Hero's Code

Ordinary Mind - Ordinary Moments

As a younger man I worked in a hospital in Canada.  I noted as Christmas approached that some of the younger doctors would have a private bet on a rather unfortunate event.  They would gamble on who would have to give someone the news that they had cancer on the eve of Christmas.  There was no malice in this.  In fact it was a way of changing their perspective on an event that caused a surge of negative emotions. 

At that time in my life I was working with seriously ill children and when my own wife was expecting our first child I held a secret fear that my child too would not be healthy.  After all, my ordinary, normal life was filled with sick children.  It's only as I look back that I realise how much I was allowing my emotions to be swept along by factors that I could never control.  I never knew I had a choice.

Advanced martial artists work to create a state of mental and physical calm that gradually becomes a normal part of their everyday life; this state is known as heijoshin or "ordinary mind."  This state of ordinary mind is one that allows balance and calm at all times - irrespective of the events of the moment.

The secret to achieving an ordinary mind is to treat ordinary moments as special so that then even extreme or special events will seem everyday matters.  As Dan Millman once said, in truth, there are no ordinary moments.  Every moment of life is special from some viewpoint if we choose to adopt it.

Not don't misunderstand - I am not perfect.  We are all climbing up the same mountain and some people are ahead of me and some are behind.  It's just easier for us all to spot the attitudes and behaviours of others from our personal vantage points.

Do you ever really pay attention to the trees and flowers around you; do you notice the colour of the sky or feel the movement of the breeze.  Most of us are so tied to the events and commitments of our daily lives that we notice none of this.  There are hosts of things that we don't stop to notice.  Many people I meet would see my thoughts and views as pointless and then go back to the struggle of their existence.

Another view might be that these simple things are ordinary all right - but if you miss them you are missing the better part of life.

We were given senses to explore our world and the stream of data that bombards us in each moment is so vast and rich that we "delete" most of it.  It never is perceived at a conscious level. We filter it and reject most of it. Without conscious thought. What are we missing?  In one tiny slice of time we miss an infinite range of sensory flow and a universe of life experience.

The person who has come close to dying and survived, learns to revel in the beauty and uniqueness of each ordinary moment.  This person understands that these moments are what life is all about.

You and I can simply wait until it is time for us to die to experience the specialness of each ordinary moment, or we can take hold of this now and enjoy the rest of our lives.

Relax to release your talent

Most of us carry subtle tensions - and do so for so many years that we no longer know what real relaxation feels like.  One of the worst things about tension is that it leaks energy from us and prevents us reaching our potential for achievement with mind or body.

In Dan Millman's book, "Body Mind Mastery - creating success in sport and life," he cites a research study in which the movement abilities of six month old babies were compared with a group of professional football players.

The athletes tried to copy the movement and posture of these babies for ten minutes without stopping.  The perhaps surprising result was that not a single athlete could keep up and they all dropped out exhausted before the ten minutes were up.  The athletes carried so much tension that their movements were inefficient. 

Working with athletes to raise awareness of their body's tension or state of relaxation has many benefits.  Through relaxation strength and speed are enhanced.  Suppleness, stamina and sensitivity soar to new heights.  Its no surprise that athletes devote so much time to building muscular strength and power.  The wise ones understand the importance of relaxation.

I came to study karate at the relatively "old" age of 35.  After many years of powerlifting, wresting and rugby I was strong and I managed to intimidate my fellow beginners.  Nevertheless, as any practitioner will tell you, just like them after a few minutes of free style sparring and I was simply exhausted.  Following the mistakes of millions of beginners before me I didn't know how to relax and I was trying to use too much force.

Onlookers can't understand why it takes a year to learn how to punch properly in karate.  The key is relaxation.  The speed of the punch is ensured only by relaxing the muscles of the arm except for those that accelerate the fist to its target. At the instant of impact all the muscles of the arm and shoulder instantly contract with many muscle fibres recruited at once before relaxing just as quickly.  Disobey this practice and energy drains from you rapidly and your technique remains ineffective.

