John's Blog

  The Power of Authenticity in Personal Development In the journey of personal development, one of the most transformative qualities you can cultivate is authenticity.  What does it mean to be authentic, and how does it fuel your growth? For beginners stepping into the world of self-improvement, understanding and embracing authenticity can unlock a path to true fulfilment and self-awareness. Why Authenticity Matters in Personal Development Being authentic means staying true to who you are—your values, beliefs, and feelings—even in the face of societal pressures or expectations.  It’s about showing up as your genuine self in every aspect of your life.  Here’s how authenticity can supercharge your personal development: Clarity of Purpose : Authenticity helps you align your actions with your true desires, eliminating confusion about what you want to achieve. Improved Relationships : When you’re genuine, you attract people who resonate with your true self, fostering deep...

On a recent visit to a friends house, I met their baby boy of six months. Having arrived near the toddlers dinnertime, I got to witness the professional couple struggle to feed this "obviously contented" baby for more than an hour.  I watched as the couple bickered and argued about the best way to get baba to eat. They even resorted to tricking the kid, teasing him with a dummy, only to swap it with food at the last moment. He then promptly spat the food out with a giggle. He wasn't eating, simply because he wasn't hungry yet. But, knowing the benefits of timely nutrition, the new parents stumbled and plotted about ways to feed their child, hoping to give him a good start in life.  The most disturbing divide between people is not one of race, but the one between the "wants to" and the "does not want to" of the world, and that gap is big. These polar opposites are defined by those that want to make something of this life for themselves and b...

To you, one of God's unique little kids, I want to say that different does not mean seperate.  Often people sitting on the fringes of society feel disconnected from the rest of the world. They sit on the fringe because they are different, and others draw away. These are people that dont blindly accept tradition as truth, unwilling to conform just for the sake of agreement. These oddballs look at life from an angle that most ... well, let's just say, that most have never considered.  Fringe life is a lonely and a trying place. Even though most fringe-sitters have friends, it's a meeting-by-appointment arrangement, as the friends dont really want to expose others to the one-of-a-kind perspectives. So, "fringees" dont usually get invited to the big get-togethers, and live in solitude, sometimes by choice, sometimes not.  Take courage you special biscuits, I want to tell you something. The world in which we live is shaped by the odd dreams of artists and inv...

I'm doing a "100 Articles in 100 Days" challenge, with approximately sixty five articles left. "Why 100 days? Why not just 30 days like all the other challenges," I hear you ask. Let me explain:  First, leaders forge mastery, then, Mastery creates leaders.  The unique leadership model, the U49, guides potential leaders through a growth program, aimed at fostering focus, momentum and mastery, establishing reliability and reputation along the way. All of these elements need time and effort to grow ... enter the 100 Challenge.   The strength of the 100 Challenge is in the incredible personal growth and understanding the leader gains as they establish momentum in their core skill. It takes a minimum of forty days exercising a skill for it to become grounded. In other words, in the first forty days, you just start to understand the subtly of the tasks you do.  The next sixty days of the Challenge takes the growing leader beyond mere understanding, past s...

We all look up to and admire a good leader, impressed by their skill, tenacity, and authenticity. We recognise that rallying people behind a single objective in a mutually beneficial way is extremely difficult. We even recognise that not everyone can be a good leader, and that it takes a special kind of person to fill leadership shoes.  So, why is it that we call leadership a "soft skill"? Why is it that a "leadership course" shouldn't be longer than four days? Why is it that the teaching of leadership, a skill globally recognised as prolific and difficult, is treated with such contempt? Maybe insecure people in leadership positions don't want competition and downplay proper training. Maybe labelling leadership as a soft skill was a marketing mistake made universities and educators.  Soft skills...! Don't talk stupid.  People don't enlist for leadership training for two main reasons: first, leadership is horribly misunderstood. Second, lead...

Let's take a moment to pause on this day, World Cancer day, and say, "I care," to those that continue to fight against the disease. We remember, and pay tribute to those that have fallen in this terrible battle.  World Cancer day offers the opportunity to highlight another subtle and deadly form of the disease, the cancer of caring. It has oozed it's way into the deepest fabric of our societies, infected the bone marrow of our social economies, and eats away at the very core of our coexistence. You may think the claim is crazy, and have possibly never noticed the symptoms, but I promise you; the disease has already infected you.   I first diagnosed the cancer at a breakfast with Ben. He is an elderly gentleman with a kind heart, and a lot of wisdom to share. Once a week, Ben and I go for breakfast at a popular restaurant chain. Each week, we are greeted by friendly faces always eager to wait at our table. As usual, Ben will greet each waiter by their name, mak...

