Happy Halloween!

Have a great Halloween people...enjoy it and stay safe...but be afraid...VERY afraid....

Isn't the Weather Miserable....errr...no!

How many times do you hear someone say that the weather is 'Miserable'?


How can weather be miserable. It's your reaction to the weather that determines the mood you 'do'. And you choose miserable over 'fun' 'excitement' 'adventure' or even the desire to do something different.
I know of one so called motivation 'expert' (read ex sports star who has read a book on motivation and become an expert) say 'I can't run a motivation workshop today as the weather is so miserable'! What? Big ideas and little experience...bless ;-)

I have worked with some people in the past when we ran a training program for AMP Bank and we were in a hotel in Peterborough. On the last day, having just returned from running a firewalk the previous night in Leeds, the snow began to fall like something out of the movie 'The Day After Tomorrow'.

The delegates were nervous, the staff were nervous. All of them worried about how they would get home. We couldn't wait to get in the snow in our cars. The difference? ATTITUDE.

They saw the snow (or the rain, fog, high wind - you choose, because I am good like that) as a barrier, or an obstacle, or...shudder... a P-R-O-B-L-E-M!!! That word doesn't appear in the lexicon of language I carry around in my head.

We saw it as fun, opportunity, a laugh and...(drum roll)....a C-H-A-L-L-E-N-G-E.

Nothing in life has any meaning except for the meaning you give it. Choose fun, opportunity, adventure, and challenge. You will have a lot more fun if you do. You will seize life and squeeze all the juice out of it. Capture the moment. And above all...don't 'do' miserable. The weather doesn't make you miserable, you are choosing it. Knock it off!

Have fun!

Who Is On Board your Leader SHIP?

Who Is On Your Leader Ship?

Have you ever been on board a ship?  It really doesn’t matter whether it’s a large cruise liner or a cross channel ferry.  The principle is always the same.

The Captain.  The captain or master is the ship's highest responsible officer, acting on behalf of the ship's owner. The captain is legally responsible for the day to day affairs of the ship as he is in command. It is his responsibility to ensure that all the departments under him perform legally to the requirements of the ships owner. The Captain represents the owner, or could also BE the owner.

The Chief Officer.  He is the head of the deck and second-in-command after the ship's Captain. The chief Officers primary responsibilities are the vessel's cargo operations, its stability, and supervising the deck crew. The Chief Officer is responsible for the safety and security of the ship, as well as the welfare of the crew on board. The chief Officer typically stands the navigation watch with an eye on the horizon. Additional duties include maintenance of the ship.  The Chief Officer also trains the crew on various aspects like safety, firefighting, search and rescue, and various other contingencies. The chief officer assumes command of the whole ship in the absence of the Captain.

The Second Officer. The second officer is usually in charge of navigation and is the next licensed position above third officer and below chief officer as third-in-command.  The second officer is typically the navigation officer aboard a ship.

Third Officer.  The third officer is primarily charged the safety of the ship and crew. The third officer is the next license position onboard the Ship, being fourth-in-command after the captain, first officer, and second officer.

Now let’s look at this in a different way. 

Let’s imagine we are not talking about a Ship.  Let’s talk about a company.  Your Company.

You have a Ship/Company that you want to sail.  You launch it and its full steam ahead.  Your passengers are your Customers.  If they enjoy the trip, and the customer service is excellent then they will book again.

The Captain is YOU! You are the Leader, the CEO. You are the one in overall command of the Ship/Company.  You are the one that decides direction and destination.  Your Crew/Team will come to you with ideas to make the cruise more enjoyable for the passengers/customers, and will run ideas past you as to new and exciting destinations for you to steer towards.  You need a great crew/team and your ability to recruit, mentor, promote and empower your people is the reason your ship/company will be successful.  They are the driving force, the lifeblood of your business.

The Chief Officer is your Director.  They have the day to day running of the company in mind.  The navigation, the speed, the training of your staff, the planning…yes, you are the overall person in charge but you have mentored and coached this person in such a way that when you ‘go ashore’ you are confident that what you would have done if you had been on board is being done while you are not on board.

