Joe Contrera is the Founder and President of ALIVE @ WORK LLC, a leadership development company dedicated to helping Extraordinary Leaders Achieve Extraordinary Results. He is the author of three books. His latest, Extraordinary Results: Mastering the Art of Leading, Coaching, & Influencing Others, is quickly becoming a must-have resource for leaders in organizations across the country. It will not only change what you believe about leading, it will help you build your leadership skills so that you can successfully influence others.
Have you ever received top-secret, exclusive, special offer because you are a very special person? No? That’s funny, I get them all the time, I must be more special than you! I received another offer from a publication because I am a “Professional” and that entitles me to the “Professional Rate!”
A while back, a friend of mind and I were discussing the topic of commitment. I was sharing a situation where I felt that I needed to be ‘all in’ or not. Sitting on a fence for too long can become uncomfortable. My friend was telling me about a television show he watched where they asked a guy if he knew how to swim. The guy replied, “Sure, I watched videos on the internet and practiced on the kitchen floor!”
At different times when I ask my clients if they believe they are achieving excellence, I often hear “No, I wouldn’t say excellence, but we’re better than we were X years ago!” My first response when I hear that is always, “Well what if you were mediocre 2 years ago? Congratulations, you’re now better than mediocre! Are you really okay with that?”
When you think about the great philosophers, who comes to mind? Aristotle, Socrates, Epicurus, Confucius, Contrera??? Wait a minute, hold the phone, stop the presses, kill the power!!!! Contrera??? What impact does his philosophy have on the world?
As your year starts to wind down, you might be coming to the realization that you didn’t accomplish everything that you had planned on this year. You might be asking yourself, “Why am I not getting what I really want in “X” area of my life?”
You know an arrogant leader … You’ve worked for an arrogant leader … You are an arrogant leader? God I hope not!! How would you know? 10 Things Arrogant Leaders Do:
Life continuously offers us opportunities to change and move forward in your growth and development. This may mean that you need let go of the past and embrace your present situation. It may mean that you need to view an old problem from a new perspective in order to find a solution. Or, it could mean that you need to attempt something difficult or different, something that pushes you past your fear and far beyond your comfort-zone.
I’m sure most people have seen the 1980 film by Stanley Kubrick entitled, The Shining.The story, written by Stephen King, is a psychological thriller about a writer who takes his family to an isolated hotel to be the caretaker in the off season. It will also give Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) some much needed…
So what’s all this mumbo jumbo you keep hearing about Emotional Intelligence? Emotional Intelligence can be defined as a person’s ability to effectively negotiate social relationships and environments. Emotional Intelligence is a relatively new science and is becoming an important factor in determining a persons success in business and in life. A recent survey of…
“So I tried pleasing Mom, I tried pleasing Dad. Tried pleasing those voices, Spinning ‘round in my head!” (Excerpt from the book, I Could Love No One Until I Loved Me) Effort is a good thing … unless you find yourself tying your sense of self-worth and value to it … I am 7 years-old, I am standing in…