October 2012

Road to #London2012: How Goals can Help and Hinder Olympians

It was time.

As Brent Hayden walked from the ready room to the platform there he reflected on all the work he had done to get to this moment. Back in 2008 he failed to qualify for the men’s 100m freestyle final, but here in London his preparation paid off. In a few moments he would swim with the best in the world for Canada’s first medal ever in this event. Confidence is critical here. From lane seven he looked across at the competitors beside him and a few doubts entered his mind. They looked strong. Their semi-final times were faster than his.

Road to #London2012: Willpower is Overrated

It’s 6:30am on August 13, 2008...

Michael Phelp’s alarm clock went off, he rolled out of bed in the Olympic Village in Beijing, and he began his routine. He’d already raced and won three gold medals earlier that week and had two more that day. He pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt and walked to breakfast in the cafeteria. By 7am he was eating his regular race day menu of eggs, oatmeal and four energy shakes, and enjoying the company of his team mates. Just an ordinary day.

Road to The London 2012 Olympics

In less than two weeks, many of the best athletes in the world will gather to answer a simple question:

What are you capable of?

Leadership Lessons from ‘Field of Dreams’: If You Build It…

To this day, Field of Dreams is still my all time favorite movie. Not because of the baseball, but because of Ray Kinsella’s (Kevin Costner) relentless belief of the importance of pursuing his calling.

Want better performance? Ask yourself better questions!

An Olympians Perspective

This week I started coaching an amazing athlete currently preparing for the 2012 Olympic Games.  His performance to date has been steadily improving, but with less than 130 days to go before the Games, he noticed a growing sense of anxiety starting to develop in him. 

After discussing what was underneath this emotionally, he was able to distill it down to a single thought or question, “Will I be able to live up to the expectations of everyone around me?” 

Or more succinctly, “Will I be enough”.

Can you relate? 

The Top 5 Leadership and Business Resources to Read This Week!

1) Baraba Corcoran's Leadership Style: Rainbows and Steel-Toe Boots

Barbara Corcoran, founder of New York's largest residential brokerage firm, The Corcoran Group, has had an incredible entrepreneurial and leadership journey. In this post we learn what type of leadership skills and tools Corcoran leveraged. She was able to find the balance between creating a fun and powerful corporate culture, while still running at tight ship, with at times "a license to kill"!

2) Best Selling Author, Danielle LaPorte's World Domination Summit Keynote

How much Real Estate does Happiness have in Your Leadership Philosophy?

Does Happiness live in your Leadership Philosophy?

I am sad to say that I don’t have a good picture for my blog this month. Just an empty frame. And that in itself, says a lot.  Google “Pictures of Happiness” and you will find loads of adorable children, cute animals, blond couples on deserted white sandy beaches, and coca-cola classic bottles; but good luck with finding pictures of Happy Leaders.