Creating Vibrant Leaders - Institute for Leadership Fitness

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in leadership development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with David Chinsky, Founder and CEO of Institute for Leadership Fitness, located in Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Our mission is to create vibrant leaders that last. The Institute for Leadership Fitness provides leaders with access to a comprehensive set of tools enabling them to increase their Clarity, Confidence, Effectiveness, and Vitality. Our customers learn how to better manage self-doubt, have difficult conversations, resolve conflict, prioritize opportunities, win others over and boost their balance and personal vitality. Our leadership training programs (delivered in person, virtually, and/or on-demand) also provide training on creativity, innovation, motivation, servant leadership, transparency, managing distractions, and appreciating generational diversity.

Our programs have attracted leaders from over a dozen states in the U.S. and from over 15 countries around the world. Over 6,000 leaders have participated in the Institute's Leadership Fitness experiences, known as the Fit Leader's Program and Fit Leaders Academy. You can view our client list here.

Tell us about yourself

I spent nearly 20 years in executive leadership positions at organizations, including Ford Motor Company, Nestle, and Thomson Reuters, before founding the Institute for Leadership Fitness in 2002.

For several years, I suppressed my growing passion for developing leaders on a full-time basis. Instead, I stayed put, taking on one executive assignment after another. Before long, I realized I was living someone else's life and not my own. However, it was tempting to continue down that path as it provided tremendous security, financial reward, and ego support. On the other hand, while I enjoyed my role as a corporate executive and was very good at it, deep inside, I knew my calling was to do something else.

Then, while I was in Washington, D.C., six miles from the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, my life changed. Needless to say, billions of lives changed that day. As I watched in shock as the two World Trade Center towers came crumbling down, I realized that thousands of people had just lost their hopes and promises of "One day, I will (fill in the blank) when I retire," or, "One day I will (fill in the blank) when I have enough money in the bank." For those who lost their lives on 9/11/2001, there would be no future opportunity to make good on their personal pledges, passions, and desires. That day, I made a commitment to give voice to what I knew in my heart and my head that I was called to do: to teach, to develop others, and to create inspiring and effective programs and materials that would bring about sustained excellence in others.

As I look back at these formative experiences of my life—including my love of writing, creating workbooks, and personally leading and developing others to do the same—I am grateful for the opportunities I now have to express these strengths and desires on a daily basis. It is sometimes difficult to see the patterns of our life (our own lifelines) and understand where those experiences are leading us, and by the time we finally see it, it may be too late to claim our true calling. I encourage you to take time to reflect on the path of your life. This can lead to great joy and fulfillment as you discover and express the true genius you bring to the world.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is the creation of a library of 40 practical Leadership Fitness learning modules that are used by thousands of individuals to more sustainably lead in their organizations, their families, and their communities. I am also proud to have authored two books that support the growth of my customers.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner is learning how to prioritize all the opportunities competing for our attention and ensuring the ongoing balance between our professional and personal obligations.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Don't wait for permission. Do what you believe needs to be done. You can always make mid-course corrections along the way.
2. Don't overcommit too soon to exactly what your business will become. It isn't always clear at the beginning what will resonate most in the market, what you will enjoy most over time, and what will ring the cash register.
3. Remember that people buy when they are ready to buy, not when we are ready to sell.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://fitleadersacademy.com/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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