Foreword: Can Born Leaders Teach Others to Lead?
Bestselling author of
Customer Centered Selling
JV Venable is a born leader. You’d sense it if you ever stood near him. You’d know it if you ever heard him speak. You’d feel it if you ever shook his hand. His backstory is inspiring, and his accomplishments are amazing, but can a born leader like JV teach you to lead others?
Many leaders have been dogged by this same question. After all, if these skills are so innate, can they be consciously laid out in a process for others to learn and apply? Typically, those who are blessed with natural skills struggle to teach others the skills they so effortlessly command. This is because the skills that come so naturally are ones they have never really had to stop and assess.
If someone put a golf club in your hand and you could easily hit the ball 300 yards down the middle of the fairway, would you stop and study that swing? You might simply enjoy the gift you were born with. Now imagine that this same person decided to try to teach others how to duplicate that swing. It’s no coincidence that those who are born with certain gifts—academic or physical—typically make poor teachers.
Ironically, it’s far more common to find that the most effective teachers and coaches are not born with the skills they teach. Those skills did not come naturally to them. As a matter of fact, they learned those skills the hard way—by trial and error, bit by bit. Being consciously aware of every move you make allows you to naturally verbalize those lessons to others.
Every now and then, however, someone comes along who is the exception to this rule, and in this case that person is JV Venable. He was born to lead, and he was given the opportunity to study his gift from his time as the commander and demonstration leader of the US Air Force Thunderbirds. He led a 1,100-member combat group on flying missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he was an Air Force officer and fighter pilot with 26 years on the point. It is the combination of the instinctive skills and the conscious understanding of exactly what those skills are that can make someone an exceptional teacher.
What makes this book a treasure is not based on JV’s accomplishments but rather on the way JV can help you accomplish great things. In Breaking the Trust Barrier, JV has successfully and clearly articulated the leadership skills necessary for you to be successful with your teams. How does he do this? He inspires, entertains, and motivates you through his ability to not just tell a story but to provide a clear moral to that story and tie that moral to a defined leadership action.
JV doesn’t just want to tell you how to be a more effective leader; he sincerely wants you to succeed at it. He starts by getting you to look at your team and identify gaps that can cause a lack of competence. Then he walks youthrough the commitment you extend to those you lead, the often small acts of loyalty that further the interests of those behind you. There is a big surge of energy when, due to the trust you have created, you can lead others to take the drag from your draft.
This book offers far more than just inspirational stories that generate an idea or two. In fact, what’s presented here are repeatable, step-by-step processes that are measurable and therefore implementable. In turn you learn a systematic approach to leadership that can be adapted instantly to fit virtually any situation or scenario. Seek more in the pages that follow, and you will be handsomely rewarded.
There is one learning demon that you’ll need to beware of—especially if you are already a good leader. This is the voice in your head that whispers: I’m already an effective leader. Isn’t that good enough? Being too good to learn more or to think you can’t improve on your leadership skills just doesn’t make sense.
When I was a 21-year-old insurance agent for New York Life, I learned an invaluable lesson that I’d like to share. It was decided that we would try filming the insurance agents and give them an opportunity to evaluate their performances. In addition, I would provide feedback. I was pretty green, but I was coached on what to look for, and I was ready to go.
A form was placed in everyone’s mailbox. It spoke about this new and rare opportunity to view one’s approach to selling and get some feedback. It was a mandatory exercise for all 21 of the recently hired apprentice field underwriters (AFUs) but optional for the other 57 agents. Of these 57 agents, 52 were tenured agents and five wereChairman’s Council agents—the most successful agents in the country representing the top 2.5 percent of the sales force. At the bottom of the form, to help with scheduling, it was requested that all agents respond either yes or no. What followed was something I will never forget.
Of the 78 forms that were returned, as expected all 21 AFUs requested various filming dates and times. Not one of the 52 tenured agents chose to take advantage of this learning experience, and, ironically, the only agents who wanted to participate were all five Chairman’s Council agents. In other words, the top agents in the country were the only ones who wanted to learn how to be even better agents. But wait, there’s more.
Many of the AFUs were a little put off by the experience, going through the motions and casually nodding at the feedback they received. When the Chairman’s Council agents came through, each one had a pad of paper and never stopped asking questions and taking notes. Each of the Chairman’s Council agents—five of our best in the country—came to the filming obsessed with getting better.
What those five agents taught me was that there are many common traits that successful people share. One trait that seemed of paramount importance was a desire to improve, no matter what one’s current level of success might be.
Now let’s apply this lesson to this book. You’ve accomplished the hard part; you’ve picked this book up. You may already be a good leader—but reading this book will help you be an even better leader. You’ll need to think about it and digest the messages. You’ll want to try to implement the lessons you will learn, and if you do that, you’ll see yourleadership skills improve. You’ll want to thank JV Venable for writing this book because he will make you a better leader. You’ve come this far, now go even further and let a born leader and exceptional teacher take you further than you could ever imagine.