The BTL framework for building excellence, remember, is the 12 8 4 powered by 2. Yea, BABY. Very few choose to build one, much less all three. The BTL band’s purpose, therefore, is going to be mostly spent in falling and in failing. Huh?
Remember, our purpose is to transform a collection of individuals, teams, and leaders into ONE. ONE that is BUILT TO LEAD. However, most of our engagements will fall well short of the mark, will fail to achieve even one of the objectives, will end before we get to see the good work to completion. AND, here’s the really cool part.
We’re “OK” with that. Funny, huh.
Discover your CORE purposes, integrate your individual discoveries into your collective purpose for your team, and get busy building the next generation of leaders before you need them. Transformational leaders follow the 12 8 4 framework and make it their own. Transformational leaders transform themselves first and their model serves as an inspiration for their team to do the same. AND, these same leaders build leaders. They build them NOW. They build them when they have the time and when they don’t. They build them because not building your next generation is completely nuts. Who wouldn’t want their system to succeed them?
The transition of power, however, is always difficult. The reason that this transition is so difficult in the business world is as complex and complicated as are you and I. The root, however, is easy to see and really hard to change. The root reason behind most of your transition problem is because of this fact.
Once we’ve tasted positional POWER, most humans do not want to let it go. Funny, huh.
Too much of our identity has been aligned with our position of perceived POWER. We say all the right things, we even begin to transition pieces of the position, and yet in most leaders hearts there is a tension, a conflict, a sense that “not yet,” “not ready,” “not enough,” which eventually ends in…
“NOT now.”
As you grow into your position of power, young reader, take heed to not fall prey to what has blind sided many a person before you and before me.
Separate your identify from your position.
Select great men and women to be built into your next generation of leaders. AND, give them the reins before you think they’re ready, before they’re old enough to know it all, before you’re ready to give up your POWER. Your system will respond. Your system, assuming you’ve been busy building, will respond with a blast of newfound energy. Your experience, your advice, your thoughts, and your contributions need not go away, just your position as the head of the system.
The transition of power is a magical moment when properly prepared by a BUILT TO LEAD builder. The transition is often ugly and divisive when it’s not. You choose. Your choices have consequences.
Tell me more, my friend.
Tell me more…
BUILT TO LEAD 
This is why Abraham Lincoln’s quote is on page 72 of our 12 Essentials playbook under the mini-section Build Your Character of Build Your Core:
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”