Ep 141: Positive Leadership and Overcoming Negativity in the Workplace

Jon Gordon is a best-selling author whose books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. Gordon’s principles have been put to the test by numerous Fortune 500 companies, professional and college sports teams, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. He is the author of 17 books including 5 best-sellers: The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, Training Camp, You Win in the Locker Room First and most recently, The Power of Positive Leadership.

Gordon explains how - from the brink of bankruptcy - he built up a personal brand to write best-selling books and develop a very successful speaking career.  He describes that he tackled this by being very purposeful and ‘building a brand and business’.  The process was that he:

1. Created a website – added events and articles
2. Wrote a one page overview of his speaking topics – The first was 5 Ways to Become Addicted to Positive Energy
3. Sent out 1000’s of emails with the one page – 99% did not respond
4. Eventually got a speaking gig with the Jaguars team and they became a client
5. Spoke for ‘free’ in many locations, adding clients along the way & then included on them on his website
6. Created a newsletter with no advertising – just great content, people shared it and it grew. (Currently 120,000 readers.)

Now, 15 years later he charges $35,000 a talk, and has over 3 million books sold. Gordon says one of the most important parts of his process was, “Showing up every day, sharing the message, being passionate about it and never really about the money. It was the message.”

Great leaders are the same as great coaches. They have the ability to connect with the people they work with. They need to believe in them and see their potential. Also, it is very important to provide accountability to those they lead.

Gordon gives three actions to become a positive leader. They are:

1. Talk to yourself rather than listen to yourself. Listening is often full of fear and doubt. Speak encouraging words to yourself – and listen to those.
2. Realize that the world is created from the inside out. It is not our circumstances that have power; it is our state of mind.
3. Grit – the number one factor of success. It is not talent, title or anything else that determines your outcome. It is the ability to keep moving forward in the face of obstacles. Don’t give up, don’t listen to naysayers.

Things you will learn:

• Steps to develop a positive outlook on life
• What makes a good leader or manager
• One question Leaders should ask their employees
• How to build your personal brand
• How Jon went from working for a .com to being an author and speaker
• Your role in overcoming negativity in the workplace
• How to measure and evaluate a positive leader