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Integrated Approach to Leadership

Leadership

The Youniversalife Leadership and Performance platform incorporates an Integrated Approach to Leadership. I integrate physical, emotional, and social wellness into my programs and services. I recently published a blog article titled “Lessons From Cameron Hanes: Taking Action for Success.” I touch on how to align your passion with your professional and personal life. The next phase to consider is your leadership strategy and how to incorporate the very same principles. Identify 3 components:

  • A physical activity that brings you joy and fulfillment.
  • An activity that stabilizes your emotional well-being.
  • Moments that create social opportunities that you crave.

Physical Wellness

We respect physically fit people who consistently exercise daily because it is hard. Exercising daily requires discipline. When considering leaders in a room, those with a physical and healthy presence immediately catch the eye. They have proven that within their personal lives, they can sustain effort in a particular area. They are not easily defeated and have a high base threshold for discomfort.

American culture loves high-performing athletes. We know they have worked hard for success and understand the requirements to ascend to certain levels athletically in American sports. We are naturally drawn to these people and follow their stories. We view them as leaders of communities. When creating our own leadership strategy, we should, in turn, consider the importance of becoming physically fit, knowing our culture places great value on it, especially when we choose those who lead others. Physical fitness in leadership is a prerequisite in the military, strength and conditioning coaches, first responders, and many others. These individuals must live the mission.

Military leadership is competitive. Those who choose to lead are also the most physically fit. They must prove to those below them that they are capable and worthy of their rank. Their leadership suffers if the leader can’t climb the mountain, swim, or finish in top times for running distance. If they’re in the top tier, their men and women respect them, are inspired, and will push forward.

Watch the Detroit Lions on any given Sunday in the fall. Their current head coach, Dan Campbell, is a monster of a man. He belongs behind a Spartan helmet and shield, fighting the Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae, sword in hand. The Lions have historically been irrelevant for 3 decades. Dan led his team to the playoffs in 2023, two years after being named the Head Coach.

Not all leaders are built like Spartan warriors, but identify an area of fitness that you enjoy doing that builds strength, endurance, and mental stability.

Emotional Wellness

The number 1 place I turn to for emotional wellness is my faith in Jesus. A daily ritual of prayer in solitude is what I need to stabilize my emotions for the day. I bring my thoughts, worries, and needs to God. He helps me categorize and visualize how to overcome the hardships of living. Prayer sorts through and weeds out unnecessary temptations, worries, regrets, and wrongdoings. When I start my day this way, I am far more likely to experience joy and fulfillment. Every day is not perfect, but when I neglect prayer and do not spend time with God, my odds of experiencing setbacks and hardship increase greatly.

Making conscious decisions to be proactive with our emotional wellness is vital. We all have “emotional energy capital.” This is the amount of emotional energy we have to spend each day. We must choose to use the energy on prioritized moments. What hill are you willing to die on? Not every hill is a life-or-death situation, but knowing when to charge the hill is important. Some are not meant to be summited. We must become clear on where we place importance in our lives and use emotional control to navigate the tempting causes that do not bear fruit and expel great energy capital.

If costly emotional events occur, counterbalance them with a stabilizing activity that’s good for your well-being. Any form of exercise is a tier 1 go-to. A cup of your favorite coffee may be a tier 2 go-to. A quick phone call with a trusted friend is a tier 3 go-to.

Tier Examples (Your tier structure may look different. Move the pieces around to fit yourself):

Tier 1 Go-To

  • Exercise in any form
  • Sleep / Nap
  • Prayer

Tier 2 Go-To

  • Coffee
  • Nutritious food/snack
  • Read something of value

Tier 3 Go-To

  • Phone call with a trusted friend
  • Time-conscious video game experience
  • Time-conscious movie/show/YouTube or clips

Social Wellness

Leadership is the ability to influence. To lead, you must socially interact and build relationships with people. Professional relationships are key, but casual, tight bonds with outside friends are equally important. You must purposely have 1-3 close friends that you frequently speak with. Work conversations into the weekly calendar where, at certain times, you make time for them. These individuals are soundboards that listen and bring advice when needed. They also bring comical relief. Talks that aren’t business-related but allow for relaxation.

