This event was organised and hosted by Antony Delaney (Leader, Ivy Church, Manchester, UK). It was also billed as “The Warrior, The Strategist and You”.
The bulk of the day was input from Floyd Woodrow (inspirational performance coach and founder of Chrysalis Worldwide, prior to this Floyd served in the UK Special Forces for 23 years). There is a section listing Floyd’s resources at the end of this post.
A brief taster of Floyd’s input via this vid from a past session that Floyd delivered:
… and this from The Do Lectures (Wales 2017):
Floyd Woodrow | Compass For Life from The Do Lectures on Vimeo.
Before the sessions started
I tweeted that I was going.
off to The Warrior, The Strategist & You #Manchester
— Simon R.J. Fogg (@srjf) 2 December 2017
for a day with @anthonydelaney https://t.co/T2DPt3sdj5 & @floydwoodrow https://t.co/MbPbEQVu7Y #launcheurope
aiming to firm up my #oneword2018 #OneWord18SiFi & #wol circle goal #wol18Q1
As that tweet was sent, this was the next in my timeline. Very apt I thought re North Star:
"When the noise is all gone and you're just left with you, that's when you hear what you're meant to do #AboveTheNoise
— Simon R.J. Fogg (@srjf) 2 December 2017
ft @serenawilliams @neymarjr @Caradelevingne @BKBMG @KrisWuOfficial_ https://t.co/MmfK74czeX | #launcheurope #oneword2018 #OneWord18SiFi #wol #wol18Q1
another video:
The venue (opposite the home ground of Manchester United Football Club (aka the Theatre of Dreams):
today's venue @hotelfootballuk The Warrior, The Strategist & You #Manchester #launcheurope #oneword2018 #OneWord18SiFi #wol #wol18Q1 pic.twitter.com/3olQrqxIi2
— Simon R.J. Fogg (@srjf) 2 December 2017
Name badge:
Introduction (Anthony)
Challenge after being at conferences is to convert inspiration to action
inspiration without implementation is delusion
the unexamined life is not worth living (Socrates)
lots of people just let life happen to them
be proactive
cf Stephen Covey: legacy
need to look forward to aim
no aim is drift
we need to discover our North Star
Purpose Driven Life book starts with the line “It is not about you”
dreams left in the cemetery, buried treasure. never acted on, buried potential
may have dreams from years ago that you never acted on
do not let God give someone else your dream because you did nothing with it
SAS: deferring to one another on the team more than other parts of the armed forces
Course Content (Floyd)
elite: be the best version of yourself
a long journey
our skills/ contribution
our legacy
need to lead yourself and take others with you
I work with leading performers in various walks of life
this is about committing
“The world is fundamentally transforming technologically, economically, socially and politically. The ongoing transformation needs to be shaped by appropriate policies and institutions. There are no simple, ready-made solutions. What we urgently need are pragmatic and future-oriented actions, even in the form of small steps, to provide positive narratives.”
“To fulfil this task, leaders need sensitivity and empathy to serve as their radar system, and values and vision as their compass. Without a radar system, leaders cannot be responsive; and without a compass, they cannot exercise leadership responsibly.”
”A call for responsive and responsible leadership”; Klaus Schwab (Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum) 10 Jan 2017
The journey of life; reflect on skills learned, experience, trials got through
work on your super-strengths
tell others what their super-strengths are
(picture of multiple signposts on a single post pointing in all directions) – you can go anywhere
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look to the next milestone; how do you navigate the ground from here to there; need a map and a compass for the right journey and the right map
my journey, I wanted to be in The Paras at age 19 and in the SAS at 22 and then a PE teacher later – I wanted these roles
for 23 years I wanted to be the best soldier I could be, I learned lots, it all helped me later, 2008 I started my own leadership training business
[reference to Virtual Academy setting up in 2019 – chatted to Floyd about it in a break and live already]
professionally and personally – where do I want to be
The North Cardinal – North Star
compass: north always points north, trust it!
choice: trust the compass or trust myself/ others?
at work/Church when you are next there, would your colleagues be able to say what your North Star is? would they be clear at all? would they all say the same thing?
[Simon – people know mine because of when I respond badly to situations, they won’t be clear because i’m not]
time is precious, FOCUS on things that are important
beware meandering and drift
articulate your vision clearly – this is your reason “why”
in a short amount of time, priorities, focus on your direction
need clarity
what specifically are you changing in the world? do not just say I am changing the world
brand clarity is a powerful draw, pulls you forward
there will be trials
everybody follows, does it, is engaged by it
how did the video clip make you feel?
