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Leadership  ·  Life
The 3 Most Important Roles of a Leader

The 3 Most Important Roles of a Leader

Leaders assist others as well as themselves in doing the right thing. They establish a course of action, create an enthralling vision, and invent something new. Over time, you will get to realise that there is more to being a leader than just leading. As a leader, you will understand that you will need to take on various roles to provide value for all of your people.  These roles are intended to mediate, inspire, and influence your followers. Here are the 3 most important roles that leaders are meant to play in ensuring an effective regime;

Being a Visionary

A visionary leader is all about vision becoming reality. A visionary leader states clear goals, lay a strategic action plan to achieve the goals and equips each participating member to execute the plan at different levels. A visionary leader takes ideas, concepts, thoughts, and suggestions from their people and works towards them. To be a visionary leader, you must learn to work hand-in-hand with your people, be goal-oriented, open-minded, collaborative, communicative, and persistent towards your goals. 

Being a Strategist

A strategic leader follows due and disciplined planned processes to achieve set goals. As a strategic leader, you get to empower your followers and delegate tasks according to everyone’s strengths. You have to be articulate in communication, compassionate with your followers, and observative about your followers’ strengths so you could achieve your set goal seamlessly.

Being an Advocator of Talent

A leader unveils the potential of their followers to enhance efficiency, create solutions, and enhance their skills. Leadership entails viewing others as whole individuals with a body, mind, heart, and soul. Leaders in this role shift from telling and solving to training and developing others’ capability and leadership. Empathy, support, and guidance, rather than instructions, are a better way to inspire innovation and commitment from your people these days. So, be more of a coach, teach what you’ve learned, listen to their feedback and concerns, address problems quickly, and make yourself available as needed.

These are the core roles of a leader! Are you ready to kickstart your leadership role effectively and seamlessly? Mindsetshift.co.uk is the right place to start. Listen to effective leadership podcasts to boost your morale and sign-up for the mindset shift newsletter to be the first to receive intriguing and effective leadership tips and tricks. 

November 8, 2021

Top-50-quotes-about-true-leadership
Leadership  ·  Life  ·  Productivity
Top 50 quotes about true leadership

Top-50-quotes-about-true-leadership

Top-50-quotes-about-true-leadership

Every person is called to leadership at some point in their life. Sure, it’s not generally something as drastic as becoming President of the United States or Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but there are times in everyone’s lives when we must rise to the occasion and take the helm. 

There have been many charismatic and strong leaders throughout history who have passed down their words of wisdom through memorable leadership quotes to help people appreciate their power and the responsibility that comes with it. Many people have changed their lives and the lives of others around them as a result of such leadership quotes.

These quotes, which range from bold changemakers like Nelson Mandela to fashion icons like Coco Chanel, will make you feel invincible and ready to take on the world. Don’t forget to include some on your vision board or post them somewhere you’ll see often to remind yourself of how powerful you are!

