Some of my favorite memories of growing up are building model airplanes with my dad. I remember him showing me how to assemble, sand, and paint them. I think back on how proud I always was when we finished a project together.

On one occasion, I remember struggling to get two parts to fit together. I tried several different angles. Nothing seemed to work. I grew increasingly frustrated.

In this podcast episode, I talk the essence of authentic leadership. What is it? Is it simply influence or is it something more.

I have always been fascinated by this topic. Perhaps because I enjoy creating models that try to explain something people want to know about.

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Everyone wants to be a leader. However, few are prepared to accept the accountability that goes with it. But you can’t have one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin.

But what does accountability look like?

A few weeks ago, a business acquaintance called to discuss a challenge he was facing at work. As usual, I began with a few questions, trying to understand the context and the issues involved.

It quickly became apparent that he didn’t want to change. In fact, the entire conversation was about why he couldn’t change, why he didn’t need to change, and why he wasn’t responsible for the results he was getting.

There’s an old proverb that’s states, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). But what if we could better prepare ourselves to stay away from folly all together, yet alone repeat it?

As I turned the corner from my 20s and entered into my 30s I realized how much I thought I knew, when in reality I knew nothing. I began to find myself as the fool repeating his folly in so many leadership decisions I was making.

Andy Andrews is a dear friend, one of my favorite authors, and maybe the best speaker I have ever heard. His new book, The Final Summit, is the much-anticipated sequel to his New York Times bestseller, The Traveler’s Gift. In a minute, I will tell you how to get a copy of his new book FREE.

The Final Summit is a great read. Like Andy’s other books, it is chock-full of wisdom, perspective, and inspiration. The best part is that Andy personally exemplifies these characteristics in his own life. He walks his talk.

If you’ve ever led anything you know Plan B is inevitable. Life doesn’t always unfold like we plan, and dreams have the tendency to shatter. As a leader you have to see this as an opportunity.

Andy Stanley is one of my favorite authors. I listen to his leadership podcast religiously. We also had the privilege of publishing his new book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be [affiliate link]. In a few minutes, I’ll tell you how to get a copy FREE, along with a few other cool gifts.

We’ve all heard it a thousand times before, “There are always two sides to every story.” For those of us in leadership we know that there are usually more than two sides.

The problem is that most of us (me included) forget this in actual practice. Someone comes into our office and shares their tale of woe. We listen carefully, nodding our head in sympathy. We are surprised by how our colleague was treated. We may even become angry. Their response to the situation appears perfectly reasonable. Then, without further reflection, we take some action that we later regret.