To unlock your leadership greatness, you must start from the premise that greatness exists within you. Greatness is an infinite potential to reflect a significant purpose. It is not arrogance of superiority, but rather a hunger to live a life of meaning. As humans, we are intrinsically drawn to excellence and, when we are separated from it, we crave to re-establish contact. Access and exposure to this reservoir of experiences and expertise will enable you to lead yourself and others to a better future.

Leadership is an integral part of our lives and is instrumental in achieving results that represent success. Experts discuss the need to include diversity and inclusion as a part of training, rather than as a standalone program. Effective leadership, incorporating individual distinctions, will enable you to instinctively make decisions that include everyone. You will capitalize on the talents, ideas, and contributions of the team as well as every individual to improve innovation and decision-making.

The climate you have has a profound effect on your results. Some experts believe 30% of your financial results (profits and revenue) can be directly related to organizational climate. Climate can impact employee engagement levels, which also influence results.

The climate/culture you create can be seen through the acronym OASIS. OASIS = Open and Share Ideas Safely. The climate must be a place where people are in a safe place to state how they feel and how they can help you and the company excel and meet personal objectives and the needs of clients.

It was Friday of my first week as the Senior Director of Diversity and Work/Life Effectiveness, after nearly thirty years of sales, marketing, and training experience. I was called to a meeting of our Research & Development Department. It was an actual meeting with people participating across the world as a video conference and a teleconference. At one point in their discussion of the eight questions from the Employee Survey related to diversity, one of the directors turned to me. “Orlando, since you are the worldwide expert of diversity, what do you think we should do?”

“Thank you very much,” I responded. “Since I am the worldwide expert as of Monday, let me speak to you from my depth of experience. One of the questions asks, ‘Are you afraid to state what’s on your mind without fear of reprisal?’ The last survey result gave an average response of 64%, this year’s survey came in at 66%. I will not talk to you about the statistical significance of going from 64% to 66%, but what I will tell you is that one-third of your people are afraid to state what is on their minds. We recently lost four drugs in late-stage development, after a tremendous financial investment. Somebody knew they had problems. Either they were too afraid to state what was on their minds, or they spoke their minds and they were ignored. We will need the next great drug to be successful. Who’s to say that the success of that next great drug does not reside in the minds of the one-third who are too afraid to speak?” As a leader, you must get the best out of your people, and one way is to encourage candid discussions and establish an environment that rewards and encourages this philosophy. Remember you are all on the same team and want the same level of success.

There is a leadership continuum showing the correlation between values, beliefs, and results. Values influence personal expectations and the expectations you and the organization have for your direct reports. There is a certain behavior we infuse within our culture. Those who comply are seen as successful, and the outliers are reformed or replaced. Fifty to seventy percent of the variance in organizational climate can be attributed to differences in leadership style.

There is a burning desire, a hunger that exists within you; a turbulence stirring inside indicative of a need to be satisfied. This yearning to live a life of purpose asks you to find and fulfill your reason to achieve a goal. So, you are programmed to make an impact, not merely a faint impression, but a bold imprint. To be successful, there are keys or success factors at your disposal.

There is an open debate on which keys are the most beneficial to unlock the vault. However, this vault of potential energy will transform your life. It will not require voice recognition software, retinal scans, reading a thumbprint, or facial analysis to get inside and use its contents. In one of my favorite childhood stories, the hero would always say, “Open Sesame” to open the side of the mountain that was filled with unlimited treasure. In this book, you will review ten keys to unlock your leadership greatness. These practical strategies and their tactics are designed to give you Action-Oriented Knowledge (AOK).

The ten keys evolved from over three decades of experience in observing and developing Impact Players. The term Impact Players is common in professional sports and is applicable to academic, business, and community performance. Impact Players are the game changers, the difference makers, the catalysts who change the direction of the game and the performance of their peers and the competition. By their very presence, they accelerate and elevate performance to a higher level. People are wired to become Impact Players. The traits of these high achievers are similar to the traits we wish to unlock in each of us to reach our maximum effectiveness. Tapping into this power will enable you to unlock your leadership greatness.

To unlock leadership greatness, discard and disregard the debate of whether great leaders are born or made. Walk away from conversations that argue whether nature or nurture shapes the greatness of a leader. William Shakespeare said, “Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” The ten keys to unlock your leadership greatness embody these quotations.

