The Leadership of Fitness – Interview With Lee Labrada

Leadership comes in all shapes and sizes. The interview we did for this weeks 911 call is a testament to that. On this weeks 911 Fitness call Jim and I had the opportunity to speak with a true legend in both the body building and business communities – Lee Labrada.  Lee is a former pro body builder with countless amateurs and pro titles under his belt. He is also the founder/owner of Labrada Nutrition one of the most successful nutrition supplement companies on the planet.

Along with his insightful and experienced training and nutrition strategies for long term success, Lee also shares with our listeners his 5 basic leadership tenants.

Lee’s 5 key leadership tenets:

1. Personal responsibility

2. Responsibility to and for others

3. Supporting others in their growth

4. Commitment to ones mission and goals

5. Flexibility

Listen to the interview below. (It may take a few moments for the audio to load- be patient)

Replay:

We surveyed 32 random people regarding the importance or unimportance of accountability in the achievement of a goal or objective.

The results clearly indicate that the vast majority of people surveyed either have experienced positive results with, or believe that having someone (mentor, coach, partner) keep them accountable to what they say they are going to do or achieve will or has helped them achieve the desired or stated outcome.

This runs counter to much of the anecdotal and empirical evidence suggesting that sharing your goal with someone else can, as a result of the immediate gratification of sharing the goal, actuality reduce motivation and the likelihood of achieving it.

Below are the actual Survey questions and results

For more about ACCOUNTABILITY go to

MAX Mind Set

http://www.tomterwilliger.com/buzz/accountability-who-needs-it

Our success in life and on the playing field (whatever that field is for you) will depend in large part on our ability to identify our objective, commit to achieving it and our ability to keep ourselves accountable.

The truth is accountability and especially accountability partners can be a HUGE pain in the ass. But truthfully I know of very few of us including the greatest athletes in the world who have the discipline, presence of mind and sheer will power to keep themselves on track and accountable all the time – especially to those big audacious commitments.

We all slip now and then… but to keep us from slipping too far or repeating the same mistake twice we may need someone to call us on our shit when it shows up.

In this episode of Max Mind Set I address the issue of accountability and how without it we can easily fall off the commitment wagon.

Watch the full Max Mind Set episode at Muscle and Fitness Magazine

Then come back and take my Accountability Survey

Click here to take survey

Here are the Survey results

In this episode of my Muscle & Fitness: Max Mind Set, I talk about leaving the New Year’s Resolution “BULLSHIT” at 2012′s doorstep and invoking some real passion by setting an  empowering, challenging and audacious goal for the new year.

Ready to rock… then check it out.

Get Audacious in 2012

Watch My Video at Muscle & Fitness Magazine

We’re taught to keep our eye on the ball and to focus on the outcome not the obstacle. Which I’m sure you’d agree is incredibly sound advice.

Too often we see only what stands between us and what we want and allow those things to stop us from moving forward or keep us from taking the first step.  The truth is we’re always going to encounter resistance in the pursuit of what we want – most of which with the right plan, enough determination and strength of will can be overcome.

The more subversive and covert stumbling block for countless otherwise great achievers is  the “internal resistance” they counter – but don’t have a clue it’s what’s slowing them down because it is on the unconscious level.

In the video I talk about the “end result” or outcome being like the leaves on a plant. Because they’re visible we get so focused on the leaves it’s all we pay any attention to….

“I must have great leaves.”

“I must have great leaves.”

“I must have great leaves.”

…and wind up ignoring what’s going on below the surface at the level of the roots.

But if the plant is going to flourish we must water and nurture the roots not the leaves.

If you have a values, integrity or worthiness conflict between what you want on the outside (the leaves) and what is going on inside (the roots) you will (not maybe) encounter overwhelming resistance, frustration and very likely failure.

The key is to fertilize, water, nurture the soil, and the roots. The only way to do that  is to take your sights off the goal and focus on your internal rather than external growth.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

It’s been said that  “A good plan today is better than a great plan tomorrow.” 

We’ve all had a good idea or two in our lifetime that with a “good “ plan may have very well turned into our fortune had we acted on that idea quick enough. Instead, we wait or hesitate or just shrugged it off as “yeah… that would be great.”

And then we forget all about it – until that fateful day when we see our idea on QVC,  on an infomercial or on the shelf at some “as seen on TV” store. Then we leap 10 feet out of our chair screaming – “THAT WAS MY IDEA!”