In a direct but empty competition for "King of the Castle" between vision and mission, mission wins, hands down!   Before you drag me to the gallows, let's look at what we should know about both vision and mission.   Mission is the skills and task we perform daily to achieve an outcome, like a fisherman selecting the right tackle and bait, casting to the right spot and owning enough patience to wait for the fish to bite.   Your mission can evolve as you gain mastery in the related skills and tasks, but it will always look the same, like a fisherman progressing from standing on the shore catching tiddly winks, to owning a boat catching once-in-a-life monsters - it's all still fishing!   Vision is the "hooray" to missions "hip hip." Vision is the shiny outcome that we aim at, like the fisherman aiming to catch one hundred fish in just one hundred days - and doing it!!    Vision is the bright chrome and brilliant paint job on our fancy car,...

So, I believe my mission in life is to play the role of a teaspoon.  Yes, you read that correctly. Why a teaspoon, you ask. When making a cup of coffee, you put all the ingredients in the cup, and then you add the hot water.   Do you drink it straight away? No, of course not. You take a teaspoon and you stir. The ingredients need to be mixed properly, giving a full flavoured experience all the way to the bottom of the cup.   I believe that every person, including you, has everything necessary for life and leadership already in their cup. What's needed is for someone to stir your capacity, so that you realise the fullness of who you really are, and to permeate you with falvourful life and leadership throughout your cup.   My message as the teaspoon is to stir your potential into track record. Although the focus of this blog, and my message, is aimed at leadership development - leadership and personal development are synonymous.   The leader must answ...

Get out of the box Part 5 - Fear of Failure.  We've briefly looked at three sides of the box that keeps us in complacency. Surprisingly, the emphasises in the last side is not on failure, but on the fear of that failure.   If I asked you: "What's the opposite of success," are you likely to answer with: "failure"? Most people would, and why not? That's what we've been taught.   We have, however, seen in this series that Thomas Edison, with his ten thousand attempts at making the light bulb, doesn't regard failure as the opposite of success, but rather, he sees failure as a necessary part of the path to success. Many great people from history share Edison's view of failure.   So, what would Edison and his illustrious group of powerful friends regard as the opposite of success? The answer is "fear."  By way of simple definition, success means "satisfactory completion of a goal, task or action." Success is the happy...

Get out of the box - Part 4 - Fear of the unknown.    The most common barrier to getting out of the box of complacency is the fear of the unknown. When encountering this fear in others, you must know that they have not planned!    Planning removes the impact of the "unknown" element, and replaces it with "calculated risk."    People wrongly believe that they can just "wing it" through this life, and still enjoy the benefits of success. Nothing could be further from the truth.    Winging it through life is like standing up on a public platform to do an unprepared speech - it results in a lot of incoherent rambling that goes nowhere and means nothing.   When asked to prepare for a thirty minute speech at Cambridge University, Winston Churchill said he needed two weeks to prepare. When asked how long he would need to prepare for a two hour speech, he replied "I'm ready now."    Life is like a thirty minute speech, it ne...

Get out of the box - Part 3 - Principle rules Precedent.  If we are fortunate enough to overcome the first limitation of our paper prison, the lack of instant feedback, then we need to deal with the 2nd wall limiting our growth: allowing precedent, our past experience, to rule our judgment.  "I tried it, but it didn't work" has become the anthem for those unwilling to work their way out of the rut. We use this excuse to pardon our failure and to justify our lethargy.  It's time to admit that weak and uninformed attempts at bringing about change are NOT "proof" that the method, recipe or principle doesn't work, but is infact evidence that we are not really willing to change.  There is nothing new under the sun. Everything that is, was. Everything that was, will be.  I promise you: someone somewhere has successfully achieved what you want to attempt, and they have the right laws, principles, and methods for you to duplicate the success.  Gett...

Get out the box - Part 2 - Success is a numbers game.  The box of complacency is a four-sided prison of our own making, locking us into the rut of mediocrity.  The first side of the box is called: "the lack of instant feedback." People are unwilling to get out of the box because their previous attempts have not produced results quick enough.  Our "instant" mentality is fueled by instant access to information, entertainment, and services through the hand-held computers we all carry, called cell phones.  Our world has geared around producing instant feedback. Even our restaurants cater to this insatiable appetite for immediate results. We don't even have to go into the restaurant anymore. We drive up to a window to order, drive to the next window to collect, and instantly we have our food.  This desire for "instant feedback" has spilled into our drive for personal and business success. In reality, success is a result of good ideas, hard work a...

