Sitting with The Inner Dragon

Authentic Leadership is not a path for the timid.

Courage is a prerequisite, an absolute necessity.

That’s because in order to become an authentic leader, you have to change. And change requires courage.

For those who simply want “leadership development,” there are books, courses and coaches. But for those who understand that the world has changed along with the economy comes a soul-deep awakening that leadership at all levels must also change.

The days of leadership through intimidation are dimming, their dusk is falling, and the dark night will soon be upon them.  The daybreak of the light of authentic leadership is already brightening the horizons.

The time of the new authentic leaders is upon us. Some who were leaders under the old model will embrace the new style of leadership. They will do this because they understand that leadership is not just about having your followers do as you command, but rather having your followers flourish in an authentic environment. 

Business is now more than ever a process of relationship. As I’ve said before, those relationships must be authentic .That means face-to-face business, not just with your customers, but with every one in and on your team, You Will Have To Let Your Employees, Co-workers, and Customers In..

The great writer and visionary Joseph Campbell outlined the hero’s journey in his classic work, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.”

Today’s new leaders must enter the hero’s journey that is already changing the face of business. They will hold true to the path, knowing that real treasure is always hidden in the darkest place, and that it is to this dark place that you inherently fear to go in case you never come back that everything that will give your life meaning awaits.

I know this to be true because I have journeyed there; I have faced the dragon that can’t be slain, but merely tamed. I have also had the honor of guiding many others on their own heroic journey.

Why should you undertake such a journey if you have all you want, if you have many things that others envy?

The Cave of Self Discovery

It’s because those who seem to have everything know it isn’t enough. You must enter the cave you fear or live a life without true fulfillment.

Know this: everything you truly desire awaits you in that darkest of places.

Remember, an Authentic Leader is not without fear. However, the Authentic Leader’s vision is always going to be greater than the fear.

So it comes down to this: Do you have the courage to be an authentic leader, to go in and claim that treasure on your own heroic journey?

As Joseph Campbell says, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”

Until you enter the cave, nothing will ever be enough!

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

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Authentic Leadership Snippet #1: FOCUS

Authentic Leadership Snippet #2: Their Approval or Your Dreams, you will have to choose!

I trust that you found these Authentic Leadership Snippets 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

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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

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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

Unless you have been living under a rock, you are no doubt aware of the daily media assault on your sense regarding what they call the “imminent danger we face at the hands of radical extremist”.

The question is, are we really in danger or has the media turned the entire Muslim people into a bunch of al Quida linked, Jihad seeking nutters.
Or have the marginal few, been made into the face of a peaceful majority?

The problem is that through these generalization we cannot objectively see more than what we are told to see.
As a  result  we often cannot see past the Burqae to who these Muslim women are. Rightly or wrongly, we see these women as repressed.
While in reality many contemporary Muslim women see our own feminist freedoms as the ultimate perversion and suppression of women.

Muslim Female Leadership, is it an Illusion or Reality?

Aafia Siddiqui

When it comes to women’s rights and being a Muslim woman, there are two women who stand out in sharing diametrically opposed political views.
One of these women is the Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the other is Pakistani born Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

These women  offer a striking study in the tendentious issue of Islamic women’s rights and that we cannot judge a book by its gender.

My guest on The Accidental Guru Show on Thursday March 29th 2012 will be an award winning Journalist by the name of Deborah Scroggins.

Deborah Scroggins is the author of a brand new HarperCollins book called: WANTED WOMEN: Faith, Lies, and the War on Terror:  This is a book about the lives of these two women: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

If you are kept informed about what’s going on in the world via the traditional news outlets like FOX news,  there’s a good chance that you have never even heard of these two contemporary female leaders of the Muslim world, and this show will change all that.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Dr Aafia Siddiqui are two diametrically opposed but equally fascinating women and my award winning guest is joining me to give you a peak into these women’s lives and share with us who they are as women, & who they are as leaders.

Make sure you share this show with your friends and tune in on Thursday March 29th 2012 @ 10:00 AM (Pacific) 1:00 PM (EST) Details here: http://radiodov.com/leadership/deobrah-scroggins-on-the-accidental-guru-radio-show-mar-29/

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

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.

The U.S. is experiencing its second warmest winter in recorded history… but it’s not just the U.S. The rest of the world has been experiencing  more extreme weather conditions as well.

Consider for a moment that the forests that give you, me, and our planet breathable air are disappearing at an estimated rate of 36 football field per minute. The Pacific Ocean pollution from what’s known as “Garbage Island“, a floating island of plastic estimated to be twice the size of Texas,  is killing ocean life through plastic and chemical reactions.

Look, I know that you and I recycle, and maybe even compose, but are we really making any significant difference?

The question becomes:

Is our pursuit of The American Dream Creating the Ecological Crisis

Have we failed to notice the connection between capitalism and the ecological crisis?

Let’s face it, we all know that for most folks, the more we make, the more we spend. However, when we spend our next level of wealth on consumer goods, we are, in fact, adding to the massive problems we are seeing with the ecology of the planet, not least of which is climate change.

So is it time for a radical change?

By that I mean a change that many Americans may even see as anti-American?

Chris Williams - Ecology and Socialism: Solutions to Capitalist Ecological Crisis

Professor Chris Wilson in his latest book Ecology and Socialism: Solutions to Capitalist Ecological Crisis, offers what many would consider a rather radical solution to dealing with what he and so many others believe is nothing short of an ecological disaster.

In the February 9th 2012 episode of the new and improved Accidental Guru Radio Show, I  (Dov Baron) will challenge professor Wilson to show us what it will really take to turn this ecological crisis around.

We will take a look at whether President Obama came through on any of his presidential promises regarding climate change. We’ll discuss the question “Is  party policy around everything, but particularly the environment, is set by the elected officials we the people put there or are are policies actually set by big corporations who are somehow the puppeteers of the Senate, Congress and even the White House? We’ll even look at  the impact or impotence of “the occupy movement.”

Make sure you tune in Thursdays @ 10:00 AM (PT) 1:00 PM (EST)

http://radiodov.com/environment/chris-williams-on-the-accidental-guru-radio-show-feb-9/

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. 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 sole intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

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