Dov Baron – Mind Mastery

“A master approaches that which s/he knows with the curiosity of one who is discovering something new.” ~Dõv Baron…

Mike ate, slept and breathed rock music. He owned every classic rock album that was ever made and he could fill you in on any detail you needed to know about any of the great rock and roll guitar heroes.  Who the lead singer was, who the drummer was, where the album was cut, and most importantly each and every detail on the lead guitarist.

Everything about Mike was a Rock and Roll cliche, from the long hair, to the signature clothing. As you can imagine, it wasn’t unusual to walk into his apartment and he’d be there headphones cushioned around his ears while Led Zeppelin or some other equally loud band blared through the headphones at those of us in the room who didn’t need headphones.

One rare day, when it was quiet, I sat talking with Mike and asked him what his dreams and aspirations were. As you can imagine his answer was less than surprising… “I’m going to be a rock legend.” There was no doubt in my mind that he absolutely believed every word he said and to be honest I wanted to believe him too. However, the next series of questions I asked him made it clear that unless something drastically changed, his dreams would crumble quicker than choux pastry.

Wanting to support his dream I asked, “Mike, how many hours a day do you practice?”  Mike looked up at me with a look that conveyed a how dare you even ask. Then he said: “An hour, sometimes two and if my buddies are over three or four hours.” He was clearly miffed at my asking.  “Not bad” I said, but he could hear my reservation. “Why?”  I smiled and dropped the bombshell: “Is that enough to get you where you want to go?” His head whipped round like it was on a string: “Yeah, of course it is.” I simply said: “okay, that’s good then.” And I got up and walked into another room.

At this point I should tell you that I knew I’d planted a seed. My hope was to set a fire under Mike’s butt and get him moving towards his dream. I just couldn’t be certain it would, because now that was up to him not me. It was after all, his dream, not mine.

A few day went by and I guess curiosity got the better of him. He came back to me and wanted to know why I was asking those questions. I told him that I wanted to support him in his dreams while making sure that he had everything he needed to get them.

Mike once again looked puzzled and asked what I meant by that. This time I could see he was open to hearing what I had to offer. “Mike, what do you think of George Harrison’s: While my guitar gently weeps? “Come on man, everyone know that’s an absolute classic.” Of course he was right. George Harrison, even though he was over shadowed in many ways by the other Beatles had out done himself as a performer on that track. His guitar work on that track was in many ways what made his mark as one of Rolling Stone’s top one hundred guitarist of all time.

I knew I had Mike’s attention, and I went on to explain to him that I had read an interview with George Harrison shortly after that track had become a massive hit.  In the interview Harrison had said that he was never the kind of natural guitarist that he saw Paul McCartney, or John Lennon as it always seemed so easy for them.

In the interview Harrison said how he deeply desired to play at their level. He went on to say that while they were on the road and often while everyone else was jerking around sucking in the fruits of fame, he would practice until his fingers bled. He said, “that for him becoming a great guitarist was an obsession that he treated like a full time job”, therefore he had to practice at least eight hours a day. He talked about how he had no pride to get over when it came to being better at guitar. Consequently, when he became friends with Eric Clapton it only made sense to ask Clapton to teach him as he saw Clapton was one of contemporary greats.

When I finished telling this story to Mike I didn’t have to say much more. I simply once again asked him to ask himself; “is what he was doing was enough”?

I’d like to share with you why Mike’s story is so relevant to you as someone who wants to be an outstanding leader in what you do.In my last article on The Three “I’s” of Developing Masterful Leadership, we looked at how Knowledge, contrary to popular belief is NOT power.

It was in that article that I pointed out the Knowledge or Information is only one third of the equation when it comes to owning your power. In case you didn’t catch it, I explained that the first element of the equation is Information. However, the second element, (the second “I”) of Masterful Leadership is Implementation. But that’s not all… Far from it!