Friends who ease the tension can also see your blind spots. Close friends without professional agendas are likelier to share useful advice and highlight your weaknesses than those who may be tempted to become “Yes” people. This critical advice propels our leadership ability. These gold nuggets are usually embedded in deep conversations of exploration.

Surface-level conversations become tiring and suck the energy from us. The small-talk vampire sinks its teeth and draws out the lifeblood. We quickly begin to check our watch and subconsciously think about the weighty events that await us later. Small talk is the entry point to deeper conversations, but it can also hamstring productivity and your ability to lead. Leaders delicately dance in and out of quick conversations, being always thoughtful and not rushing off for fear of being disrespectful.

We crave the conversations that require us to think and creatively bring our opinions forward. Deep social experiences allow this to occur and breathe life into you. Once you move past the small talk and enter deeper waters, you can recognize the enjoyment of investing time with others. It’s an intoxicating experience and leaves us craving more. Good, healthy, and deep relationships are spiritual gifts from God.

Bonus: Sleep Wellness

The most restorative practice for mental fatigue is sleep. Leadership requires cognitive and physical stamina. Prioritize sleep in the evening to be fully rested and restored for leadership moments the next day. Inconsistent sleep patterns create mental fog and mood swings. To counterbalance the lack of sleep, we quickly run for caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants to boost our energy levels.

Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) is a great way to boost your energy and mood levels if you are fatigued. NSDR is a protocol where you sit or lay down with your eyes closed and experience various breathing techniques or guided visualizations but do not fall asleep. Extended prayer is also an example of NSDR, which incorporates a relaxed, secluded environment where you close your eyes and go through a spiritual narration with God. Prayer is a visual experience, often entering into a realm of deep relaxation and seeing your thoughts and experiences with God.

(Check out Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Explanation)

Wrap Up

You are strong in one area or another. God has given you a gift. Embrace the gift and continually share it with the world. Sharing and teaching others how to operate in the world is a version of leadership. It will require restorative practices so you can continually show up for others.

If you enjoyed this post and want to experience more, head to the Youniversalife Archive for more leadership education. Take care, and Keep Moving Forward!

Also:

Dr. Andrew Huberman has an extensive library of helpful information regarding the human condition. Many of his topics and much of his research translate well to the leadership spectrum. Be sure to check out his work.

Lessons from Cameron Hanes: Taking Action for Success

Inspiration, Leadership

Cameron Hanes is a legendary bow hunter and ultra-marathon endurance athlete. I recently finished his latest book “Endure: How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering.” For decades, Cameron has been perfecting the art of bow hunting. Day in and day out, he continues hammering his craft, ultimately allowing him to execute clutch shots on mature majestic bull elk in the wild. He also runs 20 miles daily to keep himself in top physical shape so his body is prepared for the moment. His preparation is relentless, taking no days off. He is taking action for success.

Pursuit of Passion

Although I am not a hunter and do not run ultra-marathons, I take many lessons from Cam Hanes’ examples. I believe we are a product of the extracted actions of others. I am always examining the behaviors to see what I can apply in my own life. In the case of Cameron Hanes, I admire his persistent pursuit of passion. He never wavers from his soulful desire to hunt. He knows he must train to increase his probability of success in the wild. The wild is unforgiving, and Cam must always stay razor-sharp.

For decades, no one knew who Cameron Hanes was. His countless reps have improved him in all areas of life and helped him ascend to the top and gain respect among the elite, not only in the hunting community but also among countless others who draw inspiration from his work. You don’t hang with Joe Rogan or David Goggins, run stride for stride with Lance Armstrong, or work out with UFC Champion Colby Covington if you are a toe dipper. This man has kept hammering for decades and has earned the honor and reputation as the world’s best in his niche.

Where in life can you apply the vigorous pursuit of greatness?
What is your passion?
What can you do daily that supports that passion and increases the probability of extreme success in that field?

