Newport Beach Businessman on the Frontlines of Paraguayan Transformation Effort

As part of an officially sanctioned effort to revitalize Paraguay, a Newport Beach businessman recently traveled to the South American nation to help train thousands of people on success principles.

From Aug. 29th to Sept. 2nd, Greg Duncan was on the frontlines of the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation’s (JMLF) training initiative. In his capacity as the JMLF’s business expert, Duncan met with Paraguay’s President Horacio Cartes and led business leaders through a series of roundtable discussions that focused on the principles and character traits essential to success.

A resident of the Newport Coast area of community for the past six years, Duncan and other volunteers joined forces with the JMLF to lead training sessions for 7,000 people across a variety of sectors in the capital city of Asuncion.

Dubbed “Transformacion Paraguay,” the JMLF endeavor is an outgrowth of years of international speaking and training by best-selling author and leadership expert John Maxwell. In 2013, Maxwell led a contingent to Guatemala to train leaders in that country. Over 230,000 have been trained and empowered through the program so far.

Duncan coming alongside his foundation was a “natural fit,” said Maxwell.

“Over the years, Greg has become a trusted friend who I’ve seen add value to my life and so many others’ lives,” said Maxwell. “He is an extremely effective communicator with a remarkable track record of leading people, both one-on-one and in large group settings. I’m grateful for the support and expertise he provides my entire team, and the people we are reaching.”

As with the Guatemalan trip, the journey to Paraguay came at the invitation of the country’s president. Paraguay has been saddled for many years by pervasive corruption and political instability, among other problems, and the president is eager to improve an economy in which nearly 40 percent of the population lives in poverty.

During a meeting that Duncan attended with Cartes as well as members of his cabinet and military leadership, Paraguay’s leader—a longtime business magnate—wanted to know in detail about how the JMLF team would conduct its transformation meetings, which ranged in size from small roundtables to thousands.

“President Cartes is very engaged,” said Duncan. “It was a fabulous lift-off. I’m extremely impressed by his sincerity, and the sincerity of everyone we encountered.”

In addition to Duncan speaking on business, six other leaders traveled to Paraguay to provide leadership on a designated area: arts/culture, youth/music, faith/family, government, education, and media.

“The entire focus is helping bring about transformation, and that comes through changing how individuals think,” said Duncan. “We address the question of ‘What are the basic human qualities that make people better leaders?’”

His role in the trip began to crystallize in May when Maxwell broached the idea during a conference where both were speaking on behalf of World Wide Group, an organization that trains Amway Independent Business Owners and through which the men first met in the late 1990s.

Maxwell was recently rated by Inc. magazine as the foremost leadership expert in the world. He is the author of more than 85 books, including many best-sellers such as “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.”

The JMLF’s objective is to teach leadership principles to 10 percent of the nation’s nearly 7 million people. In order to do that, the goal is that many of the initial 7,000 would involve others who are interested in receiving similar personal and leadership skills. Every aspect of the travel, training and teaching materials is donated, so there is no cost to the country or the people of Paraguay.

“The organization has had a profoundly positive effect already in Guatemala,” said Duncan. “For example, one national bank is reporting a significant increase in net profits after implementing the character-building and leadership-centric principles taught there.”

The work in Guatemala was paved, in part, by EQUIP, a non-profit group co-founded by Maxwell that trains and mobilizes effective Christian leaders. World Wide Group has been a longtime financial supporter of EQUIP.

The JMLF plans to return to Paraguay in Spring 2016, to help usher along the recent transformation kick-off. Duncan has been invited again to come along as well—this time with his wife, Laurie, who has partnered with her husband for their nearly 35 years together as Amway Independent Business Owners.

Duncan, who speaks annually to over 250,000 Independent Business Owners affiliated with Amway in more than 40 countries, said his approach to Paraguay on the next trip will remain the same as his first one—and that mirrors how he has always operated in business.

“Empower people, let them know that they have all that it takes to succeed, and give them the tools that will enable them to pass on the same success DNA to others,” Duncan explained. “What’s exciting about the opportunity in Paraguay is we’re talking about being able to impact an entire country.”

To learn more about John Maxwell and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation, visit www.johnmaxwell.com. For more information about World Wide Group, visit www.wwdb.com.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

Photo #1: Greg Duncan of Newport Beach (far left) during an event at Leon Condou Stadium in Paraguay’s capital city of Asuncion. Globally renowned leadership author and expert John Maxwell is two seats to Duncan’s left.

Photo #2: Greg Duncan of Newport Beach is seated, second from right, during a meeting with Paraguay’s President Horacio Cartes (seated, rear of photo, on the left) at the Government Palace. In this photo, Cartes and John Maxwell are speaking to one another.

Photo #3: Greg Duncan of Newport Beach stands with a group of participants at a training event held at Leon Condou Stadium in Asuncion, Paraguay.

Photo #4: John Maxwell addresses one of the audiences during the visit to Paraguay.

Photo #5: John Maxwell shoots a video from the stage at Leon Condou Stadium.

Photo #6: John Maxwell (front, left) strides along a hallway of the Government Palace, where he and Greg Duncan were among those who met Paraguay’s President Horacio Cartes.

Photo #7: Greg Duncan took this photo of Paraguay’s President Horacio Cartes as he met with John Maxwell and others, including Duncan, from the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation contingent.

Photo #8: Greg Duncan, who speaks annually to over 250,000 Independent Business Owners affiliated with Amway in more than 40 countries, was in one of the photographs (lower left) featured in La Nacion, a Paraguayan newspaper that was among those that covered the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation visit.

(Photos courtesy of the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation)