Powerful Leadership and Self Development Skills

Welcome to the landing page for all of our content related to leadership and self development. This is the "how" portion of our website. We've divided this page into specific sections with links to the pages we've written about those targeted subjects. 

accountability is the glue

You'll find a couple recurring themes throughout the posts. We align all of our intent and actions with our three core values that are prominently displayed on our home page. We look inward first to learn the skills needed to improve our own personal effectiveness as an accountable citizen of America, and then we look to teach the next generation to take their roles with conviction and purpose.

We'll begin with part of the story of how a member of our editorial team was faced with a decision. He needed to learn leadership and self development skills to reach an important goal. The first step was admitting he had work to do and then coming up with the courage and perserverance to make the leap. Following that story, you'll find subsections with links to the pages focusing on specific topics.

I Had A Lot To Learn!

Decades ago I had a side gig where I was buying abandoned houses, renovating them and selling them. It went pretty well, but I was noticing at the closings that the buyers who were usually first time purchasers were getting whacked on fees from their mortgage companies.

While it didn't directly affect me, it did get me wondering if there was a way to help these people who were losing money they didn't need to lose if they just knew what questions to ask.

So I looked into starting my own business that would help these folks. As my personality is the very cautious type, I did plenty of research. Probably more than was needed. In speaking to people with experience in what I was trying to do, the answer I received most of the time was to forget the whole thing because I didn't have what it would take to make it in this proposed idea. I was too quiet, too reserved, and besides that, it "wasn't really stealing" from these people to take more of their money if they weren't smart enough to do the proper diligence.

After pushing through the doubt, I heard about an older guy who had already done what I was trying to do. He was known to be completely honest, even to the point where he turned down potential business because he knew it would not be in the best interests of his client to go forward. That was what I was looking for and was the model of integrity I wanted to create.

This man understood the art of listening. He listened with the intent to hear and understand. When I finished my pitch, he asked a few questions about my background. I noticed he always kept his full attention on me when I was talking to him.

Finally he gave me a sort of good news/ bad news response. He said I was not the first person to ask about his way of doing business. So far no one had agreed to his conditions and they all went away, never to contact him again. That was the bad news part.

The good news was that he would help and it would be at no cost from me to him. But it would require an investment from me. He said I had to learn leadership and self development skills and it had to be learned from the experts. He told me I would need to build a team that could see and follow the vision I had and that it wouldn't be easy to follow. The temptation to cut corners would always be available.

He told me I needed to learn how to share the vision with people who wanted to be part of something that was driven to make a positive difference. I would need to learn how to teach the specific parts of our business, but that would be easy. Getting them to understand why we chose this more difficult, less profitable path would require skills I needed to learn.

I needed to understand why active listening was important. I would be meeting people, new people, which was not in my comfort zone back then, and these new people would be dealing with life issues that included pain and disappointment.

He gave me the resources that could teach me these things. He didn't give me the money to pay for them. That was on me to figure out. I know now that he was testing my resolve. He wanted to see if I was really in it for what I said or just blowing smoke. When I learned about leadership and self development, he showed me the particular skills to make the plan work. And it did work. It was all worth it.

And now I see where all of that prepared me for this season in my life. Maybe it was Divine Intervention. You might not believe in that stuff. I do. Maybe it was just fortuitous and coincidental? I know this. Those things have made a huge difference. My personality is still about the same. But it doesn't matter because getting in front of new people is part of this job, so while I don't have to be comfortable there, I still have to do it.

Leadership and Self Development Skills

We'll begin by looking in the mirror. What do we need to learn? What are we willing to do to get to a specific goal? Do we even have specific goals? The following pages will help you look honestly within your self. The first page is written by one of our editors who shares a deeply personal situation that weighed heavily on every day of life.

The remaining pages in this block deal with recognizing where we are right now and how we can get to where we want to go.

The subsequent sections are dedicated to developing new skills, culminating in accountability and leadership abilities that will inspire duplication. 

How To Stop Being Codependent

Five Truths for Personal Growth

How To Feel Empowered 

Fear of Failure

What Is My Personality Trait

How Do You Show Gratitude      (Part one in a series)

Diary of Gratitude                         (Part two in a series)

Advocates for Truth                      (A Guest Column from T.O. Illustratio)

Step By Step Goal Setting                       (Part one in a series)

Goal Setting and Time Management    (Part two in a series)

Goal Setting Activities for Students      (Part three in a series)

Finding  Your Purpose

In this three part series we look at finding your purpose in life and how to lead an energized group with a clear purpose to amazing achievement.

What Is Your Purpose?         (Part one)

How To Find Your Purpose (Part two)

The Purpose of The Group (Part three)

Habits. They Run Us For Profit Or For Ruin. It's Our Choice!

change habits

The Power of Habit                         (Part one)

Habits of Highly Effective People  (Part two)

Becoming An Effective Listener

In this two-part series we describe one of the most important skills for leadership and self development. Unfortunately, this skill is also the most over-looked. 

The Art of Listening     (Part one)

How To Listen Better  (Part two)

Accountability As A Core Value

All of these pages lead us to this point. Becoming an accountable citizen who takes responsibility for every action and the consequences that arise from those actions. Becoming a confident, humble leader with the skills to teach the same to the next generation.

let your light shine

Quotes To Motivate and Inspire

What we think about is what directs our actions. These two lists of quotes will help you keep good thoughts, confident belief in your own leadership skills, and clear focus on the journey toward greater accountability as a leader among the citizens of our nation. 

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