towards a very important business
it’s late at night after hours but
you’re 100% certain that once you get to
this business meeting you’re going to
receive a promotion but you’re also
certain that if you’re an even a minute
late that promotion is going to go to
your rival for now we’ll call him mr.
sinister because they always are but see
deep down inside you know that this
promotion is something that you are more
than deserving of you sacrificed
weekend’s time with family damaged
friendships all to make sure that those
under your management excel at the
highest level within your organization
so you’re continuing your walk that
thunderstorm starts up it’s not a
problem you decide to take a shortcut
and get you out of the rain faster and
hopefully get you to the meeting a
little bit earlier now this sounds like
a good leader right determined prepared
calculating even successful now let’s
say that you on your way in this
shortcut you come across a abandoned
construction zone and there’s this hole
you happen to notice the hole you’re
lucky enough not to fall in it but as
you start to walk around the hole you
hear that someone else wasn’t as lucky
in the rain a voice cries out that says
that they’ve fallen in the hole and
they’ve broken their leg now you’re
likely going to be a little bit curious
so you creep up to the hole and look
down in there but it’s pitch black
neither of you can see each other you
you don’t know their race you don’t know
what religion they practice you don’t
know their political affiliation you
don’t know their name you don’t know
their height their weight because of the
rain and the thunderstorm you’re not
even sure if it’s a man or a woman the
only thing that you do know that you are
absolutely certain of is that someone is
in the hole and they need help
so you whip out your cell phone down
9-1-1 and a couple of seconds later you
yell into the hole 15 minutes until help
arrives 15 minutes now if you leave
right at that moment you can make your
meeting you can get that promotion deny
mr. sinister but if you stay one minute
all of you understand this dilemma but
what you may not understand or may not
be aware of is that in my search for the
premier tool that simultaneous
continiously develops leadership and
social connection that scenario that I
just provided you exemplifies perfectly
what virtual leadership development
provides its participants before
providing them the opportunity to make a
connection it strips them of everything
that can get in the way of making that
now it’s easy to understand that social
stigma is not nearly as powerful as the
focusing on strengthening those bonds is
a big part of virtual leadership
development allows now I’m very
passionate about discovering a way that
can simultaneously teach leadership
development and develop social bonds
because I believe that each of us are
desperate to find this connection to
find this in our leaders especially as
of late we cry out into the night
because we feel that our leaders
currently would not hesitate to – for
they did their role right they called
virtual leadership development provides
a virtual representation of each
individual that’s participating in the
program this is known as an avatar it is
through this avatar that participants
are challenged with tasks that none of
them can complete alone and they are
placed in situations in which they
actually have to lead this is not a form
driven program this is not individuals
sitting down discussing the what-ifs of
these are the connections is these types
of connections that we want to start
developing and individuals the leaders
especially now during the program
individuals are especially brought to a
realization as far as trusting their
heart over their eyes because at the
very end of the curriculum the one thing
that your heart is absolutely certain of
is that the group of participants that
were with you that supported you 100%
through the highs the lows the victories
the defeats through everything that
challenged hope and encouraged hope
these individuals supported you knowing
the most important aspect of you the
virtual leadership development offers
insight to a very important aspect of
leading and that is that leadership
itself is predicated on the strength of
the bonds that you form with the
individuals that put their trust in you
always now I could sit back your geek
out right now and go ahead and talk
about how social social psychological
theory is being applied with the
curriculum to make the outcomes that
we’re seeking we have group contact
hypothesis at that control Theory
identity theory estate is
characteristics theory but just this one
instead I’m going to let the kids do the
talking
this video that you are about to see is
footage of 32 participants in the
nation’s first virtual leadership
development Academy this is the very
first time that they’ve met each other
for eight weeks the only thing they’ve
known about each other were their
personalities they didn’t know what they
sounded like they didn’t know what they
looked like they didn’t know any of
their names
they only knew the personalities that
they interacted with virtually now as
you watch this video I want you to ask
yourself a question do you feel that the
individuals in this video would be
content to stand on the outskirts of
that pit or would they risk trying to
find a way into the pit to be there with
together I hope this video opens hearts
and minds but I’m exceptionally grateful
for allowing for you allowing me this
opportunity to share this idea thank you [Applause]