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Every generation is limited by what it knows

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"Actions speak louder than words." We've all heard it a thousand times, but the fact remains: Leading by influencing and inspiring others through your actions is far more effective than leading by pure authority. My parents and our Christian upbringing taught us to marry passion with reason. We do not get overly excited when life is going well, and to not get too down when it goes badly. I’ve trained myself to take the long term view, about how to stay focused on your goals rather than getting hung up on the daily ups and downs. My ability to maintain composure in the middle of a crisis is a superpower. Contact me via e-mail when you would like to tap into your superpowers.

“To have long term success . . . you have to be obsessed in some way.”
— Pat Riley

Ageism simply isn't helpful

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According the the World Health Organization by 2050, the world’s population aged 60 years and older is expected to total 2 billion, up from 900 million in 2015. As I get older, I better understand the following:

  1. Lost money can be found; lost time is lost forever.

  2. Learning to learn, and changing yourself is a superpower.

  3. You are not your job.

  4. Networking is about giving.

  5. The best teacher is your last mistake.

  6. Good manners as important as good education.

I think that experience and wisdom take time and effort to accumulate, and sharing those things can be a significant blessing to others. Contact me via e-mail and let me know what do you think?

The effectiveness of goal setting

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As a football fan, “goals” have a completely different meaning than when we speak about them in the professional or personal context. GOALS provide focus, enhance productivity, boost self-esteem and increase commitment. I think it essential to make your goals SMART. In my world, S.M.A.R.T is an acronym and is extremely helpful when goal setting - S = specific, M = measurable, A = attainable, R= relevant and T = timely.

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.”
— Zig Ziglar

Specific
The more specific you are, the more likely you are to reach the goal. What specifically do you want to accomplish? Who’s involved? When? Where?

Measurable
How will you know when the goal is achieved? What milestones can you measure along the way?

Attainable
Make sure your goal is realistic and achievable. 

Relevant
Be clear on why you want to work toward this goal. How is it significant to your life? 

Timely
Anchor your goal with a deadline and create a calendar leading up to it with all the steps you need to take to reach your goal mapped out.

Contact me via e-mail when you have written down your goals and are ready to have them defined. we can go through the S.M.A.R.T acronym as it’s only when you do that, that goals became reality.

The market conditions are not ideal

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The last ten years was really about going online to save money. I think the next ten years will be about going online to save time and to buy things not available in your local retailers. Customer service will be more important as well the quality and range of product on offer. Send me an e-mail and let me know what you think?

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We must be willing to fail and to appreciate the truth that often life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived.”
— M. Scott Peck
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Survival of the fittest

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In the western world we have been conditioned to look out for ourselves and we are judged on individual performance. When for example, we do well in exams or in our work, we are rewarded with awards, promotions and increased wages. People may be rated individually, but what can we do to align and more in the same direction? How can we connect and collaborate on a level where we are looking at that common mission?



As you know I am a huge football fan, so it makes sense to use a football team analogy. A football team consists of a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and attackers, they are all doing their jobs in different ways but at the end of the game, they all want the same outcome - to outscore their opponents and win the match. You can do things differently, you can have different skills but you are moving in the same direction and that is the way we want to behave when we are part of a team. What I try to do is get everybody to work towards the organisation's common mission. My work revolves around growing your influence and building trust with your colleagues. Contact me via e-mail for a meeting or a team building workshop.

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Overcoming objections with your story

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I was recently asked about my unique selling point, I flipped the script and began speaking about my simple recipe for how I get results for my customers. What is the definition of a proprietary process (or trade secret? A proprietary process is a distinct problem-solving methodology for your professional or technology-based service organisation. I think a proprietary process is essential because it creates a framework for how and when you tell your story. The simple elements about my personality and beliefs are powerful differentiators.

I can help you create a story that overcomes objections before you invite your customers to join your sales presentation. Contact me via e-mail when you are ready to accelerate your connection with your customers. Instead of sharing everything, just point at a couple of key aspects of why you are different, for example:
a) What problem is your customer currently facing? 
b) What solution do you offer? 
c) What benefits and transformation will your customer experience by choosing your solution?

