Callie Roos

Stop blaming the referee or the Aussies : It was a lack of strategic insight and I am getting fed up of it!

Callie Roos is a South African leading business consultant in leading change initiatives for both businesses and teams.  This he does in the facilitation of leadership thinking, management skills, team processes and as a guiding coach for senior management teams.

It was a lack of strategic insight and it was waiting for us!  It was there all the time and some of us could see it!

My point.  There are many dimensions of strategic insight:

1. That which helps us to see in advance and interpret what is still to come.
2. That which happens in or during the battle (game) that asks for quick and often split second decision-making.
3. That which we reflect on when it is all over.

Best for me is to use the example in the quarter final game itself.  At half time the following was clear (at least in my mind):

• Line out superiority, by the Springboks, with Victor Matfield at his world class best!
• Good solid right shoulder execution of the scrum by the Springboks!
• Good solid defence in the midfield (true of both sides) with Schalk Burger playing one of his best disciplined games ever.
• Good solid defence by both team’s defensive lines (it was called a battle of attrition by one of the TV commentators).
• Australia’s total dependence on their ability and reputation to be the best defensive side in the world was clear.
• The referee’s total lack of interpretation on some of the rules of the game at breakpoint allowing both teams to get away with murder etc.

From a more strategic perspective the following was imperative:

• The Springbok team selection was brilliant (nothing wrong with that).
• The technical training and support staff were good (technically we were brilliant on the day when you think of handling; tackling; general discipline, etc.)
• The Springboks were playing with the best in form kicking (attacking) scrumhalf and fly half in the world (include the full-back if you want to as an attacking kicker of the ball.)
• Our two wings belong to the best when it comes to following up the high kicking ball or when kicked deeply into the defensive corners.
• The Springboks had superior dominance in both possession and territory.
• The Australian fly half was having his worst game ever and experiencing a lot of pressure becoming very vulnerable.  So everyone around him.
• The Springboks had a slight breeze blowing in their favour and from behind.
• The war of attrition was going nowhere for both teams (the dam wall will not break).
• In the 1st half the Australians pushed us off the ball at breakpoint at critical moments (they did it; we didn’t, simply because it was not in our strategy but in theirs and it worked for them).  For Australia this was their only strong point other than their defence.)
• The discipline in both teams was exceptionally good (taking cognisance of the fact that the referee was totally lost in the interpretation of what is happening at the breakpoint).

  The zone of strategic insight is then to explore the following:

• See what nobody else is seeing (this is a gift) – this has got nothing to do with the drinking of red bull.
• Stay calm and facilitate the ability to consider different alternatives – this has got nothing to do with speaking on the TV at half time.
• The ability to choose and lead from a sense of wholeness and pro-activeness where you dictate the space of breakthrough and then get everyone to focus on it – this has got everything to do with genius.
• The ability to go with your intuition and create a belief around the domain (intelligence) of possibility – this goes beyond the administrator!

With this in mind there were many alternative options to consider.  Some of these then could have been (let me mention 4):

1. Place kick (with precision) the ball into the corners as best you can and then dominate the game from there.
2. Use the rolling/ driving mall (our reputation was to be the best in the world – why not get it to work for you against a team who was getting drained in defence).
3. Use short tactical kicking close to the defensive line and give your speed machines on the wings an opportunity to get in touch with the ball.
4. Allow Biscmark du Plessis to play the 1st 60 minutes (he was brilliant) and allow John Smit the last 20 minutes as captain to lift the ‘crown’.  This would allow the captain to also use his strategic insight looking at the game from the bench as it is often very difficult to ‘see’ whilst playing.

My point.  Applying just the above or a combination would already give you alternative options from what happened in the 1st half.  Remember, there are two things the referee can’t influence:

1. A drop or place kick going through the posts.
2. A try scored over the try-line.

In Conclusion.  Generally speaking our leadership thinking in South Africa often goes back to the Second World War.  I say this with sadness.  This is not only true of some sport administrators, but also many politicians, community and some business leaders.

Therefore my opinion in this brief is not one of critique but one of understanding and if we as South Africans don’t learn the lessons soon we will keep on making the same mistake and pay the price for it.  Our nation will also become more and more demoralized simply because it does not have to be like this.  Our leaders are simply not good in reading the signs in a proactive way where the outcomes are dictated by our ability to see the whole and then allow for the best possible input in the zone of creativity and innovation.

