Markus Gruber

... according to Sigmund Freud, work and love are the secret of happiness. My father was a construction worker -  working I've learned from him! My mother has cared for her family, relatives and guests throughout her life - to love I've learned from her. Therefore, with work as a performance- and goal-oriented discipline and love as a way of life,  I've been given the ideal basis for a happy life!

Born in Tyrol in 1967, I was - already as a child,  inspired to move others and be moved myself. At the age of 6 I crafted little gifts and sold them to friends and guests in the village. Yet, the money was by far not enough, for my secret wish: to have my own radio alarm-clock. At the age of 12 I asked my father; if he would buy it for me. He said: Find a job during the summer holidays, earn some money and then buy it for yourself. Of course, I was not very pleased with his answer, at that time, but in hindsight I am very grateful for what he taught me, because I learned to set goals and follow them courageously and self-responsibly. The summer holidays came, and I found a job as co-passenger of a beverage-retailer van. We literally rattled along, from house to house, trying to interest people to buy drinks from us, and consequently built customer-relationships and generated sales.

That was my first experience in the private sector, which was pretty exciting. Trust me, as a 12 your old boy, it initially took a lot of effort, for me to approach strangers, especially trying to sell something to them.  Yet, consequently I learned the first steps of making contact with customers, and in acquiring new customers and to my surprise, I quickly started to enjoy it. AND....you can imagine how proud I was, being able to afford buying my own radio alarm, at last!

After graduating from secondary school and three years at the HTL (higher technical college) for mechanical-engineering, it became clear to me: my job will never be primarily related to things, machines and statistics. What I really want is to work with people. Becoming a salesperson and warehouse-clerk in the automobile-industry, was a first step in the right direction. Already, in the second year of my apprenticeship, I was asked to take on managing the warehouse and learned to successfully deal with completely new challenges, such as - how to structure, organise, buy, sell and how to work with IT applications. In my free time, reading and aiming to advance my education, were my biggest hobbies. My first experience with meditation, autogenic training and mindful self-management enhanced and supported my further development.

July 9, 1986 - was a turning point in my life: I was 18 years old, and had just completed my commercial-apprenticeship in a garage. It was a regular working day until Karl, my boss, asked me to take leave and go home immediately. The expression on his face showed me that something was terribly wrong. When I started my car - it became crystal clear that one of my parents had died. With both being healthy, and both only in their mid to late 50s, the only question was, which of the two?

Up to this day, I had not been directly confronted with death. I had lived my life, as if it would last forever, that our time was eternal. Then in dawned on me: life is finite! It passes, it is ephemeral.  I don't have forever. And even tomorrow might be too late for some things to do, to say or to feel.  Life can be snuffed out at any given moment. Every moment is a privilege, a gift, grace even.

Maybe it was the shock, but a strange sense of serenity, of inner silence yet clarity spread through me. During the fifteen minute drive home, I made a conscious decision. From now on I will live my life with an awareness of how finite it is!  I decided to consciously live every moment, if possible. I no longer just wanted to exist and promised myself -  I want to live my life to the fullest - before death - and dedicate myself to the essential, giving it the space and time it deserves.

When I got home that day, I cried in my mother's arms. My father had suddenly died of a cardiac arrest, gone within seconds. Two hours earlier in the forest, cutting trees, he said to his colleagues, should he ever have to die, this would be the ideal place. A beautiful spot in nature, with a wonderful view. Some wishes come true rather quickly, don't they?

Since July 9, 1986, my focus on what is essential stayed with me, making me, who I am today.

After the early death of my father, my life changed radically. Immediately after my eight-month military-service, and 19 years old, I switched to be a salesperson in the external sales-services of an international company. There I sold assembly materials to craft-  and industrial companies. The first few months were extremely difficult for me. The customers had their existing suppliers and were not receptive towards me, nor my products. In addition, the company I worked for, was the most expensive on the market, at that time. I was seriously thinking of quitting, of "switching sides" and becoming a buyer, instead. However, luckily I quickly learned the rules of the game, how to manage myself, and act independently as a co-entrepreneur. I learned how to move and enthuse other people, and consequently how to approach sales in a way, so that customers, instead of returning the goods I was selling, kept asking for more!

After the first year, my sales-area became highly successful. After three years, I had won over 400 new, regularly buying corporate-customers and was able to increase my turnover, more than tenfold.

Interestingly, despite all sales-representatives having had more or less the same general conditions, some proved to be significantly more successful than others. I wondered how such differences were possible and questioned, who was responsible for it and how success was generated?

This topic highly intrigued me, prompting me to intensively research it, and I haven't stopped doing so, for the last 35 years. On one hand, I dealt with this topic theoretically,  in the form of more than 70 different sort of educational training-courses and seminars, hundreds of books and videos etc. On the other hand, my focal point was always the specific application and practical implementation into everyday work-life

Unfortunately, I met many supervisors and trainers, who were only masters of theory, but had little or no reference to practice. I questioned and still do, how theory can be beneficial without successful, daily implementation? Of course, everyone also has come across trainers and managers, who only know the practice, who move and accomplish a lot in their personal area, but are not able to convey their knowledge. nor their success, to their employees and colleagues. They are good "in performing and carrying-out", but not capable leaders/managers and certainly no real trainers or entrepreneurs.

Success in wholesome form, is what's important to me. This means, not only realising the desired results but above all, the experiences, the joy and the corporate-climate. I call it being FULLY SUCCESSFUL. After all, what good is it to have a lot of money and be high-up on the career ladder, if everyday life is not joyful, or if you feel unhappy or lonely?!

In total, I currently have 35 years of experience in the private sector. After four years as an internal- and three years as an external sales-representative in the automobile industry, I was able to take on management responsibility, as a regional sales manager. At the age of 22,  I was hiring, training and developing employees, as well as building up several business areas. I started with three employees and was able to hire more people, after only three months. A few years later, we were 16 salespeople and increased our turnover from one million to ten million. National and international projects, such as the introduction of new product-areas, marketing-concepts and their implementation, product- and price-management, new salary-systems and innovative sales channels, were in addition interesting tasks for me.

It is a fulfilling, validating feeling to be able to create jobs and help shape how employees develop. How customer-benefit is created and everyone is FULLY successful, in doing so.

In 1999 I looked for a new challenge and founded as sales-manager, a completely new sales-branch for Austria. Even though, not everything went smoothly in the beginning, eventually it developed excellently, and grew into the most successful sales-branch within the company, with multiple doubling of turnover and double-digit returns.

In total, more than 150 jobs were created in my area, during this time, and I was able to contribute to the financial independence and personal development of employees. This was based on: Inspiring customers, solving customer-problems, selling systems, creating benefit and actively supporting customers in realising their goals - aka - offering real service. Many of my employees developed into highly successful executives and entrepreneurs, who move people, shape change and realise opportunities.

By then,  I had gained a lot of practical experience, back home in Austria as well as abroad and could deepen the theoretical knowledge, through more than 70 different training-courses and  seminars. For a long time, my goal was to turn my hobby and my vocation, namely "igniting, communicating and realising the essential, consequently moving people, shaping change and realising opportunities", into a profession.

In order to live my vocation even more intensively and to expand my creative freedom, I founded my own company in Austria on January 1st, 2004, whilst cooperating with the IAK - the Institute for Applied Creativity. After 16 years of intensive experience, project- and customer-innovations, my next innovative step was to expand internationally. The basis for this was the re-branding from January 1st, 2020 to LeadingX - Xperience creates Xcellence.

I founded LeadingX on January 1, 2020 so that I could implement my vocation even more precisely and further expand on the benefit for customers.
LeadingX started with four experts and I believe, will continue to grow and expand over the next few years.

LeadingX stands for

• Xcellence: Acting and leading consciously with the right attitude. From the inner core - with the highest score 10. X!
• Xperience: Knowledge alone is dormant and unaware! Understanding is only the consolation price. Realisation ... and realising is the main prize!
• Xacademy: The art of leading yourself and others. Individual, attitude-oriented and effective development-programs for your success, on every level.
• Xcross: stands for the ability to act in an "as well as mode". You are effortlessly able to unite apparent opposites and combine them in harmonious balance.

We accompany, train and coach people and organisations, as you SELF-assured, with the right attitude
meaningfully move PEOPLE,
shape CHANGE together
and courageously realise OPPORTUNITIES.

Your benefit: living your work anew! ... and being fully successful.

LeadingX-competencies

Your chance as a trainer, coach, co-entrepreneur

In 2015 I published my first book on meaning, “Remembering what is Essential”. A book of meaning, is a completely new connection between music, lyrics, quotes and little pearls of wisdom, merging into a meaningful unity. It touches  several senses, your mind, your heart and your hara (energy centre in the abdomen, beneath the belly button) and puts you into contact with timeless knowledge, insights and insightful messages. If of interest please find more details on www.sinnbuch.com

Too many people long for the weekend or for a vacation and complain about their incompetent bosses, whine about their colleagues, employees or customers, and see and experience themselves as victims, who only just function and can't await their early retirement. This has fatal consequences for the efficiency of the company and people's quality of life.

My goal is to inspire and encourage people “to be in charge of their own selves”, to meaningfully move themselves and together,  shape change. In doing so, they improve the existing, create new things and courageously realise their opportunities.

Consequently, people do not experience their profession as “labour or work”, but as a fulfilling hobby, exciting adventure and joyful pastime, instead. As a co-entrepreneur, you ensure healthy growth, sustainable development and a creation of values, as well as added value - for yourself, your customers, your company and thereby, make a significant contribution to the whole. That's when you become FULLY successful.

Experience my approach and the effective, attitude-oriented approach of LeadingX. Benefit from LeadingX - Xperience creates Xcellence (experience creates excellence).

Please contact me or secure your place at one of my open seminar-dates. I look forward to be meeting you soon.

LeadingX
Markus Gruber
Marktstrasse 29
A-6230 Brixlegg

markus.gruber@LeadingX.com
Mobil: +43 664 1 888 444