key principles

{ excerpts from the participant's handbook }

"All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated
act without benefit of experience."
- Henry Miller, The Wisdom of the Heart

Successful personal development is a continual journey of learning, growing, improving, adapting and managing the personal growth and development process; the “quick-fix” rarely lasts. A successful growth experience takes effort and time.

• The major focus of Leaders Path Institute is on present realities, future ideals, and how to move step by step toward the ideals.
• Change is possible. Even if the possibility of external change is limited, internal change is possible.
• Significant personal development requires change and involves varying degrees of pain and sacrifice that can be recognized and managed but not avoided. Change requires all of us to go through something. We cannot go around it, we must go through it to reach a successful outcome and achieve desired results.
• For the Leaders Path process to be successful the incentive to grow and develop new perspectives and behaviors must be greater than the reasons or excuses for not changing or keeping the status quo.
• Process and product are equally important. That is, how you accomplish your personal development is equally important as what you accomplish. The fitting steps must be conducted for your development to succeed.
• All personal change efforts are different. The strategies used in each effort are a function of what is needed, what the desired outcome is to be, the level of personal change and professional growth desired, and what the key players are willing to do.
• A successful Leaders Path experience rarely succeeds without the support of one or more champions. Involving people in the process increases understanding, commitment, and ownership.
• Opportunities for personal and professional growth disappear quickly and the momentum for personal growth wanes as time lapses.
• Positive growth is more effective than negative change.
• We all have the internal resources necessary to grow.
• You have choices, especially in terms of responding to stress instead of reacting to situations. Most people choose familiarity over comfort, especially during times of stress.