Bryce Henson

I had my semi-annual ½ day with Bedros last Monday to discuss big picture strategy for Fit Body growth. 

We talk about sales, marketing and scaling as a primary focus as the norm.

This time, we also talked about my personal branding. 

And how it is used as a marketing strategy to continue to grow our Franchise System.

We then discussed my passion for leadership. That parlayed into a follow up marketing meeting with Lauren and Trevor..  

In that meeting, it dawned on me why I enjoy the study of it so much.

You see, when I first started out my entrepreneurship journey..

I knew that if I launched a successful business.. 

I could then provide myself freedom, income, impact and legacy.

The target was clear:

To become a strong entrepreneur and grow a successful fitness business to accomplish the above goals. 

And while I knew the concept of Leadership was important.

I didn’t understand the GRAVITY of it until about 2 years into my entrepreneurial journey when I realized my leadership was broken.

You see..

I focused on how to be better in these categories:

Sales, Marketing, Operations, Recruiting, HR and all other skill sets an “entrepreneur” needs to be successful in launching a business. 

It overwhelmed me.

Then about 2 years in the journey, I attended a workshop Bedros put on about his 6 Pillars of Leadership.

He went into great detail not only teaching the content, but showcasing his leadership of oversights as a young entrepreneur. 

I had many of the same. 

It was then I had my big ah-hah around the #1 skill in business and life success..

And why my team wasn’t buying into my vision and why my business was good but not great..

What was it?

You guessed..

It was my lack of LEADERSHIP skills.

You see, to run a business there are so many skills needed in the team.

So many!!

It’s overwhelming and impossible for 1 person to acquire them all which was my previous belief.

The challenge is if you attempt to learn every skill set that a business needs, it is a recipe for overwhelm and failure.

What I realized is that if I could acquire and get good at the #1 skill of leadership. 

I then could assemble a team of subject matter experts way better than me at their given zone of genius. 

I could lead an all star team and build a company that creates more income, impact and legacy more than I even thought was possible.

Turns out, I was right.

This is the value of LEADERSHIP.

It’s the #1 skill.

It’s is always the problem. It’s always the SOLUTION to an entrepreneur’s goals of income, impact and legacy.

Next week I will share my 3 guiding principles around leadership so stay tuned..

This week we will finish out the mini leadership series on character.

In the past few, we learned that a strong character is needed for strong leadership.

That telling the truth is the quickest way to improve it.

But what happens when your character is questioned or even attacked?

Here’s the tough truth. 

As a leader, it will.

There’s no way around it.

Even though you are a good person, a strong leader with strong character, there will be times it’s called into question.

Why?

Leadership is not easy.

It requires you..

To go against the grain.

To stand up for what’s right and not what’s easy or popular.

To stay the course in the face of criticism and adversity.

To defend people in private.

When this happens, human nature can be combative.

Human nature can resist.

As a result, you & your character will be attacked.

Why do I share this?

Not to scare you.

Rather to empower you.

This way you can expect it and overcome it.

The best way?

Take a deep breath, shrug it off, and keep developing your character so you can lead your team forward. 

Bryce & Barrett

Elite Mastermind

Before jumping in today’s lesson..

I wanted to close the loop from last week on why I find my buddy Stefan to be 1 of the most interesting people I know..

He was born in LA.

This makes him American.

Although, he is European by culture. 

His parents moved to Paris for 10 years after being born, being that his dad is French.

He then spent the next 10 years in London as his mom’s English.

He speaks both languages natively.

He holds 4 passports and has lived in 3 countries for more than a decade a piece. 

Yes, I know what you might be thinking..

This dude sounds like Matt Damon in the “Bourne Identity” Hollywood Blockbusters.

Exactly. 

As a result, I found deep intrigue, connection and we made quick friends back in 2005. 

Since then, he’s inspired me..

To travel the world. 

To gain fluency in Brazilian Portuguese.

To attain citizenship from Portugal.

To gain more perspective than I would have otherwise.

