When Anita stepped in front of her two kids, she could feel her very insides shake. She knew very well that she was placing herself in the direct line of fire of verbal abuse from their father.

Anita had grown up receiving this kind of treatment in her own childhood home. In fact, it was accepted and pretty much expected. Even though it was a secret to be “kept within the walls of this house,“  it was accepted as the family “normal.”

However, as Anita stepped up this wasn’t about what had go on for her, this was about something bigger…

By stepping in front of her children, she was setting a boundary as to what was going to be acceptable for her own children…and just as importantly, what was not.

• The first principle of owning the Leadership Mindset is Courage

Full Monty Leaders do not stand around complaining. They have the courage to step out and take action.

To be a leader you must be willing to ask difficult questions, particularly of yourself. Questions like:
→ Are you One of the Million, or One in a Million?

Unless we are watching the news and listening to some political pundit complain, most of us never really think about leadership – What it is, what it takes, or what the effects of great, solid leadership can be.  As a result, many times we don’t even realize that we are being presented with the opportunity to lead when we are moving through our everyday situations.

All too often, we don’t even start thinking about leadership and our development as a leader until it is, for whatever reason, suddenly thrust upon us. However, leadership, in its truest form, is not so much a title as a mindset.

Owning The Leadership Mindset: Some would describe the leadership mindset as a set of beliefs, values and attitudes directed to empower people. Others speak of leaders being born not made, and that the “mindset” was either there or not. Still other believe that leadership is absolutely dictatorial, a “our leader, right or wrong” position.

We can go many different directions in addressing these attitudes. However, within the confines of this particular article we will look at the mindset of leadership as making a shift in thinking and priorities, which moves your focus from “you” to “us,” from “me” to “we.”

Stay with me here, because what I’m suggesting is that the real glory in leadership comes not from what you accomplish, but rather from what you assist others in accomplishing. Full Monty Leadership is a selfless journey of empowering people to step up, to better themselves and perform to their greatest potential.

All of which is demonstrated by you as a leader. A great moment in leadership occurs when you, as a leader, lift someone upon your shoulders to see the previously impossible as a reachable possibility…

“A true leader inspires others to keep learning, keep growing and keep doing because the leader knows that yesterday’s impossible becomes today’s reality.” ~Dov Baron

Full Monty leaders are champions for others, and “the cause.” … They remove the interference that threatens to block the pathways that lead to peak performance and fulfilling experiences.

Be a Full Monty Leader!

I trust that you found this article valuable, if so feel free to send this to your friends. I eagerly anticipate your feedback and comments. Please “like,” “share”, and comment below!

With gratitude,

Dõv Baron Speaks internationally on leadership in the new economy. He is the Leading expert on Authentic Leadership and is the world’s Only Corporate Cultural Strategist.

He is also a bestselling author, and Executive producer and host of The wildly popular internationally broadcast Full Monty Leadership Show featuring those at the cutting edge of leadership.

As an Elite Mind Strategist he specializes in the Psychology of High Performance Leadership and can move you and your organization from where you are to where you want to be at hyper speed.

To bring Dov in to speak to your group or organization please contact Baron Mastery at +1 778 397 7717

P.S. Have you heard The Full Monty Leadership Show yet? The Very Best in Personal and Professional Leadership. Dov is the Host and Executive producer every Thursday Morning from 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00PM (EST) Details are at: http://FullMontyRadio.com

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Authentic Paragon Alliance INC

Hyper Smash

Clack Kokich

What’s the modern day version of this fictitious firm?

Arguably, it’s Razorfish.

(No, not because of the debaucherous antics of the owners.)

In today’s new economy,  Razorfish is the marketing leader, specifically in  digital marketing.

In 2009, Clark Kokich relinquished the Razorfish CEO role to Bob Lord, although Clark stayed on and is now chairman of the company. However, Clark is not just at the forefront of marketing, he has actually put himself at the forefront of another industry, an industry he pulls no punches in saying that is as visionless and outdated as vinyl records in a download world. (That’s a not a direct quote, by the way, but it’s an accurate image).

