| I have had the pleasure and privilege of speaking | | | | becomes apparent that true leadership |
| with a number of people who are prominent | | | | development leaves little room for arrogance. It |
| movers and shakers in their respective fields. One | | | | becomes decidedly difficult to cultivate a |
| of the characteristics that I have found to be | | | | continuous desire to learn, when you think that |
| common in the respected leaders I have | | | | no-one around you is qualified to teach you |
| conversed with, is humility. These leaders are set | | | | anything. |
| apart by their constant striving for growth and | | | | A hallmark of a great leader is humility. It is not a |
| improvement, and an acknowledgment of their | | | | sign of weakness, but rather of a quiet strength |
| need for it. Indeed, growth and improvement | | | | that has no need of defending itself. Humility |
| represents a core component of a | | | | keeps the door to increasing maturity and |
| comprehensive leadership development strategy. | | | | development open. In failing to recognize the value |
| I spoke with an accomplished musician a few | | | | of humility we are doomed to live at only a |
| years ago about what is required to be a | | | | fraction of our full potential. Consider the people |
| professional caliber performer. I was curious about | | | | who significantly shaped world history for the |
| how much training and discipline is necessary to | | | | better. Mahatma Gandhi. Martin Luther King. |
| truly master an instrument. His answer was quite | | | | Mother Teresa. Nelson Mandela. These are but a |
| sobering, even as it rang true and resonated with | | | | few of the people who changed the world not |
| me as I heard it. This accomplished musician told | | | | through force, but through humility and a passion |
| me that if I was to dedicate four hours a day to | | | | to serve others. Humility is crucial to leadership |
| the practice of my instrument for a period of | | | | development because it inspires the kind of |
| four years, then I would have reached the stage | | | | selflessness that is required to invest in the |
| where I had become a serious beginner. That's | | | | growth of others, while simultaneously being open |
| right. A serious beginner. At that point, a sincere | | | | to learning from them. |
| and genuine lifelong apprenticeship to music could | | | | VDT has to do with the fulfillment of potential. |
| begin. | | | | This requires the humble recognition of our need |
| The point that this musician was making was that | | | | for leadership development. If you desire to |
| mastery of an instrument is never attained. A | | | | become the kind of leader who takes control of |
| serious musician must be comfortable with the | | | | your own destiny while helping others pursue |
| concept of remaining a student for life. There is | | | | theirs, be sure to fill in the form below. You will |
| always something new to learn. There is always | | | | receive your free VDT and "Genius Mastery" |
| some new technique to develop. I'd venture to | | | | mini-courses. I look forward to having the pleasure |
| suggest that this would ring true for any | | | | of assisting you in becoming the best that you |
| significant pursuit in life. With this in mind, it | | | | can be. |