#johnhanleyjr

[tritonleadershipcoaching]

From the man, the myth, the legend! :-D "I was fortunate. When I was coming up as a transformational trainer, the company I worked for had a paid position called "Trainer Intern." I worked full-time for 9-months learning the ropes. I was either traveling to various cities to watch trainings and eventually co-leading them or I was studying and practicing at home or the office.

When it was time to begin leading trainings, I was simply given my schedule and off I went. I can't remember how many trainings I did that first year (1990), but it was over 30. I did this for 8 years on paid salary before moving on to a corporate training company where again I was on salary.

In 2000 I began life as a truly independent trainer. For several years I worked for various centers in the US. I did some work in Russia. Then, around 2008 I started what turned into 6 years of working for one center in Hong Kong where they gave me as many trainings as I wanted to do. After that I had a very nice contract to train trainers in Beijing and then did had some corporate training work in other provinces.

Along the way I also did contract work in Latin America in train-the-trainer programs. I rewrote all the manuals for Basic, Advanced, and Leadership Program weekends as well. Those manuals are what Latinos have been "certified" in for many years.

NOW is a whole new ballgame. The exciting prospect now for individuals in the training and coaching field is to Be Your Own Boss, Build Your Own Brand and Business, and Create Your Own Clients.

Quite possibly the days of intimate live trainings are a thing of the past or, at least, a diminished thing of the future. Centers have been in trouble for a long time all around the world. There's a few who can make it work, but 10% would be a generous estimate. With live in-person training in doubt, centers will need to create a new delivery model. Beyond the health and safety concerns, the "Word of Mouth"/enroll your friends and family model of marketing has always been dubious and is even more questionable now.

It's the wild west. Consumers must be careful who they trust. Practitioners must become at least HALF marketer and half practitioner. There's no space to resist marketing. It's a skill we all need to master, like it or not. And, I can assure you from experience, it is a daunting task to put all the pieces in place. BUT, once you get the pieces in place, we (you/me/whomever puts in the learning hours) should be able to create a sustainable model of success.

We all need our businesses to be Crisis Proof. This pandemic is just the latest crisis. Get ready for more. If you have a cushy contract with a center or a corporation, great, but you better plan for the future, because those contracts are not bullet-proof to say the least.

I'd be happy to talk with you and share some of what I've learned. I'll support you to start mapping out a strategy of success for your coaching and training business. Reply to this post or DM me to request a coaching call.

In service, JHJ" -- Mr. John Hanley Jr., Philosopher, Trainer & Great Human Being

[tritonleadershipcoaching]

This from our man, John:"I was pleased to do a two-hour lecture + Q&A last night broadcast in China. The hosts tell me it was their most watched event ever. They were expecting maybe 10,000 viewers, and we ended up with over 75,000! Doing what I can to transform the world 😍"Great job, John!!!!

[tritonleadershipcoaching]

Independence

We want to be free. Free to think and operate as we choose. We want to be unconstrained from burdens and obligations. We want to be our own person, unique in our expression. What are we to do, which is to say, how are we to think about our bodies, our parental and societal upbringing, and our friends and family? 

Are we not trapped inside our body? While this seems at first glace demonstrably true, perhaps various spiritual traditions teach us to identify with an immaterial spirit rather than our corporeal body. If we are an instance of or a participant in the spirit realm, our seeming to be trapped in a body would be in actuality a grand illusion. 

If we are spirit, is there any constraint within that existence or are possibilities endless? Could the spirit realm, so to speak, possess certain rules of engagement that are nonnegotiable? 

How about our upbringing from our parents within the larger societal conforming training? Can one truly be free from such influences? In theory a Buddhist monk who had attained satori would have transcended their ego and, therefore, perhaps, let go of all connection to the norms of society. Then again, it appears that, on the surface, at least, Buddhist monks each follow a similar path of meditation, isolation, and style of appearance. 

What about the enlightened individual who deeply absorbs the reality that their existence (how they perceive themselves and the world) is completely shaped by their upbringing within the cultural understanding of their generation *while* at the same time absorbing that their familiar mode of existence has no objective foundation? 

Would that sort of individual be free from constraints, or, despite their transcendent enlightenment, would they still be inexorably trapped within their conformist understanding of what's good, bad, right, wrong, appropriate, inappropriate? 

Even though they "know" all their beliefs are groundless, perhaps they still cannot wipe them out and start from nothing. Does the monk truly attain this total freedom? Or, is there some degree of wishful thinking going on within the monk community and the outsiders' perception of the monk community? 

And, finally, what about our sense of connection and duty to our family and friends? If freedom is about being independent, what to do about our intuitive desire to connect and form strong bonds of affiliation with others? 

We instinctively don't want to walk away from the obligations seemingly inherent to strong families and friendships. We want to do the "right" thing and be there for them. We want them to do the right thing and be there for us. 

When a family member mistreats us, or we perceive that they have, we must be basing our conclusion on some standard of behavior we think carries weight. In conclusion, we grasp for more freedom, while at the same time, hold tightly onto standardized constraints. 

We want our romantic partner to feel totally free to think how they choose, feel however they do, even act however they choose -- except when it doesn't suit us, as in the case of some infidelity. 

At the same time, we may feel like we want to be able to do whatever we want whenever we want; then again, in reality, perhaps we intuit that we'd be happier adhering to certain constraints, such as fidelity to our romantic partner. 