I guess what we are looking for is leaders that have the mental frame of strategic mobility, agility, surprise and instinct.  The inherent capacity to break through the traditional lines of defensive thinking where everything is based on high levels of adaptability, quick decision-making, trustworthiness and ingenious.  All of this happens in the context of effective energy management as there is nothing to waste as we become so good in doing that nothing will go wrong.  High levels of self-confidence and self-reliance is implied.

That is maybe why if we look for those to lead South African rugby into the future we will not have to look at experience in the 1st place.  I can think of many attributes more important than that. Things like integrity, authenticity, inspiration, capacity for growth, understanding, meaning, knowledge about people, etc. In this context I also want to believe that more decision-making authority should go back to those who are actually on the field playing, playing the game.

I do feel for the nation and their disappointment, so the players.  They did not deserve this.  This was a world cup team that could go all the way.  Many people could have helped in the process but for obvious reason we are not invited and that I do understand.  My take is that the coach-leaders of the future need people who can assist and help to pull it off.  In South Africa this is what I have become for many business teams, a facilitator guide who can influence the outcome on a strategic level and pull it off and one day we will hopefully become this for our politicians, community leaders and sport administrators.  We are the ones who do not care who get the credit as long as we deliver on our goals and targets as promise. This is what the nation pays for and they have a right to get only the best on a higher strategic level of insight.

Callie Roos contact details is:

callie@onpurpose.co.za;

+27823722790;

www.onpurpose.co.za

Many people have hear about leadership training and development and there is a lot of talk about how important it is today but how many people really know what leadership training seminars are?

It doesn’t matter whether you are going through in-house training – as most large companies have today – or whether you are attending a leadership training seminar; it is important to understand what leadership training is and what it involves.

Leadership training seminars can conceivably cover any range of different topics. Anyone searching for leadership training seminars will soon discover that many courses have no relation to leadership and even those that do not mention leadership may, in fact, be just what you are looking for.

To find the perfect leadership training seminar for your needs, you need to determine what your leadership team needs. It is better to target weak areas first before trying to improve key areas where the leadership team is experienced.  Bear in mind that the training budget of your firm as well as the amount of time available to your leadership team will determine which leadership training seminars are possible choices.

Leadership training seminars can be found in a lot of different places. Local colleges, universities and other training institutions are a good place to find leadership training seminars but there are also private groups and individuals that offer seminars on a variety of leadership topics.

Professional leadership coaches are often the primary choice for organisations that do not an in-house training department or for trade shows and conferences. Leadership coaches, like Callie Roos, offer leadership training seminars at nearly any location and tailored to the specific topics that need to be covered for the target audience. These leadership training seminars have a great advantage over those offered by colleges and the like as you can determine the where, the when and the content of the seminar.

Most leadership training seminars will contain a presentation on leadership skills. These presentations focus on innovative ideas and techniques that leaders can use in their environment. At large seminars there is also the opportunity to meet other leaders in the field. This allows for the sharing of ideas and methodologies making the leadership training seminar all the more effective across a wide range of markets and people.

Even if you cannot afford to send your entire leadership team to a leadership training seminar, they can still bring back the knowledge and the skills to you firm.

Leadership training is important for many organisations. It is important to stay up to date with the latest methodologies to ensure that your organisation’s leaders are equipped to successfully lead and motivate your teams. Leadership training seminars allow your leaders to learn and expand their leadership skills and to bring these skills back to your organisation.

In today’s competitive market, event coordinators are often looking for more than a good motivational speaker; they’re searching for a great motivational speaker. Even if the market weren’t competitive, who wants to settle for “good” in a profession where the goal is often to create “greatness”? That said, a more obvious question arises: What separates a great motivational speaker from the crowd of good candidates?

Great motivational speakers do not just educate their audience; they do much more. A great speaker reaches inside the very core of each listener and finds a place of physical connection. Once connected to his or her listener, the speaker gets down to the ultimate goal of creating action. Event coordinators want speakers who know how to create the outcome stated by the company who is investing in the event.

Truly excellent motivational speakers create change by influencing their listeners’ very thoughts and emotions. How do they do this without resorting to hypnotism or some other form of psychological maneuvering? They do it by being genuine in their connection. Event coordinators look for motivational speakers who truly enjoy people and are at their best when interacting with others.

