of the keys, John noted, was for the leaders thinking and actions to be aligned with his or her core value...and the importance for those values to be others-centered.

Roy Disney said, "When you know your values, it's easy to make decisions." Values-based leadership is essential, but there is sadly a leadership deficit in the world today. Leaders are called on to give the right perspective in times of crisis, but if their values are misaligned, their perspective is misaligned as well. A leader can't define reality if his or her perspective is skewed or inaccurate.

In these trying times, successful leadership requires that we put out people first. That requires that see seek to do what's best for them and put their needs before our own. It demands that we seek not to manipulate others for our own end but to motivate and inspire them to discover the opportunity hidden within the difficulty they are facing.

Values-based leadership is aligning your saying and your doing around the Golden Rule. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. Do for others what you would want them to do for you. Add value to them as you would want them to add value to you.

So what are your core values? What are the unshakable in your life? The beliefs, values, and convictions you have that you're willing to die for? That can't be compromised? What are the absolutes in your life?

Sadly there is a leadership deficit in our nation, and the world, at this time. The values of honesty, integrity, self-discipline, self-control, compassion, patience, goodness, and generosity are not being lived out in the marketplace. People are choosing to live for themselves and not for the benefit of serving others. This prevents teams from working for the common good, as competition for personal advancement has replaced collaboration.

We need a return to these others-centered values if we want to see this deficit vacuum in our nation, and around the world, abated.

Remember, what you value most speaks to the type of person you are, and the type of leader you will ultimately become. And it's in times of crisis that who we are on the inside is revealed to those we are leading. I've heard my Mom use the analogy of an orange being squeezed, What's on the inside of you comes out when pressure is applied.

So as the pressure is applied in this time of crisis, are you showing signs of wear? Is the tread on your leadership worn down, exposing the jagged steel belts of your broken character, for those you are leading to see?

Is your leadership in alignment with your values, or is your leadership drifting?

Align your values with your actions - and lead well!

Our nation, and the world, is currently gripped in the throes of a global pandemic. A common observation from people I talk to is they have never seen such a high level of fear and anxiety in their local community. In a conversation I had yesterday, an older gentleman I was holding a coaching session with commented he could walk down the streets of a major metropolitan city and it was essentially a "ghost town". No cars in the streets, no people on the sidewalks. Stores closed, grocery shelves emptied out. Zombie apocalypse.

One of my sons works in the banking industry. As we talked last night, he echoed the observations of fear I'm hearing from others across this nation and in other parts of the globe. I took him on a history lesson, reminding him our nation has faced similar crises in the past, and we as a nation have always rallied to win.

Typhoid, Tetanus, Diptheria, Spanish flu, German measles, Polio, Smallpox, Tuberculous, Malaria, AID-HIV, H1N1 (Swine Flu), Ebola, SARS, MERS, Wold War I, World War II, 9-11, the Rise of Isis, the Stock Market crashes of 1929, 2001, 2008 and now 2020. Our nation, and the world, has faced crises before. Coronavirus is just another name to be added to the list.

This is NOT the first time we've faced a crisis like this. Yet we continue to hear people say, "I've never seen anything like this before."

Why?

An interesting observation from neuroscience reminds us that when people become anxious (under stress), the brain begins to secrete hormones that change the chemical composition of the brain. As a result, rational cognitive thinking begins to become clouded. We become more animalistic, survivalist, in our thinking. The fight or flight response system is being primed for action.

As this stress escalates, anxiety begins to manifest itself in fear. This further escalates a chemical dump in the brain that restricts our ability to think rationally. It narrows our perspective and the brain's thinking process evolves into an emotionally charged panic mode of survival. We've seen this recently manifested in the emptying of grocery store shelves. Toilet paper, bread, meat, fresh vegetables, and pain relievers are in short supply.

This is people allowing fear to control their thinking process, which in any society can become increasingly dangerous if permitted to continue for any length of time.

This is where leadership comes in.

I recently heard my mentor, John Maxwell say that in times of trouble, a leader can either hide under a rock, or he can stand on the rock for others to see. In his virtual simulcast, Leading Through Crisis, John talked about leaders being salt and light in the earth.

Salt is a preservative. It protects things from spoiling, going bad. As we remind people that we've faced similar crises in the past, and overcome them, we help them gain a bigger perspective on what's actually happening. We help others see more clearly, so they can make better choices. We help preserve their sanity in a time of trouble.

Light is a beacon. As I heard John talk about light, my mind went to the famous lighthouse on the Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, SC. Over the years, a lighthouse has served a useful purpose. It guided sailors to a place of safety. It cautioned them of dangers that lie ahead and gave them a point of reference to navigate a course to the safe waters of a harbor. The lighthouse guided sailors to a place of calm, peace, and safety.

In times of crisis, we need leaders to stand on the rock, and like a lighthouse, become a beacon of hope. Leaders lead the way. Why? Because that is who they are. Napoleon Bonaparte said leaders are merchants in hope. Right now, the world is in desperate need of strong leadership, speaking hope into the lives of people who find themselves in the depths of despair as anxiety has taken root in their lives.

