The Freedom Challenge

PREFACE The Freedom Challenge – Mastering Emotions, Restoring Honour to Leadership is a motivational and inspirational book for people in leadership who want to escalate their personal performance and transform their lives, relationships and careers. This book is meant to benefit people’s understanding of whom they are now and who they could become - and in so doing, allow them to achieve their fullest potential. Furthermore, it is intended to help people uncover their personal challenges and, in this manner, determine what may be holding them back from experiencing their own personal freedoms. The Freedom Challenge blends expert opinion of world leaders, academics, psychologists, philosophers, scientists and spiritual leaders with real life and business experience and expertise – taking the reader on a journey of self-discovery and instruction. This journey is about achieving personal success and thus becoming happier, healthier and enjoying peace of mind. The premise of The Freedom Challenge is that leaders are everywhere - anyone that is in a position of influence – in business, families, sports teams, community etc. And, it is about understanding the basic concept that leaders have been given a tremendous responsibility - the power to preserve or destroy. Becoming aware of how much influence one has over others, or vice versa, and understanding the difference between resonant or dissonant leadership and its impact; is ultimately the stepping stone to transformation. Today, appropriate and effective communication can advance or terminate relationships, block or accelerate personal performance and negatively or positively impact employee and family engagement. People need to accept and be accountable for even their smallest gestures and understand the effect that their behaviors and actions have on others - both in the short term and in the long run. Erasing any collateral damage that one may have caused others is their first obligation and their ongoing responsibility is to limit any negative impact in the future. And, by understanding the impact that others may have had on them; initiate their own recovery process and re-boot their journey. Accepting and implementing progressive behaviours, honourable leadership principles and philosophies can actively promote one’s life, career and relationships and are critical to honourable leadership and developing new leaders. However and perhaps more importantly, understanding what destructive behaviours –either one’s own or the behaviour of others - may be blocking one’s transformation is paramount. Initiating the necessary changes one must make is the next critical phase. Otherwise, people may never fully realize their aspirations and remain stuck in the dark. Are people, today’s leaders, commendably managing setbacks and challenges or leaving a path of destruction along the way? In either case, how is this effecting their workplaces and families? How are they coping? Are they living in a world of denial, and blame? Are their expectations realistic? Are they making conscious choices and decisions? Learning how to achieve top performance not only takes emotional intelligence but an understanding of how human beings are able to effectually and suitably respond to daily stressors. And, it helps to understand how human beings function and why they say and do regrettable things. Developing ones self-awareness and in turn one’s self-management is the cornerstone to achieving long term success in life – both for careers and for relationships. Are leaders making choices and decisions from a position of power or are they giving away their power? Gaining personal insight takes time and effort; it requires people to face their truth and reflect on what they could do differently – perhaps even consider their own contribution. The information contained within this book suggests alternative ways of thinking – introducing one’s mind to a domain of processes and possibilities – perhaps, even viewing evidence from a new perspective. Sometimes, people just need to take a leap of faith. Brenda Oliver