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Insights and inspiration for your leadership journey!
 The word 'lead' finds its origins in the Middle English word leden meaning “to conduct, accompany; bring, take, or guide” and the Old English lǣdan meaning “to go by sea, sail, or travel.” I love word origins. I almost always learn something meaningful—and sometimes even life changing—when I look up a word and reflect on what it means and how it was originally used. When I looked up the origins of the word leadership many years ago, I was amazed! The word lead finds its origins in the Middle English word leden meaning “to conduct, accompany; bring, take, or guide” and the Old English lǣdan meaning “to go by sea, sail, or travel.” Part of being a leader is to be a travel guide—to lead and be on a journey with others. Equally amazing to me is the origin of the word success. It comes from the Latin succēdere, which means “to go.” The late author and psychologist, Ben Sweetland, was in alignment with that when he wrote, “Success is not a destination—it is a journey.” Both leadership and success are journeys. A Travel Guide to Leadership will equip you to more effectively navigate your journey of leadership, happiness, and success. It will challenge you to reflect on the awesome responsibility you chose to accept when you chose to become a leader. Discover a deeper level of who you are as a person and as a leader through fundamental strategies, steps, and tools for you to use on your leadership journey. 50% Off the Book! The suggested retail price is $15.95. You can get 50% off that price by entering the coupon code below. That's less than $8! This offer is only available here. Get your own PDF of the book for half price and download your copy today! At checkout, look for the question/hyperlink, "Have a coupon?" and click that. It will open a box that you can put the coupon code into. Here is your 50% off coupon code: travelguide50off Just click either image below to order and download yours today!
 Take the Journey!
Thank you and have an amazing journey today!
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 Your link to the free gift is below. No gimmicks. No subscriptions. No email required. Before you can ‘walk the talk,’ you have to clearly know what the ‘talk’ is.” JIM KOUZES & BARRY POSNER The Leadership Challenge WALK YOUR TALK In this quote from Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner's best-seller, The Leadership Challenge, 'talk' means what you genuinely believe in as a person and as a leader, what you espouse and value, your personal calling or purpose—your why. The 'walk' part is all about living up to that—about integrity, authenticity, and making it real. If you haven’t taken the time to authentically, clearly, and categorically define what you believe in as a leader, your core values or character strengths, and how you lead when you’re at your leadership best, then you probably don’t have as strong and as clear a ‘talk to walk’ as you could. One very strong starting place on your journey to clarify your voice and your truth is the Values in Action Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues or the VIA. WHY I MADE THE GUIDE When we use our signature character strengths or what most of us might call values, we feel most like our authentic selves. We get into flow and are energized and experience a profound sense of fulfillment in what we are doing. I've helped close to a hundred leaders take and understand the VIA and how it can positively impact their leadership and their lives. It's part of my life mission and leadership philosophy: Being a partner with others, especially leaders, on their journeys towards excellence. I also want to share some hints, hacks, or tips about navigating the site. You see, I hit a bit of a learning curve the first time I navigated the site and I took my first VIA survey a few years ago. And as I worked with leaders, I found out that I wasn't the only one. You'll see what I mean when you scan my steps and go to the site. So, I thought I'd document and share the steps with you, just in case. I hope that it's helpful to you as you navigate the site. In addition, the guide gives you a brief history and overview of the VIA. And yes, you can retake the survey anytime you want for free. I find myself retaking it about every 3-5 years. The link to the University of Pennsylvania’s and Dr. Marty Seligman’s Authentic Happiness website where you can take the VIA for free is in the guide.
Additionally, the VIA has strong validity and reliability. Research shows that knowing and using your character strengths can help you:
The VIA Survey has been taken by over 25 million people reaching every country around the globe! VALUES/CHARACTER STRENGTHS COACHING WITH ALAN
In coaching, you will learn more about your signature strengths, discover how to leverage yours, and how to integrate them more effectively into your life and leadership so that you can begin sustained practice that will make changes permanent. When you coach with me, you will receive a VIA Strengths Development Guide and a VIA Constellations Worksheet. You can learn more about me and my approach to coaching here: Coaching with Alan Mention that you heard about the VIA from me or this post and I'll give you 25% off your coaching! Impactful change starts with a conversation! Schedule your free, one-hour session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan Or call or email me: Contact Page
Have an amazing journey today! Alan maintains the ethics and standards of behavior established by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), including the standards regarding confidentiality. You can learn more about them on the ICF website.  The Power of a Leader's Gratitude It’s important for leaders to recognize that when the benefactor (the one giving the gratitude) is someone higher in relative social status or power, a gift is seen as more deliberate and meaningful, compared to say a family member or coworker. This leads the recipient to feel and express more gratitude. This is in part because benefits from equals may be considered obligatory or habitual in nature and so, while still powerful, not as powerful as a similar gift or show of appreciation from a leader. As a leader, when you praise, thank, and provide your direct reports benefits of any type, your authentic words and actions have power. Tom Rath and Donald Clifton, PhD recognize what this power can do in their bestseller, How Full is Your Bucket?, “Great recognition and praise can immediately transform a workplace.” Free Gift! Enjoy my free gift to you. I share a few ways you can show appreciation when under a time-crunch. No gimmicks. No subscriptions. No email required. Just my way of saying "Thank you for stopping by!" The images and content are copyrighted but you are free to print and share it with others. What are some other ways that you show appreciation as a leader? Please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.
