I’ve Had A Wobble
April 2nd 2020 by
Yesterday, at around about 5:30pm, I drifted into our kitchen. I felt dazed and tearful. My shoulders ached. My mind was racing, but without clear thought. I had nothing left. For the last 10 days I’ve been coaching, supporting, broadcasting and sharing, trying to do my bit to help and encourage people during this difficult time We’ve all heard the story of the importance of ‘fitting your own oxygen mask […]
in Personal Development | (5) comments
Hope IS A Strategy
March 26th 2020 by
I used to argue that ‘hope was not a strategy’; this was a classic piece of most business training, encouraging participants to be strategic. But in these days, HOPE is a strategy. In fact, without hope and faith, it’s easy to become very low. I’ve spent the last 10 days mainly on Zoom and Teams, coaching; helping people and organisations (of […]
in Personal Development | (0) comments
People are amazing
March 19th 2020 by
I’m forever amazed by how extraordinary people are. And right now, 90% of the world seem to be proving my theory. Almost all of our speaking events have been postponed. Not cancelled, postponed. The majority are looking for new dates and can’t wait for us train their staff, speak at their events and create exciting programmes. […]
in Inspiration | (0) comments
Protecting your honour
March 11th 2020 by
‘Right you, let’s sort this outside.’ It’s not the coolest way to settle an argument; it’s also a bit old fashioned and personally, I’d run. The modern day duel is usually a battle of words; rap battles, comedy roasts, Twitter spats. Not really guns at dawn. The history of the duel goes back well before the image of two toffs taking three paces; in fact it dates back to […]
in Personal Development | (0) comments
What you need and what you want
March 4th 2020 by
I need an ice cream I need a long dress I need a faster car I need a new house Need or want? The difference between what we need and what we want is subtle. But vital. Being able to differentiate between these two verbs can make the difference between being happy or sad. The child doesn’t need the ice cream, the teenager doesn’t […]
in Personal Development | (1) comment
Why we lie
February 27th 2020 by
From an early age, we’re encouraged to tell the truth. The problem with telling the truth is sometimes it can get us into trouble, or can make us feel inadequate. Whereas a lie can be a shortcut to joy, safety and a timely ego stroke. So why do we lie? We lie to: Escape being punished Avoid embarrassment Win admiration Obtain something that’s not otherwise available […]
in Personal Development | (5) comments
1,000 way conversation
February 19th 2020 by
We talk about the importance of two-way conversations, but actually there’s so much more. To be truly connected we have to have multiple conversations, with multiple people, in multiple ways. I do enjoy writing these newsletters and sharing my thoughts, but for a some time now I’ve been frustrated. It feels to me like I’m broadcasting (one-way) rather than having a real conversation. So this week I’ve launched the How to Be Brilliant private Facebook […]
in Innovation and Thinking | (0) comments
Can you have cheap, fast and good?
February 12th 2020 by
An old sales manager friend of mine used to use this antiquated method in a desperate attempt to close a sale in his favour. The idea was simple enough. At the end of his pitch, he would assume the client wanted a discount. When they asked if there was anything he could do with the price, he’d draw three circles and write one […]
in Business | (2) comments
Same Old Path?
February 6th 2020 by
Arne Naess lived in a solitary cabin directly under the Hallingskarvet mountain range at Tvergastein. He vowed to take an alternative route each time he walked to his cabin -and did this for many years. This was also something all visitors had to do. Arne was determined that no one single path should lead up to […]
in Personal Development | (6) comments
Is it going backwards?
January 30th 2020 by
I picked up my friend Jamie at Newcastle; he’d just had a 3-hour train trip from London and commented that the service was getting worse. The once brilliant Apple have dropped the ball three times (with me) over the last 12 months. BT told me less than the truth, failed to fix a problem and mis-sold […]
in Customer Service | (8) comments