About My Leadership Book – The Coach: Conversations On Leadership
I am passionate about leadership and leadership development. I believe that the health of businesses, non-profits, classrooms, sports teams, and families all hinge on the quality of their leadership. Using a story based approach, I have described key leadership principles in The Coach: Conversations on Leadership.
In this leadership book, you can read a story and learn the lessons at the same time.
It is currently available as an eBook. The print version is coming soon at the Principle Driven Consulting Online Store.
What this book is all about:
Read the story of a coaching relationship between a business owner and his coach as they work through common and difficult leadership issues in this business parable. Listen to their conversations and learn from their experiences.
From this engaging story, you will learn how to apply sound leadership principles in your life.
Sample Text:
It’s a beautiful, early summer day, and I still can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t quite right. Two years ago, I was at the top of my game as a successful, young officer in the United States Navy Submarine force. In fact, on the day I left my last ship, the USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN 640), I received my second Navy Achievement Medal for excellent performance. I left the Navy as the excited and energetic Lt. Carl S. Daniels, USN. Now, just two years later, I’m Carl Daniels, the frustrated and disillusioned general contractor.
Launching the business looked easy – buy a franchise, hire the right staff, and work hard to build a future for my family. The first few months were difficult, and they were rewarding. Just before leaving the Navy, I purchased a franchise territory in my home state of Georgia from a successful remodeling company franchisor. In only six months, I built the business to a profitable status. Right from the start I was on a roll. The business grew quickly. I was paying off my business loan, and I was making money. Within nine months, the business grew to the point that I needed to start hiring a professional staff. I could no longer keep track of all the sales, production, customer service and accounting issues on my own. Following the business plan created by the franchise company, I began to hire a staff to help me grow the business.
The hiring process took a while to complete, but over the next three months I found the people I wanted. Isaac Dalton, an experienced building and construction sales professional, came onboard as my Sales Manager. Doug Caldwell, a seasoned engineer with experience at a large homebuilder, took over day-to-day production issues. Sharon Innis came to us from a local retail store to work as our Customer Service coordinator. And, I found a great accountant, Christine Stevens, to look after the company’s financial matters.
We began our second year in business with a growing client base, good carpenters, fantastic relationships with subcontractors, and a strong professional staff. We were poised for great growth – then it hit. Suddenly, my fast growing business hit a wall. The money kept coming in, but the staff started losing their drive. Now they seem to be working in slow motion and bickering with each other over minor issues. I’ve been trying to fix the problem for six months. I don’t know what to do, and now I’m starting to lose my drive as well. I’ve got to get some help. When I get to the office, I’m calling the franchise corporate staff to see if they can offer any advice.
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