Leadership and Business Growth

As a leader, you will encounter problems.

Lots of them.

In fact, the stronger the problem solver, the stronger the leader.

This a simple truth that’s many times overlooked.

The very reason a leader is in place is to be the solution to the onslaught of problems your team or organization faces.

If there are no problems, there’s no need to lead.

So today’s message is this.

Next time you get overwhelmed or frustrated with professional problems.

Remember the very reason you get paid is to solve them.

This is your value.

Now go be the solution.

This is leadership.

I was reminded of this over the weekend at our biggest World Conference event in Franchise history.

We had north of 500+ owners and coaches in attendance who were on fire!

Our team CRUSHED the execution.

We delivered strong training from top to bottom to level up our owners, coaches, and brand.

While that was important and valuable.

The biggest sense of value was in the connections made with our people.

After all, leaders connect and build relationships.

In fact, this is the foundation of influence, otherwise known as leadership.

Today’s message?

If you want to have more influence on others, be proactive and intentional in building connections and deepening your relationships. When you do, watch your leadership explode.

I was chatting with Bedros a few weeks ago and he shared a leadership framework from the great Robert Green, author of 48 Law of Power.

If you develop these 3 qualities, you will have influence with others which is the foundation of leadership.

The message resonated and hope it does with you which is this week’s leadership lesson.

• Be comfortable in your skin

• Be headed in an intentional direction

• Enjoy the ride

The stress mounts, emotions get high, and bad news is prevalent.

Welcome to leadership, my friend.

Why?

As a leader, the buck stops with you.

Get used to it.

Now while these can be stressful situations you encounter, a leader must keep their composure.

I was reminded of this last week on a call where things got heated.

As a result, the “gentleman” on the other line lost his composure and threw a few F-bombs directed at me.

Good times. 

Truth be told, my primal instinct wanted to return the favor with 10x the intensity.

Yes, I am capable of this.

However, that would have been Bryce 1.0.

Instead, I took a deep breath, lowered my voice, kept my composure, and responded calmly with confidence and persistence.

After a couple of minutes had passed, while he didnt apologize, he said he needed to regain his composure which he did.

The problem?

The damage was done.

He lost my respect.

The worst part?

2 of his teammates were there to listen to his rant.

Whether they will ever approach him or not, he let his emotions get the best of him and broke trust with his team and I.

The lesson?

You can and should get fired up and passionate toward your cause.

That can be a good thing!

But never lose your cool.

If you lose your composure, you cannot lead yourself.

And if you cannot lead yourself, then how can you lead others?

So remember: Leaders Keep Their Composure

This is a famous adage in sports.

It’s true for leadership.

As a leader, you must put your team in a position to win.

If you cannot do this, you will not possess long-term influence which is the essence of leadership.

This is the bottom line.

The good news?

Winning is a mentality. 

With time, intentionality, and consistency, you can train yourself to compete.

You can train yourself to become a winner.

The best news?

In a time where society is softening, it’s more attainable than ever.

You just need to possess a little savage stacked with strong persistence and will. 

Now go forth and lead.

Just remember: Winners Win.

Leaders take the lead.

Sounds basic but is often overlooked in leadership.

When starting any new initiative, here’s the tough truth.

There is always resistance.

There are always unknowns and kinks to work through in anything new.

Always.

This is the reason why when a leader begins a new initiative, they must be the ones who lead it.

A leader must roll up his/her sleeves and get messy.

Why?

Even successful initiatives have roadblocks.

This is why your call to action is to lead the charge and smooth out the kinks.

Once the foundation is laid, then you delegate and get out of the way so your team can execute.

Then on to the next initiative.

Rinse and repeat.

Just remember: Leaders take the lead.

We learned last week that leaders connect.

A way to connect is through translation; which is today’s lesson.

You see, effective leaders translate.

In other words, they speak to their audience.

I was reminded of my recent trip to London for my friend Matt’s wedding.

Thankfully, we use the same English language. 

But there are still many things that are not American, especially in Dublin, Ireland where we finished up the trip.

