A leadership development resource

from the Institute for Leadership Excellence & Development Inc.

Volume V

Number 1

On the Horizon This Issue:

Mind Over Water
How do you get past those things that keep holding you back?

Keynotes from the Institute
Do you have a company meeting coming up & need a fresh voice to motivate the troops?

Relief from E-Mail Overload
Trouble keeping up with your e-mail load?  Here's help!

keynote speaker Andy Kaufman

 


 

  [Mind over Water]  [Keynotes]  [E-Mail Overload]  [The Institute Online] 

 

Mind Over Water

by Andy Kaufman

“Look daddy! Want to see me swim?”

The enthusiastic question comes from my five year old daughter this last weekend, moments before she takes another plunge into the water, showing off her newly found love of swimming.

She bobs up some 5 feet later, with water streaming down the world’s biggest smile, the look of pride beaming like a billboard proclaiming, “Isn’t that the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen, Daddy?”

My wife and I appropriately go crazy, sloshing wet high-fives and belting out boisterous “Yahoos!”, as if our favorite sports team just won the championship.

Can you think of a time when something finally seemed to click for you?
You might be thinking, “What’s the big deal about a 5 year old swimming?” Let’s face it… Most of us know some kid who was dunking their head under and flailing on their own at age three or younger.

The reason behind this tsunami of pride and joy comes from the fact that this is the same girl who, only a couple months ago, was absolutely terrified of the water.

Truthfully, the problem wasn’t the water. She was happy to dangle her feet in it. Or let me hold her around the pool. Or, in a burst of courage, try it on her own—as long as she had her trusty “floaties” (inflatable bands that go on the upper arms). But start a conversation about swimming sans floaties (crossing the critical line between head above sea level and head below) and it was an instant therapy session.

But not now. Something clicked. Something changed in this little princess’ head, reframing swimming from an act of terror to a feat of accomplishment. “This is easy! This is fun!”

Andy Kaufman keynote speaker on leadership and project management“I am a swimmer.”

Can you think of a time when something finally seemed to click for you? When it went from being scary or not possible or overwhelming to a thing of relative ease or even joy and satisfaction?

Do you remember how that felt?

With surprising clarity I remember the transition from training wheels to a two-wheeler. I had been such a wimp.... Riding down the street with my two-wheeling buddies, pretending to be OK being the boy on training wheels. But I wasn’t. And a couple days later they were gone. “Look daddy, I can ride a big boy bike!”

As an adult I easily remember the days when speaking in front of a group of even ten people would so freak me out that I had trouble sleeping the night before. “Do this for a living some day?” Yeah, right.

Well, twelve years later it is not only the focus of my business and career—it’s one of the favorite parts of my job, whether before groups of 10 or 10,000. Who would have thought? Not me!

What’s your story? What made the difference?

Click here to read the follow-on entry in our Leadership in the Real World blog for a chance to tell your story (and learn how to get past those areas that are still being held back).

To your success,

keynote speaker Andy Kaufman

Andy Kaufman

Speaker, Author, Consultant

President, Institute for Leadership Excellence & Development Inc.


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Keynotes from the Institute

Do you have an upcoming...

  • Keynote speaker Andy KaufmanOffsite meeting
  • Leadership retreat
  • National sales meeting
  • Association meeting

... and need a fresh voice to challenge and motivate the troops? 

Contact the Institute today to learn how our keynotes can provide what one executive called "the perfect exclamation point on our national sales meeting!"

Our most popular keynotes include:

The Institute is all about "Helping leaders develop leaders and deliver results."  Our keynotes are customized to your specific needs.  Your organization will receive practical insights that help you achieve results.  And you'll have a lot of fun.

Click here to find a complete listing of our offerings. 

Click here to contact Andy Kaufman  to see how the Institute can make your meeting a tremendous success.


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Relief for E-Mail Overload

 

Spending too much time keeping up with e-mail? You're not alone.

 

Join the rapidly growing number of people around the world who are getting a better grip on their e-mail while reducing stress.

 

Click on the e-book cover on the left to learn about How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter.

 

Practical.  Easy-to-read e-book.  Guaranteed to help.

 

Click here for more information.

 

 


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Stay in Touch!

Horizon Time is written by Andy Kaufman and is available via e-mail or on the Web for all who register.  You are invited to forward this to anyone interested in growing their leadership skills!

 

If you have any difficulty with the hyperlinks in this newsletter, you can view it online at:

http://www.i-leadonline.com/newsletter/0601.htm.

 

You can access past issues of Horizon Time by visiting www.i-leadonline.com/NewsletterIndex.asp.

 

If this was forwarded to you by a colleague and you would like to automatically receive issue, click here

 

For more information on Andy Kaufman and the Institute for Leadership Excellence & Development Inc., please visit our web site.

 

You can contact Andy by phone toll-free at (866) 88 I-LEAD (866-884-5323), or by e-mail at andy@i-leadonline.com.


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