John's Blog

  The Leadership Triangle: Fueling the Fire of Success A fire needs three elements to burn: heat, oxygen, and fuel . Together, they form the Fire Triangle . Take one element away, and the fire sputters out. It’s not a suggestion—it’s science. Leadership is no different. To spark success, you need the Leadership Triangle , which burns brightly when fueled by three essentials: Vision : The guiding light. A Leader : The Firestarter. A Team : The lifeblood. But if even one element was removed, the Leadership Triangle collapses. Just like a fire dies, so too will a team’s ability to succeed. No Vision, No Direction Imagine trying to navigate a forest at night without a flashlight. You’d stumble over roots, circle back on yourself, and ultimately, never make it out. Take vision out of the Leadership Triangle, and that’s exactly what happens. A team without vision is like a soccer match with no nets—players run, sweat, and kick the ball, but for what? There’s no destination, no scoreboard...

 The mention of the word quantum in any conversation has people sucking air in through their teeth and mumbling, "gosh, you must be intelligent." There is no doubt in my mind that leadership, like quantum physics is complex, but by no means is it intended for a select number of people. Quantum Leadership is as relevant to the janitor as it is to the company CEO, and will change not only your life, but also the world in which you live.  Modern leadership is cluttered with strategies, tactics and gimmicks, which simply distract from what leadership is - a person guiding a collection of people to achieve a desired goal or outcome intended for the greater good. Quantum leadership strips away fads, to reveal the minimum elements and processes needed to birth a vision, gather a team, act as a guide and achieve the results. It’s a raw and efficient approach to vision achievement. Obviously, we all want to add adjective to leadership that drip with success, such as "sign...

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 ...

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...

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...

Hundreds of thousands of new ventures, fresh visions and infant businesses die, because the leader didn't know how to get it going. Of all the things your "new life" needs to survive, momentum is crucial.   Without a doubt, a clear future vision defines why we do it. Growth gurus want us to diligently sort a one year, a three year, and a ten year plan, because it's the "year of vision." Pffft! Those plans will be a fat load of useless if you dont action it tomorrow.  The saying, "objects at rest want to stay at rest," applies to your vision too. Have you noticed the tiny steps given by the strong man as he starts to pull the heavy truck? These little steps focus all his power to move the truck forward just an inch. Our vision needs tiny steps of focused power to get the first sign of movement. Focusing on just "the next step," creates the initial movement in our vision.  The following step will need less force to move the visi...

Walking along a desolate sandbar on the shores of an Indian river, Payeng's heart broke as he wept aloud for the death he witnessed.  All forms of reptiles and birds had died of exposure to a terrible storm on the river banks just days before. The cruel sandbank offered the animals no protection from the elements.    Fourteen year old Payeng went home and devised a plan. It was simple, he would plant and nurture saplings on the desolate sandbank until there was enough habitat to offer protection to all the animals. This plan would also prevent soil erosion on the largest river island, Majuli.  Thirty years later, Mr. Payeng has planted enough trees to create a forest covering 550 hectors, the equivalent of fifteen football stadiums. The Molai forest, created by Payeng, is now home to deer, tigers, rabbits, birds and more. How is this possible?  The dedication of one person to do something each day that may only make a small difference in the moment,...

You have never seen your own face! You have only seen a reflection of your face! This is the reason using a mentor is critical to your personal and leadership development.   Well, not the exact reason, but it relates, strongly, to the reason you need a mentor.    Because our eyes are a part of our face, essentially - in our face, looking out - we never actually see our face. We use a mirror as an aid for feedback as to show us how presentable we are... or aren't.   The mirror is not us, it will never be us. It can't decide what we should look like or what we should wear. A mirror merely reflects back to us the image we present to the world. It let's us see hair out of place, sleep crust in the corner of the eyes, and reflects back the radiant, or not, smile that we give others.   The primary role of a mentor, like the mirror, is to reflect back the image we present to the world through our vision, mission, goals, hope's and dreams. https://ww...

When explaining basic firefighting to beginners, we teach them that the "fire triangle" represents the three core elements of a fire, namely; oxygen, heat and fuel. If you effectively remove one of these three elements, you will extinguish the fire.  Similarly, a developing leader has a "fire triangle" with three core elements: Value, mission and engagement. Remove just one of these elements and the developing leader will be extinguished.  The first "leader triangle" element is value, which talks to the value perceived by all the role players around the leader's vision. In other words, if people believe in your vision and see the need, they will invest in it. If people benefitting from your vision have the need, they will gladly receive it.  There is no point in selling your vision to an audience that doesn't recognise the need that your vision addresses. Weak or random needs will not attract a talented team nor inspire "customers...

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,...

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...

Get out the box - Part 1 So many people get caught in "a rut," trapped inside the box of complacency.  We are conditioned by so many areas of life to stay inside the box that we are never surprised by the realisation we are in a rut. Rather, we are shocked by people able to break free of their of their confines, and puzzled by how they achieved this feat.  Sadly, people resign themselves to be slaves of their confinement, but not due to unwillingness or a lack of effort. Surrender is often due to a lack of understanding. Simply put: people just don't know how to get out of their box!   When effort is wasted and people are confused, the box remains king. Focused effort will surely free you from the trap of complacency.   To help lazer-tune your focus, be aware that the sides of the box that keep you prisoner have names. These names will give you a clue as how they fool you into surrender.   The four sides are:   - a lack of instant feedback ...

