Leadership 101
By Michael S. Clouse
They are interesting questions: How do you acquire the skills, become a leader, lead, and so on, and so forth? And as you ponder those basic questions, you too may realize that occasionally the answers may indeed prove more provocative than the questions.
Is our quest for this pinnacle of success really achieved through a mentoring program, or must we discover it by unlocking the wisdom contained in 2,000 books? Can leadership be taught in a class, or are we destined to stumble across its truths only if we find ourselves actively participating in the game of life? Then, too, there is the widely held notion that perhaps one becomes a leader by first achieving; somehow knowing exactly what the accomplishment is intended to be...
So, what about you? Are you fated to become a leader, or are you already leading?
If you had asked me for my opinion on leadership prior to December 1996, our conversation would have been quite different. Because over the next few months that followed, my lifelong quest for knowledge was forever altered. And it all happened when one unassuming thing simply led to another...
I had finished interviewing Richard Poe for an Upline® article, and during our conversation he inquired as to whether I had read one of his books, The Einstein Factor - which is an excellent book, and a must read for everyone. However, I was embarrassed to admit I hadn’t even heard of the book. Graciously, Richard offered to send me a copy, which ended up on my desk until my son, Taylor "discovered" it.
From then on, it seemed Taylor was constantly sharing something he had learned from that book. It was "Dad, did you know this?" and "Dad, did you know that?" Of course I didn't... Yet instead of becoming defensive, I found myself being drawn into his excitement, as well as being fascinated with the infinite potential seemingly locked-up somewhere inside of us. Like a drug, Taylor and I had become addicted to learning...
Then it happened. It was early November 1996 when Taylor stumbled across this Web Site on Mental Photography - over 200 pages full of information on the mind. We couldn't stop talking about the possibilities. Seems anyone from seven years of age on up can actually learn how to mentally "read" books at two pages per second, or approximately 52,000+ words per minute!
Well, you can probably guess the rest of the story - we registered for the class, and headed off to the island of Kauai for the adventure of a lifetime. We went. We learned. We became certified. And 2,000-plus books later, I now understand what leadership truly is...a potent combination of vision, knowledge, and your indomitable commitment to never, never, never quit.
Enjoy your journey, and along the way learn everything you possibly can!
All the best,
MSC
©1997 by Michael S. Clouse — All International Rights Reserved.
Is our quest for this pinnacle of success really achieved through a mentoring program, or must we discover it by unlocking the wisdom contained in 2,000 books? Can leadership be taught in a class, or are we destined to stumble across its truths only if we find ourselves actively participating in the game of life? Then, too, there is the widely held notion that perhaps one becomes a leader by first achieving; somehow knowing exactly what the accomplishment is intended to be...
So, what about you? Are you fated to become a leader, or are you already leading?
If you had asked me for my opinion on leadership prior to December 1996, our conversation would have been quite different. Because over the next few months that followed, my lifelong quest for knowledge was forever altered. And it all happened when one unassuming thing simply led to another...
I had finished interviewing Richard Poe for an Upline® article, and during our conversation he inquired as to whether I had read one of his books, The Einstein Factor - which is an excellent book, and a must read for everyone. However, I was embarrassed to admit I hadn’t even heard of the book. Graciously, Richard offered to send me a copy, which ended up on my desk until my son, Taylor "discovered" it.
From then on, it seemed Taylor was constantly sharing something he had learned from that book. It was "Dad, did you know this?" and "Dad, did you know that?" Of course I didn't... Yet instead of becoming defensive, I found myself being drawn into his excitement, as well as being fascinated with the infinite potential seemingly locked-up somewhere inside of us. Like a drug, Taylor and I had become addicted to learning...
Then it happened. It was early November 1996 when Taylor stumbled across this Web Site on Mental Photography - over 200 pages full of information on the mind. We couldn't stop talking about the possibilities. Seems anyone from seven years of age on up can actually learn how to mentally "read" books at two pages per second, or approximately 52,000+ words per minute!
Well, you can probably guess the rest of the story - we registered for the class, and headed off to the island of Kauai for the adventure of a lifetime. We went. We learned. We became certified. And 2,000-plus books later, I now understand what leadership truly is...a potent combination of vision, knowledge, and your indomitable commitment to never, never, never quit.
Enjoy your journey, and along the way learn everything you possibly can!
All the best,
MSC
©1997 by Michael S. Clouse — All International Rights Reserved.