That industry is the publishing industry.

Last fall, Clark wrote and released his book: Do or Die: Surviving and Thriving in a World Where Old Ways of Marketing Aren’t Getting It Done.

Do or Die by Clark Kokich

What makes this book so extraordinary is that it was the world’s first business book published exclusively as a fully-interactive app. I had to get it on my iPad to see what it’s all about, and I loved it! In fact, it is currently available only as an iPad app. (Android and Kindle Fire versions are planned for release shortly).

Let me tell you, this is the future of books as we know them. The book is fully interactive. You can read or listen to the contents. You can also watch a series of videos from other experts in the field of marketing, and you can see case studies of those companies who have really grasped the advantages of digital media.

Do or Die is more than just a model of the evolution of publishing. It also outlines a clear strategy for businesses to survive and thrive in a world of never-ending technological change.

Here’s where it gets really exciting.  On May 10, 2012 Clark Kokich is my guest on The Accidental Guru Show. At that time, we are going to get into the nitty gritty of the modern marketing world and how quickly it is changing. What’s REALLY exciting is that we are going to talk about how you can get on top to it right now.

But that’s not all. Clark Kokich has some very radical ideas of what leadership is, and is not, that he is going to share with all of us.

Just as a hint, he talks about the fact that we are now in the age of  “What you know is an Anchor,” which means that experience no longer equals expertise.

Interested? You should be. In fact, if you care about business, if you care about your future in business and the fast-paced changes in today’s marketing, you owe it to yourself to listen to this totally enthralling interview.

The fact is: you can’t afford be a “Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce” in a “Razorfish” world!

 I trust that you found this article valuable, if so feel free to send this to your friends.

I eagerly anticipate your feedback and comments. Please share, like and comment below!

With gratitude,

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? The Very Best in Personal and Professional Leadership. Dov is the Host and Executive producer every Thursday Morning from 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00PM (EST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

 

Dov Baron Speaks internationally on leadership in the new economy. He is the Leading expert on Authentic Leadership and is the world’s Only Corporate Cultural Strategist. To bring Dov in to speak to your group or organization please contact Baron Mastery at +1 604 436 2063

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

Hyper Smash

Apple Store Memorials

When Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs died, people left loving notes at every Apple store around the world. There was tremendous gratitude for the innovations and advancement Jobs had brought to our planet.

However, there was something else going on in direct response to Steve Jobs’ passing– “The Canonizing Effect.”

This is an odd phenomenon that often occurs when someone dies. We instantly erase all their “sins” and turn them into some kind of saint. Once they are gone, we suddenly seem able to say only “nice” things about them and what they did. We don’t feel like we can bring up any of their faults or flaws. (don’t speak ill of the dead etc)

As a result of this canonizing of Jobs, one of the things that I experienced was that I began hearing people in the leadership community speak of how they wanted to be the kind of leader Jobs was.

Really?  People wanted to emulate Jobs’ leadership style?

Let’s be clear–there were many things about his leadership style that were highly admirable. For instance, his single-minded drive for innovation was remarkable. However, there was another side, to Jobs as a leader.  He was oftentimes nothing short of cruel to those under him and very much isolated and unapproachable. (You can read all about this in the book Steve Jobs)

You might argue, “Yeah, but his style of leading worked. Apple Inc is a vastly successful company and the #1 recognized brand in the world!”  Of course, you would be right.  Apple is one of the most successful companies in the world. However, the question that rises here is not one of Steve Jobs’ innovative genius, (which I highly respect), but rather his ability to effectively lead now and in the future.

Therefore, we are left to consider:

Was Steve Jobs a Leadership Dinosaur?

