I have a few thoughts on the Leadership (Squared) Worksop I attended this past week.
I work here. I have read I AM LEADER in-full twice and thumbed-through it at least 25 times. I built this social network and have been steeped in “Leadership” for the past 4 months. I understood it. I was confident that I had connected ALL the dots on my own and felt like I had figured it out… I hadn’t. I didn’t. I was only on the edge of the city. Context, relationships and nuance matter and that is what I got in the workshop. I saw the plugs and wires and saw the entire thing light up like a parade float.
The books lay out a clear and executable strategy, but the workshop was a left hook to the jaw. It was a semester in college taught in two days. How I thought and felt was completely different after attending Leadership (Squared). I now truly understand just how deep this goes. I now understand how powerful the books and architecture are. There is an architecture and it’s being used on you and everyone you know - daily.
The workshop was not how to do this, or maybe try that, it’s a direct execution of psychology, Leadership, business, personal growth, and creativity class all in one. I thought I was there to observe, there to see what can be improved, etc., but I was sucked in (somewhat against my will) and riveted from minute #1. I took 9 pages of notes, participated fully, didn’t feel time passing, and left with a million new thoughts and some really fundamental questions I will ask of the world from now-on. As a side note: when given an opportunity to share/speak, attendees can pass or participate; we had 100% participation.
The only analogy I can use to get the feeling I had across is that of viewing professional athletes up close. If you’ve ever been next to NFL, NBA or Olympic athletes, then you’ll know what I mean. There’s something different about those people that you can sense - and it’s not just the size or the muscles - it’s their aura and the way they move is "otherworldly". You know their sport and played their sport, but seeing them do it, you realize it is a whole other world in which they exist!
When the lecture content begins tying itself together, it has the same type of effect that seeing a 230 lb. NFL running back break 6 tackles and streak down the sideline to score. You're left with, "Whoa. What just happened? Did you see how fast he was? WTF?"
Every section, every exercise, and every video clip throws you into a corner that you didn’t expect was even there. You are given a flashlight and invited to look into your own corners and that is where the most powerful moments lie. When you are having a profound moment, it’s powerful, but when you look around and see an entire room experiencing the same thing, it’s special. It’s something you will never forget.
Nothing about the workshop is easy, but why would anyone want “easy” from a workshop designed to shatter your assumptions and rebuild your eyes to focus a new kind of x-ray vision? The phrase, “behind the veil” was used several times, and it truly does lift the veil on the system and game being played by everyone from governments to corporations to business magnates, leaders, star personalities and everyone else with an entranced following. It is a formula - not magic.
So, if you think you are missing something. If you have a hunch that there is more to the world than you are being told. If you feel stuck or off-course. If people think your opinions are “weird” or “crazy”... you’re on to the truth! I recommend you attend this workshop and see just how changed you can become in two days.
Then, I had the best meal of my life! A 9 course, gourmet feast that was an adventure in itself. Amazing food, incredible wine pairings and conversation for hours! It was really a cool, valuable experience for me and one of the most important things I have done.
Put it this way: A company had a few employees attend the class; the following week they bought-out the ENTIRE NEXT CLASS and are sending 30 more employees to it. That is not a cheap move, but it WILL be the most valuable one they may ever make.
Matthew - Book #356