Name: Rickie Jenkins Jr

Title: CEO

Organisation: 1 Lead Agency

From the start of my entrepreneurial journey, struggling to break free of my humble beginnings, I was in the dark. Wondering blindly into the arena of business owner, and not employee! I discovered my first skill, other than flipping burgers and cooking fries, which was broadly Sales!

I learned the power of being able to sell a product or service to someone for a little fee, and no investment, no upfront cost, just my knowledge and my words, I could make money. I studied deeper into the psychological aspects of sales, creating emotion , following with logic, and closing deals faster, more efficiently, and with less rebuttals. Stepped into Copywriting, and then creating emails and content for social media, graphic designed shortly ensued.

The next thing I know, I have a series of insane skills, not to mention when combined together, they create a synergized and controllable power source that can empower peoples businesses, products, and services, and help them achieve their goals and dreams! All while emblazing me with the confidence and monetary means to keep funding and fueling my dream of financial freedom while helping others achieve the same.

I stand here today, the man I am, because of the struggles and experiences I went through without a mentor, a coach, or any guidance. This path was long, hard, and filled with stress every minute. Until finally the point came that all that went out the window. Success finally crept in and bite me on the backside. For you never truly know you have achieved success, until you look back at where you came from!

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Rickie's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

The most challenging aspect of being a leader, is working with different personalities from different people, and how to create an environment of inclusion, collaborations, and productivity, while also keeping each persons feelings, mental health, and well being in mind.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

From my own experience and educational pursuits, I began to outreach to needy and struggling people searching for answers to solve their monetary problems. After a few friends/clients had success, I began to realize my potential to help others. I began bringing in some of my clients as employees, guiding, and educating them our entrepreneurial skills, and insights. Now with over 100 clients under my belt, a leader I became, unknowingly!

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

Every morning I wake up and put a smile on my face by manifesting the financial freedom and the benefits of it spread amongst my family and my clients. Envision myself in my dream life, on a private island, with a pool and thousands of tropical fruit trees, enjoying the flavor of a freshly picked mango at my pool. Etc etc. This is very crucial to the process, you must feel it, not just see it!

Then I get out of bed, washing my face and negative thoughts away. Continuing to a healthy organic breakfast, while viewing emails, and social media notifications, and reviewing the previous day's efforts (likes, views, messages.)

After this, it is crucial to check your calendar for today's events and remind yourself of the potential of these events, the lives to be changed, the minds to help nurture, and the benefits that come along with it.

Next, we set today's agenda based on follow-up reminders, any events, a look at our to-do list, and prioritize the series of tasks to be done. Initiate Work protocols, keeping the best interest of clients, employees, and those we contact along the way. I focus my priorities on checking the sales pipeline for new leads, following up with the sales team for updates, taking on any overly objectional potential clients (I normally try myself before saying the lead is dead), checking analytics again for any monthly or bi-monthly changes, updates, or A/B testing results for the week. Then it is time to check in with social media teams, graphic designers, and other team members.

This is about time for a healthy and organic lunch! Thoughts about how the day is going, and manifesting the success of the rest of the day. In the back half of the workday, I focus on lead gen and sales teams. Looking for any signs of burnout, stress, or issues with their day. Your sales team and graphic design/copywriting teams are your two most crucial teams in the sales pipeline.

If they are not pulling 100% the whole company will suffer. It is good to keep charisma and morale high, and positivity encouraged! Check some stats on conversion rates, click rates, funnel traffic, close rates, etc. Determine if there is any coaching or assistance is needed to pinpoint any issues to correct.

If everything is going well, the rest of the time I do personal outreach, and commenting supportive and helpful content on other potential clients' social media, and wish them good luck on their journey. Remind some of them that others are rooting for them and hoping them the best, even if they never hear it or see it. Finish off the day with a thank you to all my staff, and a manifestation of the ripple effect of the energy that will come from today's hard work and good deeds! And how it reverberates to all of our clients and employees, creating their financial freedom and less stressful lives!

Ending the work day, heading home to the family so we can enjoy a healthy and nutritious organic dinner! Settling in for a movie... not I! I take this extra time when available to reflect upon today's work, new client projects, revisiting some current clients' projects, or blasting some social media pages of potential clients. And right before bed, another good stretch, and a manifestation of my dream life, places, clients living their dream lives, and everyone reveling in the success and accomplishment of their dreams...