Welcome to John's musings in the dark. I hope you enjoy the reflection. -- John Hanley Jr., Triton Leadership Coaching, Chief Architect and Philosopher

[tritonleadershipcoaching]

“Living a life of integrity” 1. Be your word. Do what you say you will do. Not sort of what you said. Not 90%. If you are not going to do what you said, admit it immediately and create a new agreement. Never agree to do something merely because of your ego, i.e., just to gain approval or inflate your perceived value. 2. Keep it real. Say what you did do. No exaggerating. No bullshitting. Admit wrongdoing or failure when it happens. Assume responsibility. Keep your ego out of it. It's not about your pride. It's about the truth. Tell the truth. It's not that hard. 3. Manage expectations. Stand responsible even for what others expect of you. If you are not planning to comply with an expectation, make that explicitly clear to whomever needs to hear it. 4. Clarify your personal standards and values and act accordingly. Once you are clear, life's choices are not that difficult. Sure, you will be tempted to veer off of your true north direction, but, you can just simply choose not to do it. No matter what the temptation, act in accordance with your standards and values. Money, pleasure, prestige....none of these are anywhere near as valuable as your integrity. 5. Leave out the excuses and justifications. No one really cares why you didn't do what you said you would do or what you implied you were going to do. Just own it. You are human. You made a mistake. You screwed up. You didn't live up to your standards. Have compassion for yourself. But, you still don't need excuses and justifications. They are only relevant to try to save face. You don't need to save face. That's all ego. It's a waste of your time and energy. 6. Manage yourself rigorously. Write down your agreements. Put the by-when dates on your calendar. Create a workable plan. Do the work. Eat your vegetables first, then enjoy dessert later. Create partners to support and empower you along the way. Every day counts. Every choice matters. Focus. 7. Avoid resentment. Others are going to let you down. Deal with if forthrightly. Resenting them doesn't accomplish anything. It's like fake revenge. In your fantasy the other person will really be hurt by your resentment. In reality they probably couldn't care less. Confront them directly. If there are consequences to their behavior, spell it out so they are clear. If you forgive them, be sincere about it and let the matter go. 8. Still keep dreaming big. Don't let your concern for integrity be an excuse for avoiding creating extraordinary results. Don't be afraid to make promises which stretch your known capabilities. You'll never know if it's possible if you don't go for it. If you ultimately don't reach your desired destination, it doesn't mean, necessarily, that you were not in integrity. Rule number 1 above can occasionally be missed as long as you were in earnest the entire way through the process with, you guessed it, no bullshitting. -- John Hanley Jr., Triton Leadership Coaching 

[tritonleadershipcoaching]

Empathy, not answers

The next time someone is sharing a challenging situation they are dealing with...instead of giving them some piece of advice or a solution, simply empathize with their struggle. In your own words, let them know you feel for them. Once they receive your empathy, you can follow up with a series of open questions that may prompt them to come up with their own creative solution to the issue. By just listening and supporting, instead of giving them your answer, you will be giving them a tremendous gift. You will essentially be giving them the space to be wherever they are and the prompting to think for themselves about the best way to move forward. You’ll be a true, blue friend, and, in that kind of interaction, you add to the transformation of the world.

[tritonleadershipcoaching]

Choosing Your Priority

It all comes down to what you deliberately choose to be your primary priority in life. See, the world, the “normalcy of civilization,” sort of indoctrinates us into believing that avoiding discomfort should be one of, if not the number one, most important priority of our lives. Think about it. It’s a phenomenon we take for granted. We no longer need to summon this priority; it happens automatically, outside of our conscious choice. The good news is it’s not the only priority available. Each of us has the ability to choose to transcend the default priority. It’s not that we suddenly want to go looking for discomfort. But, avoiding discomfort, doesn’t have to be our paramount goal. Imagine a new priority to guide you through the challenges of life. Instead of merely avoiding discomfort, imagine you chose to prioritize being fully engaged in living life to the fullest. Again, as with my coaching in the previous email, all of this is easier said than done. Just knowing it’s possible to make this kind of life-altering shift is a priceless gift to give yourself. -- John Hanley Jr., Managing Partner, Triton Leadership Coaching 

[tritonleadershipcoaching]

You are invited to join a movement for world transformation. Together we can impact the global perspective of humanity.

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?"
 - Hillel the Elder

You are invited to join a movement for world transformation. Together we can impact the global perspective of humanity.

Have you signed the #WorldVisionDeclaration yet?

[tritonleadershipcoaching]

I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to share my reflections on the loss of Rush drummer and lyricist, Neil Peart. I can remember being around 12 years old listening to the bombastic but thoughtful genius of Rush's 1976  album, 2112, and holding the gate-fold cover in my hands. It was a blissfully overpowering experience. Neil stood out instantly as an incredible drummer, with almost unequaled power, precision, and agility (Phil Collins, John Bonham?). What's more is that Neil wrote almost all the lyrics. And what lyrics they were! This was not merely some "June, moon, spoon" lovelorn set of words; this was inventive sci-fi with a philosophical message. It all made quite an impression on this impressionable adolescent. And that was just the beginning! They kept right on making powerful and thoughtful music until 2012, and I kept on listening and enjoying. I saw them three times -- once in college in LA and twice in the Bay Area, including their last set of shows in 2015 where I got to share the majesty of live Rush with my two sons. Neil passed recently at 67 years young, much too young. Even though I never met him, I miss knowing he was out there somewhere being peculiarly Neil, probably reading, riding his bike, hanging out with family and friends, and laughing a lot. I will have to take solace in the fact that his music lives on forever. Moreover, his noble and principled spirit and commitment to total excellence in his art and life will serve as an ideal to which to aspire. Thank you, Neil, for your positive impact on my life. -- John Hanley Jr., Managing Partner, Triton Leadership Coaching