Monthly Archives: December 2010

Walk Around the Elephant


When you think of an elephant what’s the first impression or thoughts that come to mind? My sense is something that is big, heavy, slow, rugged and wrinkled. These characteristics remind of me middle to old age, would you agree? You know that place around our mid-fifties or so. Yes, I’m approaching the spot. I just couldn’t resist talking about this unpopular subject as we transition onto another year. Actually, old age shows up quite earlier than you and I would like to acknowledge. I remember turning forty years old, and soon after my daughter looked at me with tears welling up in her eyes. I asked, “What’s wrong?” She responded, “It’s sad to see you aging, dad.” That was the first time someone made reference to my aging.

So what’s the big deal about aging anyway? There must be a time in life when reality sets in and we come to grips that life is ebbing away faster than we like to acknowledge. In other words, the life we got left is a lot shorter than the life we’ve already lived, and concede, “Wow, life has brushed by so fast. The rest must go faster.” So instead of living, we pause for a moment to consider death’s approach. Let’s just make sure we don’t stay there for too long.

So how does one handle the aging blues? Some people spend lots of money making themselves look younger but they still can’t change their aging problem. “Facts are stubborn things” one once quipped. So I’ve come to a simple conclusion – walk around the elephant. We can’t avoid aging, the sag and wrinkles, but we can still enjoy life in every precious moment of each day.

Latino Townhall’s Top 25 Quotes of 2010


Most people are not afraid of change but what the process of change reveals about them. –Joel Garcia (January 9th2010)

The life you live is the truth you follow. –Joel Garcia (January 15th 2010)

The greatest challenge for creating change is talking people out of doubt. –Joel Garcia (January 30th 2010)

Giving up is okay because one realizes a limitation; the key now is to ask someone for help. –Joel Garcia (February 7th 2010)

Capacity is the space we create within ourselves to hold and sustain something greater. –Joel Garcia (February 8th 2010)

A significant gaffe leaders make is to be long on vision and short on relationship. –Joel Garcia (February 10th 2010)

The process reveals our character to show us what is required to make it to the other side. –Joel Garcia (February 24th 2010)

Optimism is an attitude that shows up around springtime. –Joel Garcia (March 13th 2010)

You can handle the present challenges when you commit yourself to the future. –Joel Garcia (May 1st 2010)

Love lights up every room. –Joel Garcia (May 8th, 2010)

Before you set out to change the world, you’ve got to change one little universe; your mind. –Joel Garcia (May 14, 2010)

A mentor is a catalyst for change in a young person’s life. –Joel Garcia (June 11, 2010)

Courage is faith bottled up in a crazy person. –Joel Garcia (June 18, 2010)

Legacy is when your life continues to speak and influence after you. –Joel Garcia (June 22, 2010)

Friday is just another day like Monday but with the feeling that you have a two-day free pass. –Joel Garcia (June 25, 2010)

You cannot possess a place or a position you have not prepared for. –Joel Garcia (August 11, 2010)

Fun makes the day go faster. –Joel Garcia (August 13, 2010)

Personal growth is incomplete without addressing the spiritual dimension. –Joel Garcia (August 13, 2010)

We live in an age where you can no longer explain it – you’ve got to be it. –Joel Garcia (August 15, 2010)

Failure is a teacher to help you realize you missed something or someone along your journey. –Joel Garcia (November 3, 2010)

Vision without heart is just a fantasy. –Joel Garcia (November 7, 2010)

Your daily job is to perfect your craft and character until time and opportunity call you forth. –Joel Garcia (November 9, 2010)

Critical times call for creative minds. –Joel Garcia (November 20, 2010)

Innovation is the human drive to reveal the divine imprint within. –Joel Garcia (December 23, 2010)

There’s no change unless one presses the boundary of personal limits. –Joel Garcia (December 28, 2010)

3 Vantage Points of Leadership


Leadership is a dynamic process requiring a leader to adjust his or her personal leadership style depending on the situation he or she encounters. For this reason a leader needs to learn “how” and “when” to lead from the three vantage points of leadership. For instance, most of the time leaders will lead their followers from the front by exerting their influence and authority. Then there are moments when a leader needs to be among his or her followers to take a pulse of their wellbeing, connect and build relationship. Other times a leader empowers followers through delegation and encouragement, this is leading from behind. A good leader knows when to adjust his or her leadership style to fit the moment. The three vantage points of leadership are:

1. Leading from the “front”

How does one lead from the front? Frontal leadership requires one to lead with character and competence, then communicating an inspiring vision that instills purpose, which motivates followers. A leader in this phase is decisive, and displays courage. Leading from the front is not always easy; many times people will not agree with your decisions. A leader takes risks no one else is willing to take and takes responsibility for his or her actions.

2. Leading from “among” your people

Leading from among your people requires a leader to be highly interactive, engaging followers with questions, being personal by caring for their needs, showing genuine compassion, and at times following up to ensure team members needs are met. Leaders take on a “shepherding” role during this phase of leadership. Great leaders purposefully set out to know their team’s strengths and weaknesses then train each one accordingly. A leader is highly interactive at this point and makes purposeful connections, while building influence and loyalty.

