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Preparation is Everything!

Preparation is Everything! by Cindy Braun

A few years ago I found myself walking onto a stage to deliver a presentation to a large audience. This was my first presentation to such a large group - there were more than 250 participants in this room - and I felt myself break out in a cold sweat as my heart began to race. Even though I knew the content like the back of my hand, the thought of so many people staring at me and eagerly waiting for my nuggets of wisdom left me feeling nervous and inadequate.

Years later, I look back on that experience and I am grateful that my confidence has grown and I can speak to groups of any size with a calm and enthusiastic heart. Years of practice have served me well, along with lessons learned from John Maxwell's Law of Preparation. Allow me to share a few of these lessons with you today.

First, take a moment to reflect on a recent speaking or teaching opportunity. Perhaps you spoke to a large group in a brightly lit ballroom, or maybe you led...

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The Best Decision-Making Advice I Ever Received

The Best Decision-Making Advice I Ever Received

Four years ago, I walked into a massive ballroom at the Orlando World Center Marriott for an afternoon teaching with John Maxwell. It was right after lunch and the enormous meeting room was freezing cold. I was clinging to a paper coffee cup to keep warm - and to fend off an afternoon nap. Thinking back on it now, I certainly didn't know that the lessons Maxwell shared in the next hour would stick with me for years to come.

Before we get to the specific advice, think back on a big decision you made in the last year. Maybe a few examples come to mind. Perhaps someone else's decision comes to mind - a decision handed down from leadership, or a decision made by your favorite sports franchise to trade a player, change systems, or fire a coach. Think back to how you felt in the days leading up to that decision, and remember what came next. Remember the feelings that followed the decision, and the steps that you or someone else...

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What's Your Story?

What’s Your Story?, by Cindy Braun

Have you ever experienced a trip to your homeplace with memories and find out there is more to your story than you remembered? What is the significance of sharing your story and how does it relate to leadership? I notice when in communication with others, people pull out their phones and share pictures or stories that are funny, dramatic or inspirational. Stories are how we connect with others and most people don’t want to sit and hear about statistics and charts. Recently, traveling to visit my 93-year-old stepdad at our homeplace in the Midwest who raised four “little women” on a farm, I became aware of the story he is still writing while living his life with intention. We shared stories, pictures and events ranging from his service in the Korean War to his most recent move to a townhome from the family farm. He has lived an awesome life and this poem from Edwin Markham summarizes what I witnessed:

There is a destiny that...

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Three Lessons from an Unexpected Success

Three Lessons from an Unexpected Success, by Jamie Hansen

I will never forget March 15th, 2019.

Ryan and I were in Orlando, just about to fly home from a John Maxwell Team conference. Typically, these trips send us home inspired and invigorated, but on March 15th we were glued to our phones as we read news reports and texts from friends and family in Nebraska. A cold, snowy winter had abruptly turned into a warm, slushy spring, and eastern Nebraska was facing once-in-a-generation flooding. As my phone pinged with each new message from home, we heard the stories of neighbors evacuating and it became clear that I would not have access to my house after we landed in Omaha. In the next few days, I learned that I had gotten off easy.

At some point during the following week - between slipping past roadblocks and helping neighbors move back into their homes - Ryan and I had the same idea: Alloy should organize a golf fundraiser to benefit flood relief. We had a format from our ...

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Mentorship - The Law of Modeling

Mentorship - The Law of Modeling, by Cindy Wofford Braun

Have you ever stopped to think about how many people are influenced by your actions? As a business professional, I like to reflect on interactions I had throughout the day. I often look back and smile at the good behaviors and shudder at the memory of behaviors that I don't want to repeat. This can be an uncomfortable exercise, but I know there are two reasons to keep going: 1) I value personal growth, and 2) I am a mentor to young leaders, and they are modeling their behavior after mine. 

John Maxwell included the Law of Modeling in his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. In this law, Maxwell stresses the importance of finding role models to emulate. This is more than just reading the books by great leaders, it means we need to identify people in our lives who we can see and hear and look to as an example. Maxwell says, "The most important phrase you will ever hear a good leader say is: 'Follow me.'"

...

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Playing the Long Game: Creating Success through Consistency

Creating Success through Consistency, by Ryan Hansen

Throughout 2019, our Solutions Team members have been sharing crucial principles that young leaders should learn and master. You may have seen these notes posted to our FacebookTwitter, and LinkedIn pages. In January, we covered three well-known principles: "Everyone is a leader," "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care," and "Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand." These are powerful leadership lessons, but there is another principle that every leader - young and old - should consider every day:

 Consistency Compounds

 Aristotle said "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." John Maxwell included consistency in one of his Laws of Growth: "Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing." Renowned speaker Jim Rohn pointed out that "Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of...

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