What is Character? And How Do Leaders Develop It?
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Last week, I presented an idea that we have two sides of ourselves: a DOING Side and a BEING Side. The DOING Side represents our talent, knowledge, skills, and abilities. The higher we are on the DOING Side, the more capable we will be at performing specific tasks that are aligned with our talents, knowledge, […]
You Have a DOING Side AND a BEING Side
![Satya Nadella](https://ryangottfredson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Satya-Nadella-1024x683.jpg)
What do these people have in common: Bobby Knight, Michael Jackson, Lindsay Lohan, Shia LaBeouf, Naomi Campbell, Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Gordon Ramsay, and Tiger Woods? These are all people that are immensely talented, but have operated in a manner that reveals that they are perceived as having a flawed character. This similarity exposes an […]
Current State of Leadership Development
![A great place to work. Cropped portrait of a young businessman working in the boardroom.](https://ryangottfredson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/a-great-place-to-work-cropped-portrait-of-a-young-businessman-working-1024x684.jpg)
This week, Raymond Lee (President at CareerMinds) sent me a recently-released article published by Josh Bersin on the current state of leadership development. There are three key findings from Bersin’s research that I think are valuable for you to understand: What HR Investments have the Biggest Return on Investment? Of a long list of HR […]
The Three Biggest Mistakes that People Make When Trying to Upgrade Their Mindsets
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I have been fortunate to work with thousands of people to upgrade their mindsets. Of those that exert effort to improve their mindsets (which is unfortunately a minority of people), I have observed three common mistakes in their mindset development practices and efforts.In this article, I’ll identify what those mistakes are and how to counter […]
Why Leadership Development Needs to Focus on the Brain
![stressed female at work](https://ryangottfredson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/stressed-female-at-work-1024x684.jpg)
Over the last week, I have had two very similar percentages rolling around my head: In my blog post last week, I reported a finding that people with ADHD generally operate at 30% reduced ability across self-awareness, self-restraint, hindsight/foresight, time management, emotional self-control, self-motivation, and planning and problem-solving. In one of my most favorite TED […]
The Connection Between Leadership, ADHD, and Vertical Development
![brain pathways](https://ryangottfredson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/8308502_brain-pathways-1024x768.jpg)
If you haven’t followed my writings, here are some key things to understand: We have an internal operating system that dictates nearly all of our perceiving, thinking, and operation. Vertical development is a form of development that focuses on upgrading our internal operating system. The quality of our leadership is dictated by the quality and […]
The Four Most Common Differences Between Mind 2.0 Leaders and Mind 3.0 Leaders
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If you are unfamiliar with my material, I pull from adult development research, which has found that: Adults can develop in adulthood There are three different adult developmental stages (I call them Mind 1.0, Mind 2.0, & Mind 3.0). The higher the stage, the more effective one operates Most adults (64%) never develop in adulthood […]
Are You Truly Self-Aware?
![Meditation - Self awareness](https://ryangottfredson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/meditation-1024x1024.jpg)
In her TEDx Talk, Tasha Eurich reports that 95% of people think they are self-aware, yet only 10-15% are actually self-aware. That is such a huge disconnect! How can we explain that? It has not been until recently that I feel like I can clearly articulate why so many people are not nearly as self-aware […]
The True Quality of Our Mindsets Are Revealed During Times of Stress
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After people take my FREE Personal Mindset Assessment, it is common for me to receive an email that says something along the lines of, “The assessment said that I have a fixed mindset, but I DO NOT have a fixed mindset.” Then, they often will give several examples about how they have taken on a […]
Are You One of the Ones Who “Knows” Vertical Development?
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I have never struggled with an addiction or been involved with a “12 Step” program. But, I have been in meetings and gatherings, where I have observed something unique related to addiction, recovery, and 12 steps. In these gatherings, when someone acknowledges that they have “struggled with addiction,” “are in recovery,” or “have benefitted from […]