Redefining the Top 1%

7 Behaviors that Drive Shepherd Leadership

Dr. Trevor Blattner

• Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781683508496
• eBook ISBN: 9781631953330
• Topic: Commerce
• Subtopic: Leadership

Gallup CEO Jim Clifton has pointed out that, "an increasing number of people in the world are miserable, hopeless, suffering, and becoming dangerously unhappy". Something is profoundly wrong, and it must be addressed.

Dr. Trevor Blattner's thesis detailed in Redefining The Top 1% is simple. Leaders must break away from the current trend of despair and self-destruction by becoming a leader of themselves and those around them. And not just any sort of leader, but a very particular type of leader. They must become a Shepherd Leader.

Reaching the Top 1% in one's field, wealth, and influence is not an accident. It is as simple as learning the systematic process of how to behave, think, and perform like those in The Top 1%. It is achievable by anyone willing to follow the step-by-step behaviors and actions laid out in Redefining The Top 1%. The Top 1% System and Shepherd Leadership are not about being hard-core and arrogant, but rather about performing at absolute maximum capacity.

Chapter 1

THE TOP 1%—AN OVERVIEW

You and I, and the other 99% of the world, have been living our lives as disciples of a philosophy called Alpha 1.0. Like the other 99%, you suffer from insecurity, indecision, inauthenticity, limitation, and, in most cases, desperation. You’re not satisfied and fulfilled in the life you’re living, and you never will be if you continue to buy into the Alpha 1.0 paradigm. You wake in the morning with a feeling in your soul that you are not living up to your true potential. You’re restless, you’re bored, and you might be a little scared. You’re probably angry too, though you may not admit it.

Your days are likely bursting at the seams with activities and events, and yet simultaneously they are quietly desperate and empty. Your most valuable relationships are stagnant, and your other relationships remain superficial because you feel the constant need to impress others so they will perceive you as worthy of their admiration. You desire to reach the top of your profession and increase your overall contribution, but you don’t think it’s possible for you. You know there is a unique mission, a calling even, for you to accomplish, but you just can’t get yourself to pursue it with all your heart. Forcing this calling to go away creates pain. To escape the pain, you turn to distraction (i.e., alcohol, smoking, social media, television, pornography, or whatever it is in your life). Alpha 1.0 owns you.

I know this because a decade of my life was defined by my own anxiety, insecurity, self-doubt, and even self-hate. I had this sense of inner chaos and turmoil that I just wasn’t equipped to handle. I sabotaged several relationships, I suddenly got sick more often, and I relied on alcohol far too often to ease the pain. The final straw for me came when a physician diagnosed me with generalized anxiety disorder. I felt imprisoned by this condition. To quote Steven Pressfield, “The pain of being human is that we’re all angels imprisoned in vessels of flesh.”⁵ This diagnosis forced me to make a major decision in my life. I could become a victim and use the anxiety as an excuse for mediocrity, or I could figure out a way to transcend the anxiety and use it to my advantage.

I had studied personal development and success since I first read Napoleon Hill’s⁶ Think and Grow Rich at the age of nineteen. But it took me about ten years of continuous study in multiple fields before the lightbulb really came on. Once I got a clear understanding of the interconnectedness of all the different branches of science, along with the Laws of Achievement, everything clicked, and life has never been the same. Since that time, my goal has been to create a reproducible system to guide others.

You must become a disciple of the Shepherd Leadership philosophy to be part of the Top 1%. As a Shepherd Leader you will find your self-respect again and tap into a dormant power you never knew you had. You will begin to feel your calling and pursue it with everything you have. No one is born a Shepherd Leader, but if you wish to grow into full maturity as the best version of your possible self, you must become one before it’s too late.

The Four Levels of Personal Performance

As a practicing endodontist who runs a busy office, and as a personal performance coach to fellow business leaders, I spend a lot of time studying the fields of neuroscience, quantum physics, performance psychology, success, and leadership. I’m continuously learning and integrating information to enhance my own knowledge and improve the lives of others.

Over the last several years, I’ve been privileged to mentor others through the process of implementing what I call Optimized Performance Protocols (OPPs). Throughout my study and interaction with my students, I’ve gradually put together a framework called the Four Levels of Personal Performance. Throughout these pages I will break down each of the four levels so you can understand a bit more about the way life works and where we get stuck as human beings. I’ll be referring to these four levels on our journey together.