Follow the leader

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I think leadership is the mixture of presence and stature that can inspire energy, dedication and purpose in others. Leadership can be learned! Especially if you treat people with respect and learn how you can make certain that people are achieving the right goals, doing it the right way and getting the assistance that they need.


When was the last time your leader asked you:
a) What can I do better?
b) What can I do better to help you?
c) What can I do better to help the organisation?

Passion vs. purpose

Morten Hansen’s book, “Great at Work”, talks about the ways you can be more productive at work. It brings data from a 5 year research project that reveals why some people in a variety of industries are more productive. I think when you have a strong sense of purpose and a passion about the contributions you make to the world is when you are most dedicated. You will work better, you will pay more attention to what you are doing and everything you do is just better, and this will subsequently lead to great performances.

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“Purpose and passion are not the same. Passion is “do what you love,” while purpose is “do what contributes. Purpose asks, “What can I give the world?” Passion asks, “What can the world give me?””
— Morten Hansen
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Self reflection

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As transparency rises in society, particularly in the business world, there will be more and more open feedback demanded about leadership performance. Knowing how to lead yourself means knowing the answers to the following questions:

  • What is my purpose in this work?

  • What motivates and demotivates me?

  • What are my values and how am I honouring them in my work?

  • What are my strengths and weaknesses, and how am I working on them?

  • How do I overcome challenges and re-energise?

  • What do I tend to resist or ignore?

Your answers may change over time, but they are worth reflecting on if you are serious about remaining a leader. Contact me via e-mail to arrange a meeting.

The customer is the hero

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Many companies position there marketing around benefits and features of their product or service, but how can they make the customer the hero of their story? By making the customer the hero and communicating in a way that demonstrates empathy for the customer is most powerful in the long run. I think that it’s best to focus on strategic outcomes that your customer needs. Not talking about yourself, your services or offerings as it loses people, because it makes you the star of the story and this in turn makes the client not the star of the story!


We all wake up self identifying as heroes in stories. If I am a hero and meet you at a dinner party and you tell me about yourself my subconscious begins to process you as a hero as well. And sometimes we subconsciously believe that there is scarcity of resources, so if you are the hero and I am a hero - Who’s the best? In reality, you should be stepping aside as the client is looking for someone to help with their story. It’s OK that another character comes into the story and their purpose is to help the hero win type day. I don’t want to be the hero in your story, I just want your business to succeed - I want to be the character that exists to help the hero win. I’m actually here to help them have success and the client is the star of the story. Contact me via e-mail to arrange a meeting or workshop about how to include your customers in your storytelling.

Your story is your core

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The story creates the context that you build your business around, your story is your rocket fuel and your story is also about you. A great storyteller can guide a listener to their truth and the vision for the next step they need to take. When you have this story at the core of what you are doing, it starts solidifying and making everything easier in your business. Your story is going to influence your copywriting, web design, emails and social media posts. You need the right story to be able to attract the right customers therefore, you need to start by looking at who your story is for and why it is interesting for them.

A great storyteller can guide a listener to their truth and the vision for the next step they need to take. By asking good open ended questions and listening to your client, you can guide them to their own truth and this is what creates lasting results. You want to get to a point where you know your key audience so well that you coach them when you’re speaking about your own story and teaching them what you have to teach. A good coach is one that asks great questions and my process as a coach starts long before the person has signed on. Contact me via e-mail to arrange a meeting or workshop about how to include your customers in your storytelling.

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It's OK to take off your cloak

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I watched Glennon Doyle Menton’s “Lessons from a Mental Hospital” TED Talk last week, where she described her journey through anorexia, alcoholism and drugs to not being afraid of her feelings anymore. The talk ended with Glennon telling audience about an e-mail she received…”it's braver to be Clark Kent than it is to be Superman”. Powerful! I guess all superhero stories are a form of escapism and they allow us to imagine what we might do with the ability to fly and the courage that comes from being bulletproof. I think the best superhero stories also explore what it is to be human and our relationship with power.