[music was “If This Is It”; Newton Faulkner]
discuss characteristics of the event from the organising committee’s point of view; tencity, unity, 000s of teams, clear purpose, comms, 000s of volunteers who kept secrets about the opening ceremony
involved in leading counter-terrorism teams at the event, responsible for 250 teams
if you do not get inspired by the video, I would have lots of questions about you
bid submitted 2003, 2205 we won the bid, 2012 event happened so it was a 10-12 year vision
when we won the bid, the press were critical re it will fail, be a shambles etc
your North Star will always draw critics,
you need a plan, communicate it
on time, under cost
talk about it constantly, it will happen, get buy-in
when we plan, happy path is smooth ride to finish line BUT reality often has pitfalls along the way, far from smooth
The South Cardinal – Strategist
methodical, realistic, steps, communication, ego-free
The East Cardinal – Ethos
behaviours and characteristics
team code of conduct
The West Cardinal – Warrior
strength of character
willing to fight to get to milestones
in equilibrium – tough to beat, even on your worst day
North Star – Detailed Content
why do you want to be when you grow up?
Ad: Idris Elba and Purdey’s:
when do we start believing that we are still growing?
lots of dreams in the video
beware thinking something that will never happen
beware real life getting in the way
beware slowing down
I do not want to have to be dragged out of bed in the morning
SUN TZU’s LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES
Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and discipline. Reliance on intelligence alone results in rebelliousness. Exercise of humaneness alone results in weakness.
Fixation on trust results in folly. Dependence on the strength of courage results in violence. Excessive discipline and sternness in command result in cruelty. When one has all five virtues together, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a leader.
I have never seen a perfect leader
what are the characteristics of a bad leader? they make us fearful
what are the characteristics of a good leader? challenging, push us to go to a higher level
when i ask that question of groups of 10 year olds through to elite special forces I get the same lists – all words to do with emotion
learn/ lead through emotion
how do you score out of 10, can’t use 7?
how would others score you?
how would your boss score you?
there is no perfect leader
elite performers assess themselves
Video clip: Visions of Storytelling, Davos, 2015; stories of Obama – “I know, tell your mother I said “hi””, he weighs up all the options, on his desk a copy of “Be Quiet, Be Heard: The Paradox of Persuasion”, about finding common ground, compromise, Obama was still learning
how good can I be?
how good do you want to be?
if I asked your colleagues at work/ church what your North Star was, would it be clear to all? would they all say the same thing?
[Simon: mine comes out in bad ways when I respond badly to things happening; they would not be clear about mine]
time is precious, FOCUS on things that are important
beware meandering, beware drift
articulate your vision clearly, this is your reason WHY!!
in a short amount of time, priorities
focus on your direction
need clarity
what specifically are you changing in the world?
brand clarity is a powerful draw, pulls you forward
there will be trials
everybody follows, does it, is energised by it
[If This Is It; Newton Faulkner]
some characteristics of the London 2012 Olympics from the London Organising Committee;s point of view; tenacity, unity, 000s of teams, 000s of volunteers kept things secret re opening ceremony, clear purpose, comms
did counter-terrorism role as head of 250 teams
if you do not get inspired by the video, I would have lots of questions about you
bid submitted 2003, won in 2005, hosted in 2012 – 10-12 year vision
press critical at time of winning bid saying we would run a poor event
North Star will always draw critics
need plan, communicate it
talk about it constantly, it will happen, get buy-in
we plan best case with no trials but there will be trials on the way, still need direction in the troughs
we need passion and help
be the best version of myself
think big!
Frankl (Mans Search For Meaning); aim high, you will still be successful
if you’re dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough, they FOCUS you!
picture of a balloonist drawn when he was 5 years old went on to do this:
sports personalities as children learning from stars then:
maps are important
ultimately this is your journey
leagcy: do not hold back, do not overthink
do the map. do not hold back with feedback]
[Simon: my work-in-progress]
feedback on your maps, rare to see stretch goals, need to commit
no one forced you to write down what you wrote down
{lunch]
Focus
until we can manage time, we can manage nothing less
mobile phones near us all the time
when people lose focus, they are off-track
this is a discipline
doing the difficult things
creating the future
Video (Written & Produced by The Cultivated Word | http://tcw.tc/e8mzEr):
Strategist – Detailed Content
where am I now?
how do I get to my North Star
Video (The Walk, global trailer):
what words describe the walker?
verbalising it, planning, all-consuming, belief, end result, practice
do you have anything to declare?
confidence from having skills
take the first step
have contingencies in mind
I have had some amazing free feedback from people
no emotion
having all the pieces
how well do you do strategy out of 10, no 7?