My sensei constantly reminded me in sparring never to gasp for breath but to relax and calm my breathing even though this seemed counter intuitive.  I realised eventually that gasping caused tension in my chest and diaphram muscles and this tension actually reduced my bodies ability to breath.  As our skills progressed we learned to disguise our breathing from an opponent - whilst timing our attacks to coincide with particular points in our opponents breath cycle.

I have known for many years that the body and mind are linked.  It took me many years to bring these principles fully into my business life.  Relaxation under pressure brings clarity of thought - and keeps us in a situation to respond rather than react.  When we try to use force with ourselves and others we  eventually run out  of energy. 

People have accused me of "pie in the sky" thinking.  Surely, I will get brushed aside by those people who can be ruthless and use force and deception.  But relaxation doesn't mean inaction or weakness in my world....

"The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be..."
Bruce Lee

The Paradox of Effort without Force

You may have experienced this.  I certainly have.   

We struggle long and hard to create something, only to see its fruition move further and further away - then we give up. 

And then - if we are lucky, we might tap into some inner core of wisdom that allows us to "let go," breath deeply once again and relax.

Then surprise, surprise -  what we desire  seems to flow to us, or is it through us, like a gift from heaven.  This is the principle of non-action  at work.

There  is an apparent paradox in life.   When it comes to what we desire to show up in our lives  it is not helpful to struggle or to try to force things.  And yet that doesn't mean we do nothing!  In order to attain mastery or make progress in anything you can't lie back on the beach and expect your desires to materialise from a blue cloud.  We need to make arduous efforts and yet at the same time not force matters.

Non-action is a creative process and involves a type of waiting but in doing so we make ourselves accessible to the flow of energy in our bodies and indeed our lives.

Take writing as an example.  Inspiration is needed but you can't force it to come - it's about letting go.  If a writer can let go of all the fears and hallucinations that lurk in the background to darken the creative present, he or she will experience this flow.  It is as if the writing moves through the person who no longer blocks its passage.

Learning how to relax and let go is truly hard work, requiring trust in oneself and perseverance.

Finding your center

Last week we talked about the importance of working from a state of balance.  When we are centred we are best equipped to respond to any challenge which threatens to unbalance us.

Now talk is cheap. To get a handle on what Im talking about - to experience your center - we need to do some work. 

First of all, when you have a quiet moment at home, lie comfortably with your back against the floor.  Notice any tension in your body and start to relax all your muscles.  If you successively scan your body from toe to head you will almost certainly find some tension.  As you pay attention to your breathing just allow your muscles to relax more and more with each breath.  Your body will find its own relaxed state as long as you don't try to hold yourself in any particular position.

Now place your right hand over your center or "one-point" a couple of finger widths below your navel.  Place your left hand over your right hand.  As you continue to relax and breathe, let your concentration fall  on that spot beneath your hands.  Imagine that all your focus, all your energy, is flowing from your forehead (where most of us seem to live), down from your chest (where we trap so much energy) and into this one point.  You may start to find this point getting warmer as you continue to relax, focus and breathe.

As you continue to breathe and focus on your center you will probably notice a further relaxation of your shoulders and chest.  Be aware that if you are tired you may well click over into sleep at this point - not to worry, you probably need it.  Just continue to focus on your center for ten to fifteen minutes.  If you practice just this each day for a month you will be well on the way to finding your center as a habit, and as a bonus you will be giving your heart muscle a real treat.

The next step is to begin finding and focusing on your center whilst seated or standing. The task is the same, its just that there are more distractions to deal with.

After a month or so, you can test your progress with the help of a partner.  Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and look at a point high up on a distant wall. Put all your attention on this point. Allow your partner to push against your chest in an attempt to unbalance you. He or she doesn't need to flatten you. It's just about allowing you to feel how stable you are.  Feel what its like?

