This blog is dedicated to Paige Elenson, Bethany Lyons, the Baptiste Yoga team, and my fellow Level 2 graduates who showed me the way last week - in word, listening and expression.

“The greatest leaders embody their words. They say less with greater impact. They mind the details of practice as if each detail held the magical secret to life. ”

Photo by Jamie Roberts (instagram @the.jame)

6 Attributes of the Leader By Example

Technical Skill

Self Assessment / Regulation

Awareness

Communication

Goal Setting

Organization / Prioritization

“ It’s not what I say that matters, but how I say it and live it that creates the impact. Do I say, express, and practice my message with the conviction of my body, voice, and action?”

We live in a world of words, inundated by words on social media, in books, in conversation. Even this blog is a bunch of words. A story. Words are powerful. They are messengers that convey information, shape perspective, and inform experience. Both the words I say, and the ones I don’t, impact my interaction with, and understanding of the world.

The greatest leaders don't just speak, they embody their words. They don't tell me what to do, they show me how to embody it, and create space for me to embody it in my own way. They say less with greater impact. They create themselves as models of possibility, living with rigorous vulnerability, and a deep respect for how the way in which they work, express, and interact, informs how others work, express, and interact. They mind the details of practice as if each detail held the magical secret to life.

Praxis Action Style

Disciplined Practice

types of practice

Default Practice: normal, unconscious, day to day mode of practice
Deliberate Practice: focused, specific, measurable, growth-oriented mode of practice
Deep Practice: intense, felt-experience of the practice

Leadership Language

By Example

The foundation of all great leadership is self-leadership, personal mastery, and disciplined practice. It's not what I say that matters, but how I say it and live it that creates the impact. Do I say, express, and practice it with the conviction of my body, voice, and action?

A leader delivers a message in order to mobilize specific action and behavior within a group of people. A leader by example delivers the message through personal experience and expression. They lead through the work of self. Becoming the model of possibility, exploring each moment with the courage and wonder to discover an opening. The leader by example exposes what's normal motion - the default - in themselves and works deliberately into the simple, deep practice of personal expression. They learn directly from experience, and relate to others from that experience. They realize that the world around them is a mirror. Before they say a thing, they believe the thing, because they've experienced the thing.

A leader by example says less, and inspires more. Do you?

Discover Within, Expand Beyond,

Rachel

Below is an inside view into the personal work I did last year in preparation for the Olympic Games. What's possible for you?

This post is dedicated to Alli Tanner, Praxis CEO, my dear friend, and soon to be Mrs. Van Shaack. Thanks for always dreaming, exploring, and charging ahead, heart first. This is only the beginning.

“That’s Alli’s way, she is courageous. She loves adventure, she loves charging forward and having fun. She’s willing to chase a ball down that seems unreachable to everyone else. Without Alli’s commitment and courage to charge ahead, Praxis wouldn’t exist. ”

Before we dig into the next blog series on Personal Action Styles, and Leadership Languages, I wanted to take a second to rewind and refresh.

Let's go back to the summer of 2004 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It was hot outside. The sticky, muggy, can't escape the sun, end of summer, smells like dogwood trees, North Carolina hot. Alli Tanner was a freshman at UNC. I was a sophomore. It was the first day of preseason. Since school wasn't in session, and the dorms weren't open, Alli was crashing at my off-campus apartment.

The day started with the gauntlet. Alli came out guns blazing and ran a ridiculously fast gauntlet. Evening dawns, and we take the field for the annual opening day, intra-squad scrimmage. Alli, a forward, comes out again, guns blazing. She charges forward, heart first, head up, ready to pounce, chasing down a pass that seems unreachable. She closes in on the circle - she has a chance - the goal keeper rushes toward the ball, Alli doesn't stop, she keeps going, determined to win the contest. The goal keeper gets to the ball first, swings her leg back to clear it, makes contact, and bam, Alli takes the ball straight into the forehead from point blank distance. She goes down. Blood seeps from a massive gash that spans from her hairline to the tip of her nose. I swore it was so deep you could see her skull.

I don't remember what happened next. I imagine Alli got up, got stitched up, and asked Coach if she could go back in. That's Alli's way, she is courageous. She loves adventure, she loves charging forward and having fun. She's willing to chase a ball down that seems unreachable to everyone else. Without Alli's commitment and courage to charge ahead, Praxis wouldn't exist.

So, what is Praxis?

Praxis is a personal discovery and actualization process built by Alli and myself to translate dreams and ideas into actionable realities.

iNTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT MODEL

The Know You Cube

A comprehensive self-assessment tool that athletes use during the Beta-lete Program to develop a better understanding of individual behavioral attributes as they relate to the whole picture. It provides valuable, specific information on how the athlete perceives their current reality. It provides a platform to engage in purposeful personal development.

6 Elements of Praxis Wellness

Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social, Developmenal, and Habitual

36 Praxis Attributes

Each element consists of 6 Core Attributes. An attribute is a specific characteristic, quality, or skill. Attributes, as measured through action, are developable.

6 Praxis Action Styles

An action style is specific way of doing, how an individual engages in action. Each action style consists of 6 Core Attributes. The 6 Action Styles are Disciplined Practice, Trust, Power, Steadiness, Malleability, and Determination

6 Leadership Languages

Each Action Style translates to a specific Leadership Language. A Language of Leadership is a method of delivering messages to mobilize action in a group of people. The 6 Languages are: By Example, Shepard, Charismatic, Steadfast, Versatile, and Visionary.