We have to consider what it takes to be a leader, more specifically an Authentic Leader in this, the new economy.  As we move forward, we must face the fact that the old model of leadership, based on being unapproachable and speaking down to those under our leadership will no longer work. It does not build loyalty either with our teams or with our customers. Fake relationships, which in many ways were the back bone of the old boys club are the kiss of death for doing business in the new economy.

Unless you are completely ignorant of the economic changes and the impact of how business is operating today, you now know that business is and will be done via relationship, real, nurtured relationships.  (This is one of the fundamental reasons, and rightly so,  why women are becoming the dominant force in business)

Now hold on a minute!  Don’t let that little Chihuahua in your head start yapping about how you already know all that.  We aren’t talking about the old fake smile, pat you on the back, and then badmouth you behind your back kind of relationship.

That is the old model.

The outdated model.

The model that just won’t work anymore.

In the new economy you better be willing to “show up” and let people actually see you. Transparency and Authenticity go hand in hand.

Authenticity will be—and already is—the hallmark of leadership today.
The question comes down to this: Do you have the heart, soul, voice, balls (or ovaries) and willingness to be transparent to make it?

 I trust that you found this article valuable, if so feel free to send this to your friends.

I eagerly anticipate your feedback and comments. Please share, like and comment below!

With gratitude,

Dov Baron Speaks internationally on leadership in the new economy. He is the Leading expert on Authentic Leadership and is the world’s Only Corporate Cultural Strategist. To bring Dov in to speak to your group or organization please contact Baron Mastery at +1 604 436 2063

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? The Very Best in Personal and Professional Leadership. DOv is the Host and Executive producer every Thursday Morning from 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00PM (EST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

 

 

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

Hyper Smash

Pay It Forward

 Do you remember the first time you saw the movie: Pay It Forward, staring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osmet as Trevor McKinney the kid with a world changing idea?

The idea, as you likely know, was that for every good deed we do, we accept NO pay back. But rather we ask the person who received the good deed for to Pay It Forward. In effect creating a Multi-Level-Marketing effect of good deeds.

If you saw the movie you likely left feeling inspired… Until of course life took over: Bills to be paid, children to be feed, got to get to the gym, pick up the dry cleaning and on, and on it goes.  Unfortunately, it can be all to easy to loose the momentum  of caring.

However, just stop in your tracks for a moment and let yourself imagine the power of us all having a way to keep our commitment to Paying It Forward at the front of our mind… My how this world would change!

Well let me introduce you to, Charley Johnson: An entrepreneur and former Owner/Executive V.P. of a Manufacturing company who has a deep passion for Pay it Forward.  This guy believes in Pay it Forward so much so he left his company, career & millions behind to change the world and how people view humanity.

He is now the President of the Pay it Forward Foundation and creator of the Pay it Forward Bracelet, a physical reminder to do good that has been sent to over 1 million people in 113 countries. He Founded the “PIF Experience” (www.pifexperience.org) the OFFICIAL website for the World Wide Pay it Forward Movement along with Founding the “Pay it Forward Hall of Fame” in 2011 with the First inductee being Catherine Ryan Hyde  author of the Pay it Forward Novel that was turned into a major motion picture in 2000.

If you really want to find out the impact of Pay It Forward and what you can do (It’ll cost you NOTHING) within five minutes of listening to the show make sure you tune into this vibrant interview.

Make sure you share this show with your friends and tune in on Thursday April 5th 2012 @ 10:00 AM (Pacific) 1:00 PM (EST) Details here: http://radiodov.com/leadership/charley-johnson-on-the-accidental-guru-radio-show-apr-5

By the way, if you found this message valuable, feel free to send this to your friends.

I eagerly anticipate your feedback and comments. Please share, like and comment below!

With gratitude,

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? The Very Best in Personal and Professional Leadership. I’m your host every Thursday Morning from 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00PM (EST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

 

 

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

Hyper Smash

Stop Making Excuses

We rarely recognize Value until it’s gone…

Do NOT wait until it’s too late!

Dear Friend,

It’s easy to be cynical… and tell yourself that opportunities just don’t show up for you.