No it wasn’t your idea... it was the universe’s idea and it was presented to you for consideration and action- but you did nothing with it.  Your competitors did.

I read somewhere that after completely losing his ability to hear Ludwig van Beethoven was able to pluck from the universe melodies that had already been put into energy for the world to hear. But because he could not hear he was able to feel the energy first. And because in the process of manifestation it is our feelings (emotions)  not our thoughts that led to action he was able to almost immediately put what he “felt” to music and create -rather give birth to the masterpiece.

I know this sounds a bit esoteric (because it is) but every time we are presented with an idea (good idea or bad) and ignore it we deny that idea (energy) life… at least temporarily.

But here’s the thing – we can’t possibly know how many other people have also been presented with this very idea at the exact instant it was presented to us… making it a bit of a race to the starting line… actually the FINISH line.   Which is why waiting or hesitating to put a great idea into action may be the worst mistake you can make.

If no one (like you) takes that idea and runs with it -the energy will then go back into circulation until someone ultimately does.

Several years ago when I owned a number of fitness studios I had a great idea that we actually implemented in each one of the facilities. The idea was simply adjustable straps with handles on the end suspended from the ceiling so that we could do a variety of mock gymnastic exercises. Everyone loved it and we even “talked” about creating a prototype and marketing them to other facilities… but never did.  Three short years later the TRX Straps emerged on the market and have been a HUGE success since.

Recent notables who acted quickly on an idea that paid off:

Bill Phillips – Creatine

Steve Jobs – iPod

Scott and Angie Tousignant – Metabolic Masterpiece

Tony Horton – P90X

Dean Kamen – The Segway

Am I suggesting that ideas like “The ShamWow” and “The Clapper” were presented to someone form the universe?  I would have to say YES… but the truth is I don’t know!!!!  What I do know is that if you have an idea you can be rest assured that someone else has that very same idea right now and if neither one of you take action on it immediately I may be next in line… and I will.

One BIG missed opportunity is enough to teach me a million dollar lesson. How about you?

Please share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.

You work hard, sacrifice, focus on and even pray for success and yet you continue encounter what appears to be outside resistance to that outcome. Is the resistance really coming from external sources or could you have a traitor, spy or saboteur inside that is keeping you and your organization trapped in mediocrity and reducing your leadership power?

No more bullshit – it’s time we get to the heart of top secret information regarding the four simple yet deadly covert ways your internal saboteurs pull the strings and create the illusion that you can’t lead or succeed.

Do you recall the significance of the date – June 13, 1942?
It was shortly after midnight on that date that four saboteurs landed on a beach near Amagansett, Long Island, New York – no more than 20 minutes from where I was born and raised some 17 years later.

The four men were from a German U-boat, clad in German uniforms and had brought ashore with them enough explosives, primers, money and supplies to support a two-year campaign of destruction, chaos, and fear.

The purpose of this campaign and one like it on the coast of Florida was to strike a major blow to the American people by bringing the violence of war to our home ground.

The mission was to shut down our ability to manufacture vital equipment and supplies for transport to the battlegrounds of Europe, diminish our resolve to win… and strike fear into the American civilian population;

Shut Down Ability — Diminish Resolve — Strike Fear

In the face of our recent economic BS and all the external challenges and resistance you’re up against everyday…  have you felt a little like your ability to succeed has been “shut down”  – or like your resolve may be giving way to fear in the past 24 months?

What if the primary resistance you face everyday wasn’t external at all – what if the majority of it is coming from within?

What if the biggest saboteur to you success had nothing to do with the economy, lack of resources, lack of capital, increased competition, or the controversial even hostile political climate.

What if the primary resistance you face everyday wasn’t external at all – what if the majority of it is coming from within?

Napoleon once said that,
“A spy in the right place is worth 20,000 soldiers on the battlefield.”

What if you have been infiltrated by inner saboteurs – whose job is to sabotage your ability to succeed, lower your resolve and induce paralyzing fear?

And if the answer to all those questions were YES – would you want to know about it?

My illusion is that you would.

Keep in mind however that knowing these answers may require some self evaluation and work on your part- possibly a lot of f—ing work or having to live with the knowledge that if you’re not where you want to be in life… it’s your fault – one way or the other.

