
This blog has been written since 2007 by Rhett Laubach, professional speaker, leadership expert, owner of YourNextSpeaker, LLC and Co-Founder of PLI, Inc. Ryan Underwood, CEO of TRI Leadership, LLC and Co-Founder of PLI, Inc., is a contributing author. The purpose of this writing is to help you develop leadership and life skills.
4.14.2010
Skill Assessment: Grow Into Who You Used To Be
I have the great privilege once again of speaking to my alma mater this afternoon - Oklahoma State University. I will have 75 leaders from across the campus in Tulsa for two hours. The program is one I created a few years back called the Unmade Leader. The concept is very simple - leaders are born and then unmade. It is based on research and observations that as young people we have many traits that make us great leaders. Then over time, because of pride, failures, peer pressure, misguided priorities, etc., those traits become diluted, diminished or deleted.
The program today is built on seven specific traits we tend to lose as we age, get more educated and/or get more experienced. Two examples are energy and trust. Being young is synonymous with having a ton of energy. Age naturally changes this. However, great leaders are able to defy nature and maintain an energetic mind, body and spirit. This allows them to not only get more done, but also inspire others to do the same. A positive, active attitude is highly contagious.
Our perspective of trust also changes as we grow older, more educated and more experienced. The major change that negatively impacts leadership effectiveness is thinking you are above the laws - both the small and big ones. There is an innocence that we lose over time that distorts our thinking about how we do life. We think that because we are adults or professionals we can bend rules. A small example is responding to voice mails or emails. When you get a request from someone, it is not only unprofessional, but also damaging to your trust account to allow a long period of time to pass before you respond. The distorted thinking is, "my time and attention is more valuable than your need for even a small portion of it." This is your ego getting in the way of good manners and trust building.
The big challenge of this afternoon's program will be to "grow into who you used to be." Many times we are so focused on learning more, doing more, getting more education, getting more professional development, etc. when the reality may be that you need to start forgetting some ways you have learned and grow back into the powerful leader you used to be.
By the way, the other five leadership traits that become diluted, diminished or deleted over time are: optimism, decisiveness, authenticity, appreciation and growth.
10.05.2007
Unmade Leader: Some Switches On... Some Switches Off
I have spent the week traveling Colorado and speaking to over 1,600 high school students. It is amazing to see the wide range of leadership abilities. We have seen students on both ends of all seven Leadership Switches we discuss in The Unmade Leader.
We have seen students who were...
Very trustworthy... and students who broke our trust.
Very energetic... and students who were totally lethargic.
Curious about leadership, business, and improvement... and students who could care less.
Walking around with eyes wide open... and students who spent the conference not even looking for meaning.
Attracting others with smiles and encouragement... and students doing everything they could to keep people away.
Making great decisions... and students making poor decisions.
Comfortable with who they are... and students who were desperately trying to be somebody else.
The only downside of the type of training I do most of the time is I never really get to find out why students have their Leadership Switches turned on or off. No matter the reason, those of us who understand the power of the Switches need to just...
1. Work hard to keep our Switches on.
2. Remember the passive power of leading by example.
3. Encourage others that have their Switches already on to keep them that way.