Next put your attention on your centre, relax and ask your partner to push again.  Feel the difference?  With practice you can be immovable.

The real test of your developing skill, will come when you are tired, irritable, or even more critically when you are in conflict.  You see, fear in most people tends to influence where and how they focus.  Fear creates tension and disconnects us from the ability to think.  As simple as focusing on your center sounds, it is one of the natural ways to remain free of tension even in the face of severe challenge.

A question of balance

When the challenges of life come along, what state should we strive to be in to meet them?

I guess many of us would say a "balanced state" without really thinking too much about what that means or how to get there.

When you think about it, the concept of balance is part of our everyday consciousness.  We use the word liberally as part of our language.  A seriously ill person's life may "hang in the balance."  People talk of the need of "work-life balance."  Someone who is suprised by something talks of being "caught off-balance."  In front of the Old Bailey in London we can look up and see the symbol of fairness and justice - a set of balance scales.  So why is balance so important to humans?  Why should we care about the idea of reintegration, and being centred and balanced?

Very simply, being centred is the key to managing conflict and making effective decisions when under extreme pressure.  Just consider, how could we reach any decision about the nature of a particular challange and its appropriate response whilst we are off balance?

There is a very important principle we can make use of here.  Mind and body are linked. If you know how to be physically centred then your mind and spirit will come into balance as well.  Likewise if your body is off balance you can regain your equilibrium almost as easily by reaching a balanced mental state.

Simple as this seems it works.  The trick is to make "finding your centre" as natural as breathing; something that you do instinctively without thought.  This takes a bit of practice.

Martial artists have spent thousands of years studying the art of balance. Not just to increase their technical skills in the martial arts, but to ensure that they are in the right frame of mind - state - to meet life and any conflict in a relaxed but alert manner.  It is not possible to face an opponent in karate off-balance with success any more than it is possible to face a business challenge off-balance.

In the martial arts, your main balance point is located a couple of finger widths below your navel. This centre is where you should be living, whether you are under attack or just watching life flow past.  And you know what - this point is a junction of time and space - an organ which is more sensitive  to attack than the intellect can ever be.  If we learn to focus on this point (you have heard of gut instinct haven't you?) you would be better protected than if you hired a bodyguard.

Next week I talk through ways to develop your ability to centre yourself at will.

Last winter in Wellington - Your personal Haka

One of the abilities that successful people have is an ability to trip instantly into a highly resourceful state. Sometimes that state might be relaxed and calm - other times high adrenaline.

On a trip to New Zealand I found a way to get into state that appealed to my love of martial arts as well as my interest in state mastery.

Ignite the Breath – States for Success
It’s a wet winter morning near Wellington. As the prison gates open the tattooed warrior approaches. Spring-like steps and moving rapidly toward us with his taiaha at the ready he halts now at the threshold. With wild-eyes and threatening gesture the line is drawn and a single fern leaf is placed for us, the visitors. My hair stands on end.

As the warrior withdraws from the line, our leader advances to lift the leaf. 
In the old days one wrong gesture now and all hell would break out here. The leaf is lifted correctly and we advance slowly forward.

Resourceful states
I am blessed to be able to work with some amazing people. Although I might be coaching them for their benefit it is impossible not to benefit personally. Successful people – particularly happy and successful people - always have strategies, and often-unconscious ones, that they are using to shape their lives and those of their publics.

I can just ask these folks, “Now just suppose I were you in this situation. If I had to be you, what would you be thinking and feeling?” A chance to step inside someone’s shoes and try bits of their strategies on for size is a real bonus. It’s not that I want to copy. Actually, there is always a way to just get better and better.

One thing I really like to know is how people get into resourceful states for great performance. 

