Your "lifestyle" business is meant to provide you with your lifestyle. What is the purpose of being in business? .... [ Read More... ]

There are areas in our lives where we can be extremely thoughtful in what we do and where we choose to spend our time and effort. Attending only the meetings we want to, answering the phone on our terms or occasionally saying no to the requests of others. This is essentially managing our scarce resources - our time, finances and energy. .... [ Read More... ]

Stopping FAFFing About can be applied in work and home life. I even apply it to reading newspapers. Everyone has their own view on the value of newspapers - the reporting, the political bias, the sensationalisation of anything thought to be of interest to the masses and of course, the celebrity status of anyone with 5 minutes of fame.  .... [ Read More... ]

20 minutes is not a great deal of time - it equates to a short run, a soap opera episode (without the adverts) or the average life expectancy of a fighter pilot in World War I according the British comedy show Blackadder. Yet when added together, many twenty minutes make a lot of time. .... [ Read More... ]

Can being too smart or too polished be a distraction or a negative when building relationships with clients and connections? .... [ Read More... ]

When I hear the word “dedication” I am taken back to the days of Roy Castle singing away and blowing his trumpet. We can't achieve any records or success without dedication, perseverance and commitment. Look at any of the Olympic athletes from across the globe; whether they win or not, they all put in incredible amounts of dedication and training to get to the top of their field. .... [ Read More... ]

Sometimes the less said about you is not better! I recall my days in the banking world when people and businesses were trying to take on further finance, loans or debt finance and their own banks were asked to provide a reference. This bank reference was quite simply the opportunity for a bank to describe whether or not they felt their customer was a good customer or not. .... [ Read More... ]

Brilliant lyrics from Queen that say so much, but alas they may well have been his undoing. Freddie Mercury was out there - he was wild, untamed, in his heyday extremely promiscuous and in the end his partying and all the other antics that were part of his repertoire took him at a very early age. Far too young. .... [ Read More... ]

As we all know there are four seasons in the year and numerous holidays that fit into those seasons dictated by the school academic year. If in business you were to take the academic calendar as time where no work could be done you would be sacrificing 25% of the working year, even higher if you consider the private school sector. .... [ Read More... ]

I never used to have a fear of heights, it has developed more ever since I've had children, no doubt brought on when they would wander off oblivious to the huge drop down the stairs or over the balcony. Climbing in the Mont Blanc region really brought home to me the fact that I am not comfortable with heights. .... [ Read More... ]

Dear Uncle Nigel Well, what can I tell you about our challenge to climb Mont Blanc? Before I went you reassured me that I'd done all my training, kitted myself out with all the equipment and guide books and booked guides through a reputable company in Chamonix to take us up the mountain. Everything was sorted, kit, fitness and someone to show us the way.  .... [ Read More... ]

It is amazing how many business people have the same initial response to the phrase "Soft Skills Training". Be honest, what was your initial reaction when you saw the newsletter entitled "Soft Skills vs. Technical Skills"? .... [ Read More... ]

Self control and self discipline can be tested in many ways and at many different times both personally and professionally. Do you react to situations and temptation all around you or are you playing a more strategic long game with clarity of focus and direction?  .... [ Read More... ]

During 2011 we ran the MD Bootcamp and received amazing feedback, research and knowledge about what small businesses really want and need.In short these are some of our findings:  .... [ Read More... ]

I was recently in discussions with a close friend of mine who was having a BMW (bitch, moan & whine) about everything that was wrong in his world. It was quite a sad conversation as I didn't think he had much to moan about and he just took pleasure in whining. .... [ Read More... ]

How often did your parents tell you when you were a child that you had to take responsibility for your actions? How if you did x, then y would happen and not to be surprised when everything went wrong? .... [ Read More... ]

How often do you make a new Best Friend (BF)? Once a week, once a year or very rarely? Don’t be ridiculous, I hear you say, nobody seeks to make new friends in that way. Yet I see people trying to make new BFs regularly at events and networking groups. At the end of the event, what happens? Someone says, “I’ll give you a call next week” and 9 times out of 10 that call is never made! .... [ Read More... ]

I know everything that I do everyday – all the roles I fulfil or the activities I must complete along with the research I must do and the client support and workshops I must deliver – it’s simple. I wish! Everyday is different from the next as situations arise, problems and opportunities occur, on top of all the day-to-day planning, delivery and activity that is necessary .... [ Read More... ]

VIP guest at the 'Training Showcase' event on 15th February at Maple House in Birmingham. This is an etc venues and Ethos collaboration event. It’s completely complimentary to VIP guests and you will be wooed all day with refreshments, a fabulous lunch and some of the best trainers around to entertain you. It will be a bit like speed dating in the sense that each trainer has precisely 20 minutes in order to 'WOW' you and get you consider using them for a training programme in your organisation. The event will run approximately from 9:30am-4:30pm. .... [ Read More... ]

The dates for the next Public Speaking Skills courses are available on Tuesday 14th February or Tuesday 13th March 2012. .... [ Read More... ]

For many years I have talked about the MOOD HOOVERS – those people in our lives that no matter what the situation will absorb your positive energy and suck up any happy feeling you have. Many of you have your own names for these people, ranging from “Energy Vampires” and “Dream Stealers” to “The Negatives” and “Parasites”. We all know they are around us more often than we would like them to be. .... [ Read More... ]

The following story was sent through by a friend and colleague Will Kintish and to be honest it really does make sense. Is this story the true translation and interpretation for quantitive easing? I have to say it did help me understand the reality of countries releasing more money into the market place and why they are doing it. .... [ Read More... ]

