The key to establishing authentic influence it to first establish trust. The more trust you have with others, the more influence you will have with them.

Authentic influence is always better than artificial influence. Here's a story from the shop floor to illustrate just how important establishing authentic influence can be. The boss told me I would need an interpreter to speak to the people in one of his departments because none spoke English. However, they always spoke English to me.

Authentic influence is based on moral authority, your character. Artificial influence is based on formal authority, your position, title, rank, etc. Authentic influence is always better than artificial influence.

John C. Maxwell said it best, "Leadership is influence. Nothing more. Nothing less. Everything rises and falls on leadership." A few thoughts on one of the most important things I learned from John Maxwell.

A few simple thoughts about what it means to invest in yourself. If you're in the blue-collar workforce, odds are your employer will develop you to do the job because that's required. However, they aren't likely to develop you beyond what's required. If you want to climb to the next level and beyond, start intentionally investing in yourself. If you do, you'll quickly separate yourself from the crowd.

In this episode, I talk a little about passion, purpose, and sacrifice as I share a little about my transition from Lean Manufacturing/Process Improvement Consultant to Motivational Speaker/Trainer/Coach/Mentor. And, I get a little fired up talking about investing in ourselves. If we won't invest in ourselves, why should anyone else?

Learn how stepping away from the corporate world (my "J-O-B") to follow my passion for leading lean/process improvement teams created the space I needed to discover my purpose: teaching and speaking about leadership development and personal growth.

In Part 3, I share a little about the impact choosing to invest my time to earn a 4 year degree while working 6-7 days a week 10, 12, 14, and even 16 hours a day. However, it took me about 7-8 years to get that 4 year degree. But, it served its purpose. It served as the key to a door that I wanted to open.

Learn a little about the beginning of my career at my second manufacturing plant where I started operating, band saws, CNC lathes, mills, drills, and gear shapers.