The drum
Just recently I was talking with a friend about generating energy and excitement in the work place. I really liked what he did in his last company to get his sales people into state. David had a big Japanese Taiko drum on the floor of his open plan office. When one of the team made a sale they would rush over and beat the drum for a couple of minutes.

If you have ever been near these drums you can appreciate there is a strong urge just to beat them – it sounds good and feels good. It literally resonates through everyone and creates an instant physiological response. Everyone in that space gets entrained to the rhythm. Hmm.. maybe not appropriate for every situation but it certainly had a powerful effect.

Often we can see that even highly successful people use fear as a personal motivator. I coached a man who was Ernst & Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year. He built a multi-national technology business from nothing and you would expect him to know a few things about facing entrepreneurial fear.

He commented that he could be in the darkest emotional space and know that in a few moments he would have to change his state and be upbeat in front of his management and staff. He focused on how he would be letting people down if he didn’t perform; his family, his friends, his team were visualized around him and from that negative space he found the energy source inside to perform. He had an unconscious strategy to engage overdrive.

So what works for you?

That day in Wellington allowed me to engage with a prison unit established to rekindle the traditional spirit and values of the Maori in those who have lost their roots. Far from being a soft option this was for the inmates a hard way of returning to spirit.

For many people the closest they get to the Maori way is to glimpse the All Blacks on TV. I think of Mr Lomu lined up to intimidate the opposition. Who wouldn’t be! The Maori haka is normally associated with performing a war dance. It is a generally recognised as a symbol of defiance performed on the rugby field by the All Blacks. Yet the haka has a number of deeper meanings.

HA means breath.
KA means to ignite, to energise.

Therefore HAKA can mean to "ignite the breath". 
A way to ignite the breath, energise the body and inspire the spirit!

A great Maori haka expert Henare Teowai of the Ngati Porou tribe said this about performing the haka

"kia korero te katoa o te tinana (the whole body speaks)".

When performing the haka the whole body literally speaks using the combined energies of movement, sound and emotion. Interestingly, reversing the order of the syllables in the word HAKA produces KAHA which means STRENGTH in Maori.

The haka, Ka Mate, an abbreviated version of which is used by the All-Blacks, was composed in response to a great personal challenge where the composer was facing possible death. The words invoke feelings of acceptance and resignation facing death that the samurai of Japan sought as the state of no-mind.

So what, you ask?
Well - Why not take the spirit of the haka to get into a resourceful state when you need it?
If I lead a corporate group through the haka they don’t need to be taught the meaning – they get it anyway.

Create your own haka. A personal ritual that ignites your energy and resolve. What thoughts and memories can you recall right now that put you in a powerful state of mind and body? Remember a time again when you felt really inspired? We all have lots of times like this. So what were you saying? How were you standing? Feel the energy flow through you once more.  Notice the feelings that swirl through your body and see them grow and grow.

Adopt these same movements, feelings and memories into your own haka sequence. It may only be a couple of movements with one or two key words. The intensity and passion is simply more important than the complexity. 

Use this ritual to ignite your breath and power up your energy against your own worst enemy. Yourself.

Psyche yourself up to be your very best.  Each day.

Kia rite, Kia rite
Kia mau Hii!
Ringa pakia
Waewae takahia
Kia kino nei hoki

Thanks to my friend and true Maori warrior Hirini Reedy for his guidance on Maori Warrior arts

He who hesitates..

I read this tip going through my pile of newsletters and notes. You know the one - the one with all of those papers that are not quite urgent enough to be dealt with instantly and yet intriguing enough to stay out of the waste basket.

Jamie Smart gets the credit for his interesting cure for hesitation. The Pizza Walk experience.

Have you noticed that situations do crop up in our lives when we tend to hesitate.  Did you find your particular situation yet? It's the type of situation that can be very frustrating and you probably recognised at the time that "we really do need to act" and yet something stopped you.

