Leadership is a choice.

You can choose to stay positive and in the moment, or you can let yourself succumb to doubt and negativity. It takes as much energy to be frustrated as it does to be resourceful, and it’s nearly impossible to be both at the same time.

We tend to think of leadership as flashing swords, generals on horseback, and Winston Churchill. For all the glamorous achievements and excitement that gets billed as leadership, I believe real leadership goes much deeper. I’ve learned that true leadership is when we win from the middle.

Power lies in the middle of the organization, at its core, in its heart.

We hear about strengthening the core as a physical fitness or martial arts term. We strengthen our physical core through nutrition and exercise, to be better at delivering or taking a punch. And life delivers its fair share of punches; we all know it. In order to strengthen our core, we first  must discover the core of ourselves.

To get to the core of leadership, we need to peel down through the layers of our lives. At the core of an apple are the seeds. At the core of our bodies is the heart. The seed is the essence of the apple, and the heart is the essence of our humanity, and in both lie the promise of new growth.

Our core captures and radiates our life, and to improve our core requires strength. At the center of who we are is humility and sacrifice. This is the truest measure of teaching ourselves and others to win from the middle.

Click play to enjoy Chapter 2 of Jim Trunick’s The CORE of Leadership audiobook edition free. Options to purchase the complete audiobook and printed edition are below.

What people are saying about The CORE of Leadership:

Jim Trunick reinforces how leading from one’s inner strength can provide a real formula for success, both at home and at work. Read The Core of Leadership—it will capture your heart. – By Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Trust Works!

Excellent book! Jim is a fabulous author and is extremely knowledgeable on the topic. Extremely interesting read – for both personal and professional growth. – By PAM HOUK

This is a great book from a great leader. It blends the emotional aspects of leadership with real-world strategy, something you rarely see. – By Scott Moldenhauer

Typically the approach a leadership book takes is to espouse methodology, a bulletproof model and professional case studies that are subtly re-worked to evidence the theory being pushed. Reading the Core of Leadership was personally refreshing because Trunick writes about the human aspects of leadership that we all possess, independent of age, role, title, and hierarchy. He recognizes how, by dint of our capacity to feel (emotion) and choose (reason), we are imbued with leadership potential that we can ignite or let stagnate. His ability to convey this in through both personal and professional contexts makes the Core of Leadership an inspiring read that I’d recommend to anyone looking to take a break from stale leadership books and delve into some of the messiness we leaders must face as we feel, reason, stumble, and grow along our journey toward self-actualization. – By Jonathan Kirschner

As someone who reads more than 100 business books a year and has studied leadership for nearly 20 years, I have a VERY high standard before I will endorse a book. I have just finished reading Jim Trunick’s The Core of Leadership and I was incredibly impressed, touched and delighted. This is an absolutely wonderful book filled with superb stories, helpful advice and real leadership lessons. If you want to become a better leader and person— read this book! – John Spence, One of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America