But is that true? Do you just refuse to notice, even when a golden opportunity is standing there waving like a crazy person desperately trying to get your attention?

Come on.  When you really stop and think about it, much of the time opportunities are presented to us but  we brush them off with what we call “valid reasons”. These so-called valid reasons are, in fact, self-convincing excuses to stay stuck.

What’s really sad is when we realize this only after it’s too late and then we deeply regret that we missing out on the very thing we need most.

Research shows that 75% of people name their biggest regrets in life as the things they did NOT do, not the things they did.

“ The seized opportunity renders joy. The neglected brings regret.” -Max Lucado

One day you may wake up and wonder how you got to be where you are in contrast to where you wanted to be. The answer will be simple: Excuses!

The price of keeping your excuses maybe YOUR OWN LIFE…

Time is running out! It’s time to get off the fence and claim your life…

You will never be a leader while you cling to excuses!

I recently took the time to handpick certain people to gift a number of VIP (90% discount) tickets to the final Claim Your Competitive Edge event. I chose them (You may have been one of them)  because I know that you are dedicated to your own growth and development and your commitment to being a leader by example.

As someone committed to leading by example, I feel certain that you will NOW want to make sure that your friends, family and co-workers have this final opportunity to break through what holds them back in order to let them live their very best life.

I trust that you will be okay with this, because I am going to be completely transparent.  I want to share with you here something that very few people on this planet know…

Often times I have left a Claim Your Competitive Edge event and gone home and cried… (There you have it. My secret is out.)

Why you may ask. It’s because I and the people who have attended our events know the power of the transformation that happens for those who attend, and yet so many do not have the courage to put their excuses away and reach out and claim the life, the success, the wealth, the relationships and the health they say they desire and that we will make available to them.

Please stop doing that to yourself!

I am always saddened by the fact that so many give up on their dreams because they may be disapproved of by others.

We trade Authenticity for Approval  and We’re Surprised When in The Quiet Moments We Realize We Have Been Living a Life That Is Not Our Own.

With the final Claim Your Competitive Edge being less than two weeks away and many people are coming in from around the world to attend, I want to make sure that your VIP guests get registered before we close the doors once and for all.

This is why I urge you to put those VIP ticks in the hands of those that you care about. 

That being said, PLEASE NOTE: For your VIP guests to take advantage of this offer they MUST use the website and Code On Your Ticket. This offer is NOT available by calling our offices.

This event is going to blast everyone in attendance through whatever it is that holds them back. It will be 3 full life changing days.

Unfortunately we rarely recognize Value until it’s gone…

Do NOT wait till it’s too late!

I look forward to seeing you again and meeting all your wonderful friends and family as we say goodbye to Claim Your Competitive Edge Event.

I anticipate sharing this journey with you…

I look forward to sharing this journey with you…

By the way, if you found this message valuable, feel free to send this to your friends.

I eagerly anticipate your feedback and comments. Please share, like and comment below!

With gratitude,

 P.S. The event is less than two weeks away and we cannot guarantee seats to those who wait.

P.P.S. You and your VIP’s MUST use the website and Code On Your Ticket as this offer is NOT available by calling our offices.

 

 

The Big Announcement You Have Been Waiting For is Here:
A personal message from Dov that changes everything.
It’s just 6 and half minutes, please watch it all…because it’s all important

Watch it NOW, and find out how this impacts you.

Obusha

Yin Yang Authentic Leadership

Over the next period of time I am going to invite you to take a journey with me from the old world of leadership, into a very new world of leadership.

We’re not talking about leadership as you have known it, but rather a distinct drilling down into the very soul of Authentic Leadership.

Let’s begin this journey with the word that can have so many meanings. This word often has a different range of means for those who hold the position, and for those who are guided by ones in the position. The word we must examine of course is Leadership.

When you think of leadership what comes up for you? Is it something you are comfortable or uncomfortable with?  I ask you this because as we move forward in this ever quickly changing world,  leading others will likely be required  for all of us in some form or another. That means that those who never expected to lead may discover that leadership is something they must step into.