As a freshman University student (quite a while ago) I was interested in motorcycles and girls. But the motorcycles were easier to talk to and I could look them straight in the headlamps. A friend cured me of the GCH (girl communication hesitation) virus by embarrasing me so much that I just had to act.

And you know how it is, when you really get down to it, the real act is never as bad as you hallucinated it to be.  In fact looking back now it seems a shame that you and I allowed hesitation to spoil our fun for so long. Sound familiar?

I flirted with network marketing a number of years ago too.  This involved cold-calling individuals on the phone to sell them on the idea of a meeting.  I met lots of well meaning people just like me who just could not pick up the phone and make one call. Some who would have lost a limb rather than make a bunch of phone calls.

It is a fact that hesitation is a curse in some situations and a blessing in others.  Our physiology is, after all, equipped for an era rather different than the one we face in modern society.

The I Ching hints at the origins of our species:-

In the beginning there was no moral nor social order. Men knew their mothers only, not their fathers. When hungry they searched for food; when satisfied, they threw away the remnants. They devoured their food, hide and hair; drank the blood and clad themselves in skins and rushes.

Our physiology is designed to recognise and respond to threats- or more correctly, perceived threats.
In our path through life we "learn" to avoid making mistakes. After all you know making mistakes may be dangerous.  And yet making mistakes is essential for all of us who want to learn something new.

It could be that we have the potential to play in many activities of life that could bring us joy and personal growth and yet we have encoded them unconsciously as dangerous - places we should not explore.  At a deep level our unconscious knows we had better hesitate and so we wait and wait and wait.

So to Jamies tip.

One day in London, I was on the tube on the way to train some telesales people, helping them to overcome ‘sales call reluctance’ (ie. not wanting to pick up the telephone & dial.)  I was reading the book Change (by Watzlawick, Weakland & Fisch) & came across a story describing how Watzlawick helped a student who had been unable to complete his thesis due to anxiety.  He told the student “Go into three shops over the next week & make an absurd request.”  The student did so, reported a shift in attitude, & finished their thesis shortly thereafter.

I loved the idea, & thought it might be useful with the reluctant telesales team, but I knew that I couldn’t ask them to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself.  I said to myself “You have to do this”, & as soon as I got off the tube, I went into a well-known fast-food hamburger joint outside the station.  I joined the queue, looking around at the other customers.  My heart was pounding like a drum; even though I knew rationally that I was in no danger, my neurology was responding as though I were about to stick up a bank.

When I got to the counter, I looked at the person behind it &, with a straight face, asked for a ham & pineapple pizza.  She looked confused and said “What?”  I repeated my request.  She said “We don’t sell those.”  “This is a chinese restaurant isn’t it?” I replied.  She said no, I said thanks anyway and left.  I felt like I had just knocked out Mike Tyson – I felt invincible!

Please, before you send me loads of email saying how childish this is,  I know.  But the result was amazing.  In the days following, I did several similar acts.  Each time, my physical response was diminished, but in other areas of my life, the opposite happened.  I started to exhibit less hesitation and more wanton ‘go for it’ than ever before!

Thrilled with my success, I invited the telesales people to do similar absurd acts, and they reported similar liberating results.  I knew I was onto something.

The Pizza-walk Experience

A few years ago, I became interested in Tony Robbins & went to one of his weekends, eagerly anticipating the fire-walking, which I had heard so much about.  I was really looking forward to it, and Robbins did a great job of building up the anticipation, but when the time came, I found it impossible to actually believe that walking on the hot coals was in any way dangerous.  As a result, walking across them didn’t have much impact on me as a metaphor for overcoming fears in other areas of my life (though I know it really works for some people.)

By comparison, The Pizza-walk Experience costs nothing, can be done virtually anywhere, and is incredibly powerful.  So…

1)      Identify a few of the areas in your life where you hesitate and would like to just go for it.

2)      Choose a commercial premises (eg. shop, restaurant, petrol station) and make an absurd request (ie. ask for something they definitely don’t sell) while keeping a straight face.  Be polite, safe and non-threatening.

