Valorie Burton

Valorie Burton grew up participating in track and gymnastics until she reached high school, at which point she discovered two life-changing activities: cheerleading and leadership. An only child and daughter of a career military man, Valorie took naturally to leadership on the first real “team” she ever joined. Although she recalls being a bit too “Patton-like” as a young leader, she took away lessons that served her well as the author of 13 books and founder of Coaching and Positive Psychology Institute (CaPP), headquartered in Atlanta.

Valorie sees life as an adventure, one that moves through various “seasons,” which she translates roughly as phases we grow into and, eventually, out of. The wisdom lies in understanding when a season has reached its natural endpoint and then asking yourself what you’ve learned and what opportunity or even blessings have arisen during it. “And then to look ahead to new seasons, with an anticipation that there are new lessons,” Valorie said. Her latest season includes features on the Today Show, Dr. Oz, and joining four other distinguished writers and motivational speakers as part of John C. Maxwell’s League of Extraordinary Leaders. Maxwell formed the group to diversify his organization’s voice and guarantee its future vitality.

Over the course of writing her books, the most recent of which is Let Go of the Guilt: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Take Back Your Joy, and running CaPP programs, Valorie has honed what she calls an “optimistic thinking style.” The hallmark of this style is that it confronts challenges without sugar-coating them while reframing them as opportunities that individuals and teams can work through to learn and grow.

It is a style anyone can cultivate, and in the podcast, listeners will learn about some of the practices Valorie uses with clients to develop an optimistic thinking style. These include the 3:1 principle of good to bad news and the ratio is critical to building strong teams. Plus, you will learn how to begin meetings with a “win or a grin” moment.

Valorie says leaders bear responsibility for modeling a positive approach to problem-solving because a leader’s attitude is “contagious” among her team. “The question I put to leaders is this,” she said, “How are others’ lives better because they crossed paths with you?” If you understand your purpose, Valorie continues, it serves as a compass to guide your decisions. “Your ability to start from a positive place, handle setbacks and be resilient reflect how you want the rest of the team to face their setbacks.”
Enjoy this mini-master class with a woman I like to call America’s Life Coach.

You will learn:

•  5:00   How to talk to yourself.
•  12:00   Why purpose and vision matter.
• 20:30  How to embrace your current season of life.
• 28:00  How to bridge your “growth gap.”
• 30:00  How to include more team members in the process.
• 31:00  The 3:1 principle of good news to bad news.

Resources:

• Connect with Valorie on ValorieBurton.com and CaPPInstitute.com
• Valorie is giving you a free online course.
• Valorie’s newest book Let Go of the Guilt and her feature on Today Show.
• Follow Valorie on Instagram.