There is a third element in this equation if you want to genuinely develop outstanding leadership skills, and it is the third “I”, which is  Integration. Let me explain…

I think we can all relate to having learned something, maybe even something we thought was really cool, only to find that when it came to putting what we had learned into the real world, we just didn’t know what to do.

As we have already stated; “Information without Application is worth the hole in the donut.” Clearly we must apply what we learn in order for it to render any real value.  So, you’ve learned whatever you needed to lean and you’ve even Applied it, it’s at this point that we usually get pretty excited…Jumping up and down saying “I can do it, I can do it”.

Have you had one of those moments? I know that Mike had those moments when he suddenly got how to play a certain riff. I know I’ve had one of these moments too: I learned “it” well enough that “I could do it, I could do it” and I celebrated that I did it…. Then I didn’t do it again for awhile and then I came back to it and found that I had only the vaguest clue of what to do. Have you had that happen to you? Frustrating isn’t it? You were sure you knew how to do it and then suddenly it seems like the “how to” leaked out your ear in the night while you slept and evaporated off the pillow while you slept, never to be seen again.

The third “I” in the three “I”’s of Developing Masterful Leadership is Integration.

Integration is not simply learning something and then applying it. Integration is a process by which you know the information and the application so well it is second nature.

Just let this sink in for a minute…

Okay, I’m guessing your next question is: What is the process of integration? Well my friend, let me break it down into three simple steps for you by first reiterating that Integration is getting “it” at such a level that it becomes second nature: The first step is: Commitment, without a Commitment  to doing “it” again and again, mastery will elude you. Step two: Through a Consistent Commitment you build higher and higher levels of Competence. The higher your level of Competence, the greater your level of Confidence, which is the third step in full Integration… Does this make sense to you?

So let me summarize and review… The Three “I’s” of Masterful Leadership.

The first “I” is Information: which as we discussed has no value and no real power on its own, and that you must also have the second “I”.

The second “I” is Implementation, because as we stated; Information without Implementation is worth the whole in the donut. However, to keep the knowledge that you have gained over a long period of time there is a need for you to be able to Integrate it, and that comes through repetition, which is a three step process.

Step one: Commitment to continuous Implementation of the knowledge.

Step two: Through that Commitment you get better and better at it, giving you greater levels of Competence.

Step three: Higher levels of Competence breeds greater levels of Confidence in your ability to have what you know become second nature.

As I spoke about in that earlier article so many people are busy gathering information that they never get to see the fruits of what they have learned.

One important caveat about the three “I’s” of Masterful Leadership before we finish: It relates to the quote at the very beginning of this article. And it may be the most important part…

A Masterful Leader refuses to take her/his knowledge for granted.

I look forward to your feedback

With gratitude,

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? I’m your host every Friday Morning from 11AM-12 noon (PST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

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The 3 I’s of Masterful Leadership

You’ve heard it said that “Knowledge is power.”
Is it really?

Imagine for a moment that you are the leader of your company, department or even a government. Now maybe you are and maybe you’re not, but just bear with me.  Picture and feel the pressure of knowing that you are faced with a major decision and you need information in order to take action.  You gather all your people and appropriate all the knowledge you can possibly get your hands on that pertains to the decision you must make…

Now, having gathered all that knowledge; what do you have? According to the knowledge is power theory, you now have power.  While in truth you and I know that what you really have is a pile of knowledge.

Just for the record, and before I go any further, let me say this–Leaders, real leaders who follow the C.O.R.E. Affluence System of Leadership understand that knowledge alone is not power. However, don’t take my word for it:

As I’m sure you’ve noticed we live in the information age. This is a time when even the poorest person can have access to more knowledge that even the richest person had just twenty years ago.

Don’t get me wrong; this access is information is wonderful. Never before have we had more knowledge, yet, at the same time what I see is an even great propensity toward inaction and procrastination. All these people with all this knowledge and so many of them are sitting around waiting…for something.