3)      Repeat twice more in the course of a week.

4)      Look forward to the situations where in the past you would have hesitated, and enjoy your new responses.

One of my clients used to have difficulties asking women out on dates.  I sent him out to a burger joint to get some Italian food.  Within the week he had a date and today has a full diary [2005 update – he’s moved to Australia & is engaged to be married!].  This stuff works!

For those of you who are worried about the person behind the counter, in all the times I’ve done this, their response has been anywhere from bemused to very amused, but not frightened.  The key is for you to be non-threatening and polite (ideally coming across as a bit confused.) For those of you who are thinking this is pointless, foolish or humiliating – you probably need this more than most

So there you have it.  The key is to do this as soon as possible. The results will amaze you and the sooner you start the sooner you benefit.

Trust yourself - to maximise results

I have to admit I am not a great tennis fan but when Wimbledon is on it is hard to avoid the odd game or two.  It's a chance for Britain to pin "the hopes of a nation" on some poor player.  In recent years, Tim Henman raised his game each time Wimbledon came around but has so far found that ultimate prize beyond his reach.  No one has claimed that Tim is the best player but he, by most accounts has raised his game for the big occasion.  Tim has learned to trust himself to perform beyond his technical skill level when it really counts.

There is an old martial arts anecdote from Japan.  The archer, competing for a clay vessel worth nothing shoots with great expertise; he effortlessly and gracefully hits the target each time. When the prize was increased to a bronze statue, the archer noted tension in his body and a slight tremble in his hands as he raised the bow.  Only with great effort could he hit the target.  When the prize increased to a gold statue, he noticed his eyes would not focus. He could barely still his trembling hands and finally he released the arrow to miss the target. The laughter of the crowd increased his shame. 

Yet his skills had not left him - only his trust in them.  He let the value of the prize play on his nerves and cloud his vision.

Do you agree that trust is an incredibly important attribute - and it has to start with trust in ourselves?

In working with salespeople from time to time I notice that the wise ones demonstrate immense trust in themselves.  They have an ability to be focused and "fully present" and they trust their ability to act in just the right way at the right time.  Strong and forceful in the right moment without wasted energy and holding nothing back. As they trust themselves completely they are responsive and natural in their behaviour - and it shows.  What they do doesn't smack of technique and the client feels the difference. 

Less skilled salespeople are not really listening to the client in the moment but thinking about what they will say next.  They radiate a state of impatience.  They miss the subtle signs in the client's behaviour and demeanour that tell the truth of this unfolding play.  When things don't seem to be going well, this salesperson is edgy and nervous.  There never seems to be enough time.

Let's put ourselves in this person's shoes for a moment.  At the centre of this impatience, is a doubt that we can be strong.  We fear rejection and so we make compromises and promises that hurt us.  We give away too much and ask for too little.  We fear being "used" so how can we be ourselves?

We all sell don't we? Whether we are an employee or a business owner. Whatever we do, we must "sell" ourselves and our ideas, in this world of abundant opportunity. 

When you have a moment try this.  Ask your best customers: "Who are the people you trust the most? Why do you trust these people? 

Use that definition of trust to measure your own value.   Now you can take a step back and calibrate yourself against these standards.  As you adjust your sensitivity to the importance of trust, you notice that for once in your life you are not being forced to learn some new technique or notion of how to behave.  Just be yourself - your authentic self.

The four agreements

I use a Mac computer, iTunes and an iPod.  I admit it.  Nothing would make me give up my Mac.  It would have to be the end of civilisation as we know it. 

It also has another advantage.  Although I love the look and feel of books, and I have only ever met one man that read more than me, the problem with books is the space they take up. My wife looks at me with despair when yet another book struggles to find a perch on our groaning bookshelves.

Have you noticed that downloads from iTunes slide electronically and easily into your home.  They take very little space.  Addictive though.