My career pursuits have always been about my passions. My love for sports and competition drove me to become a Physical Education teacher. I get to have fun every day and incorporate play into the lives of my students. I have coached football for almost 15 years. Most people only watch it on Saturdays and Sundays. I lived the game for half my life, teaching players how to compete and confidently contribute to their community. This helped me strategically build a leadership and performance platform, my true passion today.

I’ve recently built my first official small business, Youniversalife Lawn Care. I’ve always enjoyed working outdoors in my yard. There is always a gratifying sense of accomplishment after completing my yard work. I wanted to extend this a step further by investing in an industrial-grade SCAG mower and acquiring my first mowing clients. I mow over 20 properties that bring monthly income for my family. It’s a few extra hours of work a week. Although it is defined as work, it is also a joyous business. I like learning the ins and outs of an effective business. I love sweating in the heat while riding a 37-horsepower mower, zipping across landscapes. Instead of spending hours in the gym every week, I carry a weed eater and leaf blower. I wear noise-canceling headphones and play podcasts that teach me anything I want. I’ll listen to new music when I grow tired of informative conversation.

Most of what I’ve learned about business has come from working on a mower. I have effectively married personal development with work, doing them simultaneously and earning a side income. Teaching Physical Education allows me to incorporate movement, exercise, and play into my daily routine. I double-dip my professional life with physical, emotional, and social health. My Youniversalife Leadership & Performance is also an extension of this. Teaching PE gives me the freedom to stretch my curriculum. I uniquely get to create content for my students that helps them achieve success through leadership and performance development. These concepts fall under the overall wellness umbrella. I have strategically aligned my passions with my work to create a giving and expanding lifestyle.

Work-Life-Youniverse

Some people wish to keep their professional life separate from their personal life. I would argue that one should support the other. They should work together, compoundly build, and create a better version of you. I do not want to work a job where I obsessively wait for the weekend escape. It’s my goal to continually work and strategize how to align the two better daily. I call this my “Work-Life-Youniverse.”

Physical Education Teacher
Youniversalife Leadership & Performance Platform
Youniversalife Lawn Care
Husband and Father
Faith

In theory, this life strategy is like repurposing content across social media platforms. When you create content in written form, you can repurpose it by creating a short video that supports that thought. I repurpose my leadership content, reshape it to fit the classroom and a large group context, and deliver it, hopefully resonating with my students. If my principal asked me for a curriculum on leadership, I would point to Youniversalife.com and show him a library of content I’ve crafted through years of work. I could confidently speak about leadership and performance for extended periods because I’ve accumulated content and archived it by various subtopics.

When I expand my Youniversalife Lawn Care business, I will draw from the leadership and performance knowledge I have acquired. I understand the nuances of relationship building and how to motivate individuals to perform at a high level. When they don’t perform, I know how to help them become productive employees for the company. I am well-versed in conflict resolution and how to navigate crises quickly. I have been developing these characteristics by no accident.

How can you implement the Work-Life-Youniverse strategy?

Step 1

Identify your passion that brings you great joy and fulfillment that can potentially be monetized with good strategy:

  • Physical Fitness
  • Nutrition
  • Budgeting
  • Writing
  • Investment Strategy
  • Landscaping
  • Welding
  • Carpentry
  • Coaching
  • Music

The possibilities are endless with enough creativity and willingness to work consistently.

Step 2

Pursue a career that brings value across several fronts

  • Income
  • Professional Development
  • Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • Acquired Equity in Your Company / Workplace
  • Childcare
  • Health Insurance
  • Corporate Gym Membership / Wellness Incentive Program
  • Paid Creation Time / Incentives for Creating Solutions and Products
  • Helping Others
Step 3

Create a business plan that binds your passion and primary career together. The time margin that exists in your career provides room for your passion. A business plan is a roadmap for its operation. The final destination may not be known, but the initial steps can be strategized. Identify the initial components that must exist to get it off the ground. When these steps are completed, additional steps begin to come into focus. Taking action is the most important piece of the journey.

