Performance Excellence: Deliberate Practice and 3 Models of Mastery

This post includes additional detail to support my post at ActiveGarage blog: Origin of Leaders Pt 3: Learning – Growing through the Crucibles in your life.  It is worth reading that post first for the background and context for this post. How do we achieve mastery? An entrepreneur friend recently commented to me an early … Read more

The Most Important Question for a Speaker

I was asked by Irina Kremin to give her a tip for speakers.  I gave her “The most important question for a speaker”.  Video here and summary on Irina’s blog: Best Conference Tips. It was a fantastic experience to spend a weekend with Europe’s Toastmasters organisation.  Irina has provided a nice summary of my educational … Read more

How to be more Confident

Fake it. Yes, pretend. There are three benefits that grow from you “acting” confident: Attitude follows Behavior: Over time, you become more like you act—self-assured, confident, and convinced of the truth of what you are saying. Emotional Contagion: Walk down an airport corridor and smile, and watch people smile back; change your facial expression to … Read more

4 ways of dealing with Anxiety

There are 4 ways of dealing with Anxiety Remove the source of anxiety – avoid the stress.  This is a poor coping strategy.  There is no growth in capability. There will always be a reduction of my performance levels when the stressor is present. Manage my level of anxiety – learn to auto-adjust down (relaxation … Read more

Writing to Reflect. Mindful Leadership.

“Writing is among the greatest inventions in human history, perhaps the greatest invention, since it made history possible. Yet it is a skill most writers take for granted. As adults we seldom stop to think about the mental-cum-physical process that turns our thoughts into symbols on a piece of paper.” Andrew Robinson, The Story of … Read more

How to do my best writing

in new places. I write better in Starbucks than at home; the Library is good. around other people who are writing after a nap while reading after watching TED videos after speaking to interested people (not interesting, interested) when I am not trying to write a “great” post, article, book