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A S P I R AT I O N – T H E C O R E – I N S P I R AT I O N

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FOR ENQUIRIES: +971 4 427 3000 | sales@motivate.ae

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CONTENTS 06 THE PILLARS

The main principles guiding Motivate Academy

10 MEET THE TRAINERS

The various experts that form Motivate Academy’s diverse and skilled team

29 MIKE PHILLIPS

The rugby player reveals his experience with our personal coaching programme

30 HOW TO BOOK

How to get started on your transformative journey with us

Cover: Ángel Monroy.

17 EXPERT TALK

Our trainers discuss management, culture, creativity and everything in between

Illustration: Getty Images/Malte Mueller

Editor-in-chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Managing partner and group editor Ian Fairservice Group director Andrew Wingrove andrew.wingrove@motivate.ae Editor Aarti Nagraj aartin@motivate.ae aartinagraj Deputy editor Varun Godinho varun.godinho@motivate.ae varungodinho Art director Ángel Monroy angel.monroy@motivate.ae theangelmonroy

General manager – production S Sunil Kumar Assistant production manager Binu Purandaran Production supervisor Venita Pinto Chief commercial officer Anthony Milne anthony@motivate.ae Group sales manager Manish Chopra manish.chopra@motivate.ae Senior advertising manager Ravi Dutt ravi.dutt@motivate.ae

HEAD OFFICE: Media One Tower, Dubai Media City, PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE, Tel: +971 4 427 3000, Fax: +971 4 428 2260, motivate@motivate.ae DUBAI MEDIA CITY: SD 2-94, 2nd Floor, Building 2, Dubai, UAE, Tel: +971 4 390 3550, Fax: +971 4 390 4845 ABU DHABI: PO Box 43072, UAE, Tel: +971 2 677 2005, Fax: +971 2 677 0124, motivate-adh@motivate.ae LONDON: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER, UK, motivateuk@motivate.ae

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WELCOME

INNOVATE

WHY NOT?

At Motivate, we are taking a future-first approach

The simple question that led us to launch Motivate Academy

IAN FAIRSERVICE Managing partner and group editor, Motivate Media Group

MARK DICKINSON Head, Motivate Academy

here is no time like the present for launching a new venture. Yes, we are in the midst of a global pandemic, but at Motivate Media Group, we remain hyper-focused on the opportunities that have manifested during this period. We observed the shift in the market’s needs for powerful and authentic learning for individuals, teams and organisations in the region – starting with us. Motivate is a dynamic organisation that is home to almost 200 people, and we recognised that it was critical for us to inspire our team, encourage them to explore new ways of doing things, and empower them to optimise every available opportunity. With that in mind we launched new types of training programmes and experienced excellent results. Having recognised its impact, we launched Motivate Academy as a platform to cater to every business that is looking to future-proof its operations and ensure that its biggest asset – its talent – is groomed for success. Conducting traditional training is no longer an option, as it’s all been seen and done before. We discerned that a new approach would be required. Hence we created Motivate Academy to serve as a bespoke learning academy, where every programme is custom-made. Clients share their hopes and aspirations, and outline the outcomes that they wish to see, and the Motivate Academy team bring that vision to fruition. The academy is already seeing rapid expansion and we are proud to welcome you to experience our newest addition to the Motivate Group.

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he greatest question we can ever ask is, “Why?”. It always leads one on a journey of discovery. Some may argue that a better question is, “Why not?”. It is the latter that led us to launch Motivate Academy during the pandemic. Everyone needs to learn, grow and be inspired, and as we looked around, we realised that the general feeling was one of being lost with a lack of direction and overarching gloom. That is when we decided to create an antidote, a solution and an anti-gloom experience that would encourage people within organisations to grow and rise to new levels of greatness, levels that perhaps they had lost hopes of attaining. As we began to create our programmes, we discovered that much of the material out there had become old, stale or recycled, and that common intelligence had surpassed the existing material on the topics of leadership, effectiveness and team building. We launched a fervid search to discover what people want and what they think adds value, and we followed up with the question, “Why”. What we learned was surprising: • People not only want meaningful information, but want to have meaningful things to do. Basically, they want their work to have meaning. • Attending short, fast sessions that fit into a morning before work was more interesting than being bored to death in never-ending seminars. • Learning online through a digital platform had become highly effective and very acceptable. • Learning experiences trump training courses. We gathered this wisdom, and we created a platform called Motivate Academy, driven by the energy of the Motivate Media Group with all of the international expertise that presents itself through our organisation. With more than 40 years of being at the heart of the Middle East’s communication network, we could leverage the best of the best to achieve our objective. We present this issue to encourage you to look at what you could be doing to grow and inspire your team and hope you come to the conclusion: “Yes, indeed, why not?”.

