The Art of Brilliance Blog

Three generals are about to go into battle. After the final plan has been agreed they sit quietly until one of them asks “If we are shot down today and breathe our last, what would you like people to say about you when they stand over your coffin at your funeral?” He then adds “I would like them to say that I was the greatest leader they had ever met.”

The second general replies, “I would like them to say that I was the best father and husband in the world.”

Finally, the last one replies, “I would like them to say… look, he’s moving!”

The question “what will people say about us when we’ve gone?” is an old chestnut. So, what will people say about you when you’ve gone? Not necessarily after you have pegged it, but after you head off for ‘pastures new’?

We believe that the mark of an outstanding leader is not just how good a leader you are, but how many leaders you develop. If you are a brilliant leader then when you step out of the picture things won’t fall apart, they will continue to go from strength to strength.

Just imagine what you would see around you if your leaders and teams made a deliberate and conscious choice to focus on the positive. Imagine what could be achieved if your leaders and teams took 100% personal responsibility for success in every aspect of their working life. Imagine what it would feel like if your leaders and teams understood their impact and applied this understanding to bring out the best in everyone.

Want some? That’s exactly what our Personal Leadership Programme is about. We have just finished our first ‘wave’ and are delighted to say that from our feedback sheets overall satisfaction with the programme was 98%! Here’s just some extracts from what people have said:

“Thought provoking”
“An eye opener to leadership”
“A truly insightful three days which all leaders should attend… especially the ones who think they’re already great leaders!”
“Puts you back in control and helps you refocus”
“It’s already made a very positive difference to my work and home life”
“Totally transforming and inspiring”
“An exceptional programme that will change your life”
“A fabulous course. Thank you very, very much!”

We are so delighted with the response that we have already scheduled another session. If you are interested please contact me, Peter Anderton, email peter@artofbrilliance.co.uk or tel 01530 229639.

Spaces are limited to give the best possible learning, so get in quick!

Mystic Andy predicts your 2014.

(Andy Cope, with tea-towel around his head, hands swirling over a crystal ball).

“I can see your future. 2014 is laid out before me. You are a 2%er. You are making an effort to be your best self. Everything is goooood. You are happy. And you are having a magnificent impact on your family and work colleagues. Goooood.

“But wait. Who is this? A negative person. Bad face. Surely a mood hoover. Your spouse or your boss perhaps?

“They are moaning about something. The weather, I think? Or work? Or the news?

“And you look like you’re going to join in?

“But, nooooo! You have remained positive. You have challenged the mood hoover and turned them around. They are smiling! How unusual.

“And you are walking away, your sanity intact, a grin on your face. You are going to win many battles this year. It will be challenging but it will be your best year. It will be goooood.”

Everyone needs a HUGG.

If you want to be like everyone else, set yourself a ‘SMART’ New Year’s resolution. I doubt there isn’t anyone who hasn’t had SMART objectives hammered into them. Specific, measurable, achievable (yawn), realistic, (head lolling in near slumber) and time-bound (snore).

If you’re a 2%er you’ll want to avoid slipping into a world of mediocrity and blandness – so we’re recommending a New Year’s HUGG. Set yourself a Huge Unbelievable Great Goal that stretches and inspires you. HUGGs are eye-wateringly exciting and can only be achieved by creativity, passion, innovative thinking and sustained action.

‘Giving up smoking’ is sooooo last millennium. ‘Using the money I’ve saved from giving up smoking to enter the New York marathon’ is where it’s at. That folks, is a HUGG!

There will of course be the naysayers, who think HUGGs are ‘too big’ or ‘directionless’ or just plain ‘unachievable’. To counter this just remind them that you’re a long time dead and let their vacant expression make your point for you.

Buzz Lightyear had it pretty much spot on folks.

Until next time

Andy

Christmas in our house is summed up in three words: family, food and prezzies. I really hope you’ve managed to hang on to the religious meaning of Christmas which was lost in our family generations ago. My daughter thinks it’s an amazing coincidence that Jesus was born on Christmas day! “Amazing to think that that tiny baby grew up to be whiskery old Santa Claus.”

My top 2%er tip for Christmas is ‘enthusiasm’. Remember when you were seven? You just couldn’t wait to see what Santa had brought. And it almost didn’t matter what you received… the magic was that ‘he’d been’. And he always left a trail of evidence… few crumbs of mince pie, a half-eaten carrot, a drop of sherry left in the glass. It was all the proof you needed!

So, be as enthusiastic as you were when you were seven. Because the best thing of all is that emotions are contagious and enthusiasm will spread like wildfire. Sure, miserable Aunt Edna might be more of a slow burner, but the kids will catch it for sure! They’ll be burning brightly.

I’ve already challenged my kids to a game of Monopoly on Christmas day. And I don’t even like Monopoly (neither do my kids. Ollie calls it a ‘bored game’ which I always think it actually quite clever). Can the power of enthusiasm win over a couple of teenagers? Can I engineer just the right amount of enthusiasm to make it the best game of Monopoly ever, without overdoing it and the kids thinking I’ve been guzzling the eggnog?

One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be good fun trying!

Happy Christmas to you and yours

A x

If you’re of a certain age (like me) the likelihood is that your grandparents had a ‘job for life’. It’s also quite likely that this applied to your grandpa but your grandma didn’t work (not in the paid sense, at least). Work provided certainty and security in a ‘steady as you go’ kind of way.

Your parents might have had a couple of jobs? They probably both worked and the chances are they had a career change along the way. It was a bit less steady.

You’ve probably had several jobs with a career trajectory that has been slightly upwards but often (in recent times) sideways or downwards? And, right now, the ship’s not feeling very steady at all. In fact, it’s all a bit wobbly.

Your kids are born into a world where there is no career path. To stretch the sailing metaphor just a little too far, they will be white water rafting! Success will depend on constant investment in themselves and re-invention of what they do. It’s likely they’ll experience temporary contracts and/or periods of unemployment. Their career path will be haphazard at best.

So what’s this got to do with The Art of Being Brilliant? The short answer is ‘everything’. In a world of manic upheaval, everything’s changed, including the ‘rules’.

While ‘experience’ and ‘qualifications’ are still important, the modern world means that you are your own brand. In simple terms, you need to add more value than other candidates. ‘Fitting in’ is no longer the game. You absolutely have to stand out.

This is the age of the 2%er. Welcome to your world.

As well as delivering The Art of Being Brilliant, I also moonlight as a children’s author. That means I get to visit loads of primary schools.

I always choose to park around the corner, and walk. It’s awesome.

Because as soon as I step out of the car I can hear the buzz. And as I get closer, the noise builds. There’s excited screaming as well as peals of squealing, yelling, laughter and unbridled joy. (Let me add that the excitement’s nothing to do with me. It happens every day, in every school, author visit or no author visit.)

As I arrive at the school gates I sometimes stand and watch. (Yes, yes, I know. You’re not supposed to do that kind of thing in the modern era, but I do). The energy and excitement generated by 300 kids is something to behold. They’re playing, skipping and jumping around. There’s always an awful lot of running. And hopscotch is alive and well. I have to say, it’s a joy.

And the following day, I’m booted and suited, for a meeting in a company. It feels all business-like and professional. There’s no screaming or excitement. Nobody’s ever invited me to play hopscotch. There’s hardly any skipping and, if I’m being honest, very little unbridled joy.

Children (particularly of primary school age) are a wonderful example of our natural state of being – playful, delirious, curious, fun, joyful and excitable.

So what happened? At what point did we become dull, grumpy and negative? At what point did we stop jumping in puddles? When did hopscotch become a bad idea?

Maybe it’s ‘life’? Maybe it’s ‘responsibility’? Or ‘stress’ or ‘routine’ or the ‘dullness’ that life can become? But here’s a thought. Could it be that we’re happy, positive and curious by default, but somehow we just… forgot?

In which case, please think of our workshops and booksas a gentle reminder.

Andy C

The Art of Being Brilliant trainers are happiness ninjas. And to keep in tip top ninja mode, we have to read loads of books. It comes with the territory.

A particular fave of mine is ‘The Happiness Project’ by Gretchen Ruben. It’s simple, honest and brill. And, rather like The Art of Being Brilliant, it isn’t really about work. It’s about home.

Here’s a lovely top tip for busy parents. Gretchen suggests that plenty of households are a bit crazy at bedtime. The kids have been tucked up but there still plenty to do… packing lunchboxes, organising their bags, ironing school shirts, etc.

Instead of rushing around, headless chicken style, before you go to bed, treat yourself to a bit of what Gretchen calls ‘gazing lovingly’. It was Gretchen’s husband who first suggested it. ‘Gazing lovingly’ is when you go and peek at your sleeping children.

It’s so simple. And such a treat.

Just a couple of words of advice from the Art of Brill team:

• Firstly, make sure you only do this with your own kids (breaking into the house next door and ‘gazing lovingly’ at their kids is never a good idea).
• And secondly, don’t enter your 14-year-old son’s bedroom and expect to do this. In fact, probably best not to enter his bedroom at all, at least not after dark.

Until next time…

Not so much a blog, more of a quote. Get your kids, grandkids, nephews and nieces to read it…

“Always we hear the cry from teenagers, “Where can we go, what can we do?”

“My answer is this: go home, mow the lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons and after you’ve finished, read a book.

“Your town does not owe you recreational facilities and your parents do not owe you fun. The world does not owe you a living. You owe the world something. You owe it your time, energy and talent…

“In other words, grow-up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world and develop a backbone instead of a wishbone. Start behaving like a responsible person. You are important and you are needed. It’s too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something, someday. Someday is now and that somebody is you.”

John Tepene

And then ask them what it means.

Have a fab day

Andy

Being of a certain age, LWT stands for ‘London Weekend Television’. I’ve been reading Robin Sharma’s book, based on the concept of ‘Leadership Without a Title’ so I’m grappling with my perception of LWT.

Sharma’s LWT tunes in brilliantly to the 2%ers ethos of ‘being your best self’. Not all of us have ‘leader’ or ‘manager’ in our job title. Indeed, one of the 2%ers approached me at the last do and basically said, “This is all well and good, but I’m only an IT technician. I’m not sure I can apply it.” Which perplexed me a little. Cue lots of rubbing of chin and quizzical pondering. I have obviously been pitching it wrong.

Sharma’s LWT nailed it for me in an ‘it’s-so-obvious-how-can-I-have-not-seen-it-before’ kind of way. Being brilliant is about you, not your job title. The question is, I guess, what does the best IT technician look, sound and feel like? I’m assuming that all of you reading this are already technically competent at doing your job. That’s a given. The 2% ethos asks the question, what attitude and approach makes me world class? What do I have to do to inspire people? It goes way beyond job competence. In fact, it’s not really about work at all. It’s about being the best version of yourself that you can muster.

During the summer hols we were delighted to tell you about the launch of our Personal Leadership Programme.

Now that for many of us the holidays are a dim and distant memory, we thought we would be kind and remind you of our brilliant oasis of three days development, focusing on you and the impact that you have on those around you.

Our first session is running in the Birmingham area on 19-20 November and 10 December 2013 and there are currently only three spaces left!

If you were inspired by the The Art of Being Brilliant then this programme will make you think – and then help you to make it happen!

For further details, email Peter on peter@artofbrilliance.co.uk

I grew up in the 1970s.

In those days we didn’t have many TV channels (just three in fact, BBC1, BBC2 and ITV). But we had some really cool superheroes on the telly. The Hulk. And Superman. And Spidey. And, best of all, Wonder Woman (what an outfit!).

The thing is that 1970s superheroes actually looked like superheroes. Turning green or wearing your undies on the outside was de rigeur for 1970s superheroes.

Fast forward to the late 90s. I’ve grown up and have kids of my own. My youngest got addicted to Bob the Builder. And I used to have a downer about Bob because he isn’t a superhero. He’s just a builder. He fixes stuff. What’s the point of watching DVDs about a builder? There’s nothing special about Bob. It’s not even as if he’d had an accident with a rivet gun when he was six and became the “contractor of choice”. He’s just a builder!