Talented motivational speakers are best described as business entertainers. They are charismatic, friendly and optimistic; an easygoing self-confidence surrounds them. Their blend of humour, relevance, and adaptability is second to none. To them, being a good listener is as important as being a good speaker, although their speaking style and pace makes them excellent speakers. This is a person that others want to hang out with, even if it means their to-do list at the office is getting longer while they are attending the event.

Event coordinators are also looking for someone who is able to come across as being an actual member of the corporate culture they are representing. The importance of having a great motivational speaker who can weave the company’s message into his or her own material cannot be overstated. In a perfect scenario, the most sought after business entertainer is the one who creates original material customised to the client’s unique culture and needs. Once the material is in place, the speaker must have the presence of mind and flexibility required to make last-minute changes that might be needed. The best presenters expect, and even welcome, the surprises that inevitably occur in real-time events.

Quality business speakers generally have a proven track record. They often have published articles, books, or been featured in magazines, on talk shows, and the like. Business event coordinators expect motivational speaking prospects to have a professional-looking, fact-filled website. The website should include current speaking engagements. If the most recent event posted is out of date, a seasoned event coordinator is likely to look elsewhere.

Matching motivational speakers to companies is not always easy, but the results are worth it. Motivational speakers who aspire to greatness in their profession will develop a loyal following, and event coordinators who refuse to settle for less than greatness are likely to be pleased with the result!

Motivational speakers. A lot of people have heard about them and a quite a number have attended their seminars. Some people swear by their ability to help you achieve your goals while others regard them as nothing more than showmen and charlatans. But whatever your point of view, motivational speakers have become a part of modern society.

Also known as inspirational speakers, life coaches and many other names, motivational speakers all have at least one thing in common: they are all, in some way or another, professional speakers. What sets them aside from other professional speakers is their goal. The goal of motivational speakers is to uplift and motivate their audience, often into action of some sort. In short, they try to inspire their listeners to greater things.

It is interesting to note that while motivational speakers are sometimes referred to as inspirational speakers, there is a difference. Motivational speakers are energetic and active. Their goal is to spur their audience into action and to give them a reason to go out there and grab their dreams. Inspirational speakers, on the other hand tend be more encouraging and often their message is communicated in a tale of overcoming an obstacle or problem.  Some motivational speakers double as inspirational speakers and vice versa, but the difference should be noted.

Motivational speakers often arrange their own seminars and programmes. Others are hired by corporations, conferences, resorts and the like to come do address an audience or to host a seminar. A motivational speaker will often be the speaker at a seminar that can last for anything from a few hours to a few days depending on the purpose and focus of the seminar. Sometimes, however, the motivational speaker is only a keystone speaker. That is, a speaker either at the very beginning or ending of an event.

Believe it or not, there are different types of motivational speakers. Not only are they differentiated according to their focus and they can also be divided according to their presentation style. Examples include corporate speakers, Christian speakers, youth speakers and comic speakers to name but a few.

Since motivational speakers do what they do for a living, their services do come with a fee. This fee can vary greatly from speaker to speaker so be prepared. The fee is based on a number of factors aside from the speaker’s own personal choice. Expertise and experience is the first criteria that determines price with more experienced motivational speakers obviously demanding a higher fee.

Other factors include the market they function in, that is how great the demand for their particular brand of motivational speaking is, and the amount of customisability. It goes without saying that a motivational speaker that can customise his or her message to a particular audience, no matter who they are, is worth a lot more.

Love them or hate them, motivational speakers have changed many people’s lives. They often have the charisma and the drive to encourage and motivate people to do something with their lives.

Companies have always wanted to improve their profits and their efficiency. For this reason years ago larger companies decided to look inward instead of outward to improve their company. These people found that the more of a cohesive bunch their employees were the better they worked together. The better the employees work together the higher the level of efficiency which will improve production. The companies discovered that the better the employee efficiency and production the higher the profits would be. This led to the development of programs to help the personnel work together more efficiently.

Team building can be done in a number of ways and by the use of a number of techniques. Time tested programs are available to be purchased form companies that specialise in this area. In these programs you will learn the various exercises and activities that will help take different individuals and turn them into a quality working team.

In addition to programs that can be purchased there are a number of seminars all over the country on a regular basis that cover the team building concept. At these seminars the instructors and guest speakers will introduce you to the ideas and some of their background. The speakers at these seminars are chosen because of their previous and ongoing success in the business or sports world, building stronger and more efficient teams.

As a leader, you need to know that team building doesn’t happen on it’s own. You will get a group of people, but you need to put in some efforts to carve that group into a perfect team, which can yield good results. This can be done through various team building activities such as trust building exercises and outdoor team building games.

Ideally team building workshops should feature various team building skills games and activities which can provide team members with work friendly environment, in order to bring out the best in them. Several corporate team building training programs include creative team building activities in the process of team formation. All these efforts are undertaken only to ensure optimal performance from given resources.

In 2000 Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi summed up this new field of psychology: “We believe that a psychology of positive human functioning will arise that achieves a scientific understanding and effective interventions to build thriving in individuals, families, and communities.” Psychologists in this field strive to find and nurture talent, and to make life more fulfilling, not to simply treat mental illnes and people with problems. To help people be happy. This approach has created a lot of interest around the subject, and in 2006 a course at Harvard University entitled “Positive Psychology” became the most popular course that semester.

Martin Seligman – who is considered the father of the modern psychology movement – chose it as a theme for his term as president of the American Psychological Association in 1998 and new field of psychology began in the from of positive psychology, though the term originates with Abraham Maslow, in his book Motivation and Personality. Seligman pointed out that for the half century clinical psychology “has been consumed by a single topic only – mental illness”, echoing Maslow’s comments. Seligman urged psychologists to continue the earlier endeavours of psychology of nurturing talent and improving normal life.

Positive Psychology can be categorised into three overlapping areas of research:

• Research into the Pleasant Life, or the “life of enjoyment”, examines how people optimally experience, forecast, and savour the positive feelings and emotions that are part of normal and healthy living (e.g. relationships, hobbies, interests, entertainment, etc.).
• The study of the Good Life, or the “life of engagement”, investigates the beneficial affects of immersion, absorption, and flow that individuals feel when optimally engaged with their primary activities. These states are experienced when there is a positive match between a person’s strength and the task they are doing, i.e. when they feel confident that they can accomplish the tasks they face.
• Inquiry into the Meaningful Life, or “life of affiliation”, questions how individuals derive a positive sense of well-being, belonging, meaning, and purpose from being part of and contributing back to something larger and more permanent than themselves (e.g. nature, social groups, organizations, movements, traditions, belief systems).

These categories appear to be neither widely disputed nor adopted by researchers across the 12 years that this academic area has been in existence.

Today’s fast paced life has taken a heavy toll on both our minds as well as bodies. We simply don’t have time to relax. As a result almost everybody is gripped with tension and depression, which further makes us gloomy and we don’t feel like doing anything except for think and ponder. It decreases our work output, and at times we feel as if we are worthless souls, not capable of doing anything right. If not corrected at the right time, it can lead to severe depression and it can doom your career itself.

Motivational speakers can play a very vital role in such situations. A well written speech by a trained motivational speaker will not only uplift your spirits, but also motivate you to set goals in life. Positive thinking is encouraged, and any negative thoughts or inhibitions are removed. It improves productivity as well. Proper planning is done only when your mind is totally free and devoid of any tensions. The motivational speakers do exactly this. They bolster your spirits by narrating their real life experiences, and how they crossed the hurdles they faced in their lives.

Many multinational companies use motivational speakers to direct the energy of their employees in the right direction in order to improve productivity. The constant pressure to achieve tight deadlines and targets, drains employees’ energy and due to this the output is reduced. This is where motivational speakers come in, offering other resources to approach the same problem in a different manner.

Motivational speakers foster team work. They help to motivate the whole team to look at the problem in a different perspective and come up with a workable solution. They can help to change the attitude, and bring harmony in the whole team. The slow starters in the team should be trained in a different manner. They need individual counseling to catch up with the mainstream. Such individual attention can bring out wonderful results in addressing to their apprehensions and enabling them to give more than their best.

A good motivational speaker can virtually read the minds of his audience, and deliver his speech as the need arises. He has an eye on each and every member of the audience, and at times prods the mind by throwing in a question or two, which can turn into a lively discussion, in which everybody gets involved.

A motivational speaker is geared to change the mindset, attitude or general workplace behaviour patterns of an individual or group of workers through staff motivation. The inspirational objective is to improve workplace relationships that will lead to a stronger sense of motivation and increased profits for the organization.

It is more than just another international conference to attend or after dinner function to endure. The goal is to bring an individual or worker to the realization that his or her own commitments and obligations in the work environment can generally lead to an improved attitude in other areas of the individual’s life as well. The motivational speaker’s aim is to help improve all aspects of an individual’s life through the effective use of career speaking, communication and interaction.

The measure of success that is achieved through the efforts of a motivational speaker largely depends on the awareness level of the motivational speaker. Worldwide people are coming to the realisation that other aspects of our lives are just as important, if not more so than our material well-being. Improving our inner or spiritual well-being often leads to an existence that is increasingly aware of our responsibilities, moral values, behaviour patterns and many other instructional aspects of our daily lives. This leads to lower stress levels and a more peaceful existence.

The motivational speaker who approaches his audience with a strong attitude of love is well on his way of achieving his true objective: to deliver the kind of ‘how to’ motivational speech that will touch his fellow human beings on all levels.

 The ability to deliver a speech that contains this level of spiritual content makes an exceptional motivational speaker. The renewed vigour and inspiration will not only manifest on a physical level but will make us realize how magnificent we can be as ordinary human beings.

And the result? Often there is an almost automatic sense of team building that leads to increased business and profits over time.

Having a motivational speech given to your employees, or even being involved in hearing one yourself, is always a great learning experience and chance to find new strategies of working, as well as being inspired by success stories from a certain area of interest. The impact of a motivational speaker can only leave you with so much though and is not something that will last forever, so steps need to be put in place that will reinforce the message and make sure that you always keep it on board and use it wisely.

If you are the person arranging for the motivational speech to take place, or if you are looking around for a place on a specific type of motivational speech, then always look into the extras that you can get for the price. You want booklets on tips to keep the motivation you have gained going, you want transferable skills being taught if possible and you want to try and have interactive sessions where you can learn to practice certain skills and make sure that you understand everything that you are spoken to about.

From the session you can then set yourself targets, or help your team of employees to make both group and individual goals which can be worked towards using the new skills that you have gained; the confidence that should have been instilled by the session and the personalised strategy that you have had outline for you. Give time limits for these, or have a prize for the people who use the techniques to, for example, maximise and get the most sales that month, and give praise where it is due from following through with the new methods.

Self motivation from both colleagues and people above you in a business is extremely important when trying to achieve new and better personal performances. Praise reinforces this so make sure you treat yourself or show your team that they are appreciated when they make the effort and see results.

Do a timed review of how the speaker has helped you or your business and make sure that everything is on track. If response has been good, then you could look into more or similar sessions. Once you see that everything is ticking along nicely in the short term, then longer terms goals using the same methods (and giving praise for the steps towards them) can be set and are more likely to be accomplished. Thus, the cost of the speaker in the first place will balance out if you can continue to keep the sense of motivation within your team and yourself.

Everything we think, say, feel, and do (or don’t do) is a choice. The moment we recognize the value of this, we can choose to be more conscious about our choices.

In love relationships or any other area of life, staying where you aren’t “fed” is like starving in a banquet hall filled with food. When you go to a banquet, no one makes you eat. When and what you partake of is your choice. How is this metaphoric scenario any different from life?

Everything we’re experiencing in our lives right this moment is the result of a choice, whether it included action or perceived inaction. When we don’t like our outcomes, we have the power to shift future outcomes at either the inner or outer levels, or both.

If you’re one who works with the Law of Attraction or any other form of quantum-thinking system, it can take a while to switch from focusing attention on what you no longer want, or believe needs fixing or changing, to what you desire to expand more of into your life, and how you choose to feel.

The key to the greatest energy or power in this is to realize you can choose how to feel in any moment. You really can, it’s necessarily easy, but you can do it. This includes choosing to feel as bad as you feel you need to for as long as you feel the need to. Honouring your feelings is not a flaw, emotional pain happens as a part of life. How you choose to suffer and for how long is up to you.

It’s remarkable what can happen when you make a choice about what you prefer and figure out which appropriate action will move you forward to your desired outcome. For one thing, it takes your emotionally-charged focus off of where it doesn’t belong… what you don’t like or judge as not good (or the past), and puts it where it can do the most good… on what you wish to create more of in your life. Perhaps it’s time to recognize exactly how much power you really have in your life, and live it.

A good motivational speaker can virtually read the minds of his audience, and deliver his speech as the need arises. He has an eye on each and every member of the audience, and at times prods the mind by throwing in a question or two, which can turn into a lively discussion, in which everybody gets involved.