I remember being a little boy and my parents taking me to the zoo. And when we got there, I would zoom past all the other animals and cages (yes even the snake house) to my favorite place in the zoo… the lions den. I loved looking at those big cats, and how they just seemed to not be afraid of anything. I was in awe about that. And once in a great while, if I was lucky (and the lions were hungry or just needing to show us on the other side of the cage who is “king”), I got to witness something special… a real lion roar! 

If you have never heard one “live” it is something that you don’t forget. There is something about the sound of a lion’s roar. It sticks with you. It can be haunting and powerful all at the same time. And after you experience it, you understand a lion walks around like they aren’t afraid of anything. Could you say the same about you? Your employees? Are you performing with real confidence? 

Today, systems and processes are no longer the natural or primary differentiators for organizations and their success. Non-mission-criticals are being cut without much debate or bargaining, regardless of the cost or depth of the knowledge asset acquired. This reality, along with the scarcity of human resources, tighter budgets, shallower customer bases, and limited capital assets, is forcing business leaders today to demand initiatives that develop employees who, in challenging and changing times, perform with repeatable success.