Until one day I sat down and watched an episode of Bob the Builder. It blew me away. Bob (bearing in mind all the builders you know) never turns up at a job and grimaces, shakes his head and complains, “Who did your plumbing love? I don’t like the look of that.” No siree. Bob always approaches his work with a positive mental attitude. And he doesn’t turn up on his tod. Oh no. He turns up with a high performance team (Scoop, Muck, Dizzy, Wendy, Roly, Spud and Lofty) and they sing and dance while they work. And, of course, when the challenge seems insurmountable Bob always shouts to his team, “can we fix it?” and his team always shouts back, “yes we can!”

Know what? I think Bob’s got himself an empowered team. He’s not a bad role model. He’s certainly ‘not just a builder’. His extra-ordinarily positive attitude marks him out as being the best builder in the world.

Maybe Bob’s a superhero for the modern times?

The top joke from the Edinburgh Fringe (according to the Independent anyway) was awarded this year to Joe Lycett: “What do we want!? More research into a cure for ADHD! When do we want it!? Let’s play swingball!”

I don’t know who invented ‘Swingball’ – but the slightly leaning pole surrounded by holes in the ground is an important part of our back garden. We recently had to replace ours because someone hit the ball so hard it came off the string and disappeared into the hedge!

Although life can spiral up and down – and up again, I suspect “life is like a game of Swingball” is a quote that will never catch on! Generally speaking we want to go somewhere with our lives, rather than just hanging on tight and going round in circles.

So, where do you want to go? Do you know? For those who are leaders it falls on you to help your team develop a clear vision of the future. But without a vision for your own life and personal development you could find yourself going round in circles – and it’s no use expecting your team to build a vision of the future unless you lead by example.

So for this blog, our challenge to you is:

• Where are you going?
• Who do you want to be?
• What impact do you want to have?
• And above all, why?

We’ve been running programmes that make you think for, well, quite a while, and we’ve been asked many times what else we can do to take our principles a step further? How can we build them into the way we develop our leaders to transform our organisations?

Well, the answer is finally here. In November and December 2013 we are running, in conjunction with ‘The Living Leader’, a three day Personal Leadership Programme that does all this and more.

If you were inspired by The Art of Being Brilliant then this programme will make you think and then help you to make it happen!

For further details email peter@artofbrilliance.co.uk

If you remember, I left you on a cliff hanger? What do you mean you don’t care? Or you can’t remember?

To recap, I’d suggested we need an alien invasion to bring us humans together as one big happy family. And it’s ‘happy families’ that I want to continue with.

Because some families don’t get on. I mean, how on earth are we going to reconcile the ills of the world when families are at war?

So, in true 2%er style, I’ve decided to do my bit for humanity. For the rest of my life I’m going to treat everyone as if they are family. I’m so excited about it! Once ‘everyone’ is family, the world seems such a nicer place.

My first opportunity to heal the world came as I was checking into one of Lenny’s purple hotels (in Romford – rock ‘n’ roll baby). I waited patiently as a couple tried to check in. I couldn’t help noticing that the middle aged woman had a dragon tattooed on her back and the guy looked rather like Steptoe. And it was weird that they only wanted the room for an hour? The Jeremy Kyle episode ‘I got my sister pregnant in a Premier Inn’ flickered momentarily across my mind. But, hey, they’re family, so I blew that thought away.

Anyway their credit card didn’t work and Premier Inn don’t take cash so after a few minutes of them pleading with reception and me desperately needing a wee, it hit me that this was an opportunity. I had just committed to treating everyone as family. Would I treat my family like this?

Of course not. So I stepped forward and paid for their room on my credit card. Ta da!

The lady with the dragon tattoo seemed really grateful and I walked down the corridor towards my room thinking, ‘This changing the world is going to cost me a bloody fortune.’ But, I have to be honest, I did have a warm glow on the inside.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the full amount was waiting for me (in cash) behind reception in the morning. I tucked into my morning croissant, my faith in humanity peeking through in a wry smile. I glanced at the headline of the local paper, ‘Mugging at Premier Inn by Dragon Lady and Steptoe accomplice.’

And I marvelled at the coincidence. Fancy that happening, here in Romford. Amazing!

Andy W @artofbrillandyw