Every Silver Lining has a Cloud by Paul Cook

1984: ‘As they round the third and penultimate lap the lead runner quietly and gently moves across the arena and allows Sebastian Coe through for his all-important moment of glory; years of sinew stretched training, hour upon hour of regulated self-disciplined drill, planning, observing, and marking the competition.  This is it; he crosses the line, glimpses at the crowd and basks in his merited glory leading to a future of success in everything upon which he lays his hands.’

1992:  ‘The highly tuned and beautifully engineered Mercedes AMG thrust to all extremes of its energy efficient tarmac hugging superstructure manoeuvres determinately across the red hot tarmac track, dragged behind it a stream of sleek low slung pursuers eager to take up pole and fame; at bend 13 AMG respectfully bows out waves to his champion; Nigel Mansell accepts the nod guns, the F1 and strikes through the remainder of the race to become the new world champion applauded for years thereafter.’

At this point I am tempted to stop and continue a new career as a sports writer for which I have always had a secret ambition (feedback to Zest inbox please), however the reason I think I wax lyrical about Nigel Mansell, Seb Coe and could have done so for many others is simply because the thought of such success always charges me up to motivation level 10; you see it’s all in the language.  To stand alongside someone or a group of people and radiate motivational, forward, positive thoughts is vitally important and I guess that the majority of humanity get that.  And I select the word majority as there are always exceptions; I mean who in their right mind would want another person to think anything other than positively?  Who would want self-doubt to creep into a talented soul?  What would make you want your employees to believe anything other than a progressive future?  

Then I thought about a few recent personally observed illustrations.  My good friend and golfing partner Steve who recently told me I wasn’t getting any younger!  A young mum telling her agile and dextrously confident son not to look down ‘cos it really hurts if you fall!  A senior manager explaining to his team that the 3 year strategy probably won’t work but they’ve had instructions to give it a go!  The careers advisor impressing on the 13 year girl old that she might as well be realistic!

All these comments may have honourable intentions (apart from you Steve), so what about the formula for success?  My brilliant colleagues at Zest like to think of this as towards language.  State your intentions in the positive, identify and remove any limiting beliefs, look at all your options, clarify your goals, identify what resources/skills/training you need, take your first positive step. Coaching to high performance.

http://www.zestbusinesscoaching.co.uk/executive_business_coaching.php

Oh, and back to Seb Coe, Nigel Mansell et al.  You may care to add; these people are brilliant at what they do and passionate about the end result; everyone in the world will have a brilliance within them in whatever world they are in; finding it and developing it is the skill.  What was missing from my earlier striking narrative (plug sports commentary skills) is the pace runner standing aside, the pace car moving over and both at exactly the right time for the champion to finalise that victory.  This is what excellence is in coaching; we are your pace runner and pace car; that is our passion.

I have changed my mind about sports writing, I’m not getting any younger you know.

“Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I'm not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you've felt that way.” ― Charles Bukowski

Business is all about the warmth of the Club House

As the father of four very active children I found myself again this weekend stood on the touchlines of many a football and rugby pitch.  It was particularly challenging this time around because the British spring time is nearly here and of course this means sub-zero temperatures and rain that has the ability to circumnavigate my arctic warfare attire and channel its way through to my unprepared human skin.  What is starkly ironic amongst the parents are conversations about how their precious didn’t want to get out of bed, ‘it’s too cold’ ‘I want to lay in’ ‘I can’t find my kit’ and of course’ it wouldn’t hurt to miss one week’  One such Father and long suffering friend who has energetically turned out week on week to watch his eldest perform asked, ‘remind me why we do this again’?  It was a tricky question because first, in between syllables a large bucket of cold water was thrown over him and second, at our most challenging times it is easier to forget the reason.

Another long suffering Dad and good friend of mine is Andrew Hull.  Zest are proud sponsors of the team he tirelessly coaches, Bray FC. http://localgiving.com/charity/brayfc

Bray is a very small outfit, in a small village, with a small pool of players to choose from.  They are a club operating in a South East league which can boast big towns and big players.  A metaphor once used by local media was that of ‘a rowing boat in a channel of battleships’.  However, since they were founded as a club they won most things in their group last season; now compete a full year above their age and this summer will be competing in Holland against international competition.  It is quite simple; Andrew is a coach in the full sense of our business ethos.  He recognises the talent in the team, he is flexible to their needs, he stands alongside them, he lets them play in every position, he lets them develop, he listens to them, there is only ever learning from mistakes and the focus is always on the goal.

In his hilarious account of managing a boy’s football team, Jim White vividly explains ‘You’ll win nothing with kids, fathers, sons and football (ABACUS Publishing).  Actually what really happens throughout is he discusses something more valuable than any trophy; a means of connecting and communicating with people and nurturing the relationship between fathers sons and football.  In other words, Leadership, Team and Business.

There is a raft of research concerning positivity, people power, focus on the goal and not the barriers.  As a business development company we have the beauty of independence from our clients.  We stand with the CEO’s (The parents) on the touchline, we listen to the comments and we see the frustrations in the cold weather of the current economy.  There are the parents who feel the cold and wet, the parents who complain and indeed the parents who don’t even turn up!  There are of course the successful ones who respond to the question ‘remind me why we are here’?  ‘just wait until those kids are warm in the club house and talking about how well they played’.

Next weekend?  Same again, different opposition but we will all be better equipped after last week.

Post written by Paul Cook