In this episode of Creating Confidence, guest Glenn Lundy shares his personal journey from homelessness and a suicide attempt to becoming a successful business leader. The conversation explores how Lundy's experiences growing up between two culturally distinct households shaped his ability to adapt to different environments, and how his eventual spiritual awakening led to significant personal transformation.
Lundy explains his "LEADD" leadership model and discusses how he applied people-first business strategies to transform a small dealership into a major used car franchise. He shares insights about the relationship between mindset and success, including his use of the "tone scale" technique for better communication, and describes how shifting away from negative influences helped him create new opportunities in both his personal and professional life.
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Glenn Lundy's journey began with a transformative experience of homelessness and a suicide attempt. During this dark period, Lundy realized he was the common factor in his life's ups and downs, which sparked a journey of self-discovery. As an empath who naturally absorbed emotions, Lundy channeled this insight into positive transformation. His spiritual exploration led him through various faiths, ultimately finding resonance in Christianity, which helped him integrate his understanding of mind, body, and spirit connection.
Growing up between two culturally distinct households - his father's Black household and his mother's White household - Lundy struggled with identity issues. This cultural conflict led him to become a chameleon, adapting his behavior to match his surroundings. His challenges culminated in homelessness in Southern California, where a near-suicide attempt became a turning point, inspiring him to share his story to help others facing similar struggles.
Lundy transformed a small dealership into the second-largest used car franchise in the U.S. by implementing a people-first approach. His leadership model, "LEADD" (Listen, Encourage, Advise, Develop, Development), emphasizes intentional listening and employee development over traditional profit-focused strategies. He also employs the "tone scale" technique for effective communication, which involves matching others' emotional frequency within two points to facilitate better understanding and connection.
Lundy attributes his success to a profound mindset shift and spiritual awakening. By moving away from negative influences and embracing a lifestyle aligned with his goals, he began attracting new opportunities. He strongly believes in the power of sharing personal stories and wisdom to help others overcome challenges. This approach is echoed by Heather Monahan, who notes that adopting a service-oriented mindset creates positive vibrations that attract further opportunities.
1-Page Summary
Glenn Lundy's experiences of hitting rock bottom and embarking on a path of self-discovery highlight the overarching theme of personal transformation and spiritual growth.
Following a period of homelessness, Glenn Lundy experienced a profound transformation that led him to increase his personal frequency, allowing him to move into different circles. This shift in perspective helped him to see opportunities previously hidden from view, such as drawing in unsavory characters and finding himself in dark situations.
It was after his suicide attempt, while lying on the beach reflecting on his life, that Glenn heard a phrase from his old mentor. It dawned on him that he had been the one constant across the varied environments of his life. This epiphany shed light on the fact that he might be the catalyst in his life, which kickstarted his journey of self-discovery.
Through introspection, Glenn came to understand that he had the power to shape the reality of his life. Recognizing himself as an empath who naturally absorbed emotions and energy and had an intrinsic desire to serve others, Glenn resolved to channel this insight into positive transformation.
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Personal Growth and Self-Discovery
Glenn's story of overcoming adversity and hardship exemplifies how a challenging past can pave the way for resilience and self-discovery.
Glenn grew up in a lower-middle-class family with divorced parents who entered into new marriages, creating two starkly different cultural households within the same apartment complex. His father's home was a culturally Black environment, with eight children, sports, hip hop music, gospel, and foods related to African American culture. In contrast, his mother's home was more aligned with White stereotypes, featuring country music and a more quiet, reserved atmosphere.
The cultural conflict led to an identity crisis for Glenn, especially during his teenage years. His skin color made it difficult for him to fit neatly into either racial category, sparking a struggle with his identity. Glenn became adept at being a chameleon, altering his behavior to match the cultural context of his company, which deepened his identity challenges.
Glenn's life reached its nadir with homelessness in Southern California, a result of burning bridges and making a series of poor decisions. During this period, he su ...
Overcoming Adversity and Hardship
Glenn Lundy's leadership and business strategies revolving around a people-first approach have seen a small dealership evolve into a major used car franchise in the United States. His "Leadd" model and the use of the "Tone Scale" for communication are key aspects of his success.
Glenn Lundy moved to a small town with the intention of revolutionizing a dealership by putting people first. He believed that focusing on the development of employees and their needs would naturally attract more customers and profits. This approach, which prioritized people over profits, considerably differed from traditional automotive sales models. The result was remarkable, as this strategy led to an 800% growth in dealership size and its becoming the second-largest used car franchise in the U.S.
Glenn Lundy believes that the core principles of leadership remain constant even as strategies may adapt. He employs an acronym, "LEADD," which encapsulates the process of leadership as Listen, Encourage, Advise, Develop, with the final D standing for continuous Development.
Lundy holds that leaders should listen more than they speak, creating an environment where intentional listening is used to encourage behaviors like creativity. After listening and encouraging, a leader advises on areas for growth and opportunity. The development phase is about collaboration, not just instruction.
Lundy uses this approach broadly, across all relationships, to foster community and collaboration. He stresses the importance of daily leadership actions in listening, encouraging, advising, and developing others.
In addition to his "Leadd" model, Glenn Lundy uses the "tone scale" as a part of understanding the art of communication. This tool helps him gauge the emotional state of individuals during meetings, recognizing that this affects meeting dynamics and outcomes.
Effective communication, according to Lundy, requires clear intention and paying attention to whether the receiver is receptive. He instructs to be mindful of both the emotional tone of the person you’re communicating with and yo ...
Effective Leadership and People-Centric Business Strategies
Glenn Lundy attributes his personal and professional transformations to a profound change in mindset. His journey of awakening began when he recognized that his life's "metaphorical mud" – obstructing his vision – stemmed from the environments and relationships he experienced growing up. Lundy discusses the impact of social media echo chambers, noting that exposure to only like-minded information blinds people to different perspectives and fosters division.
Lundy’s shift to a deeper understanding of his spirituality unlocked the doors to success. This realization that he could create positive change by harnessing his mind, body, and spirit guided him to a higher frequency. Stepping away from the negativity that plagued his past and embracing a lifestyle attuned to his goals, he began to attract opportunities that were previously out of sight. This spiritual and mindful approach was crucial in gathering wisdom and developing spiritual attunement, which led to his success, especially noted in how he transformed a car dealership by serving and impacting his employees with newfound wisdom and knowledge.
Glenn believes in the profound impact of sharing personal stories, insights, and lessons learned. By fully disclosing his story and being indifferent to acceptance, he found freedom. This act of sharing stories is not just a means of expression but also serves as a beacon for others, helping them realize their own potential and advance in life.
He advocates for the standard practice of sharing experiences to help others "wipe the mud off the ...
Mindset and Spirituality In Creating Success
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