"The true mark of a leader is the willingness to stick with a bold course of action — an unconventional business strategy, a unique product-development roadmap, a controversial marketing campaign — even as the rest of the world wonders why you're not marching in step with the status quo. In other words, real leaders are happy to zig while others zag. They understand that in an era of hyper-competition and non-stop disruption, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something special."

-Bill Taylor

My guest on this session is Emeroy Bernardo, dancer and CEO of Vision Paradox and Artistic Director/Founder of Temper Tantrum Dance Company.  He stands for something special and is special in the dance, creative and entrepreneurial world which is why he’s been able to accomplish many things and continues to do so. Our conversation on leadership started from a comment that I made about being reminded of his leadership journey, then referring to my leadership lessons episode on Session #217, then him expressing that he could say a lot about that topic. So, this episode came from that initial exchange and I am so glad to share his insights. He is a great example of how to effectively lead yourself and others to more success. He stood in the gap for me and his other students when I met him coming back to dance in 2014, taking his classes, being challenged but also being encouraged. That is a mark of a true leader. If you want to know his background, listen to my other episodes that are linked on the bottom and if you search for his name, Emeroy Bernardo, you will come across other interviews, his top selling dance courses on Udemy, as well as his channels on YouTube.

A few takeaways from this session:

• Being an effective leader starts with leading yourself
• Be intentional with your self-care and a morning routine
• Enjoy your process
• Be the example
• Create a safe space for open communication and expression
• Stay curious and learn something new
• Don't be so attached to the outcome
• Strike a balance between being serious and having fun
• Be aware of your self-talk
• You have more control than you think over leading your own life

Other episodes of interest:

Session #012 How To Communicate Effectively Session #035 Failure is Never Final Session #055 Leaving a Legacy While Empowering Others Session #123 Building A Company Culture with Creatives Session #217 Leadership Lessons from Freestyle Session Links from this session: Emeroy's Courses on Udemy Emeroy's YouTube Channel Vision Paradox Instagram Vision Paradox YouTube Temper Tantrum Instagram Temper Tantrum YouTube

Would you review The DancePreneuring Studio?

I would be extremely appreciative if you would subscribe and leave your feedback on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher Radio. It really helps if you do it through the native Apple Podcast App on your smart device. Thanks so much!