Many times this leads to dreaming of this most of the night, plus many insightful ideas. Keep a notepad by the bedside! I hope you find this impactful. Don't spend too much time on business, remember to spend some on family and friends. Don't waste time on hours of movies and TV, scrolling through useless posts. A little entertainment is okay but take it in responsibly.

And always remember to achieve a goal, you have to see the goal achieved. This is the basis of manifestation! See, touch, and taste, creating an emotional connection. This emblazes the law of attraction. and creates ripples in the energy fields pulling your achievement of your dreams to you! Always be looking for opportunities as they will be brought to you.

And one last point I'd like to add to this, if you are out for money only, you will fight and struggle to achieve it. If you are out to help people, you will get returns of things much greater than money, and a little money to boot, as an added benefit to your service to the people.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

People are humans. I am human. Our thoughts and perceptions are rarely correct, yet we feel them with such emotion and conviction, even if we are not sure of it. We all make errors, and how we handle these errors creates ripples throughout time. Something said today can impact someone for 40,50, or even 60 years later. I can give hundreds of examples of this, but this is not the point.

As for my recent leadership lesson, I had a mentoring client absolutely go berserk on me the other day. They were upset with how a decision they made turned out and placed the blame on me. As we further discussed their concern, they realized that the outcome was not up to me and that neither I nor them could control the other person involved in the decision.

Their perspective of this was in error at first, but when revisited, it showed them another possible outcome. In the end, the person they contacted did not make a connection with the client due to business closure, and bankruptcy. So it was in their best interest that it did not go through.

As a leader, I could have responded and returned the anger and attitude, and showed my client exactly how not to handle the situation from a leader's side, but I kept myself together. As a leader it is my "job", my responsibility, to lead by example and make the best choice I can to lead them to a happy and successful life. To stomp on their emotions and thoughts is not a good example, nor a way to remain a leader or a mentor!

But in the end, we are all humans and our perspective is so often wrong. It is essential to take the time to think about others emotions and thoughts, their other dealings in life, family, friends, lost of loved ones, depression, mental health issues, and many other factors that make us humans, as this is the best leadership lesson any leader could ever learn. You will retain a large group of real friends, colleagues, and followers who will listen to your advice and wisdom because you lead by example, a person who cares about others personally, and not just financially!

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Revised by Both Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki. These three books, with their revisions and additions, have shaped the way I look at business, clients, and success!

The art of manifestation, developing an action plan , and consistently taking the step to achieve your dreams has been fundamental to my daily thoughts, and actions, which I feel has been detrimental to my results!

I highly recommend the original version first, followed up by any revised copies. There are many other great books too, and if you have free time, educate yourself on leadership skills and techniques! Our time is our most valuable and limited resource. Use it wisely!

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Learn to be a human, not a machine. Life is precious and while we aim to create the best life for our families and ourselves, it is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle, forgetting about family, friends, and the reason we are on this endeavor in the first place!

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

While working on our nonprofit project, we would sit down and talk with the homeless, and needy, seeking those wanting to change their lives, learn a new skill, and start the journey out of the gutter, and off the streets! During this period, our motivational and inspirational attitude powered our leadership to help these individuals achieve normality. (Many clients seek financial freedom, but there are others who only seek a stable house over their heads.)

As a leader, continuing to spread positivity, plus being compassionate, inspirational, and motivational will help those who are under your leadership to succeed by avoiding getting caught in a loop of dismay, disgruntlement, and anger, that distracts them from work, achieving their tasks, or their dreams.

Through this attitude and commitment to those needy and struggling individuals, one person it rubbed off on more than others. As his choice of a skill to learn, he chooses Life Coach. I asked him why because this was a little random compared to our normal skill chosen. He expressed to me, that my attitude of compassion, motivation, and inspiration let him know that he was loved and cared for by someone and that they had the best in mind for them. It inspired him to clean up his act, pick his head up, get a part-time job, and start learning his skill with us.

In no time, he had 10 clients, his own house, a car, and a following of people who took his life story, and empowered their lives! Today his numbers are closer to over 1000 clients worked with, and many a now millionaires.

This brings it all back around to the fact that the actions that we show as leaders are absorbed by those who hear us, feel our motivational and inspirational energy, and inspire them to do so to others along their path, since they understand the impact personally. The way we carry ourselves and handle our communications with others is one of the most important factors of being a leader. The quicker we learn this the better!