Why is this? Why is it that if knowledge is power and poor people have access to more information that even the wealthiest person twenty years ago, why aren’t all the poor wealthy?

You like me have got to have wondered; what’s going on? What it all boils down to is this: Most people are afraid to take action because they are afraid they don’t have enough information and as a result they do nothing, telling themselves that when they get that right piece of information they will forge ahead. Ironically, all this knowledge that they already have creates a bottleneck on the road to action.

Let’s face facts.  Knowledge has become the new magic wand–get enough of it and poof! everything works. But we all know that’s just not true! It’s just another level of magical thinking.

Information/knowledge is obviously important. In fact it is the first “I” in the three “I”s of masterful leadership. However, information on its own often is nothing more than mental masturbation for the ego. It’s a way of bragging that “my info is bigger than yours.”

What’s needed is the second “I” of masterful leadership–”Implementation.”
Everything we teach is based on The C.O.R.E. Affluence System. My research has shown quite clearly that all great leaders, knowingly or otherwise, use the C.O.R.E. Affluence System.

In a previous article I stated that the first level of the “C” in C.O.R.E. stands for “clarity.” In that piece, I said that a great leader must have clarity of purpose. Great leaders know specifically what they want and why they want it! That being said, once leaders have that clarity, they will need the second level of the “C” in C.O.R.E., which is “courage.”

“Talent or knowledge without a commitment to action is often nothing more than the mindless fantasies of a coward who lives in the buoyancy of possibility without ever having to risk rejection”. ~Dõv Baron…

Therefore knowledge is not power!

Information plus implementation generates power.

Or said another way: “Information without Implementation is worth the hole in the donut”.

In my next article I will discuss the third “I” of masterful leadership and explain why if you want to be a leader who stays at the top, you must have all three I’s as part of your leadership formula.

Until then, live with courage by putting your knowledge in action

I look forward to your feedback

With gratitude,

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? I’m your host every Friday Morning from 11AM-12 noon (PST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

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Are There Any REAL Leaders left?

When I was a boy, I wanted to be an American. It wasn’t the cowboys or Hollywood that appealed to me. It was something more, something deeper.

In America I saw a country where it was truly possible to become more than the stature of your birthplace. I saw America as a country that grew great leaders.

Today, as a man in his 50s, having traveled to many places around the world, I have seen many political leaders from many different nations say one thing and do another. My belief in the inherent beauty in people has grown and sadly, at the same time, so has my cynical view about the words of politicians.

‎“Every leader, every genius, every star must face the pull toward mediocrity.

The pull that will keep you from your own brilliance is the need to be accepted.

Remember no greatness was ever achieved without opposition”. ~Dõv Baron…

Back on January 20th 2009, hopeful tears rolled down both my British and my wife’s Fijian cheeks like streams that suddenly appear across a dried up desert after an unexpected rainfall.

I know our tears were merely drops in the ocean of the collective joyous tears being shed not just in the US, but around the world.

On that day, as I watched the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of USA, I saw the shoots of faith burst through in what has been a desert of leadership desperation. Barack Obama had inspired a stream that had awakened a spirit of greatness that had lain dormant for far too long.

Barack Obama did not claim to be a wizard who could wave a magic wand and fix everything. In his Inaugural speech, he made it clear that for dreams to come true work is needed and that part of that work is about being inclusive rather than exclusive.

This man, the new president of the U. S of A was all about Change. Eloquent and articulate, Barack Obama was, for so many, the manifestation of Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights dream.

America may have been, and may still be, if only by a thread, the leader of the free world. However, to be a nation that leads the free world, that nation must have a “True Leader” at the helm. A leader who has integrity, someone who says what they will do, and does what they say. Sadly, it seems to me that there are fewer and fewer True Leaders in the world today.

And so I ask: Where are the contemporary Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Indira Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, JFK?

Where are men and women who are willing to do the work that is necessary to change the world?  Are there no REAL leaders left?