Processing Questions for PLI Curriculum Teachers/Trainers:
1. Are any of your switches turned off?
2. What makes leaders turn off their switches?
3. What are some strategies that you can use to help ensure you keep your switches on?
8.09.2007
Unmade Leader: Leaders are born, not made!
1. Everyone was born with the capacity for leadership.
2. It is true that a number of characteristics and skill sets of leaders fit in the category of "learned" or "made."
3. However, the most important traits of individuals that demonstrate effective leadership (what we call Expert Leaders) are those they were naturally born with.
4. The PRIMARY REASON why I believe and why I teach to my thousands of audience members, every day and every month and every year, that leaders are born and not made is because I believe that every single individual, no matter position, education, disability, ability or talent came into this world with the ingredients necessary to effectively and persuasively have a positive influence on the situations and people around them (my CORE definition of leadership).
5. Because I believe number four to be true, I believe the BIG characteristics that result in Expert Leadership, those elements that literally turn a leader's ability to positively influence others on or off, are the characteristics we all possess naturally.
6. Therefore, any human being who wishes to become an Expert Leader need firstly not to seek training or learning or development to get there. They simply must recognize, tap into, harness and use the natural abilities with which they were born.
7. Then from there, they must learn the smaller, yet sometimes very important, skills, behaviors and systems that are required of them for their particular leadership role or roles.
8. Why do I believe this to be true? That Expert Leaders are born and not made? Because time and time again I have watched, coached or been led by leaders who have professionalism, they know how to coach a situation, they have critical thinking skills, they possess charisma, they can hold a conversation with strangers, or they can command the attention of an audience of 5 or 5,000. But they STILL ARE NOT FULLY realizing the potential of their Expert Leadership because they have forgotten to develop or diminished the importance of those traits with which they have had from birth.
The Natural Born Leader Traits (We call them LeaderSwitches)
Trustworthiness
Energy
Curiosity
Awe
Attraction
Decisiveness
Authenticity
9. So, I am not saying that individuals either were born with the ability to lead others or they weren't (which is what most people think of when they think of the concept of "leaders are born and not made.)
10. What I am asking you to comment back on (and to forward this post to at least 3 friends/peers/family members/etc. and ask them to comment back on) is that the reason why we teach that leaders are born and not made is because we want to reinforce in others that if you want to grow your influence and/or have a more positive influence on those around you, it is not PRIMARILY a matter of learning new skills or taking new classes. It is PRIMARILY a matter of simply acting upon and having your behavior directed by talents and knowledge and basic human instincts that have been a part of you since you were you. Those are the doors that will get you into the rooms you wish to walk around in. Once you are in the room, you can learn what you must to capitalize on that experience.
PLEASE COMMENT BACK WITH YOUR FEEDBACK, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS. We are 60% of the way through our book called "The Unmade Leader" and your feedback will prove to be very insightful and helpful during this research phase of the authorship! Thanks in advance!
7.25.2007
General: Survey for 07-08 State CTSO Officers
7.24.2007
Unmade Leader: Born or Made?
Why do we say leaders are born? I believe Expert Leaders demonstrate a set of “leaderly” behaviors that are mostly learned (thus providing support to those who think leaders are made.) However, I also believe that behavior is not a solitary system. In other words, we behave in a certain way because of something else. In The Unmade Leader we call this “something else” for leaderly behavior a Switch. A Switch is a leadership characteristic that someone is born with and that makes a HUGE impact on their leadership effectiveness; that literally switches their ability to make a positive influence on or off. (The Switches we discuss in The Unmade Leader are Trustworthiness, Awe, Energy, Curiosity, Authenticity, Attraction and Decisiveness.)
So, I believe that leaders are born with the big things they need to be an Expert Leader. From there we learn the behaviors necessary to allow these Switches to come to life.
Are leaders born or made? Born with the big things. We can make the little things.
6.11.2007
The Unmade Leader: The Mentos Moment
5.29.2007
The Unmade Leader: The Preview Book is Available!

[Click on the label below to learn more about The Unmade Leader concept...]
4.27.2007
The Unmade Leader: The Jinga Moment

We are all born with others trusting us. The human baby is the international symbol of trust, kindness and innocence.
At some moment, that trust is switched off. It is similar to the Hasbro® game of Jinga. We build a tower of trust blocks. We then begin a precarious process of taking the blocks out (breaking trust with others) and placing them back on top (trying to rebuild that trust). We feel like we are succeeding, but in reality we are breaking down the integrity of our trust tower and if this pattern continues it will fall and the rebuilding process will be long and arduous.
Effective leaders understand the power of developing the correct patterns in life that serve to maintain their tower as is and they avoid the process of taking out and replacing trust blocks. They keep their blocks in place. If and when trust is diluted or damaged, they take the time to very carefully put the block right back in place. It takes time. It takes focus. But it is worth it.
An example is the pattern of Stop, Drop and ROLLL....
Stop... When you recognize that trust has been diluted or damaged, stop what you are doing and respond to it.
Drop... Drop your pride, drop your emotion (very difficult to do) and drop any old negative patterns that you know will prevent you from getting to the ROLLL.
ROLLL...
Respect the other person first. When trust has been damaged, you need to focus on the person involved, not the process. Show them you recognize you were wrong. Apologize. Be humble. Ask their opinion on the situation and deal with the circumstances second. Deal with the relationship first.
Open the dialogue with seeking to understand the other person’s position first. Then work to help them understand your position and interests second.
Listen Like a Leader. After the dialogue has begun, your task is to listen like a leader. Effective leaders listen intently, actively, purposefully, and openly. They don’t just wait to talk. They purposefully listen.
4.23.2007
The Unmade Leader: American Airlines and The Middle Earth Moment

