The other day I was chatting with one of my team members. 

And he told me about a podcast he’d been listening to with Tim Ferriss and Jim Collins. 

If you aren’t familiar with him…

Jim Collins is the legendary business author who wrote Good to Great, Built to Last, and Great By Choice. 

Just to name a few. 

And on the podcast he shared something interesting. 

When he was doing the research for Good to Great. 

And trying to answer the question… What separates the most successful businesses from those that fail? 

He sat down with his research team and gave them only ONE rule. 

He told them that under no circumstances could they answer the question with “leadership.” 

In his mind... Leadership was too obvious to be the answer. 

But after weeks of work, every single member of his team sat him down… 

“Jim, you aren’t going to like this.” They said… 

“But we’ve finished the research … and the answer IS leadership.” 

At first… 

Jim wouldn’t have it. 

He fought them and told them to dig deeper. 

“That can’t be it!” he fired back. 

But then… they pulled out their notes and showed him data from literally thousands of businesses over more than 75 years...

And it pretty much proved that not only was leadership the primary factor that separated the “good” from the “great”. 

It was the ONLY factor. 

And with this whole COVID crisis, I’ve seen this truth play out in a big way. 

Thing is… 

Even though a LOT of businesses have gone under during these tough times. 

There are plenty of businesses that are thriving. 

Even businesses like Bedros Keuilian’s Fit Body Boot Camp (FBBC), that, for all intents and purposes… 

Should NOT have been able to survive a global lockdown. 

(It’s kind of hard to sell gym franchises when you legally aren’t allowed to open your gym). 

But today FBBC is stronger than ever.

Full Disclaimer: Bedros Keuilian is one of my best friends… 

...and I own three Fit Body Boot Camp locations (two in South Carolina and one in Toronto)...

But I was very, very worried about the future of these three businesses when COVID came on the scene…

I honestly thought they were going to go bankrupt because our clients would cancel memberships...

But because of Bedros and his “Lion Leadership”

...We were able to pivot to virtual workout classes that kept 80% of our original clients. 

AND added new clients from all over the country to our online program.

In the past 90 days I’ve heard from and read about thousands of businesses, and of all the leaders out there...

...No one has stepped up like Bedros. 

As the old saying goes, “An army of sheep led by a lion will defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.”

And in our business, we had a Lion Leader… and a Lion Army… and when we reopened just after Memorial Day our business was stronger than ever.

Now… 

It would be naive and irresponsible to say that every business that shut down during this pandemic closed their doors because of bad leadership. 

They didn’t. 

And I have several close friends who are remarkable leaders but simply couldn’t keep their businesses afloat given the circumstances - such as a few restaurant owners. 

BUT… 

I do believe that a huge percentage of the businesses that went under could have survived… 

If the leader(s) had been more proactive, resourceful, and communicative during these times. 

Leadership is always the problem and leadership is always the solution. 

And if you’re struggling during these times, I challenge you to audit your leadership abilities. 

Are you communicating with your team?

Showing up fully?

Being proactive, resourceful, and hell-bent on results? 

Or are you letting external circumstances control your internal reality? 

I promise you. 

If you will level up as a leader… you will level up your entire life. 

That’s how it’s always been. 

And that’s how it’s always going to be. 

To Your Success, 
Craig