When you think of leadership, do you immediately think of the leader of a nation, a corporation, an organization? Maybe you think more locally; being the leader of your community, or your Y.E.O. or Y.P.O group or even your parent-teacher group?

The dictionary definition of Leadership is: The position or function of a leader,  a person who guides or directs a group.

However, what may be worth considering is this; is the person who “directs the group” always the one with the title leader?

If so, is that person the one who is best suited to lead? I would suggest that is often not the case.

Even in the best of times, leadership quite naturally comes with its own set of challenges.  Those challenges are always intensified during challenging times.  We are seeing this today, where we are  at the opening to arguably one of the most challenging times in recent history.

Here at the brink, there is and will continue to be a unique set of stressors facing organizations, corporations, nations of the world and more importantly you and I. I say more importantly “you and I” because it seems to me that leadership in its present form is failing.  As a result many who never desired a leadership position are being required to step up.

The world we live in today, I believe calls for a renewed focus on what characterizes not only genuine, but Authentic Leadership. It seems that whether it be public, private and for that matter even volunteer organizations, the question of leadership is being brought to the fore. We are all being forced to address challenges that run the gamut from cutbacks and downsizing, to bailouts and corporate corruption and the personal and professional impact of such things on each of us and the lives of those we interact with.

Leadership for many meant “bottom Line” and the rampant greed that ruled the last half of the nineteen nineties and the first half decade of the new millennium has fostered what many believe to be an ethical meltdown. This is all fueled by a fear mongering media who feed us a fast diet of potential terrorism and economic turmoil.

In that time we have seen leadership look like something resembling an adolescent tantrum; “I’m in charge, I don’t care what anyone else wants and you better be on my side”. There was massive action and some would even call; courage.  However, this form of leadership often has a severe lack of intelligent consideration of impact on others.

We have also seen leadership that looked well thought out, articulately delivering big promises that raised hope in those who had turned their back on the system.  Sadly, this form of leadership has left many hugely disappointed as promises were broken due to what appears to be a lack of courage.

Both forms are egoic in nature. One driven to be bigger more powerful than anyone else, the other driven by the egoic need to be liked and approved of by all.

It seems clear; a new form of leadership needs to emerge.   I am calling this new form:

“Yin Yang Authentic Leadership”.

Yin-Yang being the balance between any two sides, understanding that there is value in both, and there is a constant state of motion between these two sides. In reference to the above mentioned  two types of leadership that we have seen over the last decade or so, that would be the balance between Intelligence and Courage.

That being said, please understand this is a many faceted discussion that will have personal, political and professional implications.  It is my goal throughout this series to deeply examine what leadership needs to become if we are to move through the times we are in and and come out on the other side not just surviving, but thriving.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you…

By the way, if you found this message valuable, feel free to send this to your friends.

I eagerly anticipate your feedback and comments. Please share, like and comment below!

With gratitude,

 

Dov Baron Speaks internationally on leadership in the new economy. He is the Leading expert on Authentic Leadership and is the world’s Only Corporate Cultural Strategist. To bring Dov in to speak to your group or organization please contact Baron Mastery at +1 604 436 2063

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? The Very Best in Personal and Professional Leadership. I’m your host every Thursday Morning from 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00PM (EST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

 

 

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

Hyper Smash

When you look at groups like The American Heart Association, Southwest Airlines, and NATO, you may or may not notice that they seem to be the big dogs… and maybe you see yourself as someone who could never have the kind of  leverage they have. Maybe because you see yourself as an underdog?

But just stop for a moment and consider this: What if that underdog status is in fact your untapped leverage when it comes to influencing the powerful people above you?

Here’s something you have likely never considered: Those “big” companies and associations actually use “the underdog” status to leverage getting what they want?

When Small is Big

When we think of leadership, we tend to quite naturally think of leading from front.