The majority of humans don’t really want to be liars and withholders, they are just afraid to be real. I wonder why so few people tell the hard truth about themselves, their lives and their struggles? Is it because we are taught from an early age that it’s not safe to share the realness of our challenges? Is it because we are scared of being judged or is it because previous experience has taught us that honesty allows us to be scarred, alienated or rejected when we open up?

One of my close friends likes to speak about being authentic, I prefer to use the word, consistent. We may differ on the words but neither of us are afraid of the uncensored truth. We don’t have to walk in another man’s shoes to feel his pain! Due to my upbringing, training and conditioning I have the ability to sit in oneness with another who is in the deepest pain and find love and connection.

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The competency model for salespersons

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Do you want to have a career in sales? I think a modern salesperson requires these below 9 attributes and 8 skills if they want to be seen as competent sales professional.

The nine attributes are as follows:
1. Self-discipline
2. Optimism (attitude)
3. Caring (other-orientation)
4. Competitiveness
5. Resourcefulness
6. Initiative
7. Persistence
8. Communication, and
9. Accountability.

The skills are as follows:
a) Closing
b) Prospecting
c) Storytelling
d) Diagnosing
e) Negotiating
f) Business acumen
g) Change management, and
h) Leadership.  

While possessing these skills doesn’t guarantee success, they are critical for carrying out the daily duties of a sales professional. Are you interested in reviewing some of the competencies that are most beneficial your sales team? Contact me via e-mail to arrange a meeting or workshop.

Face it

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I was recently humbled when one of Danish my friends introduced me as a “knowledge seeking gentleman”. I’m fully aware that I have had a rich lifestyle and have always strived for excellence in everything I do, even so, to be honest I was a little taken aback. Does this mean that I am still not comfortable being the hero of the story, or are the words of coach John Wooden too deeply engraved in my consciousness?

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. - John Wooden”
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We all have issues

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Image c/o Afro-Punk

Image c/o Afro-Punk

Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in the month of May since 1949 in the United States. I am in Europe and still thought it relevant to write a little about the topic. Those of you who are regular readers know that throughout my life I have continuously observed human behaviour and consider myself to be mentally strong. I have been exposed to trauma, stigma and systemic discrimination on a daily basis, so I wanted to highlight that we all make mistakes and no one is perfect. Rather than beat myself up for my mistakes, I focus on learning from them and accept full responsibility for my behaviour and then I choose to move forward in a productive manner. How do you feel about making mistakes?

Disclaimer: The content below is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
10 things mentally strong people won't do:

  1. They don’t dwell on mistakes.

  2. They don’t hang around negative people.

  3. They don’t stop believing in themselves.

  4. They don’t wait for an apology to forgive.

  5. They don’t feel sorry for themselves.

  6. They don’t hold grudges.

  7. They don’t allow anyone to limit their joy.

  8. They don’t limit the joy of others.

  9. They don’t get lazy.

  10. They don’t get negative or bitter.

Don’t let the world make you hard, don’t let the pain make you hate and don’t let the bitterness steal your sweetness.

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Mind the gap

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One of the big lessons I learned from the pandemic has been patience - “Make do now and then make better later”. We measure success by the way we touch the lives of people and now I realise that everything I learned about parenting was about leadership. Both parenting and leadership have the following attributes in common:
- Caring
- Listening
- Trusting
- Empowering
- Teaching
- Mentoring
- Leading

There is always going to be a gap between your ambition and your ability. The big question is are you willing to trust progress and not seek perfection? Contact me via e-mail to arrange a confidential meeting if you are questioning yourself about: Who you are, what you stand for and what you do for others?

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The devil is in the details

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As an astute executives we strive to develop a sound brand stories. A set of facts that describes how the brand differentiates, resonates with customers and inspires employees. We also recognise that to communicate and gain buy-in to those facts, we would have to create a set of intriguing, authentic signature stories, involving narratives with a strategic message. For example, a signature story perhaps about a founder, employee or customer that illustrates and provides credibility to the brand story.


Would you like to create a brand story that gains attention and diverts people from counter-arguing? Regardless of the industry, I think that brands should not compete on price, you should only compete on storytelling. Contact me via e-mail to arrange a confidential meeting when you are ready to create a clear, interesting and believable brand story.