Impactful change starts with a conversation! Schedule your free, one-hour session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan Or call or email me: Contact Page Alan maintains the ethics and standards of behavior established by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), including the standards regarding confidentiality. You can learn more about them on the ICF website.
 Impactful change starts with a conversation! Schedule your free, one-hour session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan Happy Halloween! Now through Halloween, I'm offering 50% off both of my LPI 360 packages. If you've ever considered a leadership 360 assessment for yourself or your team, this is a fantastic opportunity. The LPI has been trusted by over five million leaders worldwide and it has become the gold standard for leadership development. The Center for Creative Leadership calls the LPI the "most reliable and valid instrument for leadership development." Purchase your package on or before October 31, 2022 and I'll give you a coupon code worth 50% off the normal price. That is a treat! But first, you must schedule your free, one-hour discovery session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan Nurture your leadership. Invest in yourself. Achieve the extraordinary! Learn more about the LPI and the packages here: The LPI 360 Impactful change starts with a conversation! For more information and pricing, schedule your free, one-hour session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan Alan maintains the ethics and standards of behavior established by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), including the standards regarding confidentiality. You can learn more about them on the ICF website. Impactful change starts with a conversation! For more information and pricing, schedule your free, one-hour session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan The instrument of leadership is the self, and mastery of the art of leadership comes from mastery of the self. JIM KOUZES & BARRY POSNER The Leadership Challenge Employee Engagement | Productivity Customer Satisfaction | Safety | Retention Project Management | Change Management Time Management | Vision, Meaning & Purpose A Crazy Puzzle The pursuit of leadership effectiveness can sometimes seem like a crazy puzzle. What's a leader to do? Seek feedback! In a recent HBR study of 51,896 executives by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, those leaders who ranked at the bottom 10% in asking for feedback—that is to say, they asked for feedback less often than fully 90% of their peers—those low-feedback leaders were also low-effectiveness leaders (rated at the 15th percentile in overall leadership effectiveness). On the other hand, those leaders who ranked at the top 10% in asking for feedback—high feedback leaders—those leaders were also high-effectiveness leaders (rated, on average, at the 86th percentile in overall leadership effectiveness).  Zenger, J. & Folkman, J. (2013). Overcoming feedback phobia: Take the first step. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved: October 5, 2022, from HBR website: https://hbr.org/2013/12/overcoming-feedback-phobia-take-the-first-step Most of us are probably somewhere in the middle in terms of seeking feedback and that means our effectiveness could probably use a boost, too. But we don't want just any feedback. We need quality, actionable feedback. Not all feedback is the same. Research shows that by collecting feedback from a variety of perspectives, especially peers and direct reports, individuals can understand how they’re seen from all points of view. They can then use this knowledge to assess the extent to which they actually engage in effective and exemplary leadership behaviors. The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) 360 The LPI 360 may be the best answer for leaders seeking powerful feedback in pursuit of increasing their effectiveness. 100% confidential, the LPI 360 can provide you that quality and powerful feedback. Hundreds of scientific studies have consistently confirmed the reliability and validity of the LPI and the Five Practices leadership framework on which it is based. To date, it has been trusted by over five million leaders worldwide and it has become the gold standard for leadership development. This led the Center for Creative Leadership to call the LPI the "most reliable and valid instrument for leadership development." To learn more about the LPI, just click this link: The LPI 360 My Process I use a time-tested and leader-tested process. After your personalized and confidential report is generated, you and I sit down (usually virtually) and walk through your report. I'll provide you expert insight into your results. I have administered hundreds of LPI 360s and consulted and coached dozens of leaders on this powerful leadership tool. Then, you can use the tools that come with the package and create an action-plan for your very own personalized, focused leadership development. You can also choose to add coaching sessions after the debrief session for even more impact. To learn more about the process and the two LPI 360 packages I offer, just click here: The LPI 360 The feedback you receive and this process increases your self-awareness, improves your leadership skill and practice, and helps you see your leadership behavior strengths and opportunities. It will enable you to understand the impact of your leadership approach on those you lead. It is a powerful process that will help you adjust and take actionable steps toward achieving the extraordinary and reaching your personal leadership best. Nurture your leadership. Invest in yourself. Achieve the extraordinary! Impactful change starts with a conversation! For more information and pricing, schedule your free, one-hour session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan Alan maintains the ethics and standards of behavior established by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), including the standards regarding confidentiality. You can learn more about them on the ICF website. Thought is energy. CHARLES HAANEL (1912) Want to harness your thought power?
Impactful change starts with a conversation! Schedule your FREE, 1-hour discovery session now, click here: Discovery Conversation Calendar |
Alan Mikolaj
Alan Mikolaj is a a professional, experienced, positive, and passionate speaker, leadership and organizational development consultant, change agent, author, and coach. He holds his Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from Sam Houston State University. He is a certified graduate coach from Coaching Out of the Box and holds his ACC and membership with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Impactful change starts with a conversation! Schedule your free, one-hour session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan
Or call or email: Contact Page 
In his third book, A Travel Guide to Leadership, Alan offers you simple, fundamental, and powerful lessons that have the power to transform you, your relationships, and your career.
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