50 Leadership Quotes

  1. “A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” — Lao Tzu
  2. “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” — Jack Welch
  3. “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” — Henry Adams
  4. “The price of greatness is responsibility.” — Winston Churchill
  5. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” — John Quincy Adams
  6. “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” — John F. Kennedy
  7.  “A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see.” — Leroy Eimes
  8. “The right ingredients can create a legend.” — Coco Chanel
  9. “People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.” — Theodore Roosevelt
  10. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” — Ronald Reagan
  11. “Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.” — Thomas Jefferson
  12. “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” — Nelson Mandela
  13. “Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment and it comes with plenty of failures along the way.” — Barack Obama
  14. “See the good in people and help them.” — Mahatma Gandhi
  15. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” — John C. Maxwell 
  16. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” — Plato
  17. “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.” — Douglas MacArthur
  18. “Great leaders do not desire to lead but to serve.” — Myles Munroe
  19. “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln
  20. “A boss has the title, the leader has the people.” — Simon Sinek
  21. “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” —  Ralph Nader
  22. “Leadership should be focused on extending the ladder of opportunity for everyone.” – Justin Trudeau
  23. “If you think you are leading and turn around to see no one following you, then you are just taking a walk.” — John C. Maxwell
  24. “If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself.” — Jim Rohn
  25. “Recognise when you are wrong and make amends. Never be too proud to apologise or patch things up.” — Kator Tarkaa
  26. “Connect deeply with others. Our humanity is the one thing that we all have in common.” — Melinda Gates
  27. “Leadership is an action, not a position.” — Donald McGannon
  28. “Integrity, insight, and inclusiveness are the three essential qualities of leadership.” — Sadhguru
  29. “Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them.” — Marissa Meyer
  30. “Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” — Bill Bradley
  31. “As we look ahead to the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” — Bill Gates
  32. “A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.” — John C. Maxwell
  33. “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” — Rosalynn Carter
  34. “Leadership is not a popularity contest; it’s about leaving your ego at the door. The name of the game is to lead without a title.” — Robin S. Sharma
  35. “Leaders walk a fine line between self-confidence and humility.” – Stanley McChrystal
  36. “The role of leadership is to transform the complex situation into small pieces and prioritize them.” — Carlos Ghosn
  37. “No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.” — Andrew Carnegie
  38. “Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar.” — Orrin Woodward
  39. “The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been.” — Henry Kissinger
  40. “Leadership is an opportunity to serve. It is not a trumpet call to self-importance.” — J. Donald Walters
  41. “Leadership is not just about giving energy… it’s unleashing other people’s energy.” — Paul Polman
  42. “Real leadership is leaders recognizing that they serve the people that they lead.” — Pete Hoekstra
  43. “A real leader uses every issue, no matter how serious and sensitive, to ensure that at the end of the debate, we should emerge stronger and more united than ever before.” — Nelson Mandela
  44. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” — Warren G. Bennis
  45. “People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring others together.” — Michelle Obama
  46. “The hardest thing about being a leader is demonstrating or showing vulnerability.  When the leader demonstrates vulnerability and sensibility and brings people together, the team wins.” — Howard Schultz
  47. “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
  48. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” — Sheryl Sanberg
  49. “We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.” — J.K. Rowling
  50. “If you delegate tasks, you create followers. If you delegate authority, you create leaders.” — Craig Groeschel

The most important takeaways from these top leadership quotes:

Each of the people named at the end of these leadership quotes developed their words as a result of their own life experiences directing and educating others. They all held various positions and had distinct leadership styles, but they all had basic values about what it takes to be a leader. Leadership is about influence rather than authority. Great leaders inspire and motivate others to work together for a purpose greater than themselves. In doing so, they alter the course of history. 

There’s a reason why one or more of these leadership quotes sparked a surge of inspiration in you. They reveal the truth about who you are, who you aspire to be, and who you are becoming.

If some of those quotes have resonated with you and you want to develop your leadership skills contact us at mindsetshift.co.uk or you can link it to the coaching page on the website

November 1, 2021

stormzy-heavy-is-the-head-1576080675-640x640
Entrepreneur  ·  Leadership  ·  Life
We Need More Leaders Like Stormzy

A good leader is one who inspires. One with a clear, encouraging vision that focuses on progression and innovation. A good leader is disruptive.

A disruptive leader is one that is always seeking better solutions and ways to establish new processes to make an impact as a whole, without worrying about shaking things up or altering the paths to obtain the necessary results.

This is why Michael Omari aka Stormzy is an unsung hero of Britain. A leader that we can all take something from.

 

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He has been hailed “the people’s champ” and ‘a next-generation leader’ by Time magazine, and “this country’s biggest asset, musically and politically”.

If leaders are going to create truly inclusive cultures that represent the demographic that they serve, they need to change the way things are done.

Millennials and Gen Z have grown up in a world where we are all digitally connected, where corporate social responsibility is not a buzz phrase. This attitude adaptation means that leaders need a new point of reference, someone like Stormzy.

