I recently went one on one with Dr. Tim Elmore. Tim is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Growing Leaders and the author of the new book The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership.

Adam: Thanks for taking the time to share your advice. First thing first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Tim: Looking back on my forty-plus years of a career, it all makes sense. At the time, however, each step of the way felt like I was zigzagging toward my goal. I began teaching and leading students in 1979. It was at that time I acquired a passion to develop the next generation and prepare them for life. In 1983, I joined John Maxwell’s staff and instantly saw the value of leadership development. Those two loves—the next generation and leadership training—came together when I launched Growing Leaders in 2003. We partner with businesses, schools, athletic teams, and non-profits to offer tools to equip young leaders to understand and practice healthy, life-giving leadership. Along the way, I learned lessons, such as building a business model that was B to B, not B to C. We discovered that those who lead young people needed help connecting with young people. In addition, I’ve had money embezzled by a payroll company and mismanaged by accountants. I learned to scrutinize people without losing trust. I watched staff turnover as we moved into a new station of our organizational life cycle. I learned the people who began with you may not go forward with you. (I grew thick skin). As I traveled worldwide, I’ve been in seven automobile accidents and one plane crash. Each of those only deepened my sense of urgency to fulfill my mission to young people. In fact, each setback actually sharpened my focus. 

Adam: What do you hope readers take away from your new book?

Tim: First, that they’re not alone in their frustration. The book opens by detailing the great CEO exodus of 2020 (loads of leaders from Fortune 500 companies resigned) as well as the “great resignation” (11.5 million employees resigned in three months during 2021). Leadership is tougher today than it was when I first entered my career as a leader. I want readers to see that one important step today’s leader needs to take is to practice some “paradoxes” that will differentiate them from others. These paradoxes have little to do with a business plan or a marketing strategy and everything to do with social and emotional intelligence. The ideas in this book are doable for anyone and might just be a game changer for their organization. 

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of a leader? 

In my research of leaders, I found the fundamentals that lasting leaders embrace are fourfold: character, perspective, courage and favor. The first is about leading myself well; the second is about how I envision the future; the third about the inward bravery to take a first step and the fourth is about bringing others with me. 

I would add, however, that effective leaders add some qualities to these fundamentals. The qualities have to do with the paradoxes I mentioned above. A paradox is an apparent contradiction that turns out to be accurate or true. For example, during the 2020 quarantine, there was far less traffic on the roads of Atlanta where I live, but ironically, there were actually more accidents on those roads. It doesn’t make sense until we consider that with fewer cars on the roads, drivers tended to drive more carelessly. I believe uncommon leaders embrace rare paradoxes that set them apart and make them winsome to people. 

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their skills to the next level?

Tim: My response will not surprise you. As I began to practice a handful of paradoxical traits, I noticed trust levels went up, team collaboration rose and momentum increased. For example, the first paradox in the book is: Uncommon leaders are both confident and humble. Too often, leaders are one or the other. They are either very confident—sometimes over-confident—and people lose trust, wondering if they’re really that good. At other times, leaders can be very humble. While this is attractive, it can make people wonder if their leader has the ambition and gumption to achieve the big goal. Bob Iger is my case study on this one. When Bob became CEO of Disney Enterprises in 2005, he had never led a company that sold animated movies, plush toys, theme park tickets and clothes. So, he entered as a listener and learner, humbly asking for help form those he led. At the same time, he knew that could not stop him from leading with confidence. It was a balancing act, but the Disney teams embraced him. Unlike Michael Eisner, who had become arrogant toward the end of his CEO tenure and offended Steve Jobs at Pixar, Bob came in and won Steve over, actually acquiring Pixar, but then putting those Pixar animators in charge of all Disney animation.  Humility and confidence. 

Other paradoxes that uncommon leaders embrace are: they leverage both their vision and their blind spots. Sara Blakely did this brilliantly. They display both high standards and gracious forgiveness. Harriet Tubman did this well. They’re both visible and invisible, just like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was in the 1960s. They are both stubborn and open-minded. This was modeled well by Truett Cathy. These are some of the examples I offer in the Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership book. I had so much fun writing it and hope it’s helpful and relevant to readers. 

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders? 

Tim: First, I would remind leaders that the further out you can see into the future, the better the decision you make today. Lasting leaders always take the long view. Second, I would say to put people before profit. When I have done this, profit and revenue tend to follow naturally. Third, I would encourage them to keep their eye on the total picture and fight getting lost in the details of the day to day. It’s the leader’s job to see the big picture. In short, my big three are:

• Think long term.

• Think high road.

• Think big picture.

Adam: What are your best tips on the topic of motivation?

Tim: This one has been simple for me. I stay motivated by performing a task every day that has something to do with my ultimate passion and mission. By inserting the “ultimate” vision each day, I don’t become a slave to the “immediate.”

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams.

Tim: What’s worked for me over the last four decades is to approach the team as a “mentor” rather than a “manager.” No one wants to be managed; almost everyone wants to be mentored. If I see my job as growing the people; developing their talents, skills and qualities, they tend to demonstrate fierce loyalty and they also tend travel the extra mile for the team. They work out of devotion not mere duty. 

Adam: What are your best tips on sales, marketing and branding? 

Tim: The key to any successful branding, marketing and sales is differentiation. When I developed our best-selling series, Habitudes: Images That Form Leadership Habitus and Attitudes,® it differentiated us in how we taught timeless leadership principles. Pictures beat lectures every day. We train through the power of images, conversations and experiences. I believe images are the language of the 21st century. In fact, I think advertising is the price you pay for commonality. When your different and better, advertising is word of mouth. Our Habitudes® have been successfully marketed and have sold 2.2 million copies to businesses, universities, secondary schools, athletic teams and nonprofits. Once you have a product or a service that stands out because it is different, your marketing and sales efforts can gain traction.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received? 

Tim: Two principles come to mind. First, I believe effective communicators use what is cultural to say what is timeless. They leverage what their listeners know and understand to teach something they don’t yet understand. Second, I believe it’s best to approach every interaction by seeking to add value to the other person, not necessarily to extract value. Both happen when I do this. 

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Tim: At this stage of my life, I am consumed with finishing well. I have been thinking about this ever since I was forty, but now, it’s my central thought when I work. My focus recently has been to practice the paradoxes of leadership. I believe this will make my leadership magnetic and will enable me to serve people and solve problems better. I invite you to join me on this path. 


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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