However, here’s something to chew over:

What if you knew how to lead from behind?

Is that even possible?

Well if you tune into the Dec 8th 2011 Broadcast  of The Accidental Guru Show, you will definitely find out!

I know it might be a bit of a mind stretch. However, my guest is going to share with us why being the underdog can be an advantage, and what you can do to make it your advantage…

My guest on this show is a highly successful author, speaker and grassroots generator of change.

She brings fresh perspectives to empowering those who want to shift what may seem like immovable forces.

Amy Showalter Author of "The Underdog Edge"

…And the name of my auspicious guest onthis episode of The Accidental Guru Show airing Thursday Dec 8th 2011 @ 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00 (EST) is: Amy Showalter!

Discover, why my guest says “Street Cred is more valuable than CEO status!”

Amy Showalter will also reveal how “Your Passion” can so often block you from getting what you want, Do NOT miss this!

By the way, if you found this message valuable, feel free to send this to your friends.

I look forward to your feedback and comments. Please share, like and comment below!

With gratitude,

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? The Very Best in Personal and Professional Leadership. I’m your host every Thursday Morning from 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00PM (EST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

To much Turkey

I know it’s rather obvious but, is Thanks Giving really about eating like you are wearing a pair of elastic waistband pants?

Or drifting off into a turkey/tryptophan induced sleep while watching some sporting event on TV?

You and I both know it’s not.

Then why, since we know better, is it that so many of us end up in this oh so familiar place?

Does Gratitude have a place in Leadership?

I actually think it’s rather strange that we need an official holiday to remind us to be thankful?

While I also know that in an ever increasing busy world it is so easy to take for granted that which has the greatest value.

Many of you who read my posts don’t live in the US and for you there’s no such holiday as “Thanksgiving.” However, no matter where in the world you are, this article is for you, because I would like you to please accept my gratitude for you. As you read on you’ll know why I’m specifically talking to you.

For most people the holiday season is a little insane, and in all likelihood, you’re probably busier than a one armed mom with newborn triplets.
However, I trust that you will see that investing a few minutes to read this article will prove well worth your time.

Clearly at this time of year, the majority of people run around like chickens with their heads cut off doing more and more, while feeling less and less connected, to themselves or anyone else.

So right now…Just for a minute or two,  stop!  Take a moment and ask yourself to be totally honest while answering the following question:

How much time do you spend in genuine gratitude?

In today’s hectic lifestyle there is a good chance that you, like most people, you are likely running on empty! I get it, I’ve been there myself.

So in a crazy, hectic world, what can we do to fill up a little?

I want to help you out: Right now, forget everything for a couple of minutes and listen…

STOP and take a moment to become aware of the blessings in your life.

You need to stop skimming for a moment and really take this in, because when I say “gratitude” I’m talking about the real stuff, the all-meat, a real treat, genuine heartfelt, preferably eyeball-to-eyeball or at least heart-to-heart connection.

In other words, thanks delivered with real meaning rather than some perfunctory, verbally text “thanx.”

One way of recognizing what you have and genuinely appreciating it comes from stopping and considering all the things that go by each day that can so easily get taken for granted:

Big Smile

•    The smile on a child’s face as they say “hello” or “goodbye’” to you.

•    Getting a call from your partner, friend, sibling, or family member to genuinely ask how you are doing.•    Being able to breathe and smell the flowers or maybe the coffee.

•    How about gratitude for having the strength to do what you need to and desire to do?

•    Or knowing there is someone, somewhere who loves you.

•    Or receiving kindness, whether it was a smile, food, a kind word, a gentle kiss, or even this article.

What I’m saying in the simplest terms is; return to a state of gratitude. Grateful…To be Full of Greatness

Full of Greatness

I’ve been speaking around the world to thousands of people for many years now and someone who honours their position as a leader, I want to stop and say: This Thanksgiving and every day, I am grateful for YOU…

Yes, I am talking to YOU!