INSPIRATION “That moment of being in spirit”

hen people think of motivational speakers, they are generally referring to what we would call ‘inspiration’. You cannot, in our opinion, motivate anyone. You can only lead in such a way that those looking on will feel inspired and desire to follow. Motivation is an internal force that comes to life when the environment is right. Our inspirational programmes come with buckets of energy and are highly engaging, personally challenging and urge people to step out of their comfort zones and experience the possibility of a better future. Inspiration programmes are great for teams that are seeking to re-focus, gather together and make a change as a unit (what most would call team building). We see the market as saturated with multiple standard programmes, which have their place. However where we see ourselves making an impact is in the custom-written and bespoke programmes that we deliver to audiences.

The Inspiration Process STEP 1 We meet with the executive leadership team and ascertain their desired direction for growth and the key topics that they would like to address.

STEP 2 We design the programme and produce an outline that is shared with the leadership team. This includes unique elements such as visit to the Smash Room, a mass meditation, a desert safari, a secret location campfire – the list is long. We agree on the plan, set up the dates for delivery, and address all of the logistics. Our programmes are turnkey.

STEP 3 The pre-session event with the leadership team. This is essential to ensure the alignment and understanding

of the programme’s objectives. It is always high energy and within the theme of the main event.

STEP 4 The main event. We deliver an outstanding event for the entire team. It can be for a handful of people or a huge corporation. Every event is a massive success and creates a landmark moment in an organisation’s evolution.

STEP 5 The post-event leadership event. Once the main event is over, we once again meet with the leadership team for a post-event management discussion that provides the tools and assistance to ensure that the goals and objectives of the overall event are attained.

This is what we call bespoke, and we know it inspires. Just ask our customers!

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ASPIRATION “My greatness lies before me”

n order to grow, we need stimulation, we need insightful information and we need direction, but none of this is meaningful unless the individual aspires to achieve something beyond what they have become. Staying within our comfort zones is the most difficult of places from which to make a decision, for we are comfortable and become complacent. We have surrounded ourselves with the trophies, the accolades and the stories that validate us, and the surrounding team supports our achievements. Why should we move out of this cocoon? Greatness. The answer lies in our belief about ourselves. For those who see their greatest days in the past, they are done. They have attained what they set out to do and a minor increment in any direction is not going to disturb their equilibrium. For those who have a burning desire to attain more, a passion to grow, to do even greater things, the answer lies ahead. Motivate Academy’s Aspiration programmes are for those who have acquired a wealth of experience and yet want to grow further. For these individuals, we create bespoke programmes. Confidentiality is essential and we work hard to ensure that the programmes that we deliver respect the environment of the learner. As a powerful and successful individual, your learning is our priority, and yet so is your image and position within your business community. We focus on making growth ‘cool’ and yet aligned with success. We concentrate on working with C-suite team members to hone their skills, expand their circle of influence and help them develop keen foresight. Up to 40 per cent of a leader’s time must be future focused, and 15 per cent must be invested in self-growth – that’s a veritable 55 per cent of their time. If you are reading this and wondering how that is possible, then you are probably the type of person that we would generally help. Aspiration programmes are for those who have a passion to excel. There are no ‘off-the-shelf’ ready-made solutions. Every programme is made for the individual concerned and delivered by an appropriately suited trainer. Typical Aspiration experiences commence with face to face discussions where the participant identifies their desired outcomes, establishes their learning objectives and maps a path to achieving them. Aspiration programmes commence with a 100-day plan, with activities every 10 days. This process stimulates the mind and creates a randomness to the timing (outside the regular weekly/monthly schedules), which in turn elevates the importance of the learning that takes place. Each activity is typically timed to last one hour and is conducted through a combination of live and online sessions. It is learning at its finest, for those who have a constant yearning and thirst to go above and beyond.

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THE CORE THE CLASSICS

As the name indicates, these are programmes that everyone needs. We call these ‘The Core’. Sell Like A Rock Star

1 day

Train the Trainer

3 day certified

Effective Communication

2 day

Time Management Project Management

2 day 5-day Project Leadership certification

Leadership – The Passion to Lead

2-day active leadership program

Understanding and Embracing Diversity Effective Remote Working Powerful Speaking Skills

1 day 1/2 day 3 day

Professional Coaching Skills Introduction – Level 1

60 hours

Intermediate – Level 2

80 hours

Advanced – Level 3

80 hours

Conflict Resolution

3 day

Decision Making

1 day

Emotional Intelligence

3 day

Conversational Intelligence

1 day

Effective Meeting Management

1 day

Digital Transformation – How to build a winning strategy Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for experts Customer Journey Mapping – CXO

2 days 1 day 3 days

The list is endless. We provide these programmes with the same dedication and style that we apply to our Aspiration and Inspiration programmes. For us, it is all about communicating at a high level with our learning community and accelerating the growth and development within their organisations