133: Raising Leaders and Redefining the Top 1% with Dr. Trevor Blattner

When a leader for entrepreneurs and other leaders also includes PARENTS in his target audience, because he believes parents should be raising leaders by giving kids the same leadership skills as super successful adults, you know my curiosity is piqued!

Dr. Blattner’s work will help parents who want to raise children who are capable, respectful, and of strong moral character – today we’ll talk about how to protect our kids from despair and self-destruction and build leadership qualities in them, all while we parent in a busy, unpredictable world.

You’ll learn:

• Why starting young with the right habits will make ALL the difference
• The perils of our culture for our kids, how leadership can be sabotaged, and what you can do about it
• Why so many people settle for mediocrity (and we don’t want our kids to be in that group!!!)
• Dr. B’s total re-definition of the “top 1%” which I love so much!
• Why “Shepherd leadership” is a totally new paradigm (and your kids can be leaders, even if they’re shy or introverted)
• What parents need to DELETE from their children’s lives if they hope to raise leaders
• How to teach kids to manage their egos (and why that’s important)
• And the valuable lessons learned at the dinner table and in the kitchen.

Can’t see the video? Get strategies for raising leaders here on YouTube!

No time for the video? Here are the notes!

Raising Leaders with Dr. Blattner

• 0:21: Today we’re going to build confidence in you as a parent and confidence in your kids. I’m here with Dr. Trevor Blattner today on the Healthy Parenting Connector to talk about how to build leadership qualities in your kids.
• 1:17: Dr. Blattner wrote a book called Redefining the Top 1% and one of the audiences he wrote it for is parents who are raising the next generation.

We have a very special opportunity with our kids to model doing life the right way. -Dr. Trevor Blattner

• 2:12: Dr. Trevor Blattner is an author, executive coach, and a shepherd leader.
• 3:45: Dr. Blattner shares his story with us and how he came to write his book and study leadership in the way he does. He read an article about how overall mortality and specifically the suicide rates are rising in people ages 25-60 and he knew something was going wrong to cause this.

• 8:03: Leadership has many different definitions. You can be a leader in the everyday decisions you make. Anytime you choose something that’s leading towards your goals and purpose and bringing light into the world, you are choosing leadership.
• 9:45: What do parents need to understand about the perils of the current culture and how can we help our kids rise to the top? In the US we have less confidence in our government, the media, and each other than we’ve ever had before. Kids don’t do what we say, they watch what we do. They’re looking to us, teachers, celebrities, etc to model life for them.

• 11:27: When I hear “top 1%,” I think of an amazing successful CEO, it evokes an “us vs them” mentality. They are the “elites.” But what about the top 1% of your own individual potential? The top 1% is something anyone can reach, it will just look different for each of us.
• 14:42: If you’re going to get to the top 1% of your potential there are some stairs you’ll need to climb. Dr. Blattner has 4 levels of personal performance.

4 Levels of Personal Performance

• 15:10: The first personal growth level is called “mayhem” which is survival mode. It’s a default mode of putting out fires and living the path of least resistance. Aside from being miserable and stressful, this stage is physically and emotionally unhealthy.
• 16:09: Level two, where most people spend most of their lives, is called “mediocrity.” That’s where all the competition is.
• 16:54: “Mission” is the third level. People who have arrived here have a sense of purpose and a set of goals they’re working towards.
• 17:42: The pinnacle is “Mastery” where you reach your full potential. The difference between mission and mastery is the idea of flow. Here’s the book Flow mentioned

7 Habits to Focus on for Raising Leaders

• 19:42: Dr. Blattner has 7 habits to focus on to reach the level of mastery. He goes through them all here. You’ll have to read his book to go in-depth on all 7. 

• 21:09: Before you can build something you need to clear the land. We talk about some things you need to remove from your kids’ lives if you want to raise leaders. Entitlement and a fixed mindset are going to hold your kids back from reaching mastery. Here’s Carol Dweck’s book Mindset we mention.

Teach your kids to view themselves as stewards of the gifts they’ve been given rather than expect life to give them things. -Dr. Trevor Blattner

• 23:09: A growth mindset is not only beneficial, but it’s also more scientifically accurate. We know our brains can improve and new neural pathways can be developed. Read here about instilling a gold medal mindset in your kids.
• 24:41: We’re going to dive into Dr. Blattner’s third important habit: choose leadership and manage ego. Being yourself and following your own convictions instead of being swayed by what others think of you is its own kind of leadership. Here’s the article by Bronnie Ware we mentioned. 
• 27:35: We need ego to give us drive and ambition, but we need to be intentional. Humility is strength, not weakness or being a pushover. 

• 29:58: The ability to listen to others, make them feel seen and heard, is a way to express humility and compassion. This is the very essence of the shepherd leadership philosophy. 

What is a Leader?

• 43:55: We need to redefine what we envision a leader to be. The stereotype is an outgoing person who speaks well and has a strong presence. Shy, introverted kids can be leaders too! Your personality is less important than the example you set for those who would follow you.
• 33:09: I distill down the heady discussion we’ve had so far: we want to encourage kids to reach the top 1% of their own potential, infuse a purpose and growth mindset in their lives, teach them to be stewards, show them how they can care for others and listen rather than only looking out for themselves and demonstrate the strength of humility. Get more strategies for raising successful adults here.  
• 34:04: Dr. Blattner’s book is filled with exercises you can implement. He gives us a couple of examples you can incorporate into your family life. 

Leadership is about who you are as a person; who you’re trying to be moment to moment. -Dr. Trevor Blattner

• 35:22: Dr. Blattner gives some tips to incorporate visual cues to guide you towards your goals. Post-it notes, phone alarms, or an app like Yapp can all come in handy here.
• 39:06: Of course, we’re all about building confidence in the kitchen here at Kids Cook Real Food^™, we talk about building leadership qualities in the kitchen. 
• 41:06: We leave you with one thing you can do today to get a quick win.

Resources We Mention For Raising Leaders

• Redefining the Top 1% by Dr. Trevor Blattner
• Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 
• Mindset by Carol Dweck 
• Carol Dweck’s TED talk on the power of a growth mindset
• Fostering a gold medal mindset 
• Article about biggest regrets people have at the end of their life 
• Strategies for raising successful adults
• Yapp, a mindset reminder app 
• Find Dr. Blattner online
• Follow him on social media: Facebook, Instagram