Today’s business climate is ripe with opportunity. The e-commerce industry alone has opened avenues for opportunity that didn’t exist 10 years ago. Shopify is an e-commerce sales platform that allows anyone to create a shop, create products, drop-ship, or even sell print-on-demand items. Once your business plan is established and you build your brand identity, you are immediately ready to create and sell online. Create your brand digital designs with Canva or Photoshop and transfer them to products in your online store. Market your brand and designs on your personal social media, and BOOM, you’re now operating your first business. You may sell 2 products in year 1, but that’s passive income that didn’t exist before and requires little attention after establishing the store and brand.

Expanding Your Brand Across Multiple Industries of Passion

When you create a business plan and name for your business/platform, do it to expand the brand across multiple industries of passion. Do not box your brand in with a niche specific name. Research names that are available for use online. Find out if there is already a domain name or website online. When creating a website, effective keyword research is vital. You must determine what others search for through Google and other search engines. Do not neglect this step because it can expedite your growth.

Forward-thinking is a key strategy for success. You must always think 5 steps ahead and forecast what will come. There may be blindspots along the way, but you shouldn’t be naive to opportunity. Successful businessman Patrick Bet-David discusses the next 5 moves in his book Your Next Five Moves. I love his take on how alignment is the key to fulfillment. He suggests that we keep these four points in mind:

  • Your vision must align with the ideal future self.
  • Your choices must align with your vision.
  • Your effort level must match the magnitude of your vision.
  • Your values and principles must be the support pillars of your behaviors.

This framework allows you to plan for the future and identify markets where you can win the game. Or take it from another successful entrepreneur Alex Hormozi, who takes a deep dive into how to make your passion a business reality in an Interview with Chris Williamson. He emphasizes identifying the things you don’t want to do or be and relentlessly moving in the opposite direction. This identified course of action leads you to potential business ideas.

Wrap Up

Not all passions and interests should be monetized. An argument could be made that life requires time for leisure, and we shouldn’t mix it with monetization. Codie Sanchez discusses this debate with guest Ali Abdaal on her BigDeal Podcast . They both have mixed feelings on the subject but agree that if the concept fits your lifestyle and you find joy, pursue it. When the pursuit becomes a grind, we should distance ourselves from monetizing our feel-good passions.

Find what fits you and be curious. If you’ve found this post interesting, continue reading the Youniversalife Archive and listening to the Youniversalife Podcast. Thank you for your support, and remember to Keep Moving Forward.

Can Leadership Skills Be Taught?

Leadership

We are designed to lead. From a young age, everyone wants to be the line leader. We all wanted to be first to go. This is our God-given mission from the start that eventually is distorted along the way. This distortion comes in the form of social judgment or lack of willpower that has deteriorated over time, possibly due to trauma. Somewhere along the way, we experience events that dictate our continued drive to lead. This leads to the question, can leadership skills be taught?

Leadership Deterioration

Leadership is hard and leaves us vulnerable to self and social ridicule. To combat leadership deterioration, we must concentrate on leadership skills. There are countless resources available to teach leadership. Most fictional stories include a hero with magnetic leadership ability. The knight in shining armor displays the will to fight, which is leadership in action. The knight saves the day and wins the beauty’s heart.

Varsity Blues

In the 1999 classic Varsity Blues, the backup quarterback “Mox,” played by James Van Der Beek, silently sits on the bench behind the star player. Mox was far more interested in pursuing an Ivy League education post-high school. This was counter-cultural, where football was life in his small Texas town. When a season-ending injury thrust Mox into the starting role, he tapped into his innate leadership ability, ultimately leading his team to a district championship. It may be argued that his intellect and academic pursuits led to field success. His intellectual abilities eventually translated to leadership and victory. Not to mention, he had a cannon for an arm. Ask his Dad’s nose!

There are several examples of leadership within the Varsity Blues cinematic experience. Coach Kilmer is the old-school, ball-busting, win-at-all-cost head coach. His players eventually refused to perform for him. Then there was the primary starting QB Lance Harbor, played by Paul Walker, who was unfortunately injured but coached the game-winning drive from the sideline after Coach Kilmer left midgame.