Let’s start with this question; do you consider yourself a LEADER?                                                                                                                                                                                                             

In your business, your family, your community and or personal life… are you a leader?

If your answer is “NO” what follows may provide some insights as to why.
If your answer is “KINDA”… than the answer is actually NO.
If your answer is “YES” then you’re about to discover why you have not been as effective a leader as you could be.

Would you agree that at one level or another it’s your job as a leader to motivate, inspire, persuade and influence the actions and behaviors of others – primarily through your own actions and behaviors?

And if so, would agree that – that “leadership influence” is critical to getting others to willingly take action or change behaviors even in the face of resistance and to your success as a leader?

Of course it is!

But what if your own actions and behaviors are being covertly influenced or have been sabotaged by internal forces acting outside your conscious awareness or detection, below your radar you might say.

The bottom line is you would be at jeopardy of losing your influence as a leader… if you haven’t lost it already?

The ability to identify and stop your inner saboteurs… if indeed they actually exist should be of prime concern to you.  And if it’s not you can stop reading right now…unless you just want to check for more spelling and grammar errors.

Either way let’s get to it.

Like the Long Island beach invasion there are 4 Primary inner saboteurs that stop most of us from having or achieving what we want or from taking out leadership role.

There exact names and aliases (they have many) are on a need to know basis– and aren’t important.

What is important, what you need to be aware of – is how their actions manifest in your life.

The first saboteur is ANARCHY.

In my way of thinking Anarchy is allowed entry into our lives as a result of a Lack of clarity making it very easy to do its job.

“Most people never get what they want because they don’t know what they want”   ~ Jim Rohm.

Have you ever had to be at a meeting or someplace important and in your own mind you knew exactly where the place was you had to be without having to look at a map… or at least you thought you did?  But then as you were getting close to where you thought it was you suddenly realize you weren’t so sure after all, and maybe wound up a little lost and possibly late as a result.  This has happened to me on more than one accession.

It’s like that with our goals. We think we know what we want and even have an internal map of how to get there – but somewhere along the way we wind up confused, lost and chaotic.  That’s when Anarchy does its best dirty work.   If your objective or goal is even remotely cloudy, vague, and ambiguous this saboteur will slip in and begin destroying your ability to achieve it.

The way to neutralize this insidious little f—er is to get 100% crystal clear on exactly what your objective is.  And if you are going to create the focus, clarity and vision to inspire others to move with you it is imperative.

The 2nd saboteur shows up as EXCUSES

This unscrupulous saboteur will have you convinced that it’s someone or something else’s fault that you’re not succeeding or leading at the level of your potential.

Have you ever made up some BS excuse for dropping the ball, not following through or even just being late for a meeting?   Excuses will always point out a way of re-framing a failure so that you don’t admit to the mistake or error ir learn from the experience.

In most coaching circles there is this presupposition – “there is no failure only feedback”

But when we get in the habit of accepting excuses – we wind up missing the lessons or the feedback and losing out on the ability to use that feedback to correct and continue the next time.  And so we make the same mistakes again and again. Can you stand in your power as a leader when you make excuses? NO!  A true leader never, ever makes excuses for his or her actions. They stand in their truth regardless of the consequences.
Learn to recognize when you are making an excuse – even small excuses like “I was late because of all that ball game traffic” – it’s bullshit.  Stop mid sentence– Stand in your power and take the heat.

Cut the BULLSHIT and Take responsibility for what you are responsible for – YOUR ACTIONS AND YOUR RESULTS

The third Saboteur sneaks out of our dark closet at night – it’s FEAR

And it will stop you dead in your tracks – sometimes within inches of the finish line.
When I ask my audiences for the definition of FEAR – without hesitation they shout out “false evidence appearing real” which is of course and acronym not really a definition.

The actual definition is as follows: “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined;
In short – “The Anticipation of Pain”

Do you remember the original Night of the Living Dead  movie?  I was about 10 years old when my older brothers and sisters took me to see it.  I am not proud to say that within the first 15 minutes of the movie I had jumped up from my seat, bolted out the theater doors and was half way home before I realized I was all alone on a strange street in the dark.

When I finally got home I ran around the house locking all the doors and windows and hid behind the living room curtains so I could peak outside to see if they were coming for me.

