In this episode of Life with Lori, host Lori Stai interviews Professor Jeff Willie, a veteran and Executive Director of the John Maxwell Team, and CEO of Jeff Willie Leadership.
Originally from East Texas and a poor family, Jeff joined the Air Force and traveled the world, realizing he was wealthy compared to many. He has been a college professor for 17 years, and has many years of experience in providing leadership. Jeff says that leadership is his ‘why’, his purpose, and calling in life to educate and coach leaders and educators, as the lack of good leadership is directly linked to the lack of success of people. He says leadership provides hope for the future.
Jeff talks to entrepreneurs about building their business and leading their teams and says he always tells them to go back to the basics. Everything has to be about solving a problem and meeting the needs for someone else and everything about business is about people, serving, and giving - you must have a character to serve others. Jeff says management is about things but leadership is about the people.
Jeff works with many entrepreneurs and is especially focused on church and educational leaders. As Jeff states, people don’t leave organizations, they leave bad leadership. Therefore, Jeff works with leaders to provide direction and development for employees that help them grow and stay in the organization. The leaders learn to invest in their employees with time and attention.
Jeff also works with leaders for personal development. He explains that the most important aspect for leaders to improve is reflection, also known as self-awareness. He says if you don’t know your blind spots, you should consider doing a leadership assessment to point out where you need to focus on improving. Next, he says you need an accountability coach to walk you through some of your challenges to help you succeed. Jeff points out that the hardest person to lead is yourself. The leader must continually grow themselves - it is not a sprint, it is a marathon.
Professor Jeff Willie can be contacted at www.jeffwillie.com. His website includes a free book club and upcoming events that are excellent resources for those in leadership.
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Music Credit: Paul Kosovich, track titled Blue Willow. For your custom tunes, call 941-468-4513.