The Second Officer is your Manager.  They maintain and steer your company on the course set by you and your Director.  They ensure that you arrive at the relevant port on schedule (your company hits target) and that the seas are navigated in a safe way (your customers have a smooth ride) while keeping an eye out for icebergs (challenges, roadblocks and complaints).  They report back regularly and advise you and your Director of the potential difficulties (competition activities, current trends, feedback from customers).  They also manage your team directly and monitor their performance.  They have targets to reach, staff levels to maintain and results to achieve.

The Third Officer is your HR or Compliance Officer.  They are in charge of the safety and compliance with the law of your company and its entire staff.  They ensure that the documentation, contracts, employment law and entitlements of all of your staff, and you, are adhered to in a manner that is conducive to all.

A Captain is usually someone who has started out as a sailor and worked their way up thru the ranks to Captain.  In doing so, they have a great understanding of how each section, from the Bridge to the Engine Room, works and they could, at any time, step in if disaster happens in ANY of those areas.

A great leader is also someone who can step in at any level because, not only do they have a deep understanding of what the business is and how it runs but they spend time walking around, talking, getting involved and relating to people at all of those levels.

If your Ship is called ‘Leader’ then the only way to ensure your ‘Leader-Ship’ is sailing on calm waters, fully crewed with full capacity of passengers at all times is to not only have a crew that you trust, but to have a crew that trusts you!  You are confident that when you 'step ashore' the ship is running EXACTLY as it would if you were on the bridge.

When your crew (and customers) feel safe, feel they can approach you, listen to you, admire you, know that you are decisive and that you are willing to listen to them AND include them because you consider their opinions and ideas relevant, you can sail any sea.

Bon Voyage! 

WHO ARE YOU? This is me...

It's a difficult moment. Someone approaches you, at a party or a function and asks that age old question..."What do you do?"

Even on something like Twitter, I have online friends who ask.

So...

David Moore was born in the East End of London which, he says, explains EVERYTHING!. He was so surprised he didn't speak for a year and a half.

He is a Behavioural Psychologist, Human Potential Technology Trainer, NLP Trainer, Firewalk and Glasswalk Trainer, Sales Coach and Business Agitator.

He has a PhD in Philosophy with a Major in Psychology and only uses his title ‘Doctor’ when booking a table in a restaurant, tickets at the cinema/theatre or to bypass a long check-in queue at the airport.

He has a reputation for leading people astray, or as he prefers to call it, giving them options. He holds no guilt or conscience for this as it is always people who should have known better. He is more than happy to make mistakes on any scale as he believes that this is the only way to grow.

On the subject of growth, he is living proof that black is not a slimming colour. Knowing also that the camera adds at least 10lbs to the size of the subject he can regularly be seen watching his own seminars on DVD wondering how many cameras were actually on him. The last time he checked, there were at least six.

He was the most successful salesman Cable London produced. He was the only salesman to venture into the notorious Broadwater Farm Estate in North London, the scene of rioting a few years earlier, with scant regard to his own safety, or anyone elses, and over a two month period there became top salesman. He became national sales trainer when Telewest increased their share holding of Cable London and flew all over the country training staff from London to Dundee. Occasionaly he used an airplane.

He has sold Timeshare, double-glazing, insurance, cable, satellite and Advertising. He has made many friends in the industry and, considering the list includes Timeshare, a few enemies.

He has been called a salespersons salesperson. He gives Value with every sale.

He has a delivery like a cross between a TV evangelist and a stand up comedian.

At Telewest he and the Sales Director underwent Psychometric testing and evaluation.

The Director was classified as “someone who could pour oil on troubled waters and calm fiery arguments”.

David was classified as “someone who would not only enjoy, but benefit, from a head on collision”.

It was suggested that he mediate at the Company employment tribunals. Out of 18 he defended Cable London at he won 15 and lost one. The other two were settled in the car park.

He is a qualified NLP trainer and hypnotherapist. He is also a qualified Firewalk and Glasswalk instructor.

He has created Human Potential Technology programs for hundreds of companies.

He also has private clients and assists them with Business Coaching and also uses Hypnosis to remove Phobias, Fears and Addictions.

