A Note From The Director: Dr. Brian Higley
I began the pursuit of this answer via a combination of powerful resources, beginning with my own personal experience, interviews with other knowledgeable people, and so-called "common sense." It soon became apparent that these resources would get me only so far, since as I'm sure you know, everybody has a different opinion regarding what everyone wants/needs more of and many of these opinions can contrast with each other (for example, "people need to always persist when the going gets tough" vs. "people need to know when to quit while they are ahead". Thus, it became apparent that I had to go looking for my single answer somewhere else.
So, I decided to delve deep into the research literature to find the answer to my question. Thousands of pages of research articles and books provided me with much more clarity on this topic. However, as Sir Frances Bacon once said, "Those who dwell in ivory towers have heads of the same material." - and I didn't want a purely academic answer to my question. So I had to go back out into the "real world" and start asking professionals and "experts" who were actually facilitating positive changes in others what they thought about some of the answers I uncovered from scientific/psychological research. Those professionals helped the answer to become even clearer in my mind. However, I still was not completely satisfied because I felt like I only had the answer to my question in relation to our current era (the last 100 years or so), and an answer that may only relate to the American culture.
I attempted to address this by looking for the answer to the "what does everyone want" question across multiple cultures and across many centuries. I wanted to know what wise people were saying about the answer to this question in the West, East, and everywhere in between (and how their insights compared to more current science and experts). I was interested in not only what business leaders, scientists, and philosophers were saying, but also religious figures, historians, and artists across the millennia. I wanted an answer to this crucial question that stood the test of time and that seemed to be true across cultures and across different methods of truth-finding. Finally, after many years of investigating this question so broadly and deeply, the answer to the question "What does everybody want?" became crystal clear to me. The answer is . . .
More organizational/group excellence (including governments, businesses, research teams, and even families), personal effectiveness, and/or life satisfaction.
You may be thinking "Duh, Brian - it took you that long to find the obvious answer to your question?"However, this may only seem obvious after hearing the answer. Indeed, I have found that when you ask people the question "What does everybody want?" the answer I found is often not obvious to them until you actually give them the answer. (Try it with your friends and see if they come up with the answer without you giving it to them.) You may also think that I wasted a heck of a lot of time doing this researching and interviewing to get to such a simple answer. Ah, but the search was well worth the time! As I was researching the answer to this question a powerful path to increased excellence, effectiveness, and satisfaction became apparent to me - a path that has helped individuals and groups across the centuries and across cultures; a path that is still incredibly relevant today. That path is made up of 7 "Building Blocks" to increased excellence, effectiveness, and satisfaction. These Building Blocks to Excellence are the foundation for all of our trainings, speeches, and personal consulting.
By now you're probably saying "Enough with the introduction Brian, what the heck are these 7 Building Blocks?" Here is a list of these 7 critical components, separated into 3 core areas:
The 7 Building Blocks to Effectiveness, Excellence & Life Satisfaction
Component 1: Execution/Persistence ("The Marathon Mentality")
1. Execution (including 5 steps toward enhanced execution)
Take our Marathon Mentality organizational audit »
Component 2: Mission Fulfillment ("The Achievement Mentality")
2. Expert Goal-setting
3. Enhancing and Maintaining Focus
4. Self-talk/Effective Affirmation Use
Take our Achievement Mentality organizational audit »
Component 3: Effective & Satisfying Relationships ("The Championship Relationship Mentality")
5. Positive Relations With Self
6. Uplifting Relations With Others
7. Strong Relations with an Mission and/or Purpose
Take our Championship Relationships organizational audit »
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this note, and to once again welcome you to our website. We look forward to helping you and your team members to move toward enhanced organizational excellence, personal effectiveness, and life satisfaction. It is my sincere hope that all of your interactions with us will add immense value to your life, the lives of those around you, and in some small way (at least) to the world. Thank you for taking the time to visit our site, and we hope to hear from you soon!
All the best,
Brian Higley PhD,
Founder and Director,
The Building Blocks to Excellence, LLC
