Steve Lear

For more than 45 years, Doug Lennick has been my mentor, colleague, and friend. He hired me and gave me my start in the business. Over the years, we have continued to share ideas, collaborate, and advance the important role self-awareness plays in achieving personal and professional success. 

Doug is the co-founder of Think2Perform, an organization that specializes in coaching and performance development for individuals and teams. Their approach emphasizes self-awareness to help you close the gap between your real self—who you are today—and your ideal self—who you really want to be. They provide tools, training, and accountability leading to greater emotional competency.  Their training helps you align your actions with your values, identify and understand your thoughts and feelings, and overcome negative reactions to situations. This increases your ability to choose wisely under pressure, achieve goals successfully, and influence others effectively. 

Think2Perform’s proven methodologies are based on the latest research in neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and leadership. Their unique integrated approach delivers measurable results that are both sustainable and transformative. 

While Doug and I both believe self-awareness is foundational to effective leadership, we have promoted different approaches.  

Think2Perform emphasizes emotional intelligence, focusing on behavioral change and emotional competence. 

SteveLear.org emphasizes conative intelligence, focusing on understanding your natural way of doing things and using tools like Kolbe Wisdom to align people with their instinctive strengths. Our website regularly features the work of two Kolbe-certified consultants—Erin Werde of The Instinctive Advantage and Wanina Rae Debelo of The Noble Method. 

I used to believe that our different approaches were competitive, but I’ve come to see them as complementary. I love the idea of aligning with my values, which is why I keep learning from Think2Perform.  That’s also why I keep promoting Think2Perform’s Values Cards Exercise—it helps you define what you value most, setting the stage for behaviors more closely aligned with your ideal self.  

Both of these approaches to self-awareness have merit. Each organization is simply taking a different path to reach the same goal: a joyful, self-aware, and productive life.  

I believe it’s less important how people get there; I just want them to get there. Each person must evaluate the options available and decide which path will work best for them.  

I highly recommend visiting the Think2Perform website to learn how their products and services can help you improve your decision-making and performance. 

For more information, please get in touch with Ryan Goulart (rgoulart@think2perform.com) or Kay May (kmay@think2perfom.com).