http://forum.nakedleader.com/community The Naked Leader en Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:42:41 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/images/misc/rss.jpg http://forum.nakedleader.com/community http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=477&goto=newpost Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:04:03 GMT I used to think that often we judge our own success – how we are doing – by comparing ourselves with how other people are doing. Which can be... I used to think that often we judge our own success – how we are doing – by comparing ourselves with how other people are doing.

Which can be destructive.

And then I realised that actually, that is not true - I began to realise that we actually judge our own success – how we are doing – by comparing ourselves with how we think other people are doing.

Which can be very destructive - because, how do we know how successful someone else is?

They may appear to be “successful” – career, money, relationships, while not being so by their own definition. Because they, and they alone, know what is really going on in their own minds, in their own lives, and by their own definition.

They know how they are “doing” - we don’t.

So, if you are going to compare (benchmark?) your own life, your achievements, your success, do so by comparing where YOU are now, with where YOU want to be.

If there is a difference, and you want to change something in your life, then do something about it.

If there isn’t a difference, rejoice!

With my love and best wishes

David
X ]]> 2008 David Taylor http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=477 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=476&goto=newpost Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:56:04 GMT Hopefully there will be those of you who might wish to contact me with a view to the possibility of forming part of the forthcoming newsletter. We... Hopefully there will be those of you who might wish to contact me with a view to the possibility of forming part of the forthcoming newsletter. We aim to promote leadership or offer tips in some way to people and share the feedback we get from meetings etc. It's an informative part of the Naked Leader set-up and there must be those of you out there who would like to share your success stories with us or who can offer business tips that may help others.
If you would like to share something in that regard or if you feel you have something to contribute, then please contact me at clivebarrett@nakedleader.com
Look forward to hearing from you. ]]> Your Story clive http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=476 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=475&goto=newpost Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:13:18 GMT The Premiershiop is big business and isn't it interesting that a royal family with connections to a company with 3 trillion pounds in the bank now own Manchester City FC. An entrepeneur of great pedigree is what it takes to generate that sort of cash and Abu Dhabi is the place to be apprarently, an up and coming city, and oil rich of course.
Will Man City now be the big spenders of the Premiership. More than likley. Is a good manager someone who inherits an array of players because of big bucks. Well Mark hughes can hardly be judged in terms of what he might achieve now as he has a king's ransom to spend.
Business people, and very rich ones are infiltraing our football clubs and are passing the fit and proper persons test. It's just another sign of the changing times. ]]> Your Story Chris http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=475 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=474&goto=newpost Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:44:26 GMT Read Time: One Minute Leadership from a different perspective – Journeymaker If that headline sounds familiar, it is, to a NL Week from June 2007... Read Time: One Minute

Leadership from a different perspective – Journeymaker

If that headline sounds familiar, it is, to a NL Week from June 2007

There is one difference, and it is a biggie

This summer, the crew of Journeymaker 5 competed for the third time in the Three Peaks Yacht Race, an event that combines sailing four hundred miles along the western coast of Great Britain with running up, in darkness, the highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland.

As one does!

And they did all of this for charity – to raise money for the Bendrigg Trust, a charity that offers the benefits of challenge and adventure to disabled and disadvantaged young people.

The major difference is that this year, they WON.

Everything you ever need to know about perseverance, belief and teamwork is here:

www.journeymaker.co.uk

Please read more about the Bendrigg Trust at www.bendrigg.org.uk

Louise, and your team, well done!

