Tears of Pride

This time of year many young folk leave for University and have to leave home, not necessarily forever but certainly for long periods of time. This is the start of a new venture for them. This weekend my eldest boy Daniel (step son) will be going to York University to study medicine and become a Doctor. Daniel since the age of five has always wanted to become a scientist or Doctor and now the goal is happening through his hard work and determination. Mick his Dad has always been included in our family decision when it concerns Daniel which has helped keep a stable balance in his life. That was until Mick died just under two years ago from Cancer. Daniel's world was rocked badly. The emotional impact on him and the rest of us as a family was difficult to cope with but somehow you get through. Daniel incredibly showed us that his promise to his Dad on his death bed was to make it as a Doctor and nothing would stop him. He has worked hard but still lived with the passion of enjoying life as an elder teenager and has become a great role model for his younger brother Jason.

Every single day this week we have seen tears from his mum, Jason and me and writing this blog today I am tearful. Great news is the tears are for joy too as we are so proud of him for the great achievement and when the farewells happen on Saturday at least we know Daniel will be fine. He has learnt many life skills and is extremely capable. Home life will be strange for a while but adjusting and adapting can be exciting when approached with the right attitude. Jason is already thinking bigger room for him.

So as Saturday approaches and I remain mellow and tune myself with positive thoughts of the future by living today and enjoying each and every moment and yes I will miss his fun loving nature but realise his inspiration for helping me this year through some tough challenges will be treasured forever. His return at Christmas will be a joyous occasion.

My tears are of pride and a sincere wish for his future as a great and brilliant Doctor, I urge everyone reading this to know whats possible when you take action. Take action on your dreams, goals or visions and make a difference for you.

Dr Daniel you are amazing.

Frank Steggall

Consultant

www.London.Dalecarnegie.com

'What goes around ......

Here we go with a war story - when I was a teenager in the early mid sixties the country was going through a revolution. The youth of the day were stretching themselves in all sorts of directions perhaps as a result of their parents being 'held back' following the austerity caused by World War 2.

Many icons of the day are still in our sight and sound many more in our memories. One of those that caught my attention then and did so just the other day was Simon Dee. Oh how I wanted to be smooth like him, a mod through and through but with a gracious air about him and a very easy style. No wonder he ended up on television.

As he did last week with the news that he has passed away at 74. So, 'what's the relevance' I hear you ask? Well its this. In the sixties its seemed that many people did not care about rules, sensible society, traditionalism, faith, etc. and in this sense Simon Dee, because of his position, could be easily aligned with these antiestablishment sentiments.

Strange what 50 years can do - or is it. Here is an extract of a letter from Simon to Michael Dean, who helped launch his career, just two weeks before he died. It's in the public domain so I hope no one is upset by it being replicated here.

"It's all out of control now, but we don't know how to stop it. greed has driven us all insane. We promote violence. Assaulted by the media, the emerging intelligence in growing children is confused beyond reason, and that's where many have gone. Tradition has fallen into the 'Forgotten' section of modern history. We desecrate the planet's body, knowing nothing of her mind. Yet with the merest shrug she can eliminate whole civilisations in a moment. She can lift mountains and drain oceans ... Now we have reached a stage when wisdom must predominate - or we fall. Someone, or something, has to make evident a higher intelligence - and one to be respected. It need not take long. The message must come globally. Everyone must see and understand it simultaneously. Returning to Eden is our next assignment. And, despite everything I have a hunch that we are going to get there after all."

Be wise now and change the world.

David Pickering

Consultant

www.London.DaleCarnegie.com

The Proverbial Green Shoots of Recovery!

Are they here??

I’ve found that in the past nine months barely one business conversation has escaped that proverbial question..... “So how is the credit crunch / recession / downturn in the market affecting your business.”

With the business we’re in of helping companies to grow and overcome challenges I feel it’s a well placed question as it influences much of the decision making process and has often been the reason that potential clients have sought us out. The added pressures of this difficult market often highlight deficiencies in the abilities of the team; therefore the question frames the conversation well.

I’m pleased to say that there have been many companies who have gone unaffected and a fortunate few who’ve thrived. I’ve referred many times this year to some facts that I picked up at a seminar in early February. There are more millionaires made in a recession than in times of economic growth! If you’re looking for a concrete example Bill Gates started Microsoft in the middle of a recession..... and he’s gone on to do quite well ; - )

So am I about to bring more doom and gloom to the city of London and speak more of recession?

I’m pleased to say NO!

In the past two weeks I’ve sensed a delightfully uncharacteristic air of optimism in many of the meetings I’ve been in. From my own experiences there seems to be a growing belief that things are turning. When so much of business success is based on perception of the situation this is good news indeed!

One could end this post with any number of cheesy catch phrases .... I’ll try to avoid that and instead encourage you to go ahead and make that decision that you’ve been putting off while you wait to see what happens to the market. If enough people believe it and start acting in a positive way all our businesses are sure to benefit!

David Anderson
Managing Director
Dale Carnegie London

www.London.dalecarnegie.co.uk

Due to some technical difficulties we are without a blog post this week.

However come back next week to read an inspirational post from David Anderson.

New Reality...

Nobody ever changed anything because of a good idea. People change when they get excited about a new reality. Paul Burbridge of Riding Lights Theatre Company put it this way: a good play is one that makes the audience feel so much that they cannot help thinking. Emotions drive powerful thinking – not the other way around.

Legend has it that Queen Victoria was put on a diet by her physician – which was a good idea because she had too much weight for her small frame. The usual punch line to this anecdote is that she enjoyed the special food so much she added it to her normal meals. The underlying truth is that she never got excited about herself as a slim person. She did not feel the new reality enough to do what was necessary to make it happen.

It is the same in any situation. Companies introduce new initiatives to improve customer service, reorganise departments or speed up production. Management is frustrated because the initiative does not work. The idea was good, the training excellent, the implementation plan beyond criticism – why didn’t it work? Only one ingredient is missing but it is like baking powder in a Victoria Sponge! The people who are critical to its success have simply not been excited by a new reality; they do not see themselves as players. The story unfolds around them as they observe and carry on with their work.

If we want change to happen effectively and completely we have to find a way for our people to feel it – see, touch, hear, smell and taste it. Only then will we be able to create the new reality that will transform our business and our lives!

Jane Kustner

Dale Carnegie Instructor