10 years old notwithstanding, what had me acting like such a little pussy?

The anticipation of pain & False -Evidence -Appearing –Real

To this day there has been no reported case of anyone actually being killed or eaten by a ZOMBIE. Not that I know of.

But because there is evidence of smart, competent people just like you and me losing their businesses – their jobs, their 401ks, their homes or stepping our front to lead only to be humiliated and rejected that the saboteur has us thinking – no believing it is going to happen to us.

And so we contract, lock the doors and windows, and spend all our time peeking through the curtains to see if it’s coming for us. And as a result we miss the abundance of opportunities that are just outside our door.

While we are on the subject of fear let me share with you just how much damage the 4 long island saboteurs were ultimately able to inflict on the US during their campaign?

The answer is zero. No damage whatsoever.

Why?  Becouse the leader of the group Georg John Dasch had his own inner saboteurs.  It’s been speculated that his resolve gave way to FEAR, doubt, and uncertainty as he began to think of the entire operation as to “grandiose”… and as a result of those very thoughts, it was… for him. Just one day into the mission he called FBI headquarters in Washington DC and arranged a deal that involved betraying his colleagues and turning himself in.

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”~ Mark Twain:

Fear will always be present at the moment of life changing or life saving decision.  This saboteur’s job like a terrorist is to invoke FEAR and paralyze our ability to take action.

As leaders we must – FACE THE FEAR AND TAKE ACTION ANYWAY!

The 4th and last saboteur shows up as a Lack of Commitment

It’s job is to diminish our RESOLVE and fortunately for us it worked for Georg John Dasch in 1942.

Winston Churchill once said – “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”

When I was pursuing a professional athletic career I once asked my coach and mentor who had trained countless champions – how he was able to identify who had what it took to go all the way and be a champion?

What he told me was not what I expected to hear. He said the true measure of championship potential had nothing to do with genetic predisposition, who trained the hardest, or who had the greatest level of skill or even the best coach. But rather it had everything to do with everything.

A CHAMPION, he said is someone who gives 100% to everything they do, even when the stakes are low, and when others see little or no value in the reward or the effort and sticks with it until the job is complete. That rare individual who has developed the habit of playing FULL OUT and giving 100% even when no one else is looking is already a champion so when the time comes to step up… it happens automatically for them – they don’t know any other way.

There’s a saying;
“How you do anything is how you do everything” If you’ve allowed yourself to get in the habit of playing at 50, 70, or even 80% or less you can stop wondering why you’re not where you want to be yet.
In today’s competitive climate there’s simply is no room for another also ran.  You either identify the enemy and stop them, or ……… puff…. they stop you.

The Challenge:
Make a commitment starting today… right now to Identify and systematically eliminate all your inner saboteurs
1.    Get Clear on What You Want
2.    Stop with the BS Excuses
3.    Face the FEAR and do it anyway
4.    Get and stay Committed

I would love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment below…

There are countless times throughout the course a year, month, week or even daily that we feel sort of overwhelmed, overworked, under accomplished and what is commonly described as Burned Out.

Been there — done that.

There are simply not enough beads on the average abacus to count how many times I have thrown my head back, covered my face with my hands and screamed,“I need a vacation!!!!!” That was before I understood the principles of full engagement and the importance of recharging the emotional and physical batteries.

As a pro athlete I had learned the hard way the critical importance of recovery in the process of achieving something beyond average and mundane. I recall how during preparation for a incredibly important competition I had all but lost it, my sanity that is. I was just 3 weeks out form the event when my body and mind simply said NO MORE F*&%#R!

I tried to push through and press on because I thought had no choice. I had witnessed other athletes do it. But I had also seen the results. More often than not they would push through but then crumple and fall apart either physically or more often emotionally at the very last minute before the event.

One last competitor for me to worry about.

That’s not to say as a warrior you should just lay down your weapon in the middle of a battle or stop marching forward simply because your mind or feet are telling you to stop. Not at all. In fact in most cased when the mind is telling you to stop or back off it’s an indication to push even harder or to swing the ax even faster.

However, what a truly seasoned and experienced warrior is willing to recognize - is that when he or she is faced with superior or overwhelming forces the only way to live to fight another day is to RETREAT – REGROUP, tend to their wounds, devise a more effective strategy or plan and then RE-ENGAGE again later.

