Teddy was wiping down the desk and equipment when I struck up a conversation with him about his cheerful manner. He said, “gotta keep the place clean. A team comes in each night to clean each product, positioning it properly and wiping down the entire place. Another team comes in each morning before opening to go over everything and check it. The screens all have to be at 70° to each other and line up with this line" he said pointing to a seam in the timber. I asked Teddy whether he thought it was over the top when he started. He said, "I’ve been here three months, and at the start, I thought it was kinda odd. Now that I’m here I understand." When I asked him whether this was a side hustle or a full-time gig, he said he was studying at Uni to be a nurse. However, he like this place, the opportunities to travel with the company are great, and the discipline and standards are something that inspires him. Teddy then said, “I'm not sure if I’ll go back to being a student of nursing again. This place is great.” Now do an audit of your work environment, your standards, and the precision of knowing what is expected and how to deliver on it. There is so much gold in this three-minute conversation with Teddy. Is it any wonder that he works for one of the most valuable brands in the world? You can knock them, ridicule them, or even despise them; however, the one thing you can’t take away is their standard of precision with how they have changed the fabric of retail shopping and lifted their staff to share tribal values and standards. Can you guess which retailer Teddy works for? © GB
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One of my all-time favourite interviews was having Joe De Sena, co-founder of Spartan Race, on The Mojo Radio Show. A listener wrote to me after the show to say, “Fantastic show. He's a guy that makes me feel inadequate." He then went on to highlight the lessons he learned from the show. It got me thinking that how we read, see, and hear about success can make us feel one of two ways. We can feel inadequate and compare ourselves to these successful people saying, "oh, I would never be able to do something like that." Or we can look at their example and say, "what is my version of that? Where can I apply the same discipline, hunger, desire, and focus?" Joe would be the last person to say, "do what I do." Rather, he would encourage you to take the same attitude and discipline and see how much more you have to give in life. Apply that approach to YOUR passions, YOUR dreams, and YOUR purpose. As fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld said, "never compete, never compare." Take these learnings and create your desires and get after your life. To hear this fantastic interview with Joe De Sena, go to iTunes or click here. © GB
We know that growth comes from getting uncomfortable. Often the stories relating to discomfort come from the world of sport, endurance, or some sort of physical challenge. Let me give you a perspective of discomfort in the corporate world. The next time someone asks for a volunteer at a conference or meeting - be the volunteer. When the facilitator asks for a volunteer and everyone else looks sideways or looks to the floor to avoid eye contact, be the person who stands immediately and says I’ll do it. Stand up before your brain gives you all the bullshit excuses to not get up. I promise that the more you do it, the more you will feel comfortable being the person who steps away from the herd to lead. Leaders are comfortable with discomfort - they know that if they're not standing on the edge, they're taking up too much space. The more you embrace discomfort, the more you feel comfortable embracing it. It’s funny how these tiny acts of courage build over time until one day you are called upon to draw upon great courage, and you can because you did. © GB
How do you get the most out of the time and money you invest in books? For me, I try to optimise my learnings. Many of us are so busy looking for the next concept or idea, that we forget that we have not used the ones we've already learned. The same is true of books. So here’s what you might think about doing. Set aside a bookcase of your best books, the best 20 or maybe 50. Then each month revisit one of the best out of that bookshelf. I've started doing it this year, and I've been surprised to find learnings highlighted in the books that were never executed. Sometimes when you read a passage, the timing was just not right, but by the second or third time around it's gold. Set a target to re-read one of your best passages or books each month. It’s a good way to maximise your investment in time, learning, and dollars. © GB
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