Lunch with Stedman Graham and his 9 Steps to Success

My biggest curiosity was to know how he handled the years of abuse by the media for being Oprah’s boyfriend/partner. He did not disappoint. But, first things first:

Stedman Graham’s 9 step success process:

1. Check your ID:  Stedman’s brand is based upon self-awareness (your identity). Only through knowing what you are passionate about, what your talents are, what compels you to move forward or holds you back, can you focus your life on what you love and care about. Not knowing leaves you open to being in a prison of labels and expectations the world imposes on you.
2. Create Your Vision: your aspirations and dreams defined in the context of your abilities.
3. Develop Your Travel Plan: Magic begins when we set goals. Then….the current begins to flow and the power to accomplish becomes a reality.
4. Master the Rules of The Road: Key is that the rules don’t change. Some examples are TRUST, Determination, Positive attitude, Honesty….
5. Step Into The Outer Limits: or step out of  your comfort zone. Overcome that natural fear and step outside the familiar.
6. Pilot The Seasons of Change: Creating change and managing your response to change is a big part of the 9 step process.
7. Build Your Dream Team: Build supportive and caring relationships. Learn to trust and be trustworthy. Stedman emphasizes that a mentor picks you; you do not pick them.
8. Win by a decision: Make the right decision. Stedman is talking about daily decisions in life (habits) as well as long term ones.
9. Commit to your Vision: with enthusiasm. Success is based upon your commitment to discovery. Discover who you are. Apply that knowledge to world you live in, and make the discovery process part of your daily routine for sustainable success.

In his presentation to us, Stedman was clearly sharing his personal journey.  In the privacy of an intimate lunch, he shared some of his personal challenges. Many which you can find in his book: “You Can Make It Happen!”

Stedman is clearly a man who has faced countless challenges. My question to him was how he handled the media and others labeling him as Oprah’s boyfriend or some variation of it. The countless comedy satires and false allegations cannot be easy. This is where I believe his IDENTITY philosophy (Step 1) was really forged.  In knowing who he was, Stedman was able to stay focused and not allow  attacks to distract him from his goals and purpose.  Painful it was.  He shares this in his book. But he was able to switch the pain from the attacks to thoughts of LOVE.

I confess, I’m easily moved by such vulnerability and boldness in a business setting. It seems uncommon and yet supremely confident to talk about LOVE in this context.

In the end, is there truly anything else more important than LOVE?

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