He has worked for and with some of the most brilliant, funny, intelligent, sick and twisted people you could imagine. He wishes some of them everything they deserve, and worships the ground coming to the others.

He has a very soft spot for a previous sales director from long ago. It's behind the shed in his garden and easy to dig.

He is writing an autobiography to share his experiences and observations for the amusement of friends and strangers alike, for the sake of posterity, and for a Louis Vuitton bag full of cash. He plans to retire offshore to a hammock between two palm trees on a beach and a couple of hand maidens.

His hobbies are opening Mars bars underwater, getting children to run with sharp objects while playing with traffic, collecting books, aligator wrestling, avoiding depressing people and using creative sarcasm.

He enjoys multi tasking a wide variety of useless and pointless projects in the belief that by appearing busy he can pick and choose what to do next. He is confident that after ten years this will one day be proved as a good career move.

He believes firmly that, in life, you only get out of it what you put in. Each week he puts in £10 on the lottery.

Some of David Moore's core Beliefs

1.      If most people said what they were thinking they would be speechless!

2.      Flying is simple. You just throw yourself at the ground and miss.

3.      Life is a waste of time and time is a waste of life, so waste your time and have the time of your life !

4.      There is a light at the end of every tunnel….just pray it’s not a train!.

5.      Some say the glass is half full, some say the glass is half empty. I say “Are you gonna drink that?”

6.      Everyone has a photographic memory… some just don’t have any film.

7.      If you die in an elevator, be sure to push the UP button first

8.      It is quicker to do something and then apologise than to get permission to do it in the first place

9.      It is never too late to have a happy childhood

10.  It is better to give than to receive. This does not apply to Money though!

11.  Never confuse activity with achievement

12.  Never confuse feeling with thinking

13.  Keep away from mood hoovers or energy vampires. These people will bring you do

14.  Don't buy into other peoples bullshit

15.  Pay no attention to what others think of you. They are not qualified. they are jealous.

16.  We are human beings but we succeed by doing

17.  Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to act in spite of fear

18.  Fear is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real.

19.  Fear can also be anacronym for Fuck Everything And Run!

20.  Fear is a darkroom where your negatives are developed.

21.  Being good = Preperation. Being bad = Preperation H

22.  Have fun! If you don't enjoy it, no one else will.

23.  Nothing in life has any meaning except the meaning you give it.

24.  I cannot be insulted, because I do not care what you think.

25.  Everything I get is a toy to play with. I choose where my energy goes, you don't.

;-)

 

The Dragon Strikes Home

Firstly, a big thanks to my friend Steve Drake for jogging my memory of this fine book by a great man.


Steve is a top rate Martial Artist as you will find if you click HERE.


Bruce Lee was not only the most influential and greatest Martial Artist who ever lived but he studied Philosophy and Psychology and his writings have been published in a series of books and this one Striking Thoughts - Wisdom for Daily Living is my favourite of them all.

A post on Steve's Facebook page reminded me to flick through the pages again. I have read this book over ten times since I bought it two years ago. Each time I read something I have read before but because of my mindset I read into it differently and the meaning comes alive.

For example:

Bruce Lee on Motivation:.....


Your Mind Determines the Effect.
It is not what happens in our life that is important, it's how we react to what happens.

That quote is just one of thousands that hit home. It was written long before the well known NLP phrase, Nothing in life has any meaning except the meaning you give it.
And again:.....
Become what you think.
What you habitually think largely determines what you will ultimately become.

This is the sales mantra, Fake It until you Make It!

It is also very closely linked with the Positive Mental Atitude teachings of Napoleon Hill, Bob Proctor etc....but this is Positive Mental Attitude training from Bruce Lee.

Wisdom like this is on every page:.....
•"Remember, I am no teacher; I can merely be a signpost for a traveler who is lost"
•"The ideal teacher - not 'what' to think, but 'how' to think.
•"Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing - it is a path to success and truth"
•"Where method is, freedom is not"

Four superb lessons are these:.....
1.Take my words and do with them what you will. Your milage may vary..
2.Observe and explore my process, not my content.
3.Failure is not only to be expected, but welcomed and even celebrated.
4.If you didn't hear me the first time, reread 1, 2, & 3!!

