My imagination eventually lead me to become a pretty good artist and I was accepted into one of the finest art schools in the country, the Savannah College of Art and Design. In college, I began to find my voice and realized that I could be just as creative with words as I was with a brush and canvas. I began to understand that words were powerful and communication was an essential ingredient for success in every area of one’s life. I began to understand that great leaders were usually great communicators. So, I began working on my leadership influence in college. I remember going to a college party on campus. It was the winter of what was called “Snow Jam of ‘83 in Atlanta. We had gotten over 6” of snow. The kids were complaining about how boring the party was and it seemed as if no one was having fun. I began convincing everyone that my roommates and I could throw a better party at our college apartment. “Hey guys, let’s all go to our place” I said, “we have music, food and drinks”. Before I knew it, I was leading an army of college students through 6 inch of snow, in the blizzard, in the cold, to my apartment, 4 miles away from campus in midtown Atlanta. We all finally arrived to my apartment only to find a box of cereal, some chips and a couple of beers. We had a CD player and a couple of old CD’s that we played over and over. How do you get about 30 kids to walk 4 miles in the snow, in a blizzard? Leadership, influence and a little embellishment!
After graduating, I worked with several small ad agencies before I set out to start my own advertising agency at the age of 25. Because no one told me that running a business would take more than just knowing how to design and create ad campaigns, I immediately faced a myriad of challenges. I began looking for answers. One day I met a lady named Lorna who represented a leadership development organization. She gave me a sample video of her company’s leadership training content and invited me to come out to one of their presentations. I politely took the video, went back to my office and tossed it in a file cabinet drawer. I went back to my normal routine – struggling to get quality clients, begging existing clients to pay me and simply trying to make a decent living in my business.
One night, while working one of my occasional all-Nighters, I decided to pull out Lorna’s video and pop it into the VCR. It was a presentation from the late, great thought leader, Jim Rohn. It felt as if he was speaking directly to me as he said things like, “you are where you are based on the decisions you have made 3 to 5 years ago, and where you will be 5 years from now, will be based on the decisions you make right now.” And “Don’t wish it were easier, but wish you were better”. From that day, I was on a journey of personal development. That journey has included not only working towards personal leadership mastery, but also helping others to develop their leadership skills for maximum achievement. I went on to operate a successful advertising agency for 12 years, then started a successful mortgage company with my wife where we hired, trained and mentored 24 employees until 2006. I now operate an executive and organizational coaching practice where I use all the business and leadership skills I have acquired over 20 years to help other business owners and leaders reach the ultimate level of success. Becoming a student of leadership has taken me to places that I never imagined. Leadership has taken me to the board rooms of companies like Coca-Cola and Prudential Bank. It has allowed me to climb the Great Wall of China and travel through the jungles of Costa Rica.
My models of organizational leadership is broken in to 3 specific categories, each containing 3 key leadership elements. The first category is Ethics, Integrity, Values. These are the attributes that individuals and organizations alike must possess to foster a culture of trust. The second category is Vision, Goals and Purpose. These are the attributes that have birthed many brilliant ideas and set them on a clearly defined course to become great companies and organizations. Finally, the third category includes Systems, Processes, Strategies. I believe that these are key elements in organizational leadership because they are used to put ideas and plans in motion.
I have had the privilege to mentor many different types of individuals. This has afforded me the opportunity not only to learn a great deal about the thinking processes of those individuals who dare to lead, but to see many of them go on to experience extraordinary success. These experiences are the source of my enthusiasm for coaching leaders. I believe that one of my most valuable assets is my relentless pursuit to engage others in my contagious enthusiasm and excitement for personal growth and development.
