Ironman VS Captain America = Greene VS Maxwell

Art By Danny Haas

Ironman VS Captain America = Greene VS Maxwell

In an earlier post “Mastery Journey Timeline“, I laid out what I had hoped to learn and strategies to use for each class of my Entertainment Business Master’s program. For the Executive Leadership class, I anticipated learning about what a leader is and what it takes to be a good one. My strategies where to read certain books, watch instructional videos; reach out to my course instructors and build relationships with them. I have enjoyed this class and would like to explain what I have learned so far just by reading two books.

 I recently had an argument with my wife about who is the leader of Marvel’s Avengers. I say Ironman and she feels Captain America: The First Avenger. Her argument is that Cap is the first Avenger and his leadership style, when in battle, clearly makes him the leader. My argument was that Captain America was frozen in ice when the Avengers was formed by Ironman.  Even though he is a self centered, narcissistic, jerk, Ironman still cares for Earth and his friends; his leadership style is questionable but effective. As I dove further into my explanation of why Ironman is the leader, I made the realization that the two books we read in class, clearly describe the two heroes we were comparing. Captain America represents the principles taught by John C. Maxwell and Ironman jumps straight out of the pages of Robert Greene’s Book.  

The leadership styles of Robert Greene and John Maxwell

The books that were assigned were: “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene and “Developing the Leader Within” by John C. Maxwell. The views of both authors are from two completely different sides of the spectrum. Greene’s take on leadership focuses on the “SELF”. Chapters are represented as laws with names like: Pose As A Friend Work As A Spy, Crush Your Enemy Totally, and Conceal Your Intentions. This type of leadership is indicative of dictators and monarchs. The ability to recognize these traits in your leaders today can save you from turmoil in the future. Our instructor, Dr. Steve Adkins, refers to this book as “How to play the game.”

 Maxwell’s book or as Dr. Adkins refers to it, “The principles of leadership”, definitely takes a democratic view. Equating leadership to influence; teaching how to obtain influence by uplifting and caring for those you lead is a major theme throughout the book. The chapters in the book take a different tone with some being Vision, Influence, and Integrity. In my opinion, being a leader using Maxwell’s’ teachings will gain you followers that love you and want to see you achieve, because of what you represent and how you have helped them. If using Greene’s style, you will gain followers who fear you because of how unpredictable you can be. 

 The thing I value the most from this class was the ability to determine my leadership style. If you want to lead, you must first realize what kind of  leader you are in order to gain followers. Proudly, I will say that I am a Maxwell type of leader. I enjoy helping others and wish for others to succeed as well. Everyone moving in a positive direction will breed more positivity. However, I will hold a few “Greene tools” in my tool bag. In the future, I plan on using what I have learned to not only assess myself but those I work for or with. The ability to recognize or utilize his principles in a pinch may determine my or my organization’s success in the future.

Elevator Pitch: More Bang For Your Buck

                                      Image by: Steve Snodgrass 

Elevator Pitch: More Bang For Your Buck

 Presentations are a staple in the business world. From illustrating a product to a client, outlining a new system to a sales team, or grand speaking events, there are many types of methods that one can use. Employers now look for the skillset and knowledge of how to research, create, and showcase a presentation from their employees.   Some people are given the luxury of time and choose to use visual methods like Power Point, Keynote, and the lesser-known Pecha Kucha (A presentation that uses 20 image based slides with each slide being 20 seconds long). What happens when you don’t have time to make a fancy presentation?

 Imagine you are a startup with a brilliant idea but you need an investor to get the concept up and running. One day, you head out to the office and find yourself riding the same elevator as investor Mark Cuban. There is no one else but you and Mark and you have a chance to get him interested in your idea. How do you approach this situation? Do you beat around the bush?  Make small talk and miss your opportunity? Do you verbally barrage him with your idea and how he could be a part of it? Or do you do something else? The elevator pitch is used for this situation and more. It is a perfect way to make your idea or product a concise well-formulated message that hits all the highlights of a business plan.   