So, what inspirational traits does he personify?

HE LEADS BY EXAMPLE

When you lead by example, you create a picture of what is possible. You open the door for others to follow you. When it comes to social issues, this leader has not taken a backseat.

Stormzy joined a Black Lives Matter protest in London, proving that he isn’t just talking the talk, he is walking the walk (literally).

Furthermore, he has committed to donating £1 million annually for 10 years to charities, organisations and movements that are committed to fighting racial inequality, encouraging justice reform and black empowerment in the UK.

He stated that ‘equality is a myth at the moment’ but he recognised his position of power and the impact he could make. His actions inspired BBC Children in Need to do this …

BBC Children in Need has today announced that the charity will match the £10m funding pledge recently made by Stormzy to tackle racial inequality in the UK. Inspired by Stormzy’s commitment, BBC Children in Need will be matching his pledge of £10m over 10 years, and developing a dedicated new funding programme to support young Black talent to achieve their full potential, working in partnership with BBC Radio 1Xtra.

HE TELLS THE TRUTH

See Stormzy’s statement regarding UK racism below. If that’s not true recognition and honesty…

“The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit that black people in the UK have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life — simply due to the colour of our skin.

I’m lucky enough to be in the position I’m in and I’ve heard people often dismiss the idea of racism existing in Britain by saying, ‘If the country’s so racist how have you become a success?!’ And I reject that with this: I am not the UK’s shining example of what supposedly happens when a black person works hard. There are millions of us.

We are not far and few. We have to fight against the odds of a racist system stacked against us and designed for us to fail from before we are even born. Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it.”

HE OWNS HIS MISTAKES

Because we all make them. Stormzy is not perfect, he is human, and he chooses to handle his mistakes as a lesson.

When homophobic tweets from his past resurfaced in the public domain, he did not give a political answer, he did not hide, he owned up to his error and did not make excuses.

Leaders are not trustworthy, a Harvard Business Review survey found that while 58% of people trust strangers, only 42% trust their own boss. Another study of 7,209 executives, managers, and employees by Leadership IQ found that only 20% of people strongly trust their top management. 36% moderately trust their executives, while the remaining 44% range from not trusting to strongly distrusting.

One of the key drives to build trust is, to be honest, and truthful. That means even when you make a mistake own it. This makes you more accessible as it shows you are human and you mess up. No one wants a politician answer just straight up honest truth.

See Stormzy’s statement below. Again, holding accountability and commitment to change.

“I said some foul and offensive things whilst tweeting years ago at a time when I was young and proudly ignorant. Very hurtful and discriminative views that I’ve unlearned as I’ve grown up and become a man … The comments I made were unacceptable and disgusting, full stop. Comments that I regret and to everyone I’ve offended, I am sorry, these are attitudes I’ve left in the past … I take responsibility for my mistakes and hope you can understand that my younger self doesn’t reflect who I am today.”

HE SPEAKS UP FOR INJUSTICE

Stormzy uses his position and platform to speak out. He has loudly supported Jeremy Corbyn, stating that “he is the first man in a position of power who is committed to giving power back to the people and helping those who need it the most.”

He called out PM Boris Johnson on his racist statements towards black people. On the biggest night of his career, he made history as the first Black British solo artist to headline Glastonbury, and lead the crowd as they sang “Vossi Bop”, his No 1 single which features the lyric “F*** the government and f*** Boris”.

After winning British Male Solo Artist and Best British Album at the BRIT Awards, he called out Theresa May in regards to the Grenfell tragedy, where 72 people were killed when a block of flats in London caught fire. He called her out for the fact that relatives are still awaiting compensation.

“Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell? … [you] just forgot about Grenfell, you criminals, and you got the cheek to call us savages.”