I would recommend anyone in personal development to grab a copy of this fine book. And check out Steve Drakes website too. Click the link above or HERE.

The Time Is NOW!

There are some phrases that really annoy me. In fact, hearing them makes me feel physically sick.

It's the twee, care bear, politically correct, caring and sharing phraseology.

"Sing like nobody can hear you" YUCK!

"Dance like no one is watching" PUKE!

"Love like you've never been hurt" AAARGH!

One that gets trotted out more often than others, especially in self help seminars, and usually by people who are getting over some traumatic experience is the old adage...

"Today is the First day of the Rest of my Life"

Huh! I have news for you pal. EVERY day is the first day of the rest of your life! Go figure!

If you want to enjoy life. If you want to live life to the full. If you want to grab opportunity and squeeze it with both hands then do what I do. Think different!

Here's one for you, far better than 'Today is the first day of the rest of your life'....

What if....

WHAT IF TODAY WAS THE LAST DAY OF YOUR LIFE?

What would you do then? I guarantee something. You would do a lot more than you would if you thought you had the whole of your life stretching out in front of you!

You would be doing stuff, clearing up challenges and issues that had been hanging around, speaking to people....everything.

If this was the first day of the rest of your life you would be saying "do that tomorrow" and "schedule that for next week" and "I'll get around to that, it's not urgent!"

I subscribe to this way of thought...

"I will live this day as if it were the last day of my life. 

And what will I do with the last precious day of my existence? First of all, I will seal it in a bottle so that not a single drop of it seeps into the sand. I will not waste a single moment of this day, complaining about my past miseries, past defeats, or past torments, since doesn't good come out of adversity?

Can fallen grains of sand make their way back into the sand glass? Can the sun rise where it sets and set where it rises? Can I erase my past mistakes? Or correct them? Can I heal yesterdays wounds and become healthy again? Can I be younger than I was yesterday? Can I retract the hurtful words that wer uttered, the blows that that were received and given, the suffering that was inflicted and suffered?

No!

Yesterday is dead and buried forever and I will never think of it again.

Nor can I live on what might be. I cannot live on what might happen. I cannot live on maybe, perhaps, or hope. We can not forsee the future.

The future is uncertain. It does not exist. What exists is today, right now, this moment.

I will live THIS day as if it were the last day of my life!"

You Need To Be Seen As A Leader

Many people are surprised to discover that being a Manager is markedly different from being a Leader.

A Leader is someone who can do ALL of the Managerial stuff but they have other attributes that put them head and shoulders above the others.

To be a leader means empowering people, taking risks, to be at the FOREFRONT, to be an example, to be a stabilizing force both emotionally and business wise during tough times, to be the one who rouses and stirs the emotions in people.

To be a leader means saying 'US' rather than 'ME', saying 'WE did it' and not 'I did it' and saying 'LET'S do it' rather than 'YOU do it'.

If you get it right, you don't even have to ask people to do something.  They become so part of your empowered environment that they know what needs doing and they do it, because they know YOU would.

Non verbal Leadership just means 'being there' for your employees.

In World War II Winston Churchill rallied the British people and their resolve by leading by example.  He was seen walking around and talking to the people where the heaviest damage from the bombing had been.  He inspired millions of people by being seen where the rockets and bombs had landed.

Dwight Eisenhower was always accessible to his men of all ranks and was there with the troops before the launch of the invasion of Europe.

What these people like Churchill, Eisenhower, MacArthur, Margaret Thatcher were saying was very powerful but equally important, or in some cases more, was what they were doing.

Being visible at the front, being shoulder to shoulder with their troops inspired nations. 

The definition of Leadership implies that you must be at the front, and be seen to be at the front.  If not, who are you?

The greatest Generals like Marcus Aurelius, Alexander and others did not give orders from the rear (like their opponents or 'competition') but they led their men into battle.

If you want to be a leader, be visible.  Walk the office, walk the floor, talk to your people and your customers however large your organisation.  Get out of that office and be seen.

REMEMBER: People will not follow you if you lead them in the wrong direction.  Nor will they follow you if you lead them in the right direction, but in the wrong way.

If you want to lead them right, you have to be a leader!