We define our infinite potential as our inherent leadership greatness. You will utilize your skills to focus on the benefits, remove the barriers, and experience the breakthroughs or “Aha’s,” as you discover the treasury of enriched potential within you. Jules Verne, in his book Journey to the Center of the Earth,” imagined wonders and adventures” on an expedition going beneath the Earth’s surface. You will encounter such a stimulating journey as you delve into unlocking your leadership greatness.

DEI Essentials

May 2, 2025 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Profitable Possibilities

DEI Essentials

DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, but there are many positive variations on these words that express the intent of the strategy and tactics for everyone.

DEI is the code of discovery that can unlock new paradigms of potential, imagination, and innovation. People think of DEI as separate from meritocracy, however, fairness would suggest that equity is essential when measuring and rewarding performance. DEI Essentials is a phrase to describe the necessary and seldom considered attributes associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion. These positive expectations and ancillary benefits are constructive. When DEI Essentials are present, there is synergy formed with the interaction of diverse and creative exchanges. They affect us on a personal and business level, enhancing decision-making, problem-solving solving and innovation. It is imperative to isolate and identify these assets to engage minds and develop better solutions.

DEI Essentials extract the best from everyone, creating a climate where dignity, respect, empathy, cooperation, and compassion are natural values. The results are a coordination of resources and ideas that lead to innovation and successful interactions. As we encourage fairness, involvement, and ingenuity, we set up an inclusive environment where people care and share, and dare to declare their greatness through strengthening relationships. We must maintain the desire to build relationships and cooperation, for they are critical to success.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Must endure the chaos and confusion;

And emphasize positive potential,

And focus on DEI Essentials.”

Orlando Ceaser

DEI Essentials are necessary components if we want to achieve the ultimate state of effectiveness. They contain bedrock values and are the cornerstone of a thriving enterprise. They allow us to continuously push the envelope to greater frontiers. It is built on open representation, equal access to opportunity, and stimulating contributions to ensure people bring their best talent and ideas to the table. We are tapping into reservoirs of potential and possibilities.

Diversity Essentials

Diversity Essentials are characteristics that manifest our uniqueness, variety, distinctiveness, and perspectives. We developed our character through education, culture, exposure, experiences, and expertise. Diversity Essentials comprises the ways we are different, including the visible and invisible, seen and unseen. It captures the different generations and their interests. Baby Boomers are eliciting the talent and genius of Generation X, Millennials, and Gen-Z. It is an invitation to all people and ideas.

When we look at a definition of diversity, everyone should see themselves in it. We may be altruistic to a certain extent, but we need to see ourselves featured to feel as if we belong; for inclusion is a natural desire.

More of the distinctions and descriptions that describe how we are or how we feel are as follows.

Ability status, age, background, citizenship status, class, culture, development stage, educational level, ethnicity, extroversion, family status, function, gender, generation, immigration status, introversion, language, leadership styles, learning styles, life experiences, life styles, love languages, mindsets, national origin, organizational levels, other, outsider, personality types, physical attributes, political affiliation, race, regional origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, spirituality, thinking and working styles.

Diversity Essentials are strategic business decisions that ensure that company personnel and representation reflect the customer base, community, and availability of talent. They are spontaneous revelations that believe in Win/Win situations. Diversity is more than race and gender. It is not a monster or the boogeyman to cause fear and loathing. It wants us to cultivate our abilities for the widespread improvement of projects, people, teams, countries, and the planet. Where it is practiced, organizations thrive financially in a robust culture of cooperation and innovation. Joel Barker, a Futurist who popularized paradigms and paradigm shifts, said, “Societies and organizations that most creatively incorporate diversity will reap the rewards of innovation, growth, wealth, and progress.” He also said many innovations are attributed to the outsider because they bring diverse perspectives to an opportunity.

Diversity Essentials recognizes our special nature and characteristics. We benefit extensively from the fortuitous value of working together and learning from each other.

Diversity Essentials harmonize these traits in an environment of acceptance and belonging, which allows each individual to be free, fulfilled, and fruitful.

Equity Essentials

Equity Essentials cultivates respect for fairness and the potential to be treated fairly to reach our potential to express our greatness with unfettered access to opportunity. There is an expectation of excellence. Meritocracy is a key component because the organization cannot function successfully unless it is staffed appropriately with hard-working, highly skilled employees.

Equity Essentials must be established and verifiable to potential and current employees, as well as investors. Equity Essentials assures us that we are attractive to top talent. People are attracted to places where sound, enforceable policies are in place. They wanted to be treated fairly in a setting of equal opportunity. Employee reaction should be validated in company surveys and individual conversations. People do not feel they have an equal opportunity where favoritism and nepotism run rampant without leadership emphasizing fairness. It is one thing to have written policies against favoritism and nepotism, but if they are not enforced, they are meaningless.

Equity Essentials provides feedback on micro-inequities, bias, acceptance of generations, and increasing engagement levels. They educate us and improve our awareness of anomalies that are barriers to high performance. Integrity is an integral part of our operations, and we must elevate and celebrate core values that reflect who we are and want to become.

Inclusion Essentials

Inclusion Essentials are premeditated acts to involve others. We are pieces to puzzles and may contain missing perspectives and ideas for concepts, programs, and problems. We may have what is needed for the evolution, development, and growth of our peers or mankind in general. We cannot afford to isolate individuals who may hold the keys to our success.

Inclusion Essentials may manifest as practices, rules, and regulations that establish a climate of access and full participation. People want to be accepted in an environment of authenticity where they genuinely belong. When people know that they are valued and aligned with high expectations, in a caring group, they will not want to disappoint us. When we hold them accountable and solicit their contributions, they will stand up and stand out. There is joy in being part of something larger than each individual. They will bask in the association of being connected to fulfilling and worthwhile work.

DEI Essentials flourish, as it nourishes inquiry, constructive relationships that lead to better coordination, problem solving, and reduced conflict.

DEI Essentials promote a level playing field where individual talent and effort are encouraged and rewarded. People willingly release energy and discretionary effort as they engage in excellence and are committed to a cause greater than themselves.

The Core of More™ – Be Awesome from the Inside Out

February 19, 2018 ~ Orlando Ceaser

There are crucial components to your development that must be examined to accelerate your progress. There is a core set of skills, values or principles which can be debated, but factually, these key ingredients build on your present state.

Let’s place four elements in this Core of More™. These elements confirm there is more in your core than you can imagine, yet you periodically ignore one or more components. They are Let it glow, Let it grow, Let it flow and Let it go. These ingredients will enable you to gain rather than regress and achieve surplus, that is not necessarily excess.

Let it Glow

Your light, however you define it, must be allowed to shine. Your talent, skills, abilities, capacity and resources must be a beacon of hope, a living positive example. Your light must be an indicator of your presence, purpose and performance. As we sang in Sunday School, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” When it shines, it has a glow, a luminescence that grabs people attention, pinpoints your location and potentially influences your behavior.

Let it Grow

Skill level and impact will expand and enlarge your contributions. Influence grows as your abilities are refined and increased. You will devote the time, effort, energy and insight received from teachers, mentors and coaches to improve knowledge and the quality of your work.

You will become a continuous learner and communicator, passionate about getting better in the priority areas of your life. Your light will get larger and brighter and more will take notice of you and more will be expected of you, as more are influenced by your presence. Your abundance will become a windfall to others, as you realize you are slated to get better, so others can benefit from your brilliance.

Let it Flow

As it glows and grows, it will flow in the execution of your skill set and in helping other people. Work will become easier and more natural. Executing your tasks will appear effortless, mainly because you are in your sweet spot and you are letting it flow. It is captured in an acronym SMILE (So Make It Look Easy). An athlete will comment that they let the game come to them or the game slows down for them as they improve their craft.

When you let it flow, you remove the barriers to your performance. Your actions are as a well-trained athlete, gliding through the race; a musician who makes playing the instrument look easy; a world class professional speaker in their comfort zone, delivering a powerful message. You are caught up in the flow.

Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi , has a concept of flow which is defined as follows, “In positive psychology, as the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity”¹. It is a state where skills are consistent with the challenges presented to you. In the state of flow, you lose track of time and you are consumed in passion”². Simon Sinek says, “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.”³ When you Let it flow, your passion shows, as you let it flow.

Let it Go

Along your journey, there are nouns you must displace. There are people, places or things that are excessive weight that must be discarded. As a hot air balloonist will tell you, if they want to increase their altitude, sand bags must be cast over board or they will hamper your ascension.

There are personal situations that try to hold you back and hold you down. In earlier articles I refer to them as the Hindre™ a person or spirit of negativity that attempts to hinder or restrict your progress. They must be released if you are to soar to the rightful heights of your achievement. You may know these impediments, or you must be open to people giving you a second opinion on people who are plotting against you.

You must let go of destructive habits, attitudes, the wrong crowd, the wrong mindset or other roadblocks that are impeding your progress.

Let it glow, Let it grow, Let it flow and Let it go, are part of the Core of More™. Apply these principles to help you achieve success in the professional and personal realms of your life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1998). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life
wordpress.com/2014/08/24/working..