I learned through my own experience and by watching the warriors falling around me that if I were going to compete with and prevail over obviously superior and even overwhelming competition I would need a superior strategy and tacked. So I started learning not only how create “rapport” with my body by listening to its needs but also how to CORRECTLY Interpret the meaning of the messages I received from my unconscious mind you know those little inner voices that are always trying to stop you from moving forward… I battled them too, we all do.

If you are going to do more than just survive but prosper in your hard working quest for a better life you must learn to do the same.

This Thursday (May 5th) during a live teleseminar I am going to be talking about how, if you are going to either overcome or avoid being overcome by out you too must learn how to employ a superior strategy and tack.

If you have ever felt like an exhausted and overwhelmed warrior just trying to hold your ground with little visible progress then you need to join me and my good friend and business coach extraordinaire, Travis Greenlee on Thursday, May 5th as we share some extremely valuable tools and strategies for winning not just the battle but the war.

You can return to this page and listen below or go to Retreat and Re-engage NOW

You can also submit your questions below and we’ll do our best to answer them during the call.

See you then!

Live call:

Date: Thursday May 5th, 2011

Time: 11am PT, 12pm MT, 2pm ET

Replay is Available!!:

NOTE: The special offer is only available for the next 48 hours. Offer expires May 7, 2011!

BONUS GIFT: Action Goals Criteria

Last night I had a opportunity to visit with New York Times bestselling author and the host of Wine Library TV Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary is one of those people who, in spite of all the “economy bullshit” we keep hearing about is creating massive success not just for himself but for others as well. Have you ever wondered to yourself when witnessing someone on the rise “how the hell is he doing it?” That mystery is solved the moment you meet meet this guy.

His latest book The Thank You Economy which I have not finished reading yet (picked it up last night) is based on Gary’s acute observations about the future of old school relationship marketing and the new media opportunities to cultivate those relationships without overt marketing intent. “The internet, where The Thank You Economy was born, has given consumers back their voice, and the tremendous power of their opinion via social media means that companies and brands have to compete on a whole different level then they used to.” Gary V

Actuality the Thank You Economy wasn’t born on the internet but rather with our grand parents and great grand parents. It was in their day that “every” customer was personalized, appreciated and Thanked for their patronage. What, Gary clearly recognizes and writes about in his book is that the internet and social media has give even large non mom and pop enterprises an opportunity to engage with their prospects and customers one one one on a very large scale.

Word of mouth and relationship opinions have always been a powerful force. Remember how in High School or even JR High a bad word about someone from an influential fellow student could destroy someones reputation overnight? On the other side of that coin a single friendship with the right person meant mass approval or respect by the entire student body – even if your parents didn’t approve (especially if your parents didn’t approve).

Gary writes about the power of reaching out to provide service, answer a question, pose a question or just make a friend without any visible agenda and how that relative intangible can, although difficult to measure in the here and now, create a massive ROI in the not so distant future.

It’s the LAW of RECIPROCITY on a massive one on one scale.

What are your thoughts on the subject, Gary and his new book The Thank You Economy?

We know exercise is good for us and we’ve all heard about the benefits- from reduced risk of disease and obesity to how it can make us feel really good. But it’s not always enough to get us up off the couch and moving. Sometimes we need more… right?

There’s an interesting saying- “we’ll do more for others then we will for ourselves.” Is that true? Would you run into a burning building to grab a suitcase with $100,000 in it. Maybe maybe not. But what if a child was in there or someone you loved? What you even think twice? Unlikely.

Caring about and wanting to support others can get us doing things we otherwise wouldn’t do for ourselves. The contestants on the Biggest Loser for example will often find the motivation they need to persevere in knowing how their transformation will impact their families or loved ones.

On June 5th (National Cancer Survivor Day) that motivation can be seen in an inspiring way as literally tens of thousands of people nationwide lace up their running/walking shoes and pound the pavement in support of the cancer survives and their families and to help others win the battle.

I hope you’ll get up and move and show your support by joining me and hundreds of other physical philanthropists at the Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Lakewood, Colorado for the LEAVES of HOPE 5k run/walk on June 5, 2011 or wherever a National Cancer Survivor Day event is taking place in your community. It may be all the motivation you need to run or even walk your first or next 5k.

An Inspiring Walk with Mr. America in Support of Health, Fitness and Others.