Locate Times of Influence

Great leadership is often found when we seize the moment. Every moment looks different, and we must acquire awareness to identify opportunities to step forward. It is our leadership radar that helps us to locate times of influence. Your radar initially announces small and brief blips in opportunity. As we acquire leadership skills and educate ourselves on the world, our radar systems become a high-functioning mechanism. We learn to read our environment with all senses.

Lion Tracker

I encourage you to listen to an interview on the Become Good Soil Podcast hosted by Morgan Snyder of Wild at Heart Ministries and the author of Becoming a King. He speaks with a fellow author and former lion tracker, Boyd Varty, who wrote The Lion’s Tracker Guide to Life. Boyd elaborately describes how lion and wildlife trackers read their environment to locate their animals. He draws perfect parallels in how we scan our environment to pursue the Holy Spirit. The more we do it, the better we become, and we subconsciously grow in our awareness of moments where the Holy Spirit exists.

Boyd Varty talks about how trackers will read the grass, identify scratches on the ground, discover paw prints, and look for disturbed brush. As leaders, we must do the same and train our senses to discover the trail where leadership moments exist. Once we identify these, we implement the skills acquired through training and study to maximize our ability to influence others and create positive outcomes.

Leadership is like stalking a lion, as I imagine it, filled with adrenaline, fear, excitement, and patience. These sensations all exist in moments of influential leadership. Choose to go and courageously influence change. We’ll eventually discover that our leadership ability grows with each moment.

Follow the Trail

If you’ve found this blog post helpful, continue your quest of discovery by visiting the Youniversalife Archive. You’ll find additional leadership insight and further your leadership identity.

Feel free to share any article or podcast episode you’ve enjoyed. By doing this, it helps the show grow. Thank you so much!

Building Your Winning Team

Inspiration

I recently touched on the importance of aligning yourself with influential people and establishing mentors. When seeking mentors, we must note that we seek the uncommon with the intention of building your winning team. There should be a significant desire to find others different from ourselves and those around us by embracing their uniqueness. We must become excellent at identifying uncommon behavior. I compare it to growing your professional scouting department. Every professional sports team has a group of scouts. It’s their job to identify and recruit the best talent for their team. A considerable amount of resources are dedicated to this task. We must scout for influential mentors and search for talent to build our organization.    

Great scouts have a unique ability to read people, where they look for specific and uncommon behaviors. Uncommon behavior comes in many forms. We seek world-changers, people actively pursuing a better life for themselves and those around them. They are continually attempting to bring value to their space. This value steadily increases and radiates contagious energy. They are not moved by the world but by a higher power. They are students of life.  

Let’s face it; we are all people watchers. It is in human nature to read and learn from others. Watching others interact from afar and see how they move through the day-to-day is fascinating. We all wish to comprehend people. If we’re to build our organization, there are key scouting categories we look at:    

Scouting categories

  • Personality
  • Humor
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Steadfastness
  • Voice
  • Embrace the weird

Within each category, a personal DNA exists. This DNA can be transmitted to others. It is contagious. We instinctively take on some of their mannerisms when interacting with someone for an extended period. We take on other’s sub-identities. We pick up on traits and apply them to our lives. Our lives are constructed through these interactions. By placing this into perspective, we must recognize the importance of being around positive influencers.  

In the book 1776 by ‎David McCullough, he examines the unique qualities of General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. He explains how Washington was in constant search for world changers. He knew the importance of placing influential men around him to support the cause, eventually leading to freedom. McCullough describes the quality of each man. One man he continually called on and respected was Henry Knox. He was an extraordinary man who was a bookseller before the war. Washington recognized his passion and placed his trust in him. Henry and his men moved 59 artillery pieces from Fort Ticonderoga, 300 miles over treacherous terrain, to Boston. A job that seemed impossible was accomplished by world-changers and later helped win the war. 