Before George Floyd’s death, there were multiple cases of police brutality in the UK and US, yet silence. There have been complaints of racism, yet with NDA’S and settlements, silence remains. Data on how much companies have spent settling racial discrimination cases over the last 2 decades was not widely available, but to put this into context, Merrill Lynch spent half a billion dollars over a 15 year period.

Key takeaway? This is not a time to prioritise your comfort, this is not a time to be cautious over saying the wrong thing or how white counterparts may perceive you. This is a time to use your voice, stand up and be counted.

People do not care how much you know until you show how much you care which is why Stormzy is so greatly admired, leaders need to emulate him and be vocal.

“As a young black man coming from the community that I come from, I recognise that I have responsibilities. If I’m going to be on stage for five minutes at the Brit Awards, I have a responsibility. Bearing in mind that not one of us has been on that stage for a very long time, if it’s ever happened. If I have five minutes, I’ve got to use that time wisely.”

HE THINKS OUTSIDE THE BOX & EMBRACES TALENT

When you think of Stormzy, you might not put him in the publishing box, yet he curated #Merky Books in partnership with Penguin Random House.

Why? To give a home to a new generation of readers and writers. The aim is to provide a platform for the best new voices of today, and to seek out talented young writers from all backgrounds. True inclusive disruption.

Publishing is an area where people from underprivileged backgrounds are not widely represented. Not because there is a lack of talent, but because the gate keeps closing the doors. With the launch of #Merky Books, Stormzy opened those gates.

“We will be using this as a platform for young writers to become published authors, I know too many talented writers that don’t always have an outlet or a means to get their work seen and hopefully #Merky Books can now be a reference point for them to say ‘I can be an author’ and for that to be a realistic and achievable goal.”

‘There are so many young black kids all over the country who have the level of academic excellence to study at a university such as Cambridge — however we are still under-represented at leading universities. We, as a minority, have so many examples of black students who have excelled at every level of education throughout the years. I hope this scholarship serves as a small reminder that if young black students wish to study at one of the best universities in the world, then the opportunity is yours for the taking — and if funding is one of the barriers, then we can work towards breaking that barrier down.’

Key takeaway? Make a commitment to being truly inclusive. Inclusive leaders tap into the talents and motivations of their teams. They are understanding and genuinely interested in others regardless of background or race. A preference for the familiar way of doing things only keeps from initiating or embracing change.

WHY IT MATTERS

By 2025, roughly 65% of the global labour force will be made up of Millennials and Generation Z.

In the workplace, these people want to hear more voices and ideas, and they want to facilitate more open conversations by creating an inclusive environment.

 

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Employees do not stay silent anymore when things go wrong, they speak up in anonymous medium articles, tweets, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook posts for the whole world to see. They take pride in the way that they care for change and they are transparent about it.

Recent protest across the world highlighting the systematic racism black people face have been filled with 18 to 29-year-old adults who account for 52 per cent of all adults who have protested according to a poll released by Kaiser Family Foundation.

The #MeToo movement is a prime example which was birthed from exposés on sexual harassment and assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein and other powerful men in Hollywood.

Key takeaway? Leaders need to think outside of the box when it comes to hiring talent and building teams. They need to be transparent.

The reason there is only one Black CEO on the FTSE 100 and five black CEOs running a Fortune 500 company is not reflective of talent but “groupthink” and “cultural fit” (you can read my Cultural Add Not C̶u̶l̶t̶u̶r̶a̶l̶ ̶F̶i̶t̶ article for further clarification)

Millennials and Gen Z will no longer stand for excuses from organisations, they want to see diversity on boards and at all levels.

If leaders are going to create truly inclusive cultures which represent the demographic that they serve they need to change the way things are done.

 
 
October 5, 2020

The Power of Being Interested in Others
Career  ·  Direction  ·  Entrepreneur  ·  Leadership  ·  Life
The Power of Being Interested in Others

Leaders often tell me they struggle to connect with their staff, but a lot of times that is down to the fact that they have not taken a genuine interest in the people they lead.