Leadership starts with YOU. Leading yourself well, not allowing yourself to become the victim of your emotions, is the start of leading others well. Author J. Oswald Sanders said in his book, Spiritual Leadership, that before you can conquer the world, you must first conquer yourself. So take an inventory of where you are. Are you going to allow this pandemic to control you, or are you going to look for the opportunity within this time of adversity to become better, to grow, and to make a difference?

The world has too many people allowing this situation to control their lives. I need you to stand up as a leader and be a light in the darkness, a voice of hope and reason, and a leader who shows the way. Paul Martinelli says, "God did not design you to be on the effect side of cause and effect." Leaders CAUSE things to change for the better.

Leaders are voices of hope and positive change-agents in the earth. Leaders help people think into their situation, gain control over their emotions, and see the opportunity that has been there all along. Leaders help people see the only limit people have is the limit they place on themselves. Leaders lead people through the crises of life so they can come out better (not bitter) on the other side.

If not you, then who?

If not now, then when?

The people around you to be a beacon of hope.

Your leadership is needed TODAY!

America is in the throes of dealing with COVID-19, a variant of coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, China and has spread to become a global medical pandemic. This is a once-in-a-generation event that has truly ravaged our nation’s health, and our economy.

My oldest daughter works at a grocery chain here in town. Toward the end of last week, she called me on her break, almost in tears. “Dad,” she said, “I’m scared. People are cleaning out the store. There’s no toilet paper, no paper products whatsoever. People are indiscriminately raking canned goods into carts. They are yelling, pushing and getting angry with the staff and other patrons in the store. It’s like the end of the world.”

As the brief conversation wrapped up, she added was fearful as she has three young children at home, the youngest just over a year old. “There’s no baby formula, Dad. No baby wipes. How am I going to take care of my kids?” I left my office a few minutes early to stop by and check on my girl only to find near chaos, both in the parking lot and in the store.

I’ve heard similar stories from friends, clients and industry peers across the country. A fellow coach in San Diego was telling he about his latest to the visit to a Big Box store for food only to witness similar episodes of craziness as people are treating this crisis as the end of the world. People fighting over parking spaces, cleaning out the shelves in the store, and grumbling and complaining over items they could not buy.

The impact on humanity is telling, as we are dealing with a new virus for which mankind has no natural immunity. The highly contagious nature of this virus has led to our government to take drastic steps in an effort to stem the spread of this infection. The financial impact of hitting the pause button on our economy is yet to be determined, but will likely be in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

In the short run, we will see a spike in unemployment and some businesses may never fully recover. The government is taking bold steps to provide needed short-term liquidity for individuals and businesses, but fear has found its way into the American psyche, fueled by a crazed media that continues to sensationalize this crisis. This, in turn, is manifesting itself into ongoing acts of “crazy” that we continue to see across the nation.

So how do we deal with crazy?

If there was ever a need for strong leadership, it is now. The antidote to the panic we are witnessing across the country is for men and women to lead themselves well. If history is our guide, we as a nation have been here before. America has some of the brightest, most brilliant medical and scientific minds in the world.

As a nation, we have battled and defeated the Spanish flu, smallpox, measles, chickenpox, SARS, MERS, H1N1 Swine flu, and Ebola (to name a few). Coronavirus will be no different. But the silent enemy we have to conquer and defeat is fear.

That’s where leadership comes in.

In my book, Black Belt Leadership 101, I talk about one of the character traits of a black belt leader is boldness. Leaders cannot be passive and lead, especially in times of crisis. Napoleon said that leaders are merchants in hope. In this time of fear and panic, leaders speak hope into the lives of others and lead by example.

In the book, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, John Maxwell references the character traits of maintaining a positive attitude, personal responsibility, self-discipline, and servanthood as essential qualities of a leader. Living out these attributes brings a different level of thinking into how we act, and interact, with others.

In times of fear and panic, bring a positive attitude to the situation allows us to serve as merchants of hope. It changes people’s outlook and causes them to become solutions-focused. Being personally responsible and self-disciplined means we don’t act in an irresponsible manner. We make decisions through the lens of leadership and understand as a leader what we are modeling gets mirrored in the lives of those who are following.

Leaders consider the impact of their words and deeds on others. In the words of Zig Ziglar, leaders understand they can get anything they want in life if they will help enough people get what they want in life. Putting other people first, treating other people the way we want to be treated, is an act of boldness that is the hallmark of a Black Belt Leader.

America, and the world, will survive the Coronavirus pandemic. How well we survive, and how quickly we recover, will depend on the level of leadership we bring to ourselves, our families, our co-workers, and the people we interact with every single day. Let us model boldness, a positive attitude, personal responsibility, and self-discipline as we live our lives in the service of others.

That’s how we, as leaders, deal with crazy.

Together, we will get through this.

Be a merchant of hope.

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