Seek out the best! Allow them to infiltrate your life and influence your behaviors. Write a list of qualities that you wish to possess. These are foundational elements that can be built. Be the scout that brings you life’s championships. You should always seek to build your winning team.

Wrap Up

If you’ve found this article helpful, slide over to the Youniversalife Archive, where you’ll find extensive leadership help. You can also check out the Influences Page, which lists literature and podcasts that shape my winning team.

Leading by Faith

Leadership

The end game may not be known, but with faith, leaders can confidently pursue betterment for all.

When we step into leadership, we do so in faith. Leading by faith means we push forward with the intention of discovering the destination. The end game may not be known, but with faith, leaders can confidently pursue betterment for all. With no faith, we may have a distorted view of what the ideal mission is.

Why Leadership Skills Are Important

Leadership

I’m searching for ways to expand my leadership skills. For the past year, I have been completing my Educational Leadership Degree. It has inspired me to shift my content toward leadership and performance. I have a unique opportunity to use my platform to educate students inside and outside the classroom. While I teach high school physical education, I can also teach students who seek to expand their leadership capabilities through postsecondary education. The many Youniversalife Platforms provide content for effective leadership development and teach others why leadership skills are important.

Many teachers and coaches possess fantastic leadership skills. I work with many talented and influential leaders who inspire and direct teenagers daily. When you teach a room of 30 high schoolers, your leadership skills better be on point. The most effective teachers who inspire learning can implement routines and establish excellent communication with their students. Ineffective teachers lack these two critical components. Quality educators understand the power of influence. 

Leadership is Influence

Influence is the capacity to have a lasting impact on behavior, character, and development. Many types of influence exist in our lives.

  • Relationship builders
  • Storytellers
  • Comics
  • Commanding presence / Confidence
  • Good looks
  • Mesmerizing voice / articulate
  • Great listeners
  • The Gritty and Determined
  • The Fit
  • The Educated

Jimmy Casas supports the idea that teachers are highly effective leaders. In his book “Culturize” he explains that teachers are well-versed and hold 100 daily interactions. With each conversation, teachers can have an influential impact that leads students in one way or the other. Teacher leaders are consciously encouraging others for the good. Their words hold tremendous weight and can ultimately culturize the educational space, homes, and community.

Most people who are not in the education profession would marvel at the number of interactions & conversations school teachers and leaders have on a daily basis.

Jimmy Casas

How do we utilize those with influence?

In his book Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell identifies “Connectors” as people who can spread information at scale. They are individuals who possess a vast network of social connections. Connectors have a unique ability to connect people across various social groups. They form bridges to different social circles when spreading information, trends, and ideas. These individuals have a broad network of acquaintances, which includes people they may not know well but who connect to different social clusters.

Connecting

Leaders can use Connectors to their advantage. Identify these people within the organization who have influence and vast social circles. Build relationships with them and give ownership to essential areas of influence. Meet with them regularly to communicate information that needs diffusing. This starts with sharing the mission and vision. They must believe in these foundational elements and show value to those around them.

In an educational setting, leadership can identify teachers and students who are Connectors. There may be a veteran professional teacher who colleagues and students admire. They are known for their ability to build and maintain relationships. They are empathetic and often go out of their way to meet the needs of others. Student Connectors may be involved with several extracurriculars that surround them with many participants. They have a pulse on cultural trends and easily navigate social circles. Teachers and students often admire these students for their work ethic and ability to produce in and outside of the classroom.

Connectors tend to exhibit a growth mindset. They understand the value of relationships and how interactions teach them skills that are applied to multiple applications of their life. The Harvard Business Review has a collection of precious leadership articles. Carol Dwek, an American psychologist, writes about having a growth mindset and what it means. Her research found that those with a growth mindset believe their talents can be developed. They tend to accomplish far more than those with a fixed mindset, which is the belief that gifts are innate.

To Be Continued

In Part 2 of this two-part blog post, I will expand on how leadership can be developed through a “Growth Mindset.” In the meantime, head to the Youniversalife Archive and discover additional leadership content.

Like always, “Keep Moving Forward!”