One only has to get around Orrin Woodward and the leaders of the LIFE business to get the feeling that leadership qualities like purpose connect leaders through out history.Purpose has always been intregral to leaders who made a difference in the world.The LIFE business feeds the passion to study great leaders who had the courage to come together with solutions to problems in the world. I found that something special was in the works when I read the book ‘Leadershift’, which is to be released in April. That book is not only entertaining but it’s educational. In that book, Orrin Woodward and Oliver DeMille elaborate on the 5 Laws of Decline. They don’t leave you hanging though. These two educators weave within the story a way in which leaders can band together and make a difference.
Similarly today, the LIFE business reminds me of other periods in history where leadership rose to make a difference in the world and I reflected on the qualities of Pericles of Athens. Although he had his critics, he achieved several changes in the world that were a result of hs leadership ability. Many call him the father of democracy. He built the largest navy at the time and went on to dominate the Mediterranean sea after victories over Persia at Marathon (490 B.C.) and Salamis (480 B.C) He influenced free speech by his tolerance of literature that was even critical to him. Under his leadership, democracy in Athens rose to its pinnacle and he was repeatedly elected by the citizens of Athens. Plutarch describes him as “manifestly free from all forms of corruption, and superior to all considerations of money.” The era of Periclean art and architecture became the wonder of the world.
In our current times we see a lack of leadership qualities and perhaps an unwillingness to confront the truth and pursue answers. Great leaders in history have always had the courage to face the truth and come up with solutions. Sometimes solutions found in history were unorthodox. They had to think outside the box. I think about the leadership of Pericles to stand up to popular opinion of the people. After his death the democratic form of government that he had influenced began to degenerate because of unwillingness of politicians to stand on principle. Similar to the way the five laws of decline are discussed in Orrin and Oliver’s book, the gradual collapse of Greek democracy occurred. This led however, to the knowledge that a mixed form of government would be more effective. Plato’s pupil, Aristotle, made a mixed form of government his centerpiece in his book ‘Politics’. John Adams, a proponent of mixed government, learned a lot about the faults of a democracy from reading. He wrote, “Simple democracies like Athens were but a transient glare of glory, which passes away like a flash of lightening.”
I’ve heard it said, “When leaders rise the spines of men stiffen.” History is filled with examples of leadership whose qualities attract others. They get things done when they become aligned in common purpose. The leaders’ vision not only reflects the values of leaders but, reflects the motivations of the followers. Some historians feel that the period that intervened between the birth of Pericles and the death of Aristotle as the most memorable in the history of the world. Classicist C.E. Robinson wrote, “Athens heyday lasted less than eighty years. Yet, a handful of men attempted more and achieved more in a wider variety of fields than any nation had ever attempted.” Recently Orrin Woodward wrote, “If someone is already chasing a dream, then he or she ought to become a customer of LIFE to improve his or her leadership and people skills. For instance, LeaderShift, Oliver DeMille’s and my new book, is being sold across the world. It’s this type of information that is available within the community.” He invites all of us to take action. Whether by becoming a customer or building a community using the LIFE Training system, collective leadership aligned in common purpose can make a difference. God Bless, George Guzzardo