When you show your people you are invested in them, they invest back in you and one of the key ways to show you are invested is to take an interest in them and what they do.

As a father, one of the ways I connect with children is playing Adopt Me with my kids. The game features two parties, a baby and a parent.
There are four of these needs the parent must tend to, otherwise, the baby will be unhappy. Players also adopt pets, including basic ones likes dog and cats, or rare pets such as wolves, griffins, unicorns etc which you need to look after because they have the same moods as babies and they can be taught tricks by the pet trainer at the school. Babies cannot hold pets or put pets in strollers, but parents can.

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This is a chance for them to bring me into their world and even though I don’t complete get it they appreciate it because it shows I am genuinely interested in them which is how you develop a good relationship.

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” — Dale Carnegie

Dr. Trevor Boffone, a Spanish teacher at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas wanted to connect with his students, so he took an interest in what the kids were into which was Dubmash videos and once they knew he was for real the kids began to teach him.

“While it feels great to be recognized for my teaching, fame is not why I do it. I do it to help my students. I do it to show my students that I care about them beyond the content of my class. I do it because I care about their cultures and identities. I do it to create a more inclusive classroom. I do it because my students are visible. They matter.” — Dr. Trevor Boffone

When leaders taking an interest in their people by asking questions, by listening, by observing, they begin to understand what motivates and drives the people they lead. The are able to build good relationships and get the best out of their people.

January 21, 2020

A Manager is a Map — A Leader is Satellite Navigation
Career  ·  Direction  ·  Life
A Manager is a Map — A Leader is Satellite Navigation

As I wrote that title it suddenly dawned on me that for some people reading this some won’t ever have used a paper map, in fact the closest thing the Gen Z (also known as the iGeneration) will have as a point of reference would be Call of Duty/Fortnite.

When I talk about a map I am referring to the only point of navigation widely used before we had Satellite Navigation. I am referring to a piece of paper or a book if you were fancy which I am sure accounted for 40% of marriage/relationships breakups before 2000 when a more accurate GPS navigation was made widely available for civilian use.

Maps were rigid, they were created decades ago and could not be easily changed. They did not consider any roadworks, road closure or traffic. They did not give you an estimated time of arrival to your destination. You were left to your own devices with a loose idea of how to get to your destination. Long journeys tended to have one person driving and the other person “navigating” based on the map but they were confusing a wrong turn could cost you hours on the road or worse yet completely lost and as you can imagine frustration lead to anger which to arguments and you arrive at why relationships ended after a long car journey.

A manager is a map, they give you a task to accomplish sometimes with a timeline but they do not come along for the journey. They are sometimes very inflexible and are as dynamic as a paper map.

When you have issues along the way due to conflicting commitments or delays which impact your delivery they don’t care. They rely on positional authority to exercise control with complete focus on execution.

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A leader, on the other hand, can be compared to Google maps, they are there with you on the journey from start to finish. They help you navigate the detours, road closure and accidents that might occur on the journey. They understand that the estimated time of arrival can change due to things outside of your control.

Timeframes do still matter but they are flexible and more understanding when change occurs constantly communicating updates when the course changes similar to how maps update due to delays like traffic.

Leaders inspire people to follow them without necessarily having positional authority over them. They focus on developing and empowering others so by the time the journey is over you have grown and developed.

WHICH TYPE ARE YOU?

It has been said the business world needs both great leaders and great managers but as companies embrace more technology in organisations as well as trying to improve diversity we need more leaders and fewer managers for real change to occur but that is a topic for another day

July 24, 2019

YOU CAN’T POUR FROM AN EMPTY CUP
Career  ·  Direction  ·  Life
YOU CAN’T POUR FROM AN EMPTY CUP

We live in a time where being on the go is the new craze. You are constantly bombarded with quotes like “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” You are made to feel like if you are not spending 24/7 working on your goals and dreams there is something wrong with you and you don’t want it bad enough. I post quotes on a regular basis on Instagram, I do believe how you spend your time shapes your life but I also believe in the swear word “REST”. 

