Focus Magazine - Spring 2014 - 54

5 QUESTIONS
Kevin Kruse

5 Questions With...

Jim Trunick

L

eadership has been a career calling for Jim
Trunick, principal of Align Leadership
and Coaching and a consultant for
Allergan. His new book, The Core of Leadership,
shares insights and ideas for building great
leaders throughout organizations.
I recently spoke with Jim about leadership,
training and character, and about how to turn
leadership lessons into practical reality.

Jim Trunick, author of
The Core of Leadership:
Stories of Winning
from the Middle

Kevin Kruse (KK): Your book, The Core of
Leadership, highlights what you call stories
of winning from the middle. What is that
all about?
Jim Trunick (JT): Well, we tend to think of
winning as coming in first.  I believe
winning is less about the first place finish,
and more about putting our values in place
first, and about how we got the results.  All
the pressure and stress created inside
organizations to overachieve may actually
come at the expense of our values.  We say
don't mistake activity for achievement, and
I say, please don't mistake achievement for
leadership. Achievement leans toward mecentered, and leadership is always
other-centered. 
KK: So, the core of leadership is about leading
with our character and heart. Hasn't that
been written about before?
JT: Yes and no.  Yes, the theme character
matters.  And no, that touching our
weakness, is in a real way more human.
The closer we are to communicating and
knowing our humanness, the more
extraordinary our leadership becomes.  If
we are going to be successful in our
personal missions of wealth, happiness,

success, community, having a
great marriage or kids, we need to learn
more about who we truly are. 
KK: Why is this such an important topic to
write about or train to?
JT: I believe we've been trained to act the way
we do, from our earliest memories, and
reinforced throughout our lives.   We have
spent more time getting an A than
identifying our values.  Our values are
tested daily and we still focus on being
first.   My book reflects how our personal
stories of loss, pain, guilt and doubt actually
strengthen us to be better people.  I've said,
"If you really wanna be a better salesperson,
be a better person!"
KK: How do we apply some of these lessons into
a more practical reality?
JT: In the battle to be right or be kind, choose
kind. As a coach, leader or friend, being
perceived as balanced requires four times
more positive statements than giving
advice.  If we give someone one area of
praise followed by a "but," the whole
compliment is gone. 
KK: What do you hope to be the outgrowth of
learning from those who embrace these
principles?
JT: We will all be more honest with ourselves,
to stop claiming or aiming for perfection,
and to strive simply to be a little better. All
of our jobs and life experiences exist to test
and grow our humanity. When we spend
time and effort on our strengths, people
will want to follow us.  Then we truly build
the courage to live the life we want, not the
one we think we are expected to live. I

Kevin Kruse is the executive director of SPBT and co-author of the New York Times best-seller,
We: How to Increase Performance and Profits through Full Engagement. Email Kevin at kkruse@spbt.org.

54

FOCUS | SPRING 2014 | www.spbt.org
http://www.spbt.org
Focus Magazine - Spring 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Spring 2014