This is something we all have to deal with in various guises every day throughout our lives. Sometimes it can be the simple ‘no’ on your lottery numbers or the petrol station is out of fuel and you have to go limp on to the next station vs. the bigger rejections of a professional or personal manner .... [ Read More... ]

OMG its 4am, you get back into bed after a quick trip to the bathroom and the night sweats kick in – your mind wakes up. This is the third time this week, what has caused it this time? Is it the proposal you’ve been working on, the investment property issue, the kids’ school work, the school trips or s fees, or how you are going to pay this month’s mortgage or rent? Money matters, success issues, promotion opportunities or simply, anxiety over what is going to happen tomorrow? .... [ Read More... ]

Is your business odour giving off the right aura? .... [ Read More... ]

Do you play on your own or do you need a team around you to fully motivate you?  .... [ Read More... ]

When I consider the word ‘trust’ I immediately think of my children i.e. who would I trust to look after my children. On a professional basis, trust is just as important but with a far greater emphasis on areas of reliance, confidence and confidentiality.  .... [ Read More... ]

Ask for Help – How many of us are too stubborn or too proud to actually ask for help! .... [ Read More... ]

Have a look at my latest Video newsletter "Building Blocks" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUaBC7RaT-g  .... [ Read More... ]

Which of these statements best reflects your way of thinking – “goal setting gives you something to live for” or “achieving your goals helps you to feel alive”?  .... [ Read More... ]

How many conferences and events have you been to where you have been preached at by someone in a pinstripe suit, drowning you with countless volumes of PowerPoint slides? Most people that stand up at a conference are brilliant at what they do – they are truly experts in their field and have more knowledge than they could be possibly share with you the audience in half a lifetime, let alone their current allocated time slot. Many (not all) of these speakers haven’t got a clue about engaging and connecting with you and as a result they are totally forgettable. When asked afterwards who you remember, the chances are the most you’ll remember will be the fact that they all wore pinstripes. .... [ Read More... ]

5 Days LEFT! Book Now for Level 1 Speaking with Gravitas There are only 5 Days left to book onto my Speaking with Gravitas course...  .... [ Read More... ]

When was the last time you went out in the rain with a smile on your face, jumping and splashing around in puddles.? Many years ago (for some of us very many years ago) this was the best fun you could have. .... [ Read More... ]

Having recently been Best Man at my best friend’s wedding, I saw close up the stresses and strains all the speakers were going through before delivering their speeches. With that in mind I thought I would share my top tips to help you deliver a relaxed, enjoyable and memorable wedding speech! There are many more - this is just an appetiser. .... [ Read More... ]

If you don’t ask you’ll never get an answer or a response. I recently had a reader of FAFF refuse to give me a recommendation or an endorsement for the book because he “hated it”. I was naturally a little surprised at this response and enquired as to why, as you would expect.  .... [ Read More... ]

I have been working with a number of companies recently who have been having issues with the performance of their business development team – intentionally I did not call them their sales teams because therein lies the fundamental issue. Everyone is in sales to a greater or lesser extent, in the main most people don’t believe that and shy away as much as possible from anything vaguely sales related. .... [ Read More... ]

As my career has developed as a speaker I have come to believe that there are four main categories of speaker in the market place. By "speakers" I am talking about people who perform at conferences and conventions across the globe, playing a specific role in the event. Herein lies the graveyard of many events where they make a fatal error of not deciding what that role should be.  .... [ Read More... ]

We all crave quality introductions from our contacts - be they friends, colleagues, peers or clients and of course, we then follow up immediately, make necessary appointments and do business together, don’t we? Well that’s what’s meant to happen. .... [ Read More... ]

I went to Dubai with three objectives - to make connections, to build relationships and to learn. Gaining some business would be a bonus. The good and the great travelled to the desert in the UAE, with a goal to learn and understand how to build and do business in one of the world’s most exciting developing regions. .... [ Read More... ]

Nearly every one has one! What is it, and how much more could we achieve in our lives if we didn't have one? This article clearly demostrates why you should remove it or at least limit its use. .... [ Read More... ]

You will have seen books in bookshops entitled "101 things to do before I die" or "200 places to visit before you die". Now let's be honest, some of you hate the idea of reading these books and steer clear of them entirely whereas others secretly read them in search of ideas and inspiration. If you are anything like me you do find some ideas of dreamy, far-off places that you'd love to visit balanced with some crazy excessive adrenaline-fuelled experience guaranteed to make you believe you are about to die anyway. .... [ Read More... ]

When was the last time you went to your vehicle of choice, opened the door sat in the front seat, inserted the key, turned the ignition and nothing happened? The battery is as dead as a dead parrot that is no longer alive (thank you Monty Python). I use the analogy of the dead car battery to emphasise something that we are all generally not very good at – taking care of what truly matters. .... [ Read More... ]

I used to believe this was an illness that only afflicted the British but I now know it is an issue with human nature. ‘Humans’ have a never-ending desire to be friends with everyone and we tend to become upset when a business or an individual doesn’t appear to like what we are saying or doing. Well, get over it! .... [ Read More... ]

This is a guide on how to pull a company or client workshop/seminar together that doesn’t cost the earth, has clear tangible reasons for being run, will be memorable for all the right reasons and delivers a measurable success to the sponsors involved. .... [ Read More... ]

So what is the mastermind and how does it work? Essentially it is a matter of surrounding yourself with the right people who can add value to your business and you can add value to theirs. .... [ Read More... ]