The Middle Earth Moment is when a person focuses more on what's going on in their own little world, ignores the needs of someone else and consquently damages their own ability to create value. On a recent trip home from speaking, I encountered someone who had a Middle Earth Moment. She was the "at-the-gate-take-your-ticket-service-engineer" for American Airlines. I travel frequently and have built up upgrades I use to move from coach to first-class. As I checked-in I asked if I could upgrade. She responded in haste that first-class was full. I said ok and walked to my 19D seat. After they closed the airplane doors, I checked the seating in first-class. There were 6 empty seats! She simply didn't want to deal with my request (which would have required her to re-issue me a new ticket - a process that averages about 2 minutes).
Her Middle Earth Moment caused her to think, "my need of getting everyone onboard is greater than this passenger's need for great customer service." Because in the end, it wasn't so much about not having my request filled, it was more that she deliberately lied to make her life easier.
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4.19.2007
The Unmade Leader: Brainstorming the Book...
April 18, 2007 "The Unmade Leader" Brainstorming Output
Click on the image to enlarge
- The left-hand column are the traits we are born with that contribute to our leadership effectiveness. They are in red are called "Switches."
- The opposite of each Switch is in black text and in parenthesises.
- The dynamic that exists that can keep the Switch on is in black text and in brackets.
- The Switches are turned on naturally from birth and then something happens to switch them off. These are called the Unmaking Moments. They are green in the middle column.
- Each Switch and Moment corresponds with one of the PLI Essentials. They are in blue in the right-hand column.
4.17.2007
The Unmade Leader: The Green Grass Moment

4.13.2007
The Unmade Leader: Can Leaders be Remade?
What is a leader?
Are leaders born with everything they need to lead?
What does unmade mean?
What are other moments that unmake leaders?
4.11.2007
The Unmade Leader: What Are Other Moments That Unmake Leaders?
Enthusiasm for life - The Energy Scales Moment. The phrase "youthful enthusiasm" is used often to describe the energy level of young people. Interestingly enough it is also a trait identified in highly effective leaders. A multitude of books and article have been written on the critical trait of a high energy level. However, at some moment something changes and our scales of energy tip to the lazy, idle, drab, unexcited side. For many people, this one dynamic alone is sufficient enough to unmake their ability to move from an entry level leader to an expert level leader.

[Click on a label below to see all posts for that Essential...]
4.10.2007
The Unmade Leader: What does unmade mean?
The "unmaking" that this concept speaks to is the process of a person, who is born with most of the natural gifts and qualities that they need to positively influence others, experiencing moments in their life where they dilute, change, damage or downright lose these gifts and qualities. Here are a few examples (the trait we are born with is first and the moment of unmaking is second).

4.09.2007
The Unmade Leader: Are Leaders Born With Everything They Need to Lead?
"Leaders are born and then unmade."
We are unpacking what that means and why I believe that way. We started with the question, "born with what?" Then we asked "what is a leader?" Today the question is "are leaders born with everything they need to lead?"
The obvious answer is no. However, upon further thought we find that the answer is actually yes (at a very basic level). John Maxwell says that, "Leadership is influence." When we use this definition of leadership as our foundation, we can say that at some basic level everyone is a leader because everyone has some type of influence on others and this dynamic starts at birth.
However, this only explains the entry level of leadership. For leaders to move beyond this point to the emerging, engaged and expert levels, they must actively apply their natural traits, learn the wordly standards and conduct codes that go along with the type of leadership they need to perform and watch closely that they do not fall victim to the "unmaking moments" that can ruin leaders.
So, are leaders born with everything they need to lead? Yes at an entry level. No at an advanced level.
4.06.2007
The Unmade Leader: What is a leader?
4.05.2007
The Unmade Leader: Born With What?
- Enthusiasm for life
- Curiosity of everything
- Courage to risk boldly
- Happiness to laugh
- Affection to care
- Thirst for information
- Confidence to ask questions
- Spirit to trust
- Internal compass to know right from wrong
[Click on the label below to see all posts for that Essential...]
4.03.2007
The Unmade Leader: Are Leaders Born or Made?
One camp thinks leaders are born - that people either have or don't have the qualities and traits to effectively influence others.
Another camp believes leaders are made - that the skills it takes to lead are partly genetic, but mostly learned.
A concept I would like you to consider and then analyze how it applies to your leadership journey is that leaders are born and then overtime they are unmade through the struggles and trials of life. Meaning that everyone is born with ears to listen, a mouth to smile, a heart to care, a conscience that knows right from wrong, a spirit of enthusiasm, etc. and then overtime we slowly lose those or we do not get rewarded properly for using those.
Now, we still must learn the mechanics of effective leadership (eye contact, time management, intellectual pursuits, etc.), but chiefly our purpose is to not let others, the pressures of life, the really good times or the really bad times to unmake our inherent ability to be an effective leader.
4.02.2007
Integrity: What I Believe
Belief I
I believe God is the creator of heaven and earth and I believe Jesus Christ is my personal savior. Which is a good thing because I struggle at life sometimes. But every time I make a mistake, I know He's got my back. This belief also allows me to have a self-worth that isn't based on my behavior or other people's opinions or in comparison with my peers or society. My self-worth is worth more than I will ever be able to comprehend (so is yours by the way.)
Belief II
I believe my most important task in life is to be a great husband. Three reasons why...
- My wife is my best friend and I want to keep her loved and happy! It is a phenomenal place to be when you know that your actions every day, big and small, are bringing joy to your best friend. I also have the benefit of having a strong mental anchor that keeps me focused on how lucky I am to have the most beautiful woman in the world (she's pretty cute on the outside, too) as my best friend. I still vividly remember the first time I met Ashley in January of 1997 and I still remember thinking, "Whoever marries this gal is going to be one lucky guy."
- I believe that being the best husband I can be is the most important thing I can do to be the best father I can be. This means that of all the things I need to do to be a great father, and that list is long, doing what I need to do to be a great husband will have the greatest impact on my daughters. I want them to see and feel and know what true love and commitment to another person looks like.
- I believe many of society's ills would be closer to being solved if we had a wide-spread epidemic of fathers being better fathers. Especially the fathers of our young boys. Because if we don't solve that problem, helping the fathers of boys be great fathers, then we have a self-perpetuating problem that nothing else will wholly fix.
I believe everyone is born with what it basically takes to be a positive leader. We were all born with ears to listen, not just hear; mouths to build others up, not just tear others down; eyes to see the good, not just the bad; minds to learn, not just to waste; and hearts to care, not just to beat. The great leadership question of our time is,"Are leaders born or made?" I believe leaders are born and then they are un-made. Our ability to listen, to build others up, to see the good, to learn and to care become filtered and weakened and neglected and over time the leader in us becomes un-made. We teach each other not to be leaders by criticizing and demoralizing those who step away from the pack and risk boldly. We have also created too many very attractive reasons to be a negative leader.
- At home - We can get a $99 divorce and have half of our adult peers to lean on for reasons why it was acceptable and prudent to not follow-through on the most important commitment we will ever make.
- At school - We can cheat on our tests and still get the grades we need because we are mainly tested on whether or not we got the answer right on paper instead of being tested on how we went about answering the question.
- At work - We can lie, cheat and steal our way to the highest rung on the "success ladder" and no one is there to boldly convince us that we aren't truly a success because our ladder is leaning on a wall of dishonesty, deceit and moral bankruptcy.
These three beliefs operate as magnets for how the ten PLI Essentials manifest themselves in my life. They impact greatly my Vision, my Integrity, my Innovativeness, my Wise Judgment, my Service-Mindedness, my Goal Processing, my Skill Assessment, my Emotional Maturity, my ability to Foster Relationships and my Masterful Communication. What impacts yours?