I was browsing the audio books section for a change and came across a download by Don Miguel Ruiz entitled the Four Agreements.  Originally published in 1997 I just found myself drawn to this and it struck me very powerfully due its simple yet powerful messages.

The basic ideas come from the Toltec indians of Mexico, who despite their ancient roots saw no difference between science and spirit.  Although we are slowly, in modern society, moving again toward such convergence, the Toltec saw all the universe as simply forms of energy many generations ago.

In his writing Don Miguel recognises the "domestication of humans."   The fact that all humans adopt attitudes and beliefs shaped by the dynamics of the various populations we come in contact with.  We don't choose these attitudes and beliefs but in some senses we adopt and agree with them.  Spookily like the Matrix of cinematic fame when you read it.

The thrust of the book is that we are not free but subject to this domestication that shapes so strongly what we believe is posible for us.  Frequently the result is a life of lack and limitation.

The four agreements are suggested codes to live up to that can guide anyone to experience a better life.
Agreement 1 - Be impeccable with your word.  Be aware of the importance of speaking with integrity. Say only what you mean and beware of the power of your words to damage and influence others.

Agreement 2 - Dont take anything personally - What others choose to say to you is nothing to do with you but simply a projection of their own world view - their own dram of reality.  When you choose to be immune to the poisoned words of others you will be free from needless suffering.

Agreement 3 - Dont make assumptions - Always ask questions to express yourself and clarify situations to avoid understanding.

Agreement 4 - Always do your best - The first three agreements are easy to say but difficult to live up to. Be prepared to stop and accept that your performance may vary from day to day. Simply promise yourself that you will always at least do your best.

I hope that if you are drawn to the idea of this book you take the time to listen or read for yourself.

Coach...Can you motivate my people?

I am not a great fan of motivation training as something for businesses to focus on - and its hard to see this as a sustainable as an output from an intervention.   

If I am asked by a client to motivate a group of people, I don't know about you, but alarm bells go off for me these days.  The simple answer I suppose, would be just to pull the "Motivation 101" training programme off the shelf and ring up the cash register.  A few Board Breaks, Firewalks or what have you later and we are all set for a great event.

And you know what, most such trainings are designed for people to enjoy and at the very least what will happen is that they will leave the training happy.  What happens when they all get back to work is surely what matters though? 

Many times we need to check some basic things that the client may not have thought about up front.  Lots of times clients really don't know how to express their problems in a way that they or anyone else can really solve them.  It's certainly not because they are stupid.  It is often that they are too close to the situation to get a balanced perspective.

When I worked in the hospital system the surgeons and physiotherpists complained about each other behind their backs.  The physiotherapists complained about the surgeons because they carried out surgery. And the surgeons complained about the therapists because they didn't understand the surgeon's belief that "A chance to cut was a chance to cure."

We all tend to look at situations through our personal "filters" based on past experience, training and beliefs about what might work.

If someone were to call you and say
"Can you offer a motivational event for a group of sales people who are "disempowered, de-motivated and unresourceful"

there are a few questions you can ask that might serve both the client and you as the coach or consultant.

Q1) Did you hire these sales people in a "disempowered, de-motivated and unresourceful" state?  If they were hired that way it just might make sense to think about a training programme.  Now it is probably a useful presumption that most companies seek to hire positive, motivated people.  When things upset this we need to look at the systems and processes that people are being asked to follow.

Q2) Have you put a new information/IT system in place recently?  I don't know about you, but the salespeople I meet often are slaves to IT systems; they rely on them and when these change and training is not adequate then there are often negative consequences.

Q3) Do the sales people agree that they are "disempowered, de-motivated and unresourceful?" In other words, who owns the problem?  There is nothing worse than trying to fix a problem in a group of people who don't believe there is anything wrong in the first place.

I like to ask really dumb questions up front - that way it saves time, money and grief much later down the line.