Why Should I Rest?

Running on Empty

Have you ever tried running a car on empty? I remember those dark times when I could not afford to put fuel in my car regularly (that is for a future post) I ran very close to the wire on a regular basis and once I was caught out. It was like my car was trying to teach me a lesson for ignoring all the warning signs I had been given and it stopped working. In case you did not know it your body is like a machine and it needs to be refuelled regularly. When you choose to ignore the various warning signs your body just like my car will stop functioning properly.

Spiritual Discipline

The Bible is filled with instructions about rest and recreation and relaxation. In fact, it’s so important that God put it in the Ten Commandments — right up there with “Don’t commit adultery” and “Don’t murder.” He says that every seventh day, you have to take a day off. That’s how important a Sabbath (from šāḇaṯ in Hebrew which means rest)is in your life.

Jesus said in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”(NIV). In other words, God created this idea of you taking a day off every seven days for rest, recreation, worship, and restoration. It’s his idea, and it’s for your own benefit so you don’t burn out — Rick Warren

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How Do I Rest?

Rest is not one size fits all & it’s not always about sleep either. We all have different things that fill us, which help us to relax and provide much-needed restoration to our minds and soul. Naturally, when you speak of rest the idea of a holiday comes to mind but you can’t go on holiday every week and not all holidays are relaxing. Have you come back from a holiday needing another holiday? Another problem with focusing on holiday as your rest time is that you are postponing …. Life is unpredictable so if the unforeseen were to happen and you could not go on holiday that year there is a good chance your body won’t let you make it till next year for a reschedules holiday.

Below are some practical way I find rest which might work for you:

Exercise

I run about 5.5 miles 4/5 times a week, I know what you are thinking how is that restful but when I go for a run it’s just me and my thoughts. It’s a chance for me to process the day ahead of me, spend some time with God, exercise, and release of endorphins which trigger a positive feeling in the body. Regular exercise has been proven to Reduce stress/Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression/Boost self-esteem /Improve sleep.

Help Others

Scientific studies show that helping others boosts happiness. It increases life satisfaction, provides a sense of meaning, increases feelings of competence, improves our mood and reduced stress. It can help to take our minds off our own troubles too. Speaking from experience when I have helped others out either by just spending some time to talk to them or anonymously buying something I know someone needed I have felt so much better. “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.” Acts 20:35

“Reading”

I love reading or these days listening to books on audible, reading provides an escape as well as a different perspective on issues or worries you might have. It provides clarity for me which ultimately provides some peace of mind.

Quality Conversation & Companions

By far this is what fills me up the most spending time with people who are good for your health, people who fill you up not drain you. I am blessed to be able to say my wife is someone who I can relax with and she fills me up. We act like teenage kids sometimes even though we have some of our own.

I also have a good group of friends who I can either talk to on the phone as they are not local or spend some time with when I visit who restore me and keep me sane. It is important to stress that you identify the “fillers” from the “drainers”. Some friends/family/relationships etc are draining so “STAY AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE” during your rest period.

Spend some time looking back over your past and identify the various activities which have left you feeling revitalized and do those more often. The activities that have left you depleted STOP DOING THEM.

CONCLUSION

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March 8, 2019

Do You Really Want It?
Direction  ·  Family  ·  Life
Do You Really Want It?

There is no substitute for hard work, if you want to achieve something in life you have to be willing to put in the work required to achieve it.

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I asked my son what he wants to be when he grows up and he said a football player, the response was not a surprise an I believe you should never tell your kids they cannot do anything however they also need to understand the dedication & discipline it took the Ronaldo’s & Messi’s of the world to get to where they are so I took him to the park and I did drills with him. 20 mins into the drills he was telling he was tired & then I reminded him about a documentary we watched on David Beckham and the hours & hours he put in to master his free kicks when he was younger. I reminded him of where Ronaldo came from and he used to train and practice till it was dark. As Eric Thomas said “There is nothing wrong with dreaming big dreams, just know that all roads that lead to success have to pass through Hard work Boulevard at some point.”

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Just like my son so many people see the success of other people & they think yeah I can do that but they don’t see the hard work, dedication and sacrifice.

“If it were easy, everyone would do it” is one of the realest 8 words every written. You do go after a goal because other people are doing it you go after something you are passion about because when times get hard and you face failures it your passion and your desire that will fuel you and keep your going.

If your motivation was just fame or money you will never succeed because when you hit a roadblock you will turn around and head back where you came from but if this your “WHY” as the video below explains you will find a way through. 

Ask yourself do you really want it and if the the answer is yes then go get it, Put in the work and remember “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” However if the answer is no then find you passion and go after that because remember time is limited so do not waste it.

May 9, 2016

A story about quitting my job and stepping out in faith to embark on a new path.
Career  ·  Direction  ·  Family  ·  Life
A story about quitting my job and stepping out in faith to embark on a new path.

A story about quitting my job and stepping out in faith to embark on a new path.

To the outside world I had what some people have described as the perfect life, I was in a job I enjoyed with a loving wife and 2 kids who we were putting through private school and regular holidays. I was happy and content but God knew I was not reaching my full potential so January 2016, God put a word on my heart which was “get comfortable with being uncomfortable”.

To say it was puzzling at first would be an understatement but one thing I know is when God gives us information he tailors it to our individuals ways of thinking and looking at life and over the next 2 weeks he showed me what he meant. From listening to Steve Harvey talking about jumping and taking a leap of faith to various other videos, clips, quotes and conversation he revealed to me that I was settling.

8 years ago I was a contractor and it was something I enjoyed and I always said it would be something I would like to get back into and God was saying to me why not now? I was comfortable in my job, I had the privilege of working from home 2 days a week something which was unique to me only, I was respected and highly regarded and I had a good friendship with my manager. Work was comfortable but God was telling me if I want to reach the goals I had for my family I had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. To go into contracting you needed to be immediately available which at a maximum was 1 month but mostly it was a week. I had a 3 month notice period so that meant quitting my job without having something else to go into and believing everything will work out. As the main breadwinner of the house this was a serious leap of faith but as stated above after seeking God’s face and speaking to my wife whose response was what are you waiting for I resigned. **I cannot state the importance of having a good woman by your side who believes in you and gives you confidence**

During this period I also had the word about my running, I started running in Nov 2014 as a challenge because I had always told myself I was a short distance runner which I was at school and the sports I played where all quick burst so for me it was doing something which pushed me out of my comfort zone and after doing 2 half marathons in 2015 I thought I had proved something to myself and that was finished but God was not through teaching me just yet. Arthur Blank said “I run because it’s so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can’t. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you’re capable of so much more than you thought” & looking back I can see that it was linked to what I was going to face in the upcoming months.

At the end of January 2016 I had quit my job and I was facing running a marathon so I was definitely embracing getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. In the next 3 months that unfolded I went through a lot of tests, I was offered a promotion at work which I turned down eventually as it was not what God has put on my heart, I was approached about some permanent roles which in Dec I probably would have jumped on and I also had some disappointment’s along the way in regards to interviews I went for but I was not successful. So many times I cried out to God to find some strength because worry and fear sometimes crept in but he was there revealing himself to me and my wife was my rock.

He also revealed himself through my marathon training because to be able to accommodate training that meant waking up at 5am in the morning every day in the rain, wind & snow. It meant being dedicated and sticking to a schedule and pushing myself and body to lengths I had never done. I remember a lot of times when I ran I always saw me getting my medal and that kept me going, during that period I was able to listen to several motivation rips from YouTube, sermons and sometimes just spend some time praying and running. As Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”.

Most of my work colleagues could not understand why I had quit work without a job and I had several long conversation but as the one of my fav quotes says “Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s fine. It’s not their journey to make sense of. It’s yours.”