Ireland and most of the world for that matter measure weight in grams, distance in kilometers, and temperature in centigrade.

In my younger days of travel, I would try to force pressure on the Imperial system in my exchanges.

This was a novice move and a major fail. 

It wasn’t until I realized that I needed to learn how to lift weights in kilograms, measure distances in kilometers, and communicate temperature in Celsius.

In essence, I learned how to translate.

Side note and fun fact, 28-30 degrees Celsius is my type of weather. 😎

Ok, I digress.

My point is that as a leader, it’s not about you. 

It never has been or will be.

Instead, it is about the people you serve.

And when you serve others, you need to translate to them.

You need to know your audience and speak to them in their language.

This is where the influence lies.

After all, leadership is influence.

So if you want to be a better leader, learn how to translate to your audience.

A big aspect of leadership is connection.

There are many ways to do this.

A big one is through language & culture.

Why?

These things are meaningful to people.

I was reminded of this on my recent trip to the UK for my friend Matt’s wedding.

While I met many Britts.

Being a first-world country with a high standard of living, I met many foreigners throughout Europe living there too.

One thing I learned in my travels years ago which is similar to learning someone’s name.

If you can speak 1 word of someone’s language or know a distinct fact about their culture. 

This provides an immediate connection point.

Upon this discovery, I’ve made a point to learn about 30+ words in various languages which acts as an immediate bridge to connect.

As a result, when I meet someone and learn where there from.

I greet them with my 1 word in their language OR ask them to teach me “thank you”.

Their reaction?

90% of the time their eyes light up, their guard goes down and they lean into the conversation.

This creates an instant connection which is a tool to help you lead.

As the headline states, the more perspective you gain, the better leader you can become.

There are many ways to gain perspective.

Today’s lesson is about travel.

I learned this lesson in May 2004 when I enrolled myself through a study abroad program entering my senior year of college.

I put myself on a plane to Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and never have been the same.

This week I am at it again in the United Kingdom.

Tatiana and I ventured out to London, England to attend my good friend Matt’s wedding on Saturday.

Matt’s an English bloke I met in 2007 in Orange County through a mutual friend on his world travels. 

We hit it off and have traveled the world together over the last 15+ years. 

We have journeyed from LA to New York, Brazil, Portugal, Croatia, Greece, and the list goes on.

It was extra special seeing him and his new bride Charlotte get married in England on his home turf.

It was a fantastic event although uncomfortable.

Travel always is.

The 11-hour flight, the 8-hour time difference, the hard jetlag, the small hotel living quarters, the confusion at the train station, the tough eating options, and the list goes on.

The truth is travel is hard, it’s uncomfortable and not easy.

In the moment, many times it’s not enjoyable.

But that’s where the value lies.

It pushes you, it stretches you.

It gives you new looks at people, human nature, and life.

The experience enriches your life with time.

It provides you with perspective.

And remember:

Perspective is leadership.

Leadership is perspective.

I just did a podcast swap with a new friend Ben Newman.

Ben and I were introduced through our mutual friend Amberly Lago.

We both come from the Midwest, from homes with abandoned fathers who were addicts, went to the same university, and have a passion for coaching, winning, and leading.

Kindred spirits.

Ben was just rated top 5 mindset coaches of the year by USA Today along with Tim Grover, Ed Mylett, Mel Robins, and Brendan Berchard.

He worked for the GOAT, Nick Saban for 5 years as a Peak Mindset Coach and won the 2020 National Championship with the University of Alabama. 

He also won 3 national championships at North Dakota State and a Big 12 Conference championship with Kansas State.

He’s a winner, a world-class leader, and his mantra is “Standard Over Feelings”.

On our podcast swap, which his episode drops on July 24, he shared the below leadership lesson. 

“Bryce, your ability to lead someone else is directly tied to the discipline in which you lead yourself.”

Mic Drop.

Breaking it down, discipline is a key ingredient in self-leadership and that of others.

Want to be a better leader?

Start with developing your discipline muscle.