Tom Lemanski's

Your Bridge to Discovery

Leadership Breakthroughs icon

The Ultimate Recognition

On Thursday October 29, 2020  I became a Hall of Famer in my field.  At the Fall Power Summit for The Trusted Advisors Network, I was inducted into their Hall of Fame.  This was unexpected. While the Network is over 30 years old, their Hall of Fame is relatively new.  So becoming a Hall of Famer could not have been a long time goal or aspiration.  But I can share that I used the Trusted Advisors Strategic Thinking process to write my original business plan. The process guided me to consider the desired perceptions of all my business stakeholders. I wrote about how I wanted to become a “valuable and respected member of their affiliate network”.  I now believe that enabled the power of the Law of Attraction.         

How Does it Feel?

Upon getting the news, I can’t say that was at a loss for words. That rarely happens.  But I struggled at first to the right words to describe my reaction. At first I felt surprised and flattered.  The whole idea needed to sink in. Now that I’ve absorbed it, I’m genuinely honored and grateful.

The Humble Beginning

Tom - 2001

My 2001 Head Shot

I began my affiliation with an organization now known as The Trusted Advisors Network in the fall of 2001.It was just after the 9-11 attacks.  So I’m beginning my 20th year as a solopreneur in the coaching/consulting profession. I started my new solo consulting venture from scratch: While I had success as a business leader and manager, I had no real consulting experience, little cash and few connections in my network.  What I did have was training, support and some powerful tools from the incredible network of brilliant, like-minded people.  It’s important for me to recognize them in light of the recognition they’ve given me.  Tammy Kohl and her team at Trusted Advisors along with all their brilliant affiliates from all over the US have made this moment possible.  

Anyone who has ever started a business knows there is no such thing as an overnight success. It took more perseverance and resiliency than expected.  There were plenty of hard knocks along the way that gradually changed my hair color.   

Accepting The Award Virtually

In any other year, I would have listened to the applause from my peers and stepped onto the stage to accept the award. Then, taken the podium for my acceptance speech. Instead, I sat in my office in front of my webcam to express my gratitude plus some thoughts about my journey. There are no photographs to share. I will share the three quotes I used to summarize my journey.

3 Quotes Characterize The Journey

"80% of Success is Showing Up"

 Woody Allen

Woody Allen

"A big shot is just a little shot who keeps shooting."

 Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar

"To Have, You Must Become."

 Trusted Advisors’ Leadership Development Process

talogo1

To have the respect and recognition of my peers, I need to become a person whose actions and achievements were worthy of recognition.  Since 2001, I’ve showed up and kept shooting.  

I don’t believe anyone achieves Hall of Fame status without a lot of help and support from others.  Without my tribe of fellow Trusted Advisors affiliates, I likely would have found another career path.  Special thanks to fellow Hall of Famers: George Richardson, Doug Brown, Arnie Rintzler and Ray Overdorff.  Last and not least, I’m grateful for the patience and encouragement of my wife Holly.  

Moving forward, I pledge to continue showing up and working to become a person worthy of my new, Hall of Fame status.  

2 Responses

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *