"Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts." - John Wooden
A few years ago, I participated in a leadership development program and there was a segment in that program that was a real game changer for me. The content was great; the facilitator’s delivery, passion and commitment to the material was exceptional. I came home from the workshop; my mom was visiting, and I said to her, "it would be a dream come true to work with someone like that." It’s pretty exciting when a few years later your dream has come true, and not only are you working with someone “like that”, but the exact person that inspired your life in such a profound way. That’s what leads me to introduce this month’s Kerageous Individuals, Travis Carson. He is an extraordinary and true model for the power of leadership, humility and curiosity. Travis’ journey, as the Founder of Market Force®, began when he was 19 and was first introduced to the concepts. After that, he spent 17 years becoming an expert in the Market Force® material, using it with his own businesses and clients before making the full-time commitment to introduce the world to what he knew worked to help reduce the suffering in business. If you have ever heard Travis speak about Market Force®, you have had the opportunity to benefit from the authentic sharing of his years of practical experiences, successes, and failures. He knows this material so well, and yet in each session he holds space for the learning of others in a unique way. Often people look at training and learning and say, “I went to that course. I know that stuff,” and then they tune out. It is a sign of a true guru when someone can know so much about a topic and still be open to learning more. Travis’ approach is refreshing and unlike anything I have experienced before. Instead of holding an attachment to being recognized as the expert, he plays the role of ambassador, spreading what he knows through the sharing of his experiences, learning through the discussions and questions that get posed in each session, admitting his humanity when it comes to managing his own biology on an ongoing basis, and letting people form their own opinions when it comes to the validity of the material. Travis also knows you can’t do it alone. When other leaders hold on tight and end up inadvertently stifling their business, he truly lives with Market Force® to create greater prosperity for all. There is a soundbyte from Travis that I love where he says, “you can either have the future you intend or the excuses why you don’t, but you can’t have both.” His actions towards partnering with Tony Cooper, and scaling the business through training and certifying others to teach the material all over the world show true courage and commitment to getting the message out and sharing the opportunity with all of us to create that future he intends. Travis says, “that’s the dream for me – to have more and more people teaching this great material to others so that it never bottlenecks with me.” Along with the highlights come the challenges and unanticipated struggles. Travis shares those authentically to further support the leadership movement. Watch this video to see what we are talking about. Through this sincere conversation you can see how the material can run as deep as you allow yourself to go with it. Part of what makes Travis so great and so Kerageous, in his sharing and beyond, is his willingness to go deep, truly be with the material, and share the most intimate parts of his life to help others love, learn, have courage, show appreciation and take responsibility for what is possible. My appreciation for Travis runs deep. There is the material that he has shared with me and then there is his genuine wisdom that truly makes him a leader I would run through walls for. A big part of that comes from his contagious belief in the ability of others to contribute. It’s a real commitment to assuming best intent and he explains it further in his advice to each of us: “For leaders I would say turn up the volume on who you really are. The most successful leaders I have worked with over the years are the people who don’t change once they get into leadership and try to be someone they are not. If you are an intense and super-focused person on outcomes, don’t try to be the best at interpersonal dynamics once you become a leader. Instead, just be really open with people about your intensity and your focus, and let others choose if they want to be on your team. There is no one right way to be a leader. But, the one thing that will ensure you fail at leadership is if you try to be something you are not.” “For entrepreneurs I would say get comfortable with being uncomfortable. The more you can manage your biology, the more you can do what you need to do in spite of the fear that comes along with being an entrepreneur. Earlier in my career as an entrepreneur, I kept thinking there would be a day when everything would feel more stable and secure. Once I realized that day doesn’t necessarily ever come, I was able to settle into the journey and enjoy the ride more than I was able to previously.” Travis explains, “being ‘Kerageous’, to me, means living a life with less judgment about what others are doing or not doing, and more focus on what you intend. The most successful people I know are just up to something in their own lives and don’t need to be judgmental about others. I think it is Kerageous to declare the future you intend, then go after it with everything you’ve got!” We’re extremely honoured to have Travis and Market Force® as Kerage partners, and to be able to share the Kerage Indicator bringing the Market Force® frameworks to life in what we do everyday and with the people we serve. Travis exemplifies what it means to be a Kerageous individual and we admire and are grateful for his bravery.