https://youtu.be/MEh65JPIat0 What separates a good speaker from a spectacular speaker? The difference between a good speaker and a spectacular speaker is…the pause. Whenever we listen to the great speakers, the great orators of our time, people like JFK, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, they all have one thing in common. They all … Continue reading What separates a good speaker from a great speaker?
Most of us guys have a hard time keeping it real with ourselves, let alone others. We put on these costumes of manhood and pound our chests and that’s supposedly our real self. Rick Clemons, my mate from the States and I are calling bull shit and keeping it real. Its the only acronym you'll need.
I was bullied in school. At 17, I was left at the crossroads of pursuing a career as a DJ or becoming a police officer, and for purely monetary reasons, I chose the uniform. Even with the uniform, the bullying continued, but I survived for 26 years in the line of duty working my way up the ladder, leading the status quo life, becoming "King of the S**t," and then stepping up the ladder to consider becoming "S**t of the Kings!" Finally, the status quo of life sent me to the dark places of anxiety and depression.
I recently appeared on the 'Life (Un)Closeted Podcast as a guest of Rick Clemons, Inspiring Speaker, Status Quo Disruptor and Bold Move Expert. Sharing my truth, my journey, and my 'uncloseting' from living a status quo life, even when others scratched their heads thinking, "What's wrong with this bloke? His life looks pretty damn good to me!"
I know that in my business there will be peaks and there will be troughs. Even though the troughs may at times feel like the deepest of trenches, it is these peaks that keep me going and reaffirm for me that my message is right, my message is strong, people want to hear my message and the giving back to the community pays itself forward, back to me in the long run.
Antoine De Saint‐Exupéry, author of The Little Prince once said, ‘If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.’
I will be volunteering as a mentor for participants in the Broncos Hackathon, being held at Ipswich's own Fire Station 101 over a weekend from Friday 8 – Sunday 10 March 2019.
By far the biggest change I have has seen is in leadership and culture. Individuals and organisation alike have been in the constant daze of cultural and leadership metamorphosis but it is still the one thing that lies at the heart of us all. It’s the ethos, the spirit, the vibe that keeps us together.
Organisations fool themselves into believing that they want to be transformative, innovative and adaptive. They also fool themselves into believing that by changing the top-down message, the mandate from the executive, that innovation will flow like the ancient Saharan rivers of gold. Unfortunately, corporate culture is focused on operational excellence and efficiency.
The sun has set. Your room has grown dark and is dimly lit by the bedside lamp as you crawl in under the covers and pull them up to your chin. You are five years old and your mum or dad sits beside you on the bed and opens your favourite book. The part of the day you waited for the most. It's time for a story.
