How to start being a leader today.
Simon Sinek told me something that has truly impacted the way I teach ideas, tools, and insights.
I had the opportunity, during a Q&A with Simon Sinek, to ask him a question! So I had to make it a good one!
After serving in the military for over a decade and working for many types of leaders and sergeants, one of the biggest issues I see is people's ability to actually apply what they learn. Too often we go to seminars, professional development events, or some other cool “let’s learn something” event and everyone seems to love it and wants to make it what they apply moving forward.
The following day, it all disappears.
You know what I’m talking about? It’s crazy.
We leave training and events with this sense of “WOW, this will change everything” and don’t realize that it won’t. It just won’t change everything.
Unless you apply it.
And the key is to apply it long enough to see the results.
Most people don’t want to wait, so we quit, shift, and find something else.
Herein lies the problem.
So how do we actually take what we learn, all those notes you have sitting at home in a notebook you haven’t seen in months or years, and make change?
That was my question for Simon.
It went something like this…
“Everyone in this room, high ranking, and low ranking, loves this event and I can see everyone taking tons of notes, myself included. As a leadership school instructor I have also noticed that we as people are really good at taking notes of all the things we want to take with us but the minute we leave through these doors back here, we’ll drive away from Andrews AFB and forget it all. what is your recommendation as it relates to applying the insights and ideas you’ve been sharing in an actual, tangible way?”
His response was clear and to the point.
He talked a bit about the 12-step program and how the last step is to sponsor someone.
So the key lies in taking someone else through the journey you went on. The key lies in helping someone else. Helping them we get through all the steps you have gotten through.
BOOM.
There it is, The simple solution to jumpstarting your journey into being a leader.
In any industry, any market, any company, this is the framework that will help you find progress.
Those lonely notebooks can finally see the light of day.
Bring ‘em out, and go find someone to help.