Coaching for greatness
The start of the day: Social media
Facebook: Check. Instagram: Check. Snapchat: Check. Email: Check. And so the list goes on. Across all of these media, there is a common theme: Amazing things that the superstars, sports stars and politicians have achieved or the terrible failures of the same.
We make instant instinctive judgements. Good, gets a thumbs up. Bad, gets a thumbs down or an unhappy/shocked emoticon. ‘Really good’ gets a share. In our rush to be a part of everything that is going on at any one moment around the world, we lose our understanding of what it takes to claim an achievement. We are quickly seduced into believing that if we just say the same things, or wear the same clothes, or go to the same places, or buy the same things as these successful people, then we, too, will become megastars.
What makes these stories great is the element of possibility; the chance that a little of the magic that made these stars outstanding will, somehow, be bestowed on us because we are doing or wearing the same as them, and so on.
What people forget, or perhaps choose to ignore, is the secret ingredient:
• Hard work • Hidden hard work • Many long years spent in obscurity and hidden, hard work
The overnight successes that appear on our screens are the result of a great deal of hard work and dedication over a long period of time. Most often, we see stars standing alone on a stage as they receive an award or are recognized for an outstanding achievement; but listen to what they say as they raise their trophy and you’ll hear that they credit the team of people that helped get them there. Success is great. Success is good. Making money is good. Having money is good - agreed - but getting there is never a solo act.
Since you started reading this article, there is a net growth in the global population of 500 people. The population has grown by 30 million since January 1, 2017. Competition is tough. Google shows a search result of 15 million restaurants and 400,000 hotels and B&B properties worldwide all vying for customers. If there are two managers per establishment that is a global management population of over 30 million managers.
So what do you need to do to stand out?
Examine the lives of some truly great achievers of our time. Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Michael Jackson - a basketball player, a swimmer and a singer. All three of them have been at the absolute peak of what it is humanly possible to achieve. They all share two things in common. Their first name is Michael, and second, they were coached.
Tony Robbins, self-help guru, said, “People are rewarded in public for what they continuously practice in private.” This is not only a quote, it’s a reality. You must do the work. There are no short cuts. There are no easy ways to the top. To be the best without sacrifice is an impossibility. You, and no one else, are the key to your success. There are naturally gifted and talented people and if you have to ask if you are one of them, then you already know the answer. These folks are a rarity, the exception, the special few. For the rest, it takes hard work. You cannot escape this reality and even the gifted and naturally talented work hard to make their gift or talent shine. There are no free rides. You do have to work hard at it, but you do not have to do it alone.
The fifth in a series of six exclusive Hospitality News Middle East articles by expert hospitality trainer, Mark Dickinson
Here are three steps to achieving success
Step 1: Get focused Step 2: Get the best help you can Step 3: Get rid of everything that’s negative and do it
Follow these steps and you will become a superstar amongst the 30 million+ hospitality managers. This is how you rise to become a hero of the people and become ‘The One’, not just someone. However, because it is such a straightforward formula, most people think that it can’t be true. But that’s the point; simplicity brings incredible results.
Focus means to focus on one thing
You cannot focus on several things at once. If you give that some thought, even the concept of trying to do so is an oxymoron. Get focused on your one thing, and then do it and only do your one thing. Put everything else to one side and do whatever it takes to make your one thing happen, no matter how long it takes and no matter what you have to do to get it - you do it.
Getting the best help means you give massive importance to finding the most professional, successful person doing what you want to do and you sign them up to help you. This is where coaching comes into play. There are many coaches around, but which one is the best? The one that focuses you on your one thing, reflects your dreams back at you and ensures you constantly improve as you grow and move in your own way towards your dream.
Get rid of everything that is negative and do your thing
A beautiful statement, but so difficult to do. Many of you were doing fine until now. You said, “Focus? Yes.” You paused and thought a bit about point two and said, “Best help? Okay.” But getting rid of everything that is negative? What in the world is that all about? However, we are surrounded by negativity, causing us conflict and confusion every day. We are battered by advertising and messages from TV, billboards, our mobile phones, the internet and the radio, all day long. Distractions abound and are carefully designed to insidiously draw you away from where you are going.
The key is your focus on living out your dream
As I write this, I reflect upon the people I have the privilege to work with and to “help”. They come from all walks of life. Some are business managers, some are students, some are owners. However, there is one unifying quality, which is their burning desire to achieve their one thing.
As we work together, we show them what their performance is like. Up close and personal, it gets ugly. Showing high achievers where they can improve is never an easy task. We talk about ego; we get it out of the way. We learn to talk with real emotion and passion. We get people to be honest. We work to craft challenges that inspire them to move forward, since, after all is said and done, who can change the past? We put all the garbage of the past aside and look upwards. We can only create our future through what we are doing right now. Holding people accountable for their own words makes the world a better place, and definitely boosts personal achievement. Consistent, relentless action has massive results. Imagine that you want to grow stronger, so you decide, today, to do one pushup. Tomorrow you make that same decision, so you do two. Well if you continue to take that one single decision every day for three months, then you will be doing 100 pushups a day come the end of that timeframe. A tiny daily change has an eternal impact. Are you ready for greatness? Get coached.