Just to be clear:  I’m not attacking Barak Obama; remember I was delighted at his having been elected as President. I’m simply asking–Are There No REAL Leaders left?

So what are the qualities of a Real Leader providing Authentic Leadership?

For years I traveled and studied with great masters and along the way I became fascinated with leaders. Not just any leader, but great leaders men and women who walked their talk, who stood in the face of rejection and were unwavering in their convictions.  Some of these leaders were people I personal didn’t like or agree with, but they had certain qualities in common and I decided to make a study of those qualities. In fact, it is upon the framework of that research that I developed what I call my Core Affluence System for leadership development.

To start off, the term “affluence” is most often assigned as being directly and even exclusively related to money, and that is not the case. The root meaning of the word affluence is flow. So if a person is affluent, they are in the flow.  The Core of  Core Affluence System is a multi-layered acronym. However, I’d like to share with you the first layer of the Core Affluence System

C: Clarity.

A great leader must have a clarity of purpose. Great leaders know specifically what they want and why they want it!

O: Ownership.

A great leader takes complete ownership of that purpose. They have a burning desire, a sense of mission about their purpose!

R: Resilience.

A great leader stays the course, does not lose focus just because of opposition.

E: Expansiveness.

A great leader has a laser beam level of clarity about the desired outcome, however, they are also expansive in their thinking about how that outcome will come to fruition.

Every great leader I have researched and studied operated from a place of Core Affluence !

In the interest of transparency and at the risk of upsetting some folks, from my position it seems most contemporary leaders, even those in personal development, have become pretty wishy-washy, passive and placating.  What they say and what they do seems designed to validate denial and make people feel good for a short time. (And my comments aren’t meant to be taken personally.  Some great folks are aspiring to be leaders, but that’s not the same as being a REAL LEADER in the world today)

Much has dramatically changed since I began my path several decades ago. However, I’m left wondering if you still yearn for leaders and teachings delivered by higher caliber leaders who stand in integrity and are willing to call you to stand with them in yours?

I look forward to your feedback

With gratitude,

P.S. Have you heard “The Accidental Guru” Radio Show yet? I’m your host every Friday Morning from 11AM-12 noon (PST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Baron Mastery Institute INC

Popularity: 1% [?]

Don’t you just wish you were lucky? You know, just like the person who things just seem to fall in place for them?

I want to share with you the secret to becoming lucky.  But first, I like to think I have a good grasp on who my readers are, and so with your permission, I would like to ask you a couple of questions, if that’s okay with you.

 

Let me start here:  How many times have you been told, in one form or another, that someone has some kind of magical solution to your problem?  You know what, you don’t need to answer that; the truth is it’s probably more often than you can count with infomercials, commercials, web pages, and goodness knows what else.

 

Over time, we’ve all been bombarded with magical solutions:  Everything from something that will cook your chicken in record time, slice a can and your tomatoes without even dulling your blade,  magic weight loss pills, instant hair for your bald spot, instant hair removal for your hairy spots, penis enlargers, breast enlargers, tummy tuckers, butt lifters, blenders that do everything but clean your bathroom floor, and a myriad of other miracles for just three easy payments of… The problem is that even if something is of genuine value, most people have been so soured by the smooth talking commercials that we can’t recognize true value anymore.

The question is this:  Is there something you can trust to actually deliver what you want? The answer is YES! However, don’t panic, I am not going to sell it to you, and in fact, neither can anyone else.

My guess is that if you are reading this, (which of course you are), you have at one time or another felt a bit ripped off by someone’s magical promises and as a result you are smart enough to have done your research and analysis of what’s being offered to see if it is going to truly be of genuine assistance, right?

 

My guess is that the reason you even purchased some of the things is because you had a problem and you wanted a solution.  Simple, right? I would guess that you pride yourself on being open-minded. You’re likely someone who feels they have at the very least a fundamental understanding of the way life works and you now understand that it’s your time to step up, make things happen, and as a result others likely look to you as a leader. Again, am I right?  If I’m at least somewhat on target, then there’s a good chance that you are committed to making a difference not only in your life, but also in the lives of others.  Again, if I’m at least somewhat right, please read on.  If not, you can go read something else and I promise to take no offense.

