Personal Empowerment All-Stars: Jack Canfield, Ken Blanchard, and Stephen Covey at Microsoft

“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”   -- Stephen King

One of the best things at Microsoft is the chance to meet extraordinary people.

Jack Canfield, Ken Blanchard, and Stephen Covey are a few that top my list.

They are personal empowerment all-stars.

As I was re-writing my posts on lessons learned from Jack Canfield, Ken Blanchard, and Stephen Covey, I noticed what they share in common.

What do Jack Canfield, Ken Blanchard and Stephen Covey have in common?

Their work has a heavy emphasis on personal-empowerment, positivity, and people.

I thought it would be interesting to write a narrative about lessons learned from each, to supplement my bullet point write ups.

Here we go ...

Jack Canfield at Microsoft

Jack Canfield is all about taking full responsibility for everything that happens in your life.  And he starts with self-talk.  He says it's not what people say or do, it's what you say to yourself.  For example, it's not what Jack says to Laura, it's what Laura says to Laura.

From a personal empowerment standpoint, Jack reminds us that we have control over three responses: 1) what we say or do, 2) our thoughts, 3) the images in our head.  Jack is a big believer in the power of visualization and he reminds us that's how athletes perform at greater levels -- they see things in their minds, to guide what they can do with their bodies.

Jack shares a very simple formula for success.  Jack's success formula is Event + Response = Outcome.  If you want to change the outcome, then change your response.  It sounds simple, but it's empowering.

Jack Canfield also reminded us that we are the creative force in our life and to get out of victimism:

"You are not the victim of your circumstances--You are the creative force of your life."

Grow your circle of influence and make tremendous impact.

Read more at Lessons Learned from Jack Canfield.

Ken Blanchard at Microsoft

Ken Blanchard is really about accentuating the positive.  So much of the world focuses on what's wrong, but he wants to focus on what's right, so we can do more of that.

Ken has an incremental model of leadership that starts with you and expands from there: you, your team, your organization.  The idea is that you can't lead others effectively, if you can't even lead yourself.

Ken's model for leadership is really an adaptive model, that's focused on the greater good, and it starts by helping everybody get an "A."  Leaders that apply one style to all team members, aren't very effective.  Ken suggests that leaders apply the right styles depending on what individuals need.  Ken's 4 leadership styles are:

  1. Directive
  2. Coaching
  3. Supportive
  4. Delegating.

Perhaps, the most profound statement that Ken made is that "leadership is love."  He said that leadership includes "loving your mission", "loving your cusotmers", "loving your people", and "loving yourself -- enough to get out of the way so others can be magnificent."

Read more at Lessons Learned from Ken Blanchard.

Stephen Covey at Microsoft

Stephen Covey was really about personal effectiveness, realizing your potential, and leaving a legacy.

Covey really emphasized a whole-person approach: Body, Mind, Heart, Spirit.  His point was that if you take one of the four parts of your nature away, then you're treating a person like a "thing" you control and manage.

Covey also emphasized the importance of a personal mission.  It gives meaning to your work and it helps you channel all of your efforts as you live and lead your legacy.  He also suggested writing your personal mission down and visualizing it to imprint it on your subconscious.

The other key to realizing your potential is finding your voice.  Use all of you, your best way, in your unique way, for your best results.  That's how you differentiate and add value for yourself and others.

And, of course, Stephen Covey reminded us of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

  1. Be proactive.
  2. Begin with the end in mind.
  3. Put first things first.
  4. Think win-win.
  5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
  6. Synergize.
  7. Sharpen the saw.

Habits 1,2,and 3 are the foundation for private victories and integrity.  Habits 4, 5, and 6 are the keys to public victories.

Read more at Lessons Learned from Stephen Covey.

All-in-all, I have to say that while individually each of these personal empowerment all-stars has great wisdom and insight for personal effectiveness, leadership, and success, they are actually “better together.”

Each day in the halls of Microsoft, I find myself reflecting on their one-liner reminders, whether it’s Covey’s “Put first things first,” or Canfield’s “You are the creative force of your life”, or Blanchard’s “None of us is as smart as all of us.”

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