[Simon: more OK at work, can define end point and work back; not so hot aka hopeless with me personally and my goals!]
war story example; 90s rescue behind enemy lines, 2 weeks to get there, the need for a single leader but all were leaders; take a step back, be a strategist, need a plan, defending ourselves, need to be detached
I see too many leaders stepping into the “do” bit!!
strategy: where are we going?
after 9/11 and 7/7, I vowed to do things differently, this is my North Star
wanted to do 7 counter-terrorism exercises in 2 years, usually only 1 per year is possible
how do I make this happen?
6 questions: do not fall for an overly-complicated planning process:
keep a balance between strategy and doing
[Simon: noted the use of compass as bullet points]
re 7/7, wanted to do dynamic tests, how do I try to make that happen?
Video: stairs as piano keys vs escalator:
We believe that the easiest way to change people's behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The fun theory. http://www.thefuntheory.com
think differently
I do not want the SAS to be used in the UK, if they are it means that there has been a failure somewhere
genuiness – levels:-
- initial contact, opening lines, 1st impressions, body language (help/ care)
- Amy Cuddy TED talk, clips of world leaders including Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown and Barack Obama
- rapport, relationship, connection, emotional bond
- lots of things you can do to connect
- like is a nice to have, respect is important
- tailor style to different people
- the power of words
- trust, to have confidence in, to place reliance upon, trust is about delivering
- influence, persuasion, problem solving
3 and 4 are about communication skills
team need to react together, aligned with threat, we act simultaneously
communication quote:
Video: team work
complete your map
can you do this on your own?
have you communicated this to your family?
who else do you need to connect to?
[Simon: cf Designing Your Life support team; also is collaboration]
north star you can see in the sky regardless
I have a great team
Ethos – Detailed Input
behaviours
our code of conduct as a team
a mirror: expect to see a really good reflection
5 values
- keep my promises
- integrity
- developing others
- learning
- community
for each one, where were you one of these and when did you do this?
if you were removed from the room what would people say about you?
words that come to mind: professional, dedicated
do these values when no one is watching you
as talks of doing the right thing, expecting nothing in return, he gets nothing, what he does receive are emotions, witnesses happiness
this is simply what a nice person does
pyramid of teamwork:
- attention to team results
- holding each other accountable
- fuel individual commitment
- willingness to engage in constructive conflict
- trust and openness
[Simon: see detailed explanation in vid below]
do what you say we will do
we want to win as a team
Trust
trust each other on a fundamental emotional level (comfortable talking about weakness and fears)
even one person NOT doing this compromises the team
cf a black box in an aircraft that tells us exactly what went wrong
we all want to score highly on this, 6 is NOT good enough
we all have super-strengths BUT some things will hold us back
work at one weakness at a time – those things that will stop me achieving the next step in my journey
exercise – give a person you came with some feedback
your call on how to act on this advice
do not be satisfied with good, on a bad day you will be less than good!
I accelerate this process
left/right mind
how adapt our comms style
Awareness (MBTI)
your contribution, your role as a leader
MBTI started by 2 people who saw the waste of human potential in WW2 from Carl Jung roots
about how focus your attention, how you process info, how you make decisions, how you deal with the outside world
8 preferences; 16 rooms in a house, everyone in 1 of those rooms will be near identical to you
communication needs:-
Constructive Conflict
teams that trust are not afraid to engage in passionate debate
they do not hesitate to disagree/ challenge and question one another
enhance my plan
talk constructively
this is not consensus/ democracy
as the team leader, I am willing to go against the team
Commitment
able to achieve buy-in around important decisions because all options put on the table and considered, gives confidence that …
Accountability
teams commit to do and to standards of performance
what is more important is that they do not rely on the leader as the primary source of accountability
[Simon; I need to work in this sort of team!]
it needs calling out
when people say “it is not fair”, that is very detrimental to team performance
ultimately if a team member cannot deliver, need to be told you are not on this journey you need to go on another
Team Results
commit to all the above, very likely to set aside individual needs/agenda
do not give into temptation to place other results ahead of collective results that define team success
Warrior – Detailed Input
commit, 1st step, with your backpack of skills
what characteristics/ behaviours in this film trailer:
including courage, tenacity, resilience, other believing in you, support, secure base
physical resilience: make sure you sleep and eat etc properly so you actually have energy!