28th of April was my official leaving date so for me my search really started on the 4th of April as I was in that 1 month window, I signed up to LinkedIn Premium service for the 30 days free trial and I remember saying to myself I will not be extending this regardless of what happens. On the 6th I came down to London and met several recruiters and despite positive meeting over the next couple of weeks nothing happened. The roles I applied for I was not get any callback’s, the recruiters in London and Midlands were all quiet and the closer I got to the 28th the harder it got however my wife shared with me that she had been praying that regardless what happens I will have a job, in the second week of April I had a conversation with work who had filled my role but due to one of my team leaving (I had helped her get a job somewhere else) they wanted me to stay on till I got something. They initially wanted me to have a month notice period but I reduced that to 5 days & I also requested flexibility to attend interviews whenever I needed which eventually was agreed & my wife’s prayers were answered.

Despite having this agree I wanted to leave by the 28th so when I saw a role advertised by one of the agencies I had visited on the 4th which suited what I wanted to do I reached out and I got an interview. The interview was on the 22nd of April, I felt I did well and I was what they were looking for but a couple days later I got the feedback and it was a no, I had the required skill set but he wanted a season contractor not someone new to the contracting field. I was flabbergasted and angry because the reason for not getting the job I felt was ridiculous. On the 27th I saw a number of roles advertised by Hays so I reached out to my contact there and told him to speak to the relevant colleagues, one of them got back to me not about the role I had applied for but about another opportunity at BT, I looked through the job spec and I did not think I ticked all the boxes but I told her to send my details which she did and on the 28th of April she said they wanted to see me on the Friday which was a pleasant surprise. I went for the interview and probably for the first time in my life I walked out of an interview thinking I did not get that job, the question from the interviewee I felt I answered well but he repeated them a number of times and little things that were said I just felt nope this was not for me and I told the agency that.

Monday was a bank holiday and the marathon, all the months of training and preparation came and the race started really well I was keeping my pace and I was happy till mile 8 and I got injured. My hamstring from a previous football injury came back and I was in pain. Society says real men do not cry but I was close to it, the disappointment and frustration of coming this face was a deadly combination inside and when the medics asked me if I wanted to be quit I almost screamed yet but then I was reminded of the quote by Epictetus “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters”. God had not brought me this far just to quit and turn around and yes even though it meant I won’t hit my time of 4:45 which was my target, it meant I would be in pain and it would take longer getting lapped by people in costumes and other who were 20+ years old than me I said I wanted to complete a marathon that was the goal so I persevered and carried on. I dragged myself around the track and I ran/hobbled the last mile but I finished and I got my medal. I learnt a lot of valuable lessons in that race in relation to life which is best summed up by this “Endurance is the spirit which can bear things, not simply with resignation, but with blazing hope. It is a quality which keeps a man on his feet with his face to the wind. It is the virtue which can transmute the hardest trial into glory because beyond the pain, it sees the goal.”

Tuesday the 4th of May was the final day of my free trial with Linkedin and that morning when I got to work I cancelled it, I had not managed to get a job but I was determined (cheap) to not have to pay for anything to get my job, the marathon despite the pain had filled me with hope and renewed me and looking back I could see why God had put that on my mind. That morning I got a phone call from Hays and they said they had spoken to BT but the feedback they had was the opposite of what I had said they wanted to offer me the job, I was in shock. The role which I did not I would get a call back from, with a bad interview I had got an offer for and it was more money that the previous role I was disappointed about. They also needed 2 weeks to sort things out due to security which was perfect for me as I could give work 5 days’ notice and take my holiday before leaving. In 2 days everything he had laid on my mind in Jan came to pass and he was faithful.

Previously me and my wife had been discussing the possibility of her reducing her hours at work by half a day possibly in September due to this she has been able to reduce her days to 4 days starting end of May. The long term goals are already happening because God is faithful.

May 6, 2016