BECOMING A VALUED PLAYER: A TOOLKIT FOR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker and NY Times bestselling leadership guru Mark Thompson and NYT Bestselling Author Bonita Thompson delivered this free American Management Association Webinar, that included a Q&A with Sir Richard Branson.
Originally recorded on April 16, 2014.
http://www.amanet.org/training/webcasts/Becoming-a-Valued-Player.aspx
Follow Mark on Twitter @SuccessMatters
Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth – and the perfect time to renew your commitment to achieving long term goals or even to reinvent your business. No matter what your circumstances, you can always commit to taking positive steps in a new direction. Mandela taught it best in 5 lessons he shared with me in a conversation at the World Economic Forum about the strategies and attitude that it takes to achieve “impossible” goals…
1. You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference.
In the years before Mandela, an activist lawyer, had been sent to a death camp, he was zealously over-confident about his mission to end apartheid. Although Mandela initially advocated a peaceful solution, he eventually took up arms when the path of peace appeared to be a dead end. In 1964, he was convicted of conspiracy and sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment. They sent him to a lifetime of hard labor to break his spirit.
After 27 years in captivity, Mandela had every reason to have become the worst man on his continent, but instead he accelerated the peaceful reinvention of his nation. The fact that he didn’t start out as a saint, with neither perfect grace, nor humility, before his long walk to freedom, makes his journey even more useful and inspiring to the rest of us. That’s the Mandela Effect.
As Richard put it, “When you can create enduring impact not because you are perfect or lucky, but because you have the courage to build a different future rather than dwell in the past”. The secret to lasting success – of whatever kind – is to create a life that matters for yourself and those you serve.
2. Being persistent does not mean being inflexible.
“Do not judge me by my successes”, Mandela admonished. “Judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” It was always about finding a new route down a winding road, he said.
It’s horrifying to imagine the decades he suffered in a cramped cell every night. From dawn to dusk, he dragged stones in the blinding heat. You can’t steel yourself for year after year dreaming that hopeless circumstances will change, he said. You have to change the way you deal with the circumstances. Being flexible in finding a new door every time the last one slams shut is the difference between those who find their way and those who remain lost, he said…
Read the rest of Mandela’s 5 lessons on Mark’s blog post on Virgin.com
http://www.virgin.com/unite/
BECOMING THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION
If you could ask Sir Richard Branson any question…what would you ask? Here’s your chance to ask Sir Richard Branson your best question about life and work.
If your question is selected, you’ll get a free book from Richard and Keynote Speaker & New York Times bestselling leadership guru Mark Thompson—who’s hosting the free American Management Association Webinar on April 16 @ Noon EST.
Send your questions to Mark on Twitter @SuccessMatters by April 3 to win your free book!
Sign up for the Free Webinar on the AMA website: http://playbook.amanet.org/well-know-richard-branson/
What You Will Learn
Practical Tips and Tactics for Becoming an MVP at Work and in Your Personal Life
With the growing trend of distraction and dysfunction in the workplace, more people are seeking to be the valued team member they feel they should be. Consultants and authors Mark Thompson and Bonita Buell-Thompson, along with researcher Clifford Nass, have assembled new, clear strategies for anyone wanting to become a truly valued contributor both at work and in their personal lives. This webcast will present recent study data and lay out the tactical, practical steps required for this type of change.
Sir Richard Branson will be a special guest on this program, answering questions program registrants have submitted in advance. Topics to be covered include:
Sign up for the Free Webinar on the AMA website: http://playbook.amanet.org/well-know-richard-branson/