  

Now let’s get back to the thing you can trust to actually deliver what you want…even though I already told you that I can’t sell it to you, it does have a price, in fact there are three accumulative prices and for many these prices will just be too high.

Let me give you a clue to what it is:  Here’s a riddle for you:

What’s the one thing you can allow to be stolen from you and never be able to get back?

TIME!

Time is one of the prices you will have to pay, it’s not the only price, but it’s the first one.  To get what you want in life, whether you’re using magical weight loss pills or anything else, it all takes a certain amount of time.  To get what you want in life, each day you will have to dedicate some time to getting ‘it.’

The second price you must pay is one of an emotional investment.  Simply going through the motions is not enough! You must do what you need to do to get where you want to get and you must do it with absolute PASSION!

The place where this can get tough is there will be days when you feel like the results will never happen and on those days you must find the way to apply even more passion.

  

The third price you will need to pay is the one so very few are willing to invest and that is the price of:

‘Action in the Face of Ridicule.’

‘They’ will ridicule you; they will say you are crazy; they will laugh at you for putting in the time and doing so with passion.  And worst of all, ‘they’ will likely be the people who ‘love’ you.

Why will they do that?  Well, there are many reasons that I don’t have space to deal with right here, but what I can tell you right off the bat is they will ridicule you because they too have been sold the idea of magical thinking, where everything appears supposedly without any effort and if it doesn’t, it’s just not worth it.

 

Know this, while you are driving to your dreams there will be times particularly at the beginning where they and maybe even you cannot see the results you are looking for. However, if you are truly on your path and you are paying the price, you will know that what they are looking to see and cannot yet see in the outer world is already 100% real in your inner world and it’s just a matter of ‘time’ before it shows up in your outer reality.

  

But, beware!  As they sit there holding on to their mediocrity and minimizing everything you do and telling you to stop dreaming, when what it is that you have been investing in with your time, emotional energy, and your willingness to face disapproval does show up, they will call you ‘lucky.’

They will not understand and neither should you try to convince them for…

The dreamer cannot explain the process of dreaming to one who refuses to dream.

You can describe swimming to someone who has never swam but that’s not the same as diving in, feeling the rush of the water against your skin, hearing the sound of your own body submerge into the muffled silence as the taste of the ocean washes across your taste buds.  There is no explaining to those who are not willing to experience.

On your journey away from the town of mediocrity to the top of Dream Mountain, there will be things that become dead weight that you can no longer carry. Endless hours of watching TV, gossiping about celebrities you actually know nothing of any substance about, eating rather than dealing with emotions, and as you will discover for yourself, a myriad of other things will just fall away.

 

When you start achieving what you want in life they will say; “you’ve changed” and you may be tempted to say; “No, I haven’t.”  Please don’t do that to yourself!  Say “YES I have, and thank you for noticing.” The fact is, you are changing and change is a natural part of being on the planet and those who complain that you’ve changed are clearly trying to hang on to some glory days gone by.  Maybe a memory of being the hottest kid in school, 10, 20, or however many years ago or maybe some other past glory.

 

The path to fulfilling your dreams is not for the weak.

 

The path to your dreams is in fact the hero’s journey and it can be a lonely one unless you seek out fellow travelers. Fellow seekers who have also invested their time, their passion and they too have been ridiculed for being a dreamer. Those who walk this path successfully find fellow travelers to support their journey.

 

Look, here’s what I found: When you invest the three things I’ve outlined here: Time, Energy, and the Willingness to Face Ridicule, it will appear that you get ‘lucky’, that things appear to happen magically for you.

  

What you will know is the truth: You got “lucky” because you did what it took.

I look forward to your feedback and comments.

Until next time; live with courage, Dov… 

 

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