David ]]> 2008 David Taylor http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=474 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=473&goto=newpost Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:27:16 GMT The BBC had a monopoly on the Olympic Games and now it is finished they are struggling to find news. Frankly it's pathetic.
For 17 days theere was suddenly nothing happening in the UK except our boys and girls winning medals in China.
Now there is a scrabbling around for any news they can get.
It struck me as rather strange that today, on Five Live, they announced the major news item none of us had ever dreamed we'd hear. The announcement was that Nationwide were saying house prices are falling! Now I know they have covered wall to wall sport for threee weeks but really, that is taking the biscuit in the catching up front. What planet have they been on for that time when they come back and put an item like that on the news?! Planet Zog I reckon. It really annoys me. ]]> Your Story Paul Charlton http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=473 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=472&goto=newpost Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:56:30 GMT Wow, what a day. Business is booming have made three big sales today, purely because of the way I handled the negotiation. All three might have... Wow, what a day. Business is booming have made three big sales today, purely because of the way I handled the negotiation. All three might have walked away but using the skills I have learned on the negotiating workshops i managed to pull them off.
My friend is an art dealer and he sold a mega piece of work for £20,000 the other day which was very nice indeed. He was the same, chuffed with his negotiating skills which are key to sales in many senses. Of course you need a good product and then you have to know how to sell it. I am pleased for both of us actually and thanks to David for all the intuition on the courses etc, it is great to learn such wonderful attributes. ]]> Your Story Chris http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=472 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=471&goto=newpost Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:43:36 GMT If I'm not mistaken Woking FC won their first point today at Oxford and our illustrious leader got a first point as chairman.
Thankfully, the club is off the mark and it just shows you that that is what it's all about, hard work, as feeling positive about yourself is only half the battle. You need to want to win and work hard as victories don't just fall in the lap without something going in first.
Well done DT, I'm sure you will win your first game this season soon as the new manager is a motivator and a man to be admired. It is great to see you not lose again and I am backing the club to make great inroads now that the players appreciate how hard they must work.
The rewards are there if the individuil or team is willing to put his body on the line and from the accounts I've heard a few of the Woking players were prepared to do that. They are very encouraging signs and DT must be delighted. We all of course want you to do well David so carry on the good work and hope your motivational techniques we've all come to love work for you on the football front as well as in business. ]]> Your Story Chris http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=471 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=470&goto=newpost Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:37:27 GMT Why are people not filling up business premises? New offices are sprouting up all over the place and do not appear to be utlised. It's an odd phenomenon and maybe businesses are not interested in spending money on offices when leases are high and they are concentrating on computer software and maybe working from home in some places. I for one would struggle to work at home all the time as it must be tempting just to not do it. Converting the garage I suppose would be a way around it and having some sort of premieses at home which are away from your actual liviong room so you don't have the temptation to turn the tele on. Just what people are spening on leasing properties these days I'm not sure but I suppose it can be a real cost saving for businesses to not have to pay out such fees especially for those who can do so much on a computer.
That reminds me, computers are so cheap now they have really come down in price so anybody setting up at home would not have to spend too much up front unless you needed a server when there was more terminals needed. Again it will be mainly about what you can save because there are so many other variables. ]]> Your Story Chris http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=470 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=469&goto=newpost Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:20:45 GMT I enjoy leadership. I love being involved in the Naked Leader concept. It inspires me and others around me and gives me a structure to work to in my... I enjoy leadership. I love being involved in the Naked Leader concept. It inspires me and others around me and gives me a structure to work to in my life which is something I am enjoying. I would like more people to get invlved on this community site too because i love the diversity life can bring and the rewards that can be shared. It's Saturday night and I am on this board. That isn't because I'm a saddo with little else to do. It is because David Taylor's Naked Leader concept has brought a diffent dimension to my life and I want to embrace it even when others might think I should be out enjoying myself. There is a time and a place for spouting off about how woderful i think this site is of course and maybe a Saturday night isn't it. but here I am laying myself bare. And I love it. ]]> Your Story Paul Charlton http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=469 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=468&goto=newpost Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:06:57 GMT What a marathon swimming event for girls and boys. The Olympics has thrown up some sports alright but bet you never thought you'd see people scrapping in the water trying to get ahead it was crazy. The British guy was magnificent but got it all wrong in the end and ended up in silver which was a shame but what a battle he had it was awesone. I've found the commentatry of these things good as well as that dan Toplosky was brilliant in descring whta happened next. Love the action like others on here and makes you feel great to be imvolved in the swimming industry as I am and I will be up at the pool tomorow looking out for that next olympic hopeful. Hope they come along quickly and alrteady the Lodon 12 games look a treat to look forward to. ]]> Your Story Mark Hammer http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=468 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=467&goto=newpost Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:14:19 GMT Oh the relays, the Americans and the British. All that money goes in to it. All those hours, weeks, months and years of training. All blown away by... Oh the relays, the Americans and the British. All that money goes in to it. All those hours, weeks, months and years of training. All blown away by an error, on both teams.
They haven't qualified and it's a nonsense. But what an absoloutelt riveting games, I've thouroughly enjoyed them. It's been great watching so many Brits get medals and we have young Tom Daley tomorrow. Here is a lad of 14 who is diving for Britain in the Olympics, I mean if that's not showing leadership skills then I don't know what is. He is leading by example. and long may it continue. Wonderful stuff and who cares about the England football team. Not me. ]]> Your Story Chris http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=467 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=466&goto=newpost Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:08:44 GMT Menorca is a magical place and I even attended a leadership seminar there a few years ago. I recently went there again and I have to say I loved... Menorca is a magical place and I even attended a leadership seminar there a few years ago. I recently went there again and I have to say I loved it.
I stayed in Arenal Den Castell, a lovely resort in the northeast of the island, just down the coast from a place called Fornells. It was stunning there. Great beach, lovely food, nice restaurants, in fact it was perfect. I hired a car and went to Fornells, a fabulous old fishing village brought bang up to date with some lipsmacking eateries and enjoyable shops to muse around.
Mahon, the capital, has an amazing harbour, the second biggest in the world, and I loved going there to watch the world go by at the many cafes and restaurants. There are boat trips around the harbour, and an excellent array of shops. Plenty of nooks and crannies to explore too.
Cuitadella across the other side of the island is less than an hour away by car and is the old town, traditional, plenty of arts and crafts and beautiful. The harbour is quaint and so different to Mahon, the contrast a neat aside to life on the island. Of course there is Monte Torro too, where monks still actively live and work, high up a mountain top.
It's laid back, the Caves of Xeroi are fascinating, the beaches superb and resorts like Cala Galdana a real treat for holiday makers although I would always advise getting a car because there is so much to see and do around the coastal areas. The beaches on the north of the island are hardly touched, and you can't get to most of them by road, making the journey slightly inconvenient on foot but boy when you reach your destination they takes your breath away.
Of course, Son Bou on the south coast is the one they all flock too as the beach is amazing.
All in all, there is so much to do, and great for kids, as it is quiet and yet the complexes are friendly, all with pools, although make sure you get air con. The weather two weeks ago was mid 30s and then into the 40s for a few days, so sun cream is a prerequisite.
Love the place and I recommend it. ]]> Your Story Mary Hull http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=466 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=465&goto=newpost Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:37:53 GMT I'd like to share my first steps of business leadership with you. You need to bear with me as i'm not great at this typing malarky! (dave T, perhaps you could set up some sort of space for pod cast for people who want to share there stories?)