The first level is Mayhem. At this base level you’re really in survival mode where you’re putting out fires, searching for immediate gratification, and just trying to get through the day with as little pain as possible. Unfortunately, for many people this is the normal default level of performance. It’s not only unsatisfying, it’s also deeply unhealthy both emotionally and physically. We’ll get deeper into the science on this, but for now just understand that at the level of Mayhem, your immune system suffers, your ability to think clearly is impaired, and you’re in no frame of mind to do meaningful work in the world.

Level two is Mediocrity. This is where the majority of people stay for most of their lives. The challenge with Mediocrity is that an infinite number of other people are at this level of performance, and very little pain is associated with it. The pain that is associated with it is often soothed by well-meaning others who tell you it’s “okay” to keep doing what you’re doing and that you’re doing “the best you can.” To me it’s very clear this is what Thoreau was referring to when he said “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”⁷ One thing to note that’s a bit counterintuitive is how there’s so much less competition at the top. Mediocrity and Mayhem are the areas where almost everyone stays and where all the competition fights for positioning, but at the top, in the Top 1%, competition is not an issue. This is why you must move beyond level two as quickly as possible.

Level three is Mission. I’ll be honest: Getting to level three takes an immense amount of commitment, focus, and discipline because you’ve transcended the level of Mediocrity and you’ve got a pretty clear set of goals and purpose to which you’re aiming. At the Mission level, you are choosing your actions to align with your overall life vision with intent. In fact, in many cases you’ve already set up systems and delegated some things, so you’re able to do more and perform better than the majority of people in the world.

A major shift, though, takes place between level three and level four, the highest level, which I refer to as Mastery.

Mastery is the level of personal performance where everything you do happens predictably and fluidly, with very little friction and maximum joy and self-expression. When you reach the level of Mastery, you have a deep understanding of an optimized environment, how to care for and control your mind (your most powerful tool), and how to get into the state of flow or “in the zone” daily, where you’re firing on all cylinders, free from resistance. Mastery is the ultimate level and the level to which I know you aim—and the level I’m going to help you reach.

The Shepherd Leadership Philosophy

To work through these four levels, we now turn to the Shepherd Leadership philosophy, which is a set of behaviors that are ideally cultivated in sequential order. As you can see in the diagram below, as you perfect each behavior you move through the ladder from a state of Mayhem toward Mastery.

For example, you should perfect behaviors one and two before you can effectively adopt behaviors three and four. And it is crucial to find solidity in behaviors three and four before jumping to behaviors five and six. Behavior number seven is unique because it is spiritual in nature and designed to permeate each of the other six behaviors, tying them together and creating synergy between them to make each one more effective. It is a natural accelerator of sorts. Now this does not mean that you must perfect each behavior before working on the next. I don’t advocate putting your life on hold as you try to reach perfection. But you’ll find that the behaviors I’ve laid out for you are most advantageous if developed in sequence. Take a look at the following model (on next page) that outlines your forthcoming journey.

The first two behaviors, outlined in the following chapters, focus on shifting from a state of chaos called Mayhem to the second level of personal performance, known as Mediocrity. These are the initial steps along the path to personal excellence. Behaviors three and four take you to a very high level of performance and leadership, namely into a defined Mission. And behaviors five and six are indicative of movement toward a Mastery level of leadership and performance. But the true hallmark of Mastery is the spiritual component, which brings everything together in behavior number seven.

Each consecutive step transcends and includes the one prior to it. Einstein said, “You can’t solve a problem on the same level of consciousness where the problem was created.” Every consecutive step along the ladder raises your level of awareness and consciousness regarding what’s possible and what’s most effective. Each behavior builds on the one before it. You must literally think at a higher level and understand success, as well as the processes and universal laws that go along with it. Eben Pagan, one of my favorite teachers, talks about the idea that success is an emergent.⁸ In other words, it’s not a cause-and-effect relationship but rather the result of the seven behaviors I’m going to teach you all working together in concert, allowing success to emerge on a higher level.

So how do you now take this awareness of the Four Levels of Personal Performance and apply the steps in a way that will supercharge your own personal achievement? The answer lies in the Seven Key Behaviors of the Shepherd Leader. Putting ideas into motion is the most important thing about any training program, including this one. Doing the exercises and allowing your mind to be transformed by them is the most important piece in the learning process.

I call these principles behaviors because that’s exactly what they are. The Shepherd Leadership System is a way of behaving on a daily basis, and since these are the behaviors of the super successful, adopting them in sequential order makes success inevitable. The major caveat here, of course, is that it requires the decision to become successful and to put these behaviors into practice day in and day out to guarantee success. The decision is the critical moment. Go ahead and make that decision right now.