If you’ve been following my work, you already know that I have a dream.
My dream is to facilitate people like you in stepping more fully into their Authentic Selves and becoming a Soul-Driven Leader. Now you may be saying, “What the heck does that mean?”

It means being able to assist people all over the world in knowing that despite your current circumstances, you are truly powerful and that you have the power to be a leader in your own life and the lives of those you interact with….

Thank You

In so doing, you create the life that your heart and soul cries out to live.

I am truly grateful to you because, through you, I get to live my dream, my purpose, my mission.

You, my friends, spiritual family, students and unstoppable team are the fuel that moves me forward.

Maybe you have had this experience, and maybe not;  I know for me there is an inner knowing that I am the voice of something bigger than myself. I, by virtue of you doing the work, carry that voice out into the world. In so doing, you share in my mission, my dream, my purpose.

I am truly grateful because maybe, just maybe, I have had some influence in waking up your soul, in inspiring your heart, in letting you know you are truly magnificent!

Dov Baron Live on Stage

I am grateful to you. You who are committed to growth. You who are no longer willing to settle for mediocrity. You who stand up and fight to be free, even from the prison of your mind.  We genuinely believe that the education we offer at Baron Mastery Institute is a way out of the mental, emotional jails we can lock ourselves in.

Thank you for inspiring me with your feedback, emails, phone calls, photos, testimonials. Your courage, vulnerability and stories of how your life has changed using the skills, tools and knowledge you received from us at Baron Mastery Institute are the fuel in my tank.
I love taking the time to read and hear them all…

Your work on yourself and your support of our collective mission keeps me believing we can, and do, create tomorrow’s high performance leaders.

I am so grateful to all those who have, been my ardent supporters, some of you one-on-one, some of you one-on-many. Your love for me, and your belief and trust in me is deeply appreciated and is NEVER taken for granted.

I am also grateful for the fact that so many people who have been my virtual friends and supporters, because this year we got to meet eye-to-eye, and give each other a big hug or 10. It has been such a blessing to meet each and everyone of you.

It would be amiss if I did not take the time to thank my peers of the personal growth industry who are also dedicated and committed to serving the growth and evolution many of whom have become my friends…Thank You to you all!

My friends in Personal Growth and peers in Thought Leadership

Thank you to all my wonderful Accidental Guru Radio Show guests and the quickly approaching 100 thousand listeners each week.

Muuum-ma…big kiss of gratitude to all my FaceBook friends and fan, my YouTube friends and subscribers, Twitter followers and of course all of you wonderful readers of this very blog.

Queen Renuka and I

My biggest “Thank you” is always to my beloved bride, best friend and partner, the sweetness in my life and my guru of kindness, my inspiration, my muse, my Queen: Renuka. Each day I am grateful for her and for the work I did to clear my poop in order to attract this amazing woman into my life more than a decade ago.

Renuka, you are the light in my heart, my greatest inspiration and biggest supporter. You have held me when I could have been crushed and in that moment, your love and strength kept me walking my path when I felt crippled. Thank you!

You may want to take action on what you’ve read here… Why not take out your pen and journal and write a list of whom and what you are grateful for.

Once you have done that, I would suggest that you buy some thank you cards and write notes of gratitude. At least send an email or make a phone call to those people. (I like cards because some people are uncomfortable taking in gratitude and nobody can interrupt or dismiss the written word).

With that I will sign off: Thank you from the depths of everything I am and all I can become.
I look forward to seeing you again soon or meeting you for the first time.

Be grateful to those who treated you with kindness, love and understanding. Be equally thankful to those who have challenged you beyond your comfort zone because they love you enough to risk having you dislike them.

“Even a heartfelt thank you is not enough, gratitude in the truest sense is trusting the intention of the giver and trusting yourself enough as the receiver, to not twist the gift into something it is not.