 Becoming an expert in this type of presentation would be a handy tool for any entrepreneur. The article written by Dan Schwable, “How to craft an Elevator Speech and Make aBig Impact”, is loaded with amazing information on how to set yourself up for success. Some topics that he touches on are, three effective ways to create an elevator speech, how to set yourself apart, and how to find your effective voice.  Another, more recent, article by Martin Zwilling, “Eight Common Elevator Pitch Blunders and How to Fix Them”, addresses frequent mistakes that occur. Carrying this skill in your entrepreneurs’ toolkit will have you prepared the next time you find yourself with 60 seconds, a wealthy investor, and idea that can take you to new heights.

John Maxwell: Article Do You Have What It takes To Be an Entrepreneur?

John Maxwell: Article Do You Have What It takes To Be an Entrepreneur?
John Writes about the 5 traits you need to be an Entrepreneur. He also includes a way to test if your are ready to become one at the end.

A minute with Maxwell talking about Endurance...

A minute with Maxwell talking about Endurance...
Great leadership advice and free coaching with Dr. John C. Maxwell author of Developing the Leader Within You...

• Dont Quit!
• Have the right Attitude!
• Get Back in the Race!

Awesome video with Malcolm Gladwell talking about why some succeed and others fail.

Interview with Ron Cook President of Telemetree

Interview		Ron Cook Telemetree Inc. http://www.telemetree.com July 2, 2015

Overview  Ron Cook is the Cofounder and President of Telemetree Inc. a company that provides a way for business’s to remotely monitor daily operations. Telemetree Inc. offers tools that collect vital information using sensor and capture technology that can increase efficiency and ROI saving the company time and money. Objectives Learn what makes Ron successful and what tools he uses so that I may implement them on my journey. Questions •   What key traits should an entrepreneur possess? Passion, Tenacity, Multi- Tasking, Adaptable •   What is your definition of success? The ability to monetize a customers solution or need •   What was the best advice you have received from a mentor? Understand who you work for, the customer pays you •   Is there anything that you know now that you wished you knew then? Make sure you are creating solutions for the customers needs •   What are some pitfalls entrepreneurs should look out for early on? -Capitol, make sure you have enough working capitol -Customer Feedback, focus groups drive success

Resources/Key Insight Beware of Pride, Be Open Minded Learn about the Lean Start Up Put yourself in the customers shoes, entrepreneurs work for the customer not themselves Learn about the Business Model not just how to make a Business Plan Try not to be TOO Technical, the customer/client wants to know how it will HELP THEM not how it will do it There is no investment capitol for start ups, Bootstrap it until you have traction “Ladies & Gentlemen working for Ladies and Gentlemen” – (Schulze, Horst) Former President of Ritz Carlton Tool: Periscope Tool: Canvas- http://canvs.org

Laying a Foundation

 My goal is to work on starting my own media company brand that will dedicate time to help small businesses and nonprofit organizations get their brands recognized by consumers. I also plan to have an art division within my media company that will create small independent mobile game titles. Using my company as a springboard, I hope to eventually invest in good ideas that will strengthen my community. 

 School is just the starting point to getting these goals completed. I have shifted my mindset to be more motivated to accomplish my tasks as well as take any obstacles head on. I will use resources such as my textbooks that vary in topics but are consistent with a business theme. I will subscribe to business web periodicals like Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur to name a few. I will also utilize learning sites such as Lynda, Alison, and w3schools that teach additional courses and have the opportunity to get certified in a variety of subjects. I understand that no one climbs directly to the top after school. I will have to work hard and be diligent in accomplishing any tasks laid before me.

 During the first day of my Executive Leadership class, Dr. Steve Adkins mentioned the job title, “intrapreneur”, and since then I have researched the topic. “An intrapreneur is someone within a company that takes risks in an effort to solve a given problem (Newlands, Murray 2015).” One notable example of intraprenuership is Ken Kutaragi, the father of PlayStation. He tinkered with his daughter’s Nintendo while working for Sony. At the time the company was not known for gaming consoles so Ken’s superiors were not particularly thrilled with what he was doing. They felt it was a waste of time and resources. Sony CEO, Norio Ohga vouched for him and thus created one of the most powerful and lucrative consoles today, the Sony PlayStation. If not for Ken, Sony would have missed the opportunity to tap into a market that they had not been capitalizing on at the time.

 As an intrapreneur I could boost my confidence and apply what I learn to start my own company.  Not only would I learn how to develop strategies to solve problems but I would also be able to network with like-minded individuals and nurture partnerships that can serve as a boon to future endeavors as an entrepreneur.