Putting a price or value to what you do is based on a very simple formula: (how much others need what you do multiplied by how well you do it) divide by how easy it is to replace you.  So, lets consider a street sweeper: (it a needed job-but could be replaced by machines 4/10 X he does a goodish job of sweeping 6/10) / anyone could do it!!! So 0/10 = 0!!!! The income size the sweeper would earn is very low.  You have a skill or an ability that could benefit others, and earn you an extra income. Maybe you work at this skill, but its likely that its left to gather dust with all your other hopes and ambitions.  Make this year the year that you invest in your talents and abilities in a way that will bring you a tidy return.

My mantra for 2020: focus, momentum and mastery! Don't be misled - there is no such thing as multi-tasking, especially when it comes to pursuing your dreams. Multi-tasking dilutes your energy and resources making you less efficient and less effective.  Your dreams deserve laser-like focus, which translates into drama-ignoring commitment and relentless dedication to achieving what's needed today! The law of inertia tells us that a moving object needs less energy to keep it moving. Starting the process is tough! Suck it up buttercup ... create the momentum, get that goal rolling now and the rest will be easier!  Neither focus nor momentum has any value if you do a half-ass job! It's not good enough to "do your best!" Your dreams need ... no .... demand excellence! Become the best at what you have to offer and the best will be returned to you as an offering!!!  Package focus, momentum and mastery as part of your motivational drive this year and you...

Let's just be clear on this once and for all: Hard work alone will help you pay bills, but won't fulfil your dreams.  I know of and deeply respect hard working individuals that are slogging it out to provi4de the necessities for their families. But hardwork alone will not make you rise above your circumstances. Look around you: how many hard working people do you know are struggling?  Faith on the other hand stirs the dream, instills hope, fans the flames - but faith alone makes you nothing more than a daydreamer.  Those rare individuals that soar with eaglesare the ones that have figured the unique balance between hard work and the power of faith.  Effort alone makes you a slave.  Faith alone makes you a dreamer.  Faith and Effort fulfil all your ambitions!

Leaders emerging from successful teams all echo this sentiment - “It wasn’t quite what I had hoped for, but it turned out better than expected.” Working in a team will defy what you expected, and it will move beyond what you had hoped. As the team takes on a life and a personality of its own, leaders and members must place their desire for “my way” on pause, allowing the uniqueness of what the team brings to flow. Working in a team will even defy the more inclusive mindset of “our way.” Teamwork should, and indeed must, give rise to the “team’s way.” By insisting on “my way,” the leader turns the team into nothing more than a group of labourers. This mindset robs team members of ownership, and ultimately separates them from the vision. Barking instructions at people that scurry off to do your bidding doesn’t make you a leader. The people that obey your commands without question are not your team. This forced labour may bring satisfaction to one, but not to the whole. If autocratic...

Groups vs. Teams A leader emerges when a team gathers to accomplish any sort of objective. A handful of key principles will assist a leader to lay a good foundation for his or her personal leadership style. Understanding the difference between a group and a team will help the leader identify where the team is in the development process. Listed below are some differences between groups and teams: - The biggest difference is that groups are people united by a common cause, but are not productive. United by a common cause, teams work to achieve a common goal. - Groups are motivated but directionless, whereas teams are motivated and have a clear direction, with clear goals. - Groups mull around with no leader, with no specific role for any individual. Teams define specific roles and clear responsibilities for each member. - A group draws individuals by their interest in a shared cause, while a team selects individuals for their skills and abilities to accomplish specific outco...

The Huntsman Example “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”                    Ray Kroc People knew what to expect from the Huntsman as he had arranged many hunts before. He was a well-organised hunter and expected discipline within the rider’s ranks. People also knew the Huntsman and his wife were bona fide hosts, providing refreshments before, during, and after the hunt, for humans and animals alike. People of all riding competencies were comfortable in the knowledge that the Huntsman wouldn’t expect them to make jumps, or gallop at speeds that they were not able to handle. The Huntsman always found routes that challenged people’s skills without breaking their courage. A kind and patient man, the Huntsman placed the safety of the people, horses, and dogs before the achievement of the goal. Some of the leadership behaviours displayed extended from the Huntsman’s natural ability, some ...

A mission worthy of value With money too tight to mention, most people work to survive, with mission a million miles from their mind. On special occasions, people reach for the vision they hold dear, even though it is cobwebbed, starved, and fading. They squeeze out a dose of hope and put the vision back on the shelf of "maybe someday.” The majority of people do not live out their mission daily. This does not interfere with the fact they have a bold, shiny, meaningful vision, like my friend Steven. The ugly reality is that people without a mission rarely, if ever, get the chance to attain their vision. I only discovered the power of mission in my forties and now frantically labour to play catch up. Don’t allow yourself to walk the same path as I did, learn from my mistake. Learn from my message, which is - foster a healthy mission from as early as possible, for as long as possible. As a young boy, the Huntsman preferred to be outdoors. His parents introduced him to hobbies...