Russellville resident Roger Kennedy was in middle management financial services after a lifelong career as a banker – a fine profession but not his passion. A strong desire to serve people and develop strong leaders drove Kennedy to leave the corporate world and pursue his livelihood through leadership development. Now, Kennedy is John Maxwell Team certified.
“I’ve followed Maxwell for 25 years. He’s considered the No. 1 guru in the world as far as leadership development goes,” Kennedy said. “I really like to partner with best, so that’s why I partnered with Maxwell.”

The John Maxwell Team is a network of coaches, teachers, trainers, speakers and professionals who lead classes, workshops, mastermind groups and more to impart leadership principles. In addition to offering classes and groups, members themselves are mentored by one another.

“There’s a void in good leadership in our country, period, whether it’s in corporate America or other organizations or in the home. Through everything I’ve done, even in ministry, I have sought to develop people to become leaders,” Kennedy said. “For me, it’s the most rewarding thing, just to be a servant and add value to people. I get a great deal of satisfaction seeing people grow. In our society today, we need to teach integrity, character, leadership and leadership principles, all the way even down to our kids in school.”

It too months of studies and mentorship calls for Kennedy to become John Maxwell Team certified. “I’ve taken it a step further in that I have become part of the mentorship program in which I am mentored to times a quarter by john Maxwell himself and every day of the week by one of the other leaders,” he added.

Kennedy’s first mastermind group held its first session last night at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Mastermind group membership is limited by design, to allow members opportunity to share, collaborate and discuss the principles presented, within the time allotted. Nine people made up Kennedy’s first group, which will meet one night a week for ten weeks to consider the “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.”

Kennedy has lived in Russellville for the past nine years and is a member of Divine Baptist Church. He said his services now will include corporate training, leadership development workshops and seminars, executive coaching and life coaching – “which is a total different animal than what people think coaching is. As a life coach or executive coach … we’re asking the probing questions to help get that person to the level they need to be at.”

“The leader who has no followers is just taking a walk,” he added. “It’s not lonely at the top if you’re a true leader.”

Kennedy said he knows not everyone is interested in leadership, but he encourages people to seek opportunities to grow, that they may help others grow. Someone who pursues leadership development is “a person who never wants to be still in their growth. They want to continually add value to themselves.”

Perhaps much of Kennedy’s philosophy can be summed up in a lapel pin he owns, which is just the number 2 – a reminder of the spirit he wants to embody.

“When someone else is talking to me, they are No. 1,” Kennedy said. “I am No. 2. I just want to put people first.”

Visit Kennedy’s website at http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/rogerkennedy.