anyhows; my work background has always been technical (mainly around pc's and servers) and after a short while I started to move up the ranks reaching a consultant level within a couple of years.. life was great and I really felt posative and enthused at my future.

Shortly after my promotion, one of our leaders left the company and I was asked to temporarily take the reins ... what an opportunity i thought!

well, temporory became permenant and all of a sudden, I felt a bit out of my depth... people were asking for advice, people started to under perform, turn up late, go off sick .... and then i had my appraisel!

ohh dear! this is were I learnt my first (and probably biggest) lesson in management/leadership. My boss pulled me into a meeting room and then proceeded to stream off 3 A4 sides of single words describing my performance (there were'nt too many posatives shall we say and one said that I was like a mini david brent!)

My whole world came tumbling down before me. How could I go from being a top technical performer to someone who was so funadmentally (apparantly) failing as a leader?

The main point was that my boss had never talked to me about my performance and none of the feedback had contained any specifics examples; i couldn't see where i had seemingly gone wrong.. these were just words with no substance at all.

I went home in tears, my girlfriend (now my wife) comforted me; I really thought the worst was going to happen .....

I found myself with a choice... I could put two fingers up to my boss, tell them how wrong they are and find somewhere else to work OR I could talk directly to my team and find out who was saying these things and confront them OR I could listen, taken in the important bits, put my head up high and prove everyone wrong.

I think you know which choice I made ...

I took some of the feedback, disgraded the rest, drew up a personal development plan, spoke to our training team who helped me team up with a mentor. I spoke to my boss directly, told them how they had made me feel, told them what I was going to do, ask for there advice and assistance and moved on.

2 years later I was promoted to a middle management position looking after 35 people.... and now i'm executive assistant to the Director General and Chief Executive of our company.

My main message from this story is that there is a posative side to every thing that happens, you just have to look deep sometimes to find it AND believe in you, you are brilliant and you will succeed.. I promise.

I'm trying to improve on my written explanations of things so any feedback would be great! (either on here or via PM... i dont mind!) ]]> Your Story Antony Knill http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=465 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=464&goto=newpost Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:30:38 GMT I was reading about small business owners who are prepared to take a cut in wages and spend more on marketing so they can keep afloat. That's a very sensible thing to do although not always possible of course when they have expenditure and aren't taking that much out of the busioness anyway. Marketing is certainly a way to attract new business and I think it's a positive step for people to take.
I know plenty of people who are in the same boat in that they aren't sure what sort of lifestyle they can continue ti maintain because of the credit crunch and what it entails. Do they gamble on the future of their business by taking more and more out?
Annual sales performance across the board has fallen so they say and retailers, plumbers, builders and hotel and leisure are badly affected as I suppose the last thing people want to do is to go on holiday when that's dead money, although we all need a holiday.
I hope the market picks up soon because then we can all hope for a better future.
Are there any of the readers on thsi board suffering from the pinch, I expect so, and if there are you have my sympathy. A friend of mine had five numbers and the bonus on the lottery recently, and that's what we all could do with, a nice little earner with no strings attached. ]]> Your Story Paul Charlton http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=464 http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=463&goto=newpost Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:01:40 GMT Being in the swimming industry I like to see a man do well at the olympics and it's nice to see someone like Phelps lead the way with so many golds. It does make a mockery of it that one man can go for so many wins in one sport, especially as the likes of the runners only get a shot at one or two. It's a bit like a 10,000m runner being told he can have a gold medal every time he goes through 2,000m, bit strange. But fair play to the man, he is a legend in the pool and he has done such a lot for the sport and for himself, a real leader of men. I agree that the americans are a cut above the rest too in terms of professionalism and they deserve to lead the way in the medal table. Is there a better Olympian than Steve Redgrave though? 20 years domianing the rowing liek he did with five golds, I think is more of an accomplishmant. I enjoy watching the races knowing that they are so good compared to what i am watching every day down the local pool. It makes it seem so mundane but we are all individuals capable of doing such deeds if only we could find it within ourselves to keep looking. I for one will keep searching to find out what I am good at. Which isn't much to be honest. ]]> Your Story Mark Hammer http://forum.nakedleader.com/community/showthread.php?t=463