And this perspective has helped me with my leadership ability. 

Ok, I digress.

But his follow-up question around developing leadership was how to develop character.

Well, there are many ways to do this.

1 of the best ways is, to tell the truth at all times.

Simple yet powerful.

Although, not easy to do. 

As a leader, your word has to be impeccable. 

It must be flawless.

This can be 1 of the hardest parts.

Why?

Your primitive brain wants its selfish desires at any cost.

It tempts you if left unchecked. 

You must combat that by working on growing yourself to a higher level.

A more evolved version of you.

This is why attending my 12-step program has been so powerful for me in helping me stay sober from alcohol and to become a better leader.

It helps me tell the truth and develop my character.

These are requirements for strong leadership. 

In fact, most times people are very surprised to find out the main focus of the 12-step program isn’t toward a focus on talking about alcohol.

Instead, the focus is on telling the truth to develop character.

In fact, the motto is it is “a program of rigorous honesty”.

But more on that next week.

For now, remember that your ability to tell the truth shapes your character, and your character shapes your leadership.

I was in Seattle over the weekend visiting my good buddy Stefan of 20 years.

I haven’t taken 1.5 days off in a long time and it felt great.

The time was extra special to spend with his 2 kids and wife who are like family to Tatiana & I. 

Stefan has had a big impact on my life.

He’s also 1 of the most interesting guys on the planet. 

Next week, I will tell you why..

For now, know that he’s very inquisitive.

On the 2nd night of the trip, he asked me a wide variety of questions about my role and about Fit Body.

He finished with a question specific to leadership.

“Bryce, since you have taken over the main leadership role as CEO, what have you learned about leadership or how has your viewpoint changed around it?”.

Brilliant question.

My response was immediate and surprised him.

“Dude, great question!

There’s so much to it and I learn something new every day.

Very humbling. 

First, I’ve learned that leadership is a learnable skill.

Like riding a bike, playing a sport or learning a language.

Anyone can develop it.

I’ve gotten so much better in a short time.

Although, I still have a long way to go.

But by far the biggest thing I’ve learned in the last 2 years about leadership is this..

The better leader you want to be, the stronger your CHARACTER has to become.

Like a giant skyscraper needs a giant foundation.

As a leader, your character is your foundation.

The stronger your character, the stronger your foundation & ability to lead. 

My biggest realization is that I need to work on my CHARACTER to become a better person & leader. “

He then replied..

“Interesting. How then do you develop your character?”.

My friend, this is also an important question with lots of strategies to unpack.

I will cover some of these in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Veterans Day was this past Saturday here in the States.

Love and respect to the beautiful souls who served. Many who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

In studying leadership and human personality styles.. 

I find it interesting that the most popular personality style for the military is different than you might think.

What is it?

No, not the intense Eagle, the energetic Parrot or the analytical Owl.

It’s the DOVE.

Why?

Doves have servants’ hearts. They are willing and ready to protect others and the common good.

Yes, sometimes the Dove style can default to passive when it comes to their own journey.

Yet, when it comes to fighting for something they believe in and to help others.. A Dove will rise to the occasion in spades.

Martin Luther King Jr is a most famous dove leader who was fierce and effective towards a cause he believed in. 

In fact, he fought so hard for the cause, he gave his life to it.

Respect.

This is also true of Howard Schultz, Founder & CEO of Starbucks. Big dove and an amazing leader. 

His passion is creating a world-class experience for his audience.

In reflection on these examples, my message today is this…

All styles are valuable and can lead.

No, not just the renowned Eagle which is a common stereotype of leadership. But many times it is miscategorized. 

Yes, Eagles can lead well too. 

But in stress, they become abrasive which can create friction and a fallout. 

I’ve been guilty of this.

So my call to action today is to realize whatever personality style you have, you can lead. You just need to develop the skill. 

And what’s even better?

When you develop the skill set to be a Chameleon which is the target. You can connect and lead all personality styles to success.

This, my friend, is leadership.

Love and respect to you and all our amazing Veteran leaders.