We are facing a challenging time in history. As uncertainty and stress continue to rise, so does the fear of the future. Everyone is asking themselves, “What happens next?” No one can really say for sure. But one thing I do know is this: We need leaders. Not only are leaders needed right now, but I will go as far as to say they are essential. Why? Leaders inspire. They use their perspective, influence, and passion to guide others through tough times.

And right now we need them more than ever.

Let’s get started!

EXERCISE: Imprinting Revealed

This exercise is designed to expose any flawed subconscious thought patterns you have. You can then begin the process of changing those beliefs to ones that better serve you.

We all wanted love or affection as a child. As we grew, we complicated things by creating a set of guidelines based on what type of person we “needed to be” to receive that love or affection. We refer to these guidelines as imprints. The problem is that many times people will spend their entire lives living by the imprinting they created subconsciously as a child, even if it is no longer beneficial to them as an adult.

To that end, the following questions will help you become aware of some of your existing imprints that you might need to alter:

1. As a child, who did you want love from the most? This is usually not who you got it from but instead the person you wanted love from the most. (examples: mom, dad, grandparents, etc.)
2. What type of person did you believe you “had to be” to receive that person’s love? (examples: smart, funny, creative, strong, self-sufficient, an achiever, etc.)
3. What type of person did you believe you could never be? (if you were this type of person, they would immediately take away their love)
4. Who are you today?
5. Who would you need to become (by adding or taking away some traits or actions) to be the type of man or woman who would easily achieve all the goals you are aiming for in life? (And enjoy the process as well)

Keep the answers to this exercise close by as we will reference them again later in the book. For now, this should help you gain a greater sense of awareness of the subconscious thinking that has shaped your behavior—without you ever being consciously aware of it. You can change this thinking if necessary, but you have to recognize it first.

Chapter 2

BEHAVIOR #1: EMBRACE RADICAL RESPONSIBILITY

The heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

Through the power of modern science, we are discovering that we have the ability to become exactly who we desire to be. Once only supported by philosophy and spirituality, we now can look to scientific evidence for our ability to develop and evolve. But with that power comes great responsibility, requiring enormous decisive ness and action. It is your responsibility to take control of your life and mind, educate yourself, and learn the things that will allow you to design and build the life you desire. This singular concept is the foundation of the entire Shepherd Leadership philosophy. It is Behavior #1 in its simplest form. Now let’s expand.

We are all born with a set of these gifts internally wired within us that serve as our potential. Even so, it’s up to us as individuals to hone and sharpen our gifts into strengths. We can then align these strengths into opportunities to create value. Your role and responsibilities in this process is to identify your gifts and make the decision to manifest them into strengths and use them productively. This is one of the great secrets to success. No one will do this for you—you must make the decision to do it for yourself. This is a strategic process where you’re building strengths based on opportunities you can pursue to create maximum value for others.

Noah built the ark. Moses guided his people out of the tyranny of Egypt. George Washington fathered a nation. Martin Luther King Jr. put his dream of a world where one is not judged by skin color but by the content of their character above his own safety. Abraham Lincoln led the nation at a time of great divide to emancipate slaves. David slayed Goliath. Rocky avenged Apollo by beating down Ivan Drago. And Jesus Christ was willingly tortured and crucified for the sins of all mankind.

Each of the above examples is the result of a human individual deciding to draw a line in the sand and take full ownership of the situation without excuse (okay, Jesus falls into a category of one). Your potential is limitless, but potential is really nothing more than disordered and unchanneled energy. To embrace radical responsibility is to demand of yourself that the unfocused potential energy at your disposal be put into order by your moment-to-moment decision making.

The greatest leaders in their respective fields of leadership and success embrace what I call radical responsibility, where they accept no excuses from themselves or others. They simply make the decision to use the resources they have to find solutions to the problems they must overcome. This is the behavior you’re going to develop now. This is a non-negotiable behavior if you are striving to reach the Top 1%. And for our purposes, this is the first behavior we will hone on o...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Top 1%—an Overview
• Chapter 2: Behavior #1: Embrace Radical Responsibility
• Chapter 3: Behavior # 2: Recognize and Optimize Your Higher Self
• Chapter 4: Behavior #3: Choose Leadership and Manage Ego
• Chapter 5: Behavior #4: Strategically Design Your Reality
• Chapter 6: Behavior # 5: Commit to Mastery
• Chapter 7: Behavior #6: Relentlessly Invest in “The Big 3”
• Chapter 8: Behavior #7: Be Still and Know
• Chapter 9: Growth Never Stops: Going All In
• About the Author