Month: August 2016 Page 1 of 2

In last week’s blog, I talked about how much I had enjoyed watching the Rio Olympics and some of the insights we can all gain from the participants.

Something that occurred to me whilst I watched the coverage and some of the interviews that the medal winners gave was the humility that many of them displayed after their individual triumphs. Humility is defined in the dictionary as “the quality or condition of being humble; having a modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank etc.”

Yes the athletes were excited and full of joy but many stayed humble when talking about their success. They took the opportunity to talk about the work they had put in, to say how grateful they were to be involved in the games and how they appreciated the support of the crowd. Many expressed gratitude to their coach, the support staff and for the financial support they had received.

Humility is a great quality to have and it tends to create an inner peace and confidence. The less compelled people feel to prove themselves to others and seek approval for their accomplishments the more peaceful and content they feel inside. Ironically those people that resist the temptation to brag and seek approval tend to naturally attract more approval.

When I think of historical figures who displayed great humility, Nelson Mandella comes to mind. He had a profound impact on South Africa, democracy and equality but despite this he remained very humble.

Mother Theresa is someone else who achieved much with humility. She gave up her safe and secure life in a convent to live on the streets of Calcutta to help the poor and care for the sick and dying.

She said that “humility is the mother of all virtues – purity, charity and obedience. It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed, you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not put yourself on a pedestal.”

Mother Theresa said a few ways to practice humility include speaking as little as possible of one’s self, to mind one’s own business and accept small irritations with good humour.

Some of the best leaders that I have worked with and have experienced in my career have had great humility. During leadership development coaching sessions, I encourage clients to develop and hone their humility.

It can be considered that humble people are too passive, submissive or insecure but the opposite is true. They let their actions speak louder than their words. They tend to be calm, considered and have a sense of quiet confidence and assurance which they radiate. This means that they have great influencing skills and the ability to persuade and motivate others to action.

I have found that humble leaders are approachable, great listeners and as a result they put people at ease. They are open minded, seek feedback, input and as a result they engage people. This inspires their teams to put forward ideas to increase results and productivity. The teams are encouraged to implement their suggestions and this helps them to fulfil their potential. Humble leaders bring out the best in others.

People who work for humble leaders feel safe to express themselves, supported, valued and appreciated. As a result they tend to flourish and be prepared to go the extra mile. This kind of environment has great benefits for business growth, results and employee and customer satisfaction.

This week, why not take a few moments out to reflect and think about humility. Who is the most humble person that you know or have experienced? What lessons and inspiration can you draw from them that you can apply to your own life?

This week’s quotation:

“There is no respect for others without humility in one’s self.” Henri Frederic Amiel

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Rio Olympic Games which concluded last night.

There have been some stunning performances set against the backcloth of some dramatic and beautiful scenery.

It has been inspiring to watch athletes who have trained and prepared so hard for a long period of time compete for a gold, silver or bronze medal. There were moments of sheer joy as well as heartbreak and disappointment for some. The full spectrum of emotions were on display and there were plenty of interesting stories about how people had got to where they are today.

It has been an outstanding games for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It’s our best performance ever in terms of medal haul, as we finished second in the medal table with a total of 67 medals (27 gold, 23 silver and 17 bronze).

We are the first nation to increase the number of medals in the games that followed the ones that they hosted. It’s fantastic that Great Britain has continued the success of London 2012, an outstanding achievement. Our winning performances have been spread across 19 different sports and show the significant growth and development that has taken place since the 1996 Atlanta games. At those games Great Britain won just 15 medals (1 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze) and finished 36^th in the medal table.

Many athletes in their interviews after winning medals talked about how they had been inspired to do what they do by performances they saw as a child by some past Olympic greats. My wish is that these games inspire a new crop of youngsters to get involved and committed to a sport. There are many qualities and skills to be developed from involvement in individual or team sports and the life skills gained can be used in both personal and professional lives.

I believe that the Olympics provided some insights for us all about how personal development, goal achievement and fulfilment of potential.

Here are a few thoughts on the subject:-

• We are given countless examples of what’s possible with commitment, hard work, discipline and a determination to succeed.
• Dreams do come true and you are never too old to achieve a dream – Nick Skelton won his first gold medal aged 58!
• Success breeds success and creates momentum.
• Confidence and positive mindset have a big role to play in goal achievement.
• The input of a coach helps maintain focus, develop performance and the commitment to being the best you can be.
• To achieve anything, sometimes you need to be able to perform under pressure, be prepared to continuously improve and learn from setbacks and mistakes.
• Anything is possible if you are doing what you love with passion. We do best what we enjoy and feel passionate about.
• Olympians focus on the things that they can control (control the controllables) and look for and apply marginal gains to give them the edge over their competitors.
• There are fine margins in performance and results. Winning and losing can come down to the fraction of a second or a few millimetres.
• Don’t quit too soon, keep going until the end of the race. It isn’t over until the very end. Some people save their best performance until last and the medal can be won with the last throw, jump or in the final few metres or seconds of a race or contest.
• Some of the best athletes have been tested by challenges to reveal hidden strengths and potential to them. This kind of test helps to teach people how to cope with and bounce back from disappointment and adversity. It helps develop mental toughness and resilience.
• Whatever you do in life, do it with enthusiasm, passion and commitment. Set your sights high, apply yourself and go for it.

This week, why not take a few moments out to reflect and think about what actions you can take to help achieve a goal that you have. If you haven’t taken any action yet towards achieving the goal, what will be your first step and when will you do this?

This week’s quotation:

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential, these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” Confucius

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

In last week’s blog, I featured a quotation by Mahatma Gandhi, who was the pre-eminent leader of the Indian independence movement.

India celebrates its 70^th independence day today. During his lifetime Gandhi undertook several fasts to promote harmony and his birthday (October 2) is marked worldwide by the International Day of Non-Violence.

Last week’s quotation “Be the change you wish to see in the world” helps remind us that change begins with ourselves. We have the capacity and choice to be positive role models to others to help create more harmonious and productive relationships and environments.

To mark the milestone celebrated today, I have shared below more of my favourite quotations from Gandhi along with some of the insights these provide to us.

The importance of walking our talk

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”

Doing what we say we’re going to do and honouring our commitments helps develop an inner peace within us leading to contentment and happiness. Keeping our promises supports us in developing trust with others and ourselves. It enables other people to see us as consistent and reliable.

We must look after ourselves and practice self-care

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

A great prompt in this busy modern world to ensure that we dedicate enough time and focus to look after ourselves physically and not to take our good health for granted. It reminds us to ensure we exercise sufficiently, have a good diet and have adequate rest and relaxation.

Taking action is vital to get results

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

In order to achieve the results that we desire and deserve in life, we have to take action. It’s action that helps to create the outcomes that we are aiming for. Action is important to help overcome procrastination and a fear of stepping out of our comfort zones.

We control our responses

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

This reminds us to maintain strong boundaries and that we are all in control of how we react to situations. It prompts us to remember we choose our own thoughts and that these have an effect on our emotions. We can respond positively, assertively and constructively to negativity and criticism.

Look for the good in others

“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”

If we focus our energy, attention and time on looking for the good qualities and skills of other people we are likely to spot them. The reverse is true if we choose to look for bad that’s what we will discover. We see what we expect to see and we hear what we expect to hear.

This week, why not take a few moments out to reflect and think about the quotations that I have featured. What insights do they provide to you personally? What action (if any) do these insights guide you take?

This week’s quotation:

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” Mahatma Gandhi

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk