Could the secret to business and leadership success stem from something as simple as developing a peaceful core?
After suffering a massive stroke that nearly killed him, John Addison, president and CEO of Addison Leadership Group and former co-CEO of Primerica, realized that the power of positive thinking basically saved his life. For John, a peaceful core is the place inside each of us where we can celebrate all the things about ourselves that is great, completely accept all our imperfections, and where we can totally focus on the positive.
With more than 25 years of leadership and personal development experience, John can help guide your readers to find their own peaceful core, including tips/advice such as:
John Addison is the president and CEO of Addison
Leadership Group after having served as the Co-CEO of Primerica, Inc. from 1999
to 2015. During his more than 25-year tenure at Primerica, Addison rose
in management and was critical to steering the company through many changes
including the company’s separation from Citigroup in 2009, which resulted in
one of the most successful IPOs of the decade. A world-class speaker and
motivator, Addison shares his business acumen and leadership insights through
speaking engagements, consulting opportunities and an upcoming book (February
2016).
Enjoy the interview on leadership and developing a peaceful core.
Faten Abdallah (FA): Define leader and
leadership.
John Addison (JA): Leadership is having the courage to live your true life—the
one you were put here to live—and to do it in a way that makes the world a
better place than it was before you got here. Great leadership, the kind of
leadership that endures, doesn’t spring up all at once, fully formed, out of
nowhere. Great leadership emerges over time as an expression of who you are and
what you do every day. More than anything, it takes shape as a result of
everyday practice.
From my perspective, a leader is a lighthouse, not a
weathervane. Lighthouses are needed when it’s stormy and foggy to provide ships
a safe way home. Similarly, a leader shines when times are tough. In addition,
a cornerstone of being a leader is that people know what you stand for. After a
while, people will know and anticipate how a leader will react without even
asking. Leaders have a consistency to their approach, effort, and values. While
there are clearly different styles of leadership, the one thing they have in
common is they are a rock – a person others can count on.
FA: What
percentage of men and women are in leadership positions?
JA: When it comes to men and women in leadership positions,
too often people think leadership is related to a job and title. I think it is
more important to realize that being a leader doesn’t necessarily have anything
to do this at all. For me, my mother was by far the most important and
influential leader in my life, but she was never in a VP position. She did,
however, influence and inspire everyone she came in contact with in her life
within our community and family. She provided a great example of how I wanted to
present myself and interact with people.
From my experience in life, typically women are better
than men at the kind of leadership I talk about and admire. By nature, women tend to be programmed to be
better leaders than men. Perhaps this is because women tend to be more
empathetic and are better listeners than broadcasters, while men tend to be a
lot more vocal – which sometimes can be mistaken for leadership!
And also to note, even if you’re not leading other
people, hopefully you’re leading yourself!
FA: What are
some myths about leadership?
JA: Many don’t realize, but leadership is pretty much
timeless. It boils down to the ability to convince people of the right answer, to
be someone who can inspire and show them the right direction to go in. The founding
fathers persuaded people to have a rebellion through courage and inspiration.
Today, however, many times leadership is style over substance, such as how
politicians just react and respond to recent polls vs. real actions and events.
FA: Are
leaders born naturally or trained?
JA: We are all born with certain skills that can be developed
into skill sets for leadership, such as the ability to communicate and speak in
front of people. The world is full of great communicators who aren’t great
leaders, as well as others who are nervous in front of a microphone but are exceptional
leaders. Overtime, you learn what it takes to be an effective leader and how
you allow your internal character to develop in life. The number one criterion
a leader needs is character. Today, however, our society tends to value style
over substance. Many historical leaders would probably be disregarded if they
were in the running today – such as based on their looks or speaking voice.
Real leadership, however, is about being the type of person people want to
follow and these are traits we learn throughout life.
FA: What are
some key areas one can strengthen their leadership skills?
JA: Authenticity and empathy are basic leadership traits.
They each help people to first trust and then like you. Very few people will
follow someone they don’t trust and like. In addition, key ways I suggest to
strengthen leadership include:
-
Turn off
the TV – the power of disassociation is more powerful than power of
association
-
Read books,
especially a biography of a great leader – read about people who made a
difference in their life and overcame adversity (i.e., Abraham Lincoln, Winston
Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt)
-
Actually
talk to people – learn to communicate in the real sense–not just through a
text—and actually show interest in
people
-
“Unplug”
– in the sense that your life shouldn’t be controlled by the news and
technology 24/7. Get off the internet and look up from your phone; learn to
have depth to what you believe
People need to have a conversation with others to
actually develop speaking skills. I am always shocked how out of touch people
seem to be. I am in the airport all the time traveling, and 9 out of 10 times I
see someone under 40 with ear buds in their ears and tapping away at their phones
or computers. They are surrounded by people but interacting with no one in
person.
In addition, as the power of persuasion is going away, if
someone has the ability to persuade people they will be ahead of the game in
the long run. The world is rapidly changing and there is no doubt that
technology has made how things are done dramatically different, so you have to
be quicker, smarter, and more adaptable to excel.
FA: List
resources where people can learn about leadership.
JA: While it can be destructive, the internet is equally
powerful, as it is a wealth of resources. I would advise people looking to
learn about leadership to find someone you admire who did something – someone
who actually overcame great odds and achieved something – and then research
them. Really immerse yourself in who they are; read about them, look at their
quotes, discover what they stood for. Then, “copy” their style but adapt it to
make it work for you and who you are.
You can find John Addison:
-
John
Addison, president and CEO of
Addison Leadership Group and former co-CEO of Primerica
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Website: JohnAddisonLeadership.com
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Twitter: @JohnAddisonGA
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Facebook: JohnAddisonLeadership
