Salciccioli - The enemies of excellence: 7 reasons why we sabotage success

Acknowledgments

This book is the result of a team effort. Many extraordinary people have contributed to not only the writing of this resource but my education and experience. I would like to acknowledge these incredibly gifted people.

First, I want to thank Matthew Kelly for his friendship, encouragement, and introduction to the Crossroad Publishing team: from Gwendolin Herder, the gracious CEO of Crossroad who believed in me and this book, to Dr. John Jones, the Editorial Director who provided sage advice and expert editing. Without John, The Enemies of Excellence would never have reached its full potential and become the valuable resource it is today. He is a gifted writer and has become a good friend. Patrick Lencioni and the Table Group team are experts in the field of leadership and management. I greatly appreciate their friendship, encouragement, and excellent guidance. Their contributions brought clarity and depth to this resource. A special thanks to my research assistant Lauren Ruef for investing countless hours in building the books foundation, as well as Dan and Fran Berrey for helping fund the project. And the leaders I have had the honor of coaching and consulting in the last decade. Your passion to pursue excellence is a constant encouragement in my life.

I want to thank Dianna, my best friend and bride as well as my amazing family, for your constant support. Each of you brings tremendous joy to my life, and I am very thankful for each of you.

Finally I give thanks to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for all that I am.

About the Author

Greg Salciccioli is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. He serves leaders to advance their excellence and organizational effectiveness.

He is the cofounder and President of Coachwell Inc. a leadership coaching, consulting and resource company.

His goal is to help leaders be an example of excellence to better the world. His inspirational approach and practical resources have proven to be highly effective in moving people forward in their life and leadership.

Greg lives in Oregon with his wife Dianna and their family. They enjoy the outdoors and spending time together.

To learn more about Coach Greg please visit www.coachwell.com.

Coachwell

Our mission at Coachwell is to develop positive results in your life and the life of your organization. We believe the key to long-term results begins with a holistic approach to personal and organizational health. We dont just focus on problematic areas: we focus on all areas, using our rich resources in life, leadership and coaching to cultivate environments of growth.

Drawing from their experience and expertise, Coachwell Coaches know how to analyze challenges, formulate strategies, implement change and develop their clients to be the best they can be. With personal coaching plans for individuals, professional coaching for organizations, expert certification for future coaches and utilization of our cloud based software, CoachwellPro, our Coachwell offerings are designed to help you and your organization get results.

Foreword by Patrick Lencioni

Whenever a high profile leader or personality falls from grace because of drugs, alcohol, infidelity, financial mismanagement or another similar maladyits not easy to find sympathy among the general public. After all, these are famous, wealthy people were talking about, and they seem to bring on their own misery through the decisions they make. If anything, people take delight in seeing them learn painful lessons in humility.

Of course, this callousness toward high profile misery is misguided for a whole host of reasons, the most obvious of which is the collateral suffering that is inevitably mixed in with the carnage. Innocent spouses, children, friends, and employees are affected in profound ways, and even shareholders, customers, and fans can experience very real suffering as a result of a leaders destruction.

Well, as it turns out, there is another reason to feel bad when leaders set fire to their careers and their livesthose leaders are probably victims of an insidiously destructive and predictable pattern of behavior that plagues even some of the most well-intentioned people. According to Greg Salciccioli, and his theory makes a lot of sense, there is something inherent in being a person of influence that creates a likelihood of pain and self-destruction.

Greg has seen this first-hand, again and again. As a coach to leaders, hes come to recognize the signs of impending tragedy, and the dangerous tendencies which propel a leader unknowingly toward despair and misery beyond their comprehension.

This book is a wake-up call for all people who find themselves in positions of leadership and influence, and who want to preserve their families, their organizations, their self-respect, and their peace of heart and mind. The tragedy that can be avoided by heeding the advice here, and the joy that can be experienced through authentic, humble leadership, makes this a treasure.

Patrick Lencioni, president, The Table Group; author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Next Steps

The following resources and services are offered to assist your personal and professional development. To learn more and preview the resources and services featured below please visit www.coachwell.com

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The CoachwellPro System

CoachwellPro is a cloud-based application that assists leaders and organizations in management, goal achievement, skill development, and collaboration. CoachwellPro is highly effective in increasing employee engagement and health. To preview the many features and benefits of CoachwellPro, visit www.coachwell.com for more information.

The Enemies of Excellence Growth Guide

Provides leaders, managers, and small group facilitators a training tool to implement the valuable lessons in The Enemies of Excellence. The Growth Guide works with The Enemies of Excellence material and contains additional lessons, tools, and best practices. Visit www.coachwell.com to acquire this valuable tool.

The Enemies of Excellence Tools

The Enemies of Excellence tools are free downloads at www.coachwell.com to assist your learning and collaboration with others as you read and apply the lessons in The Enemies of Excellence.

COACHING OPPORTUNITY

Coaching is a powerful personal and professional growth opportunity that is proven to get results. A Professional Coach provides valuable insight as a trusted advisor resulting in clearer direction and greater achievement. Contact Coachwell at www.coachwell.com or call us directly to schedule a Coaching Consultation with one of our Professional Coaches to discover how professional coaching can assist your growth.

Coachwell Inc.
PO Box 5005
Bend, OR. 97708
541.728.0601
www.coachwell.com

Chapter One

Dont Play with Matches!

Dont play with matches! You could hurt yourself and burn down the house. Sounds like good advice, but to a 10-year-old boy it doesnt mean much. Hes thinking: I got it, Mom and Dad. I can handle this. Nothing bad is going to happen to me. I wish that was true.

It was the summer of 1970, and instead of playing in the sprinklers with my buddies, I found myself in the backyard doing my chore, picking up piles of weeds. Begrudgingly, I bagged the weeds and hauled them to the front sidewalk for trash day pick-up.

Its said that necessity is the mother of invention, and in my need to play with my friends as soon as possible, I had struck upon a brilliant idea. I could burn up the weeds, one pile at a time, and my chore would be completed much faster. With this notion in my mind, I snuck into the garage and grabbed a box of matches, returning to my boring task with a renewed sense of excitement. I began with great enthusiasm, arranging a small pile of weeds, striking a match and watching the pile burn. It worked great. Then I realized that if I increased the size of the piles, the task would get done much faster!