wise selfishness (Dalai Lama)
It is important that when pursing our own self-interest we should be “wise selfish” and not “foolish selfish”. Being foolish selfish means pursuing our own interests in a narrow, shortsighted way. Being wise selfish means taking a broader view and recognizing that our own long-term individual interest lies in the welfare of everyone. Being wise selfish means being compassionate.
what if I was to get one of you to sit in the chair at the front – exercise; how are you responding to that idea? some would say was a good test, others would say a nightmare
opportunity time: stepping into the pressure zone – courage, calm, relax, enjoy
decision maker in warrior zone – get to the milestone and review
fear of failure … but I have a North Star
lots of skills to get
desire to be the best I can be
failure stripped away the unessential
set free (a wondrous place to be)
commit – learn – grow
video: daughter repeating lines from Dad – “I am strong”, “I am not better than anyone else” etc:
what is your percentage split between Warrior and Strategist?
what will you do differently over the next 6 months to aim for your North Star?
[Simon:
- “focus” as my One Word
- define my North Star – write it down
- weekly review per GTD
- really specific #ff’s
- celebrate successes
- galvanise]
white, green, amber, red – were red is act
confidence comes from having skills
I practice the skills
learning to get ahead of the game]
you need to practice to deliver consistently
upgrading by practicing
new routines/ rituals
what are your world class skills?
super North Star, all in place
milestones, committed
can i define all 4 cardinals? if you can, you will be difficult to beat
magnets on the journey messing with your compass
- distractions
- you re not committing
[Simon: define “commit”: “pledge or bind (a person or an organization) to a certain course or policy.”]
you know all this stuff, commit, do it!
you will have positive and negative people around you: ensure more positive!
you need contingencies
Video: Ed Sheeran Speaks at the 2015 American Institute for Stuttering Gala:
be yourself, embrace your quirks, embrace who you are
[Simon: quirk: a peculiar aspect of a person's character or behaviour - synonyms: iiosyncrasy, peculiarity, oddity, eccentricity, foible, whim, whimsy, notion, conceit, vagary, caprice, fancy, kink, crotchet, mannerism, habit, characteristic, trait, feature, obsession, fad]
basic things done well, keep going
do not mope [Simon: feel dejected and apathetic; synonyms: brood, sulk, be miserable, be gloomy, be sad, be despondent, pine, eat one's heart out, fret, grieve, despair; OR a person given to prolonged spells of low spirits]
… get into solution mode
the SAS is a high-performing environment – it raises expectations
Attributes of a UK Special Forces Soldier:
SAS selection and development process:
Core values:
[video clip of various SAS training/IRL situations: with soundtrack of Foo Fighters’ Times Like These – could not locate the actual vid)
[not from Floyd’s presentation … a former senior soldier talks about the characteristics of a special forces soldier]
Closing Remarks (Anthony)
Some Christians want to remove militaristic language and songs such as Onward Christian Soldiers. These people have not read their Bibles!
This is a battle ground – good vs evil
How we do things is important
work on your maps! they are not static
Paul said to Timothy to pass on what he had learned – you should do the same
live the disciplined life, do not get caught in the affairs of civilian life
[Simon: FOCUS!]
I was gong to close with Jeremiah 29:11
God may have plans for you BUT you need to know what they are!
So I am closing with Ephesians 2:10
This is a treasure hunt through life.
Floyd’s Resources
TED talk:
Book: “Elite!: The Secret to Exceptional Leadership and Performance”
Book: “The Warrior, the Strategist and You: How to Find Your Purpose and Realise Your Potential”
The day after the day before
Paula (in my 3rd WOL circle starting January 2018) tweeted this article, the graphic was really appropriate. It also reminded me of my current thoughts about the WOL community for the 3rd circle on Workplace by Facebook is like a base camp experience, preparing people for the 12 weeks. This was like yesterday’s session for me, regrouping etc.
A must-read if you are looking for inspiring people and motivation - congratulations @ChallengerWSM appreciate your sharing - #lifeisshort #adventure #miniadventure #top101adventurers https://t.co/ey3brKyBPh
— Paula Z (@PzimappleZ) 3 December 2017
P, tx for sharing, strong resonance with what I feel re our @WorkplacebyFB #wol circle community being like a base camp before each of us commits to our individual circle goals and "go"es in Jan #wol18Q1 https://t.co/hIHFigf56A > @floydwoodrow @anthonydelaney https://t.co/rIUmNbJORi
— Simon R.J. Fogg (@srjf) 3 December 2017
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