What do Ambitious People Want?

September 16, 2015 ~ Orlando Ceaser

Conversations with ambitious people who want to embark upon an ad venture leading to success, revealed at least six attributes that describe their appetite for achievement.

The attributes are access, acknowledgment, acceptance, appreciation, advocates and awards.

Access

Ambitious people want unfettered, unrestricted access to key people, resources, and information that can help their careers. The resources could be information, data, budgets and expertise. They know that relationships and networking are important to job acquisition and promotions. Salespeople think,” If I can see them, I can sell them.” Ambitious people want the keys to unlock the doors to opportunity.

People want access to key developmental opportunities, assignments and high visibility projects that will hone their skills and prepare them to assume additional responsibilities. Ambitious people want access to meaningful work and connections to mentors, coaches and the senior leaders who can ultimately influence their careers.

Acknowledgment

Ambitious people want to be acknowledged, once they are around and gain access. They want to be recognized and feel like a part of the team. Recognition as an attribute means simply to notice them, sense their presence and smile or nod in their direction. They want common courtesies through greetings and eye contact. People want to feel as if they are a part of something very special. It is not always necessary to remember their names, but that would be a nice touch. A smile in their direction while walking in the hallways signals to people that you know that they are there. No one likes to feel invisible, so when leaders find a way to acknowledge and identify someone it is very well received.

Acceptance

Everyone wants to be accepted and included. If a leader in the organization taps into a person’s need to be accepted they will feel valued, relevant and necessary. They will feel a part of something bigger than themselves and this will enrich their time at work. They can feel accepted when invited to functions after work and involved in social activities. When they feel welcome, they feel as if they belong. It is one thing for an organization to talk about inclusion, but the proof is in the daily practices of its members to involve everyone in activities beneficial to the organization.

When people are accepted, they feel as if they are wanted and this can contribute to higher statistics on engagement, productivity and job satisfaction.

Appreciation

People like to feel their work has value; is noticed and essential to the enterprise. When leaders or the organization finds ways to say “thank you”, people remember. A senior leader wrote a poem to his sales organization and received numerous positive responses from the team. In addition to the other awards they receive at year end, one person said,” My manager took to time to write something special to show his appreciation.”

Employees enjoy when managers demonstrate actions, not just words to prove that their people are their most important resource in the company. Programs are put in place that minimize workload and attempt to ease the tension between work and their personal life. It is often very difficult to achieve work/life balance. Some organizations refer to it as work life effectiveness or a blending between work and home. Feedback is given consistently, not just at the end of the year, to ensure that employees know where they stand relative to their performance expectations. They are told the truth in a fair and candid manner, which builds trust. Not only are people appreciate, but they are respected and their opinions are solicited.

Think of ways to say or show your appreciation. It can involve little things like thank you cards, hand written notes, bonuses, time off or special celebrations. There are numerous ways to show gratitude and these will go a long way to making people see that managers care about them as individuals.

Advocates

Ambitious people love to rise within the organization. They want to be known and supported by individuals who can advance their careers. They want mentors who will speak up on their behalf in personnel meetings. They want people to put in a good word for them when assignments are being discussed. They want supporters, cheerleaders, mentors, coaches and sponsors. When they are doing a good job, they want the managers to sing their praises from the rooftop. They want people to run interference for them on their way to other assignments. In meetings when people are quoting misinformation about their performance, they want someone present who will set the record straight.

Ambitious people love advocates. These individuals can have a positive impact on their financial status and their ability to be successful on the job. When individuals within the company and outside the organization learn about positions, advocates are invaluable to deliver positive comments about your personality, work ethic and capabilities.

Awards

Everyone likes to be rewarded and recognized when their performance meets and exceeds expectations. These awards can be in the form of pay increases, additional responsibility and kind words delivered in the presence of your peers. People want to feel acknowledged, accepted and appreciated. These three attribute can be considered awards for showing up at work and delivering results at a very high level. When access is provided and advocates communicate and celebrate your performance, awards in the form of certificates, pay increases, promotional opportunities and developmental assignments is a great way to show that the organization understands the importance of cultivating a motivated workforce.

The six attributes stated in this article answers the question, “What do ambitious people want?” An argument can be made that not only are the six attributes what ambitious people want, but everyone in the company want the same things. Everybody wants to be respected, rewarded and recognized, as well as to be supported and mentored. Ambitious people and those not interested in climbing the company ladder want to enjoy work and feel they are making a difference, as a part of something significant, where they are playing an important role.