Anyone who is searching for information about Orrin Woodward and/or his business  Life Leadership (www.lifeleadership.com) has come to the right spot.  Over the past fourteen years of knowing and working with Orrin, many people have asked me about him.  Some have asked about his character and integrity. Some have wanted to know how he has set up his businesses.  Others just wanted to get a general feel for who he is as a man because someone they knew had hyped him up sooooooo much. Hopefully this article will provide a little insight on those subjects.

I was an engineer when I started this business; therefore, I am a very logical person, and so my thoughts and remarks will be based on some simple knowledge and the facts as I know them.  First of all, when digging into information about anything or anyone, it is very important to make sure to approach the process the correct way. When searching the cyber world to try to find information, it is important to look for facts—not just people’s opinions. Facts are hard to find in today’s world, but as the saying goes, “The facts are the facts.”  Now, researching a product is usually pretty easy.  The product worked, or it didn’t work.  Customers liked this about the product, or they didn’t like that about the product.  Even so, there are those who will only try to discredit their competitors so customers will go to their site and purchase their product instead.  When researching a person, however, those rules are harder to follow. Since the person is the product, people’s opinions are typically based on feelings rather than facts.  For instance, most people have a person in their life that gives them the cold shoulder for no apparent reason.  There are only two conclusions a person can come to in such a scenario.  First, either the one giving the cold shoulder doesn’t have all the facts (otherwise, it would likely be apparent why he or she felt that way), or second, he or she is unwilling to address, forgive, and move past the situation.  The interesting thing about forgiveness is when that person does something wrong, he or she will surely EXPECT to be forgiven, in spite of not being willing to grant forgiveness to others.  With this thought process established, the foundation is set for digging a little into the three areas discussed in the first paragraph:  Orrin’s character, his businesses, and Orrin as a man. The three are actually intertwined.

Character

An important beginning step is to define character because some people definitely have a skewed view of what that means.  Character has two parts: 1) the avoidance of doing something wrong (If a person is doing something that is wrong, then by default, he can’t be doing what is right), and 2) taking action to do what is right.  Orrin has been in business for nearly twenty years, and his businesses are based on developing relationships with people.  He tells people exactly what is going to happen when they decide to join his businesses.  Logically, if he wasn’t telling the truth, wouldn’t the tens of thousands of people who are following him figure that out and stop following him?  The fact of the matter is those people continue to follow him because his actions line up with his words.  There are some that have chosen not to associate anymore, and that is to be expected when building a volunteer business.  However, if Orrin was a liar, wouldn’t the masses and certainly those closest to him figure that out and stop associating?  Some might be thinking right now, “But that’s because the people closest to him get a special deal.”  That is a great lead into the business side of all this.

Business

The shocking part about the business model that Orrin has created is that it is based upon formulas, not personal agendas. In other words, individual results are based upon the effort put in and the level of personal growth, not who a person is friends with. Each part of the business, from the volume of products sold to the profits on the CDs, books, and meetings, is calculated using formulas, so everyone is operating on the same playing field.  Another key area to understand is that this is a business.  Consequently, as with any business endeavor, there is a cost associated with it.

• There is an initial sign up cost that is less than $100.
• There is a selection of monthly subscriptions available to assist with personal growth that range in cost from $50 to $200.
• There is also monthly business training that costs less than $50.
• Finally, there are monthly seminars that one can attend for less than $40.

The amount of expense compared to the return is off the charts, but it is still a business.  It will require money, time, and dedication, which is no different from any other start-up business.  The part that is different, however, is that it’s up to each individual to determine his level of commitment—and that can change over time.  Another unique aspect of Orrin’s business plan is that it includes a training system that teaches members the art and science of success. Each new member becomes part of a team of people who help mentor him through the process.  In fact, one of the biggest hindrances to success for many people is that because the start-up cost is so low, they treat the whole thing more like a hobby than a business.

The Man

The shocking part about Orrin Woodward, the man, is that he is not only driven to succeed, but he also desires to do so in the right way, based on principles. Indeed, if something is not based on principles, then Orrin refuses to function in that environment.  He is more driven to improve himself daily because he understands the principle of The Law of the Lid:  An organization grows to the level of its leader; therefore, Orrin continually attacks his own thinking in an effort to learn and grow.  With all of that said, he is human and, therefore, has made mistakes.  But his willingness to admit those mistakes and to do what he can to fix them is extremely impressive. In a world where people perpetually blame others, Orrin, instead, accepts responsibility and focuses on improving. It’s hard to not like someone like that.  His humility and his faith also separate him from the crowd.  In most organizations, the person that created it makes himself the supreme being of that company.  Orrin, on the other hand, usually takes a back seat in order to let others lead and receive the glory.  His goal is to surround himself with the best leaders, which takes a person who understands where he comes from and possesses a humble spirit that enables him to realize that one person doesn’t have all the answers.  On a personal level, Orrin has developed a successful marriage with his wife Laurie and raised four wonderful kids.

Closing Thoughts

In closing, the shocking truth is that for once in life, the hype does not live up to the man. It is simply very rare in today’s society to find someone who lives what he preaches and teaches. Going into business with another person requires a high level of trust, so the best kind of person to be in business with, is someone who lives the way Orrin does. He doesn’t just talk a good game; he also has the results to back it up.

• Orrin Woodward is the coauthor of the New York Times, BusinessWeek, and USA Today best seller Launching a Leadership Revolution.
• He is an honored alumnus of the esteemed Kettering University for winning Kettering’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
• In 2013, Hachette Books (the second largest book publishing company in the world) will release LeaderShift by Orrin Woodward and Oliver DeMille on the Business Plus imprint. LeaderShift was personally edited and approved by Vice President and Executive Editor Rick Wolff, one of the most successful executives in the book publishing business.
• In 2013 LeadShift is on the best sellers list of  the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Daily Globe

The final thing to consider is what the people in the organization are saying. Anyone who is going to work for a company, start a business, go to school, try to be a professional athlete, etc. doesn’t want to talk to people who tried it and quit; he wants to talk to people who are involved in it and are successful. Please read the comments after this article to get a good feel of what people think of this dynamic man Orrin Woodward.

God Bless