It is the fool who only knows the value of something after taking advantage of it, or pushing it away” ~Dov Baron…

Gratitude is is something that always pays great dividends. If you put your money into a great investment it appreciates…another word for gratitude is Appreciation and come’s from the word “appreciate” meaning…   “To Increase in Value” Be grateful because what you are grateful for will increase in value.

By the way, if you found this message valuable, feel free to send this to your friends.

I look forward to your feedback and comments. Please share, like and comment below!

With gratitude,

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? The Very Best in Personal and Professional Leadership. I’m your host every Thursday Morning from 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00PM (EST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

Leaders Lead… even when no one gets it!

Paula had let go of what others said she should have kept, and had kept what others said she should let go of.  She understood that everyone had an opinion, and they were entitled to it, However, her position was and is to Be a Leader!

Paula has always been a visionary, and that by its very nature will often make others uncomfortable. Looking at her you would never know that those opposition bothered her, because for the most part it didn’t…

This time was different, this was her closest team members. They were the ones she had let in, the ones with whom she had shared the more intimate details of what it takes to be a leader.

Even though it was evident that they didn’t get it, she couldn’t deny the deep longing that they would.

Nonetheless, Paula knew as all those who step up must know: Real leaders are champions for others, and “the cause.” … and that they must willingly remove the interference that threatens to block the pathways that lead to peak performance and fulfilling experiences.

She had hoped to have inspired her team to a greater level of personal leadership, then despite her disappointment she remembered the central Baron Mastery principle she had learned about Authentic Leadership:

At the forefront of Great Leadership is Authenticity. Great Leaders are REAL!

Many see leadership as a position of prestige, privilege and power. Although those can be elements of what sprouts from leadership, there are many things about leadership that so few are willing to stand up for, up against, or be responsible too.

You and I have seen the armchair athlete criticize the professional athlete for a momentary discretion, without ever considering  the moment by moment focus it takes to play at that level.  The armchair athlete’s judgement and ridicule spills forth without a moments thought for the long hours, days, months and years of dedication and deprivation of more favorable desires in order to pursue a dream.

The Armchair Critic

Paula had seen the “armchair leader” criticize an actual leader who works toward a vision that others can barely even imagine.  The armchair leader does this without  ever considering that an Authentic Leader in anything is in their own way a long distance athlete. As such, chooses to sacrifice things more pleasurable. Oftentimes the thing an authentic leader is willing to sacrifice, is the very thing the armchair leader remains attached to: popularity

Why?
Because Authentic Leadership is every bit as much in the trenches as it is at the pinnacle.

Those who have never been in those trenches will be more than willing to offer you their “wisdom”.  But remember that this so called wisdom is attained without risk (they have never been in the trenches). And wisdom without invested risk is nothing more than a “nice” theory.

An Authentic Leader has likely risked everything on more than one occasion because of their commitment to the vision and or the cause.   Authentic leadership is a responsibility few are willing to bare and many are willing to criticize. That is why:

Leadership is NOT by committee!

Do it, or don’t do it! Do not complain about how much time it’s taking or how much time you have put in.

The pursuit of fulfilling your greatness is NOT a part time thing. You can’t be great in a couple of hours a week, or maybe even in a couple of years… Greatness has a powerful work ethic. If you don’t have that, then abandon the possibility of fulfilling your greatness.

Know this moving forward: Leadership is challenging for many reasons, not least of all because it requires doing what you would rather not do, because it serves the greater vision-mission-purpose.

Leadership is challenging because it requires making decisions about things it would be far easier to put off, or put on someone else, because it serves the greater vision-mission-purpose.

Whatever you have decided to do with what you have learned… If I may, I would offer you a challenge: Be A Leader!

Step up and do what needs to be done. Do not assume that someone else will take care of “it”.
In the words of a Famous Business Leader:

Jack Welch – Winning

“Leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion”. ~Jack Welch

I look forward to your feedback and comments. Please share, like and comment below!

With gratitude,

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? The Very Best in Personal and Professional Leadership. I’m your host every Thursday Morning from 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00PM (EST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC