Today we’d like to introduce you to Darius Elder.
Hi Darius, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and hold the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Religion from the University of West Georgia and a Master of Education from Argosy University. As an educator, I taught for 15 years in the private school sector and has over 30 plus years of leadership experience. At this point in my significant journey, I am passionate about all things life and leadership development. This passion led me to start Lead180 Coaching & Consulting, LLC. As a speaker, teacher, and coach, our aim is to create undeniable contrast in perspective, performance, and passion.
As a John Maxwell Certified Coach, Teacher, and Speaker, I offer workshops, seminars, keynote speaking, and coaching, aiding your personal and professional growth through study and practical application of proven leadership methods. Working together, the goal is to move you, your team and/or organization in the desired direction.
Traveling, exercise, bowling, movies and Sports Center are my “go to’s” for fun and relaxation. My greatest joy is serving my bride, Kenya (23 years) and girls Jazlin and Kiersten.
Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” This resonates with me because It took me some time to find out “my why”. Several years ago I was thinking about transition as I had served in church ministry all of my life. During that time, one day my wife asked me the question, “What do you want to do?” That was the most frustrating question because I had no clue! All I’ve known is vocational ministry and it was extremely difficult to know that my skill set would transfer. Years went by, still no clue. That time period brought on depression and some dark moments in my life. It wasn’t until our time living in Texas that I figured out my why. Someone told me that I was coaching long before I knew I was doing it. I was talking with a gentleman about life and I simply asked him a series of questions. He said, have you thought about being a life coach? Because that’s exactly what you are doing. That was 2017. In 2018, I started developing the skill of sitting down with individuals and couples for free. I later got certified in 2020 through the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team. After building my experience and training, Lead180 Coaching & Consulting came to life on December 17, 2021. We’ve gone from free to fee.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest challenges is not giving in to imposter syndrome. You know, feeling like a fraud or a phony. There are so many life and leadership coaches that are doing it at a high level, and I have to constantly tell myself that comparison is the thief of joy. I can literally take the joy out of what I love by comparing myself to others. I have to challenge myself with my daily affirmations to keep me on track. A brief part of my affirmations is, “I will add undeniable value to those I come in contact with today. I find scalable coaching clients. Scalable coaching clients find me!” Doing this daily helps to keep me from feeling like a fraud because when you are adding value to people, that’s not fraudulent at all.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Lead180 Coaching & Consulting, LLC is a coaching and consulting agency that provides one-on-one personal and professional coaching to corporate teams that are looking to level up. We aim to create undeniable contrast in perspective, performance, and passion. What sets Lead180 apart from others is that we are patient. Some coaches may operate from a place where you only have three months to see significant change, but we work from the personality of the individual. If a 180 is needed in the leadership of a client, we understand that every person is unique, and they will eventually recognize their shift in perspective, performance, or passion… or maybe all three! If a client or their direct report does not see the change after some time, we will discontinue the coaching relationship. If we see that we are not the best fit or we’ve reached a ceiling in our work, we will recommend them to someone else. We really want to see the best for each person we encounter. People over ego.
Any big plans?
The plan is simple. We want to impact culture and morale in business by coaching as many people/teams as possible.We will search for those that have the desire to lead themselves so that they can in turn lead others because everyone deserves to be led well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/dariuselder
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/
dariuselder