3. Leading from “behind”

Leading from behind does not mean that one abdicates their leadership role, authority or becomes a passive leader. Rather a leader from this vantage point empowers through delegation, encouragement, and following up by providing honest feedback that redirects followers in a positive way. Leaders who lead from this vantage point empower by providing what their team members need to do an effective job.

How do you lead others? Have you led from anyone of these three vantage points before? Reflect on them. Which vantage point do you feel more comfortable leading from? List your strongest suit? Weakest? How can you improve as a leader?

3 Governing Dynamics of #Leadership


I will prepare and someday my chance will come.” – Abraham Lincoln

Leadership is multidimensional in nature; much of it depends upon three crucial variables such as a person’s preparation, the context and time in which they live, and what happens within this context and time to compel a potential leader to step out of their comfort zone to lead change and transformation.

The example of one of our beloved presidents, Abraham Lincoln, should suffice to make my point. First and foremost, Lincoln studied law (preparation), and eventually opened a law practice, which just happens to be a foundational career for legislative office. To add to this, Abraham Lincoln lived during a specific period of time in history (context and time); a point in time when a leader would soon be summoned to the National forefront to lead the nation through a difficult crises. Abraham Lincoln would have had a good life as a small town lawyer, but the circumstances surrounding him (an emerging problem or dilemma) thrust him into a significant leadership role in history.

Today, Lincoln’s legacy is second to none. Lincoln’s contribution as a leader was winning the Civil war, thus, saving the Union, freeing the slaves and inspiring generations to come with his famous address at Gettysburg. One of Lincoln’s famous quotes sums up the leadership Law of Governing Dynamics, “I will prepare and someday my chance will come.”

1.  The Preparation Phase

The first critical component of any leader’s development is the preparation phase. For example, Jesus, the Christ, prepared himself for 30 years for just 3 years of impacting and fruitful ministry. His impact and legacy was evident from 10% of his life, so the other 90% of his life on earth was all preparation.

This is true for others who prepare for long periods of time for a short impacting life. Each and everyday a person makes choices about his or her life, which will prepare him or her for a leadership role or simply disqualify a person for when opportunity arises. I call this critical phase the preparation phase, which happens during the first 30 years of a person’s life. This is when a person makes the critical choices of the character he or she will chisel in their personal constitution; whom they associate with and why, many of these relationships will open doors for them at some point; whether they chose to drink and experiment with drugs or not; the vocation one chooses; and the school one attends, or the mentor that will prepare him or her for their chosen career.

Many other factors can be listed in this phase. This phase, however, is where conscientious choices are made to prepare oneself for life regardless if a leadership role ever emerges. However, it takes two other governing dynamics to thrust a person into a more pronounced leadership role.

2. Context

We all experience and live within a certain context in time, whether that context is small or large, significant or insignificant does not matter, at least not yet. For example, my context consists of my family, church, school and work, and other social gatherings my wife and I wish to attend. In a nutshell, my context is an accumulation of my life’s choices. For instance, I have a local context of which I have already alluded too but I am also engaged in a larger one, although minimally. I love America; my nation is important to me and the decisions those in authority choose to legislate will impact my life, limit my liberty and impact my family and future, good or bad. If I don’t like something I get involved in politics and recruit others to do the same, therefore, enlarging my context.

Today, technology through the Internet and social media have enlarged all of our contexts to a global consciousness. You and I now have access to more information at the whim of our fingertips by accessing an iPhone application, and the Internet from the palm of our hand. No matter the scope of our context; the things we choose to get involved with are important to us, therefore, we make choices to engage ourselves to bring about change or disengage and allow evil to prevail.

There is one thing that will draw you and I out of the shadows of our context and to lead in a more significant way – this is an emerging problem or dilemma that stirs you and I into action.

3. An Emerging Problem or Dilemma

There will come a time during your daily context when a leadership opportunity will emerge through a problem or dilemma, which only your personal offerings; your gifts and abilities will be sought after to remedy the problem. Let’s get back to Lincoln. He had prepared himself thoroughly as a lawyer, and lived in a certain context and time in history. When an emerging problem or dilemma emerged in his day, he was at the right place at the right time ready to meet the demand placed upon his life.

Lincoln vehemently advocated the end of slavery during his campaign speeches for Congress and as candidate for President of the United States. He eventually became the nominee for the Republican Party, and the rest of his life is read in history books. Lincoln became a history maker.

Lincoln was a perfect fit for his time. So are you for this time, if you take the time to prepare yourself! A person who is prepared can easily see opportunities as they emerge before them. You don’t have to have a national stage to be an impactful leader. You can make a difference in a smaller context like your family, in your job, community or city, even a larger context like influencing and impacting the global landscape.

Do you see the 3 Governing Dynamics of Leadership working in your life? If so, tell us your story.