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Intentional Leadership — D5, W2, M6 — Perseverance

We have come to the end of week two…Friday’s sure do seem to come quicker these days, especially when one is really busy.

I’ve been in Guatemala City all week, working with John Maxwell, EQUIP, and my fellow John Maxwell Team-mates preparing for and teaching Transformational Leadership to groups of leaders from the seven streams of influence: Government, education, business, media, arts & entertainment, the faith community, and family. We have been teaching the principles shared in John’s 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth (this is really powerful material; if you are at all inclined toward growing yourself, and you haven’t read this, I highly recommend it. In fact, I take that one step further and recommend you join a Mastermind Group on this topic and work through the book with a small group of other growth-oriented individuals so you can learn together and from each other), as well as 15 values inherent in transformational leaders.

It’s been an amazing, invigorating, exciting, educational, and fun week. I’ve stretched and grown. I’ve helped others stretch and grow. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone in many ways. I’ve met some amazing new people. I’ve gotten to know so many of my JMT Team-mates so much better. I’ve discovered new opportunities I hadn’t even imagined. We donated a variety of materials and supplies to some orphanages; I brought art and school supplies, primarily.

Tomorrow, we will have our last teaching sessions, and after lunch we will be the guests at a huge party celebrating our investment in this effort of transforming the culture of Guatemala. What an amazing opportunity this has been!

So, you can see, my weekend will not be a typical time of rest and restoration! Saturday will be quite full and I will be traveling on Sunday.

What will you do with your weekend?

What relationships do you need to build, nurture, grow…repair?

What activities would you like to spend time and energy doing?

What do you need to do to be prepared for the start of a new week on Monday?

What do you need to be thinking about and planning for, for the next few weeks?

Have an intentional, enjoyable weekend!

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Transformation begins with me!

As you may be aware, I am in Guatemala City this week with John Maxwell, the John Maxwell Team (~150 coaches), La Red, Guatemala Prospera, and EQUIP. Our mission is to teach a process that will allow leaders within the seven streams of influence (government, business, media, faith community, arts & entertainment, family, and education) to facilitate growth within small groups over the course of the next 30 weeks, using content from John’s 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, and 15 corresponding values defined thru a survey of 12,000 Guatemalans as being critical for the future of their country.

We have spent the last day and a half learning this new process and going through it ourselves, to experience the power of it first-hand. It is simple, elegant, effective…powerful. It requires intentionality and transparency.

Beginning Thursday, we will be sent out to various sites around the city to teach groups between 40-80 people how to use the process. We will actually facilitate as they experience the process by working through The Law of Modeling and The Value of Listening.

In three days, we will have taught the process to 19,000 – 20,000 people. Each of them will facilitate the process with small groups of 8-10 people each, one session per week for the next 30 weeks. That means, 150,00 – 160,000 individuals will be directly involved…and if each of them has the power to influence a minimum of another four people each day…WOW!

The foundation is that transformation begins with me; I must first change if I want the circumstances and conditions of my life to change. The idea is to get people talking about the things they need to talk about.

As individuals embrace these lessons and begin to embrace and live the values, they will bring this change to life in their country. The effects may not be seen for years, but it will happen. This place and these people will be forever changed. But think of it this way: If each person touched by this process and this content can make a 1% improvement per week — at the end of a year, they will be 52% better than when they were exposed to this material.

Taking a step back from today, I am humbled by this opportunity. I have said I am on a mission to change the world one encounter at a time — whether that be with individuals, small groups and teams, whole organizations, or even larger gatherings. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that my purpose is to help others step confidently into their potential through increased self-awareness and intentional action. I never imagined I would have the opportunity, so soon, to be part of something this significant…fully aligned with what I believe I’m here to do. And yet, here I am tonight, writing to you from Guatemala City!

The real truth of the matter is, whatever happens with the people and the culture here, I am already forever changed by this experience. I am more deeply connected with my John Maxwell colleagues, more aware of myself (thoughts, beliefs, preferences, etc…), and I am grateful. If all I am able to accomplish this week is to leave some people with hope for a better future, I will have been successful.

More to come, to be sure, as we are just beginning. Tomorrow, we meet with and get to know our translators; spend some time fine-tuning our process and personal stories; and in the evening, we have been invited to the Presidential Palace.

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W2, M6 — Perseverance

One day at a time, one step at a time. That’s what perseverance takes. Place one foot in front of the other, repeat; keep moving forward. Taking these small steps forward will help to counteract the headwinds of resistance.

Let’s take a journey back in time and consider the story of James Stockdale, American Prisoner of War (POW) in Vietnam. Commander Stockdale was a pilot during the Vietnam war. His plan was shot down and he parachuted into the jungle. Captured by the Vietcong, he spent seven years in the Hoa Lo prison, where the prisoners were subjected to severe brutality.

Despite his conditions and circumstances, Stockdale did not give in. In fact, he helped his fellow POWs remain strong by leading them through small but meaningful acts that helped them preserve their dignity.

One of his first initiatives was to devise a communication system the POWs could use to “talk” to each other, by tapping on the walls or floor. Before he arrived, captives had been isolates from each other and anyone who spoke was tortured by the guards. Thanks to Stockdale’s resourcefulness, the POWs could now communicate with each other and know they were not alone, as they endured their captivity.

He helped them persevere by creating a code of honor for POWs who were tortured. As you are probably aware, it was humiliating for American soldiers to give information to their captors. As the soldiers maintained their silence, their captors increased their extreme torture measures; and total silence typically led to a death sentence. Stockdale led the prisoners to a mutual pledge to resist as long as possible, and he gave them an outlet for confessing anything they had been forced to reveal. Through these simple confessionals, the soldiers unloaded their guilt, which allowed them to not be overcome with shame.

Today, think about your resourcefulness and how it could help someone else endure adversity. In your circle, who could you creatively support by giving them the encouragement they need to face another day?

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