John's Blog

As a fan of juicy, world dominating, conspiracies, *drool,* what I really hate about these theories is the inevitable fate of the hapless victims.  Conspiracies paint a picture where people are clueless, powerless, and directionless puppets controlled by unseen forces, like the illuminati, the Chinese, or even aliens.  The "larger than life" threats range from mind altering chemicals slipped into the drinking water, infectious diseases intentionally flighted, or the "mother ship" looming behind the moon. All of which have the same effect on mankind: panicked scurrying around like rats in a lab, waiting to die.  *Puke*  If the reality is that we are merely the victims of a worldwide con for "pharma" to make more profit, or worse yet - we're rats in a large scale lab as some science project, then I dibs to be "Pinky" from the famous lab rats that attempt to take over the world each night.  So, what actions are available to the lab...

One would think that the actions taken to achieve a vision would actually take you closer to that goal. Indeed, successful people and companies alike focus on doing only the tasks and activities that carry them closer to their destination. This is called "efficiency."  It's staggering to observe just how much "inefficiency" happens. People get caught up, worn down, and burnt out, committed to actions that at best, takes them no where, and at worst, takes them further away from their goal.  What's really shocking is how many people actually take no action towards achievement of their ideal life at all, leaving the outcome to "che sera, sera, whatever will be will be." If they had no ambition, this attitude would be perfectly reasonable, but it is usually people with a dream that do nothing about it.  "Faith," I hear you bellow. "The non-active are believing for the outcome" you reason. Possibly. However, faith is a stro...

A leader is defined as someone that guides a team to achieve a vision for a cause, a company, or even a country. The vision can be as simple as planting a tree, or as complex as taking a country to greatness. This definition of a leader touches every person, even you, in the process. Whether you are the creator of the vision, or someone contracted to help achieve it, the U49 Leadership System has something special for everyone. With its unique philosophies and tools, the U49 is a development system for everything related to the achievement of a vision, offering advice and guidance to the beginner, and the seasoned leader. The U49 Leadership System has four legs, including: leader, team, action, and vision. Each leg is loaded with laws, principles, and strategies that shape the leader's knowledge, skills, and attitude, equipping them with the mastery needed for successful vision achievement. The four legs of the U49 melt effortlessly into three simple models that offer ...

You are forgiven for thinking that the articles posted here over the last couple of months were random and haphazard. Nothing could be further from the truth.  You may even think that the majority of articles were just emotional and religious, or at least "spiritual" in nature. Although that is partly true, it is not the whole truth.  Fact of the matter is that all the articles have been deliberate and grouped into four categories, namely; the vision, the leader, the team, and the action. These four categories combined together form "leadership" as defined by the U49 leadership system.  There is no doubt that what we do in our private lives affects our public performances. This idea is reinforced under the U49, with it assigning personal development topics to the leader, including; mission, truth, and the "I am."  Actually, a lot of what falls under "the team," "the action," and "the vision" comes from the ...

Fear of the unknown stops many people from living their best life. Mediocrity slips in, making their existence a drag, simply because they're afraid to let their potential see the light of day.  When people say they are afraid of the unknown, you must know that they haven't planned! Planning is the simple art of throwing potential into the darkness of the unknown, and allowing its brilliance to shine a light on the path we ought to take to move forward.  Most visions and dreams never manifest because they're never planned out. Planning inevitably reveals the challenges and efforts that lie waiting, ready to pounce, ready to paralyse, somewhere between our present and the success we want in the future. This evokes fear in the planner and puts people off from attempting to live out greatness. Tharros, the courage model of the U49 leadership system, is a tool to plan the way forward in a manner that instills confidence. The model encourages planning in logical step...

There are few things as valuable as having confidence in your own ability. Your ability will open doors and paint your trail with greatness, if ... you trust it.  Many people make a decision only to be racked with doubt. Second guessing your decision undermines the choice, weakening its foundation, making it vulnerable to collapse.  As a leader, there is a lot at stake when you make a choice. Even though we know - he who hesitates loses - we still succumb to doubt and insecurities. I've seen more owners destroy their businesses by not making a definitive decision, than those that made a bad choice and stuck with it.  Confidence will make up for some incompetence, but indecisiveness will erode even the most lucrative of ideas. The U49's Axios Model put a "choice assistant" in the hands of the decision maker, boosting confidence in the choice taken. The extra confidence stirs faith in the heart of those willing to attempt the impossible, setting the sta...

Knowing when to make the right decision needs more than just having information, it requires a confidence, a toughness of mind, and an unshakable desire to carry out the decision.  Timing is the creator of good leaders, and undertaker of the bad ones. The leader needs the timing of a decision to be perfect, in order to drive the vision forward. There are few skills as critical as timing to the ongoing development and existence of a leader. In times past, leaders where left to haphazardly discover the value of a well timed move, and to practice it like a blind man throwing darts at a target he has never seen.  The "timing model" in the U49 Leadership System, KAIROS, let's leaders learn decision making with a "safety net" in place. The kairos model divides vision achievement into nine key decision "moments," helping the leader pick the right time to make a decision in the vision's favour. The kairos model plots the vision's posit...

"When is it my turn?" The mumbling tumbles inside our head, as we do our best to validate the success of others, putting on our best smile and applauding loudly. Although jealousy doesn't enter our heart, there is that gnawing sense of frustration as we wait in the wings for our chance.  "KAIROS" is the Greek word for making the right decision at the right time. Timing is a critical factor in our personal success, earmarked by the ability to make good decisions, which is incredibly difficult to teach budding leaders.  Mentors struggle to carry over the concept of "kairos," because they rush to teach it too soon, ironically bungling the timing . The skills and philosophy of kairos defies mere knowledge, requiring instead a heart that chooses to understand. Kairos is preceded by and stands on the shoulders of "AXIOS," the intrinsic sense of being worthy, capable and able.  A strong relationship with the "I am" straightens th...