In the dying seconds of the game, the team's star player does a twist, fooling the opponent. The star sidesteps another challenger, and with a flourish - scores again!    In the after-game interview, the star player tells how being in the "zone" gave them "move-prediction" powers, supported by super strength and stamina, making winning a sure thing.     As "fans" we swoon at the thought of our star's abilities on the field, and at their charisma off it.    With glittery admiration we wish, oh, we so wish we were them for a day! Would you want to have the skills and abilities of a great sportsman or woman for a day?    Would you like to jog onto the pitch, walk into the office, or swagger into the arena, knowing you were empowered with your hero's abilities, skills, or focus? Of course you would! We all would like some hero's ability in one form or another! That's not the question we should be asking. The real question is: wh...

You are not a product of your past, but of the choices and actions you take now.     As a ship moves, it leaves a trail or a track of its travel through the water. You can easily tell where the ship has been by looking at this disturbance that we call a wake.     As much as we can see the ship's past path by observing the wake, it has no direct bearing on the ships movement now or its progress in the future.     It would be ridiculous to claim that the resulting wake has an influence on the ships current direction.     To claim that your life now is a product of your past, is to claim that you have no power to influence your actions or decisions.     Your life is a product of the now. You live as you choose to behave in the moment.     When looking at a clock on the wall, mindless of the countless times the hands have travelled around and around again, we call the time as we see it now.     Your past is...

Truth and Deception may be opposites on the scale of "desirable," but they are grossly enmeshed by a great equalizer called 'self.'     Self Deception is the two-faced enemy of our success. The first face is deception that we are not 'good enough.' We conjure up lies about our worth that works magic to keep us dumb, pathetic, and purposeless.     Once we break free from the depressing shackles of self doubt, by realising the Sea of Potential we possess is enough to overcome any limitation - we suddenly meet the second face of Self Deception.     This cunning enemy comes as our 'friend', stroking our ego and allowing us to wallow is self glorification, believing we are greater than we actually are.     In this delusion of Grandeur, we adopt self -awarded titles reserved for recognition by others, like 'leader' or 'influencer', which inflate our arrogance and sharpens the axe of pride that will eventually cut us down to size....

So, I believe my mission in life is to play the role of a teaspoon🥄. Yes, you read that correctly. Why a teaspoon, you ask. Well, I am.  When, for example,  making, a cup of coffee, and you have all the ingredients in the cup, you add the hot water, but do you drink it straight away?  No, of course not. You take a teaspoon (should be called a coffee spoon for this example 🤷‍♂️😁) and you stir...  The ingredients need to be stirred to properly mix them, giving a happy flavour experience all the way to the bottom of the cup.  In my mind, the teaspoon🥄 brings nothing nor removes anything from the cup of coffee, it is used to stir. EFG 😈  I believe people (yes, you are a people) have everything they need for life and godliness already. Sometimes people (you) just need to be stirred a little to remind you, to permeate you with the full coffee flavour throughout your cup of life.  Public courses, books, articles, videos, and one-on-one ...

Personal & Leadership Skill: Ability to Identify and Solve Problems No other skill will keep you relevant and in demand like the ability to solve problems. The best problem solvers in the work place are often the highest paid in the company. This is a skill that everyone should have but has become rare and extremely valuable.

<< Leadership << 21 Laws to Leadership Reliability is as Leader Does Gone are the days of blind leaders ahead of blind followers. Modern teams have a greater consciousness and are seeking reliable and authentic leaders of integrity that are worthy of trust. Leaders can no longer treat people’s trust and respect with reckless attitudes and behavior. A leader must recognize that the position is one of accountability and responsibility.

<< Leadership << 21 Laws to Leadership 6 Things Others Respect in a True Leader In the orders society of dogs, there is always a leader for the team. Should the existing leader lose the favour of the pack through injury, illness or age; another dog with leadership capacity will step into the role and assume authority. Dogs don’t care who the leader is, as long as there is a leader. Chance are, the successor will be a dog that has proven worth earlier and demonstrated his or her capabilities for which he or she won the packs respect and admiration. Similarly, people recognize the capacity for leadership in others too, drawn in by admiration and respect. Many desire the position of leadership, but it is not a role for which one can crown yourself. Rather, leadership is a result of people recognizing your capacity and respecting your abilities - and then decide to follow you! This process often occurs by evolution, rather than revolution.

Leader by Name 5 Areas of Responsibility of A Leader To answer the question - “what is a leader?” - we must look at what a leader does. In order to understand what a leader does, we must examine the environment in which a leader functions. To understand the leader’s environment we need two essential embedded bits of knowledge. First we need to know that a leader works within a team. Secondly, we must understand that a team is a group of people that are united by a common need or passion, and share a common vision. (Read " The Absurdity Of Leadership ")