It started as a normal Skype session between friends. One asked a question, the other responded with an answer. However in this case, the call was with two of the finest storytellers that the millennial generation has offered up. Michael, a tattoo’d Kentucky visual artist and Amir, an Afro-Arab social activist from Sudan. And then the moment broke in to that pure energy that we all pursue. “Alan, what is it that the 60s generation has to offer to the millennial’s of today?” they inquired. “We know it’s there and we want it.” The thoughts swooned in my head as…
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One of my favorite characters is Mullah Nasruddin, a Sufi mystic and philosopher believed to have lived in the Middle Ages. In order to understand why he is so beloved to me, let me tell you a story from my early executive career. As I looked down the long conference table and into the eyes of 13 other CEOs, I realized I was way out of my depth. I was 29 years old and running a brand-new merger acquisition firm. I had been invited to be a part of a Vistage group with executives far more seasoned than I. In…
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Live with greater awareness. Move towards “purposeful engagement in business and life.” Or simply check out the conference that is Wisdom 2.0. Today I will be making the trek up to San Francisco for this very conference. To give you an idea about their conference, their mission “addresses the great challenge of our age: to not only live connected to one another through technology, but to do so in ways that are beneficial to our own well-being, effective in our work, and useful to the world.” Now, I’d like to think that, while I’m by no means tech-savvy, I’ve met…
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A key to Awakened Leadership is learning to lead from a place of authenticity and love, and to permit that authenticity and love to rub off on those around you, so they can choose to lead from a similar place of strength. One place where we can learn about awakening is to look at lessons from the world’s oldest and most potent medication – the placebo effect. The placebo effect, as many know, is the power of our beliefs to impact the ends we are trying to achieve. The power of belief is well-documented: studies have shown placebos are equally…
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Join me in a Muslim Leadership talk TOMORROW! We will be having a discussion on stories as a pathway to inner growth. Hope to see you all there! What: Muslim Leadership Talk Venue: John F. Kennedy Middle College High School Location: Norco, CA Public: Public Directions: Click here for directions. Just add your location    

Today’s Friday leadership thought is brought to you from Wisconsin Beach in Oceanside CA. This is my leadership space which anchors me into the possibility of leading from awakening. Today there were dolphins swimming on this beautiful overcast day. Find your leadership space!

This is the last video, Part 6, in a series of videos I edited and posted on my YouTube page. This video contains a question and answer portion that occurred at the very end of the event. Thanks again to everyone involved and I hope you all enjoyed this series!

For the past week I have been in North Carolina, and specifically Wake Forest for leadership training. It’s a beautiful campus in Winston-Salem and I’ve had an amazing experience here for the past week. The thought I have for you today is to look at your own life and ask, ‘can I see in the action of my life where I am a leader?’ Feel free to comment below and have a fantastic weekend everyone. I’ll be back Monday!

So here I am today in North Carolina on a rainy day after one of the most challenging assignments of my career. I began my professional career as a merger/acquisition specialist, becoming a CPA at Price Waterhouse (now PwC) many moons ago. So a deep financial skill-set has always been a part of my personal toolbox. As I went along my way in the business world, I developed a passion for personal development and maturity and became a resource in that arena. I always saw the financial piece of my life as the content that I needed to master. But I knew that the real power in…
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I got a double dose of blogs for you today! This morning I walked on the ocean and watched the dolphins play. Then I returned to my office to give my Friday coaching thought. You know what? My thought is that we pay attention to the wrong things most of the time. Looking for a topic for today yielded nothing that was as important than watching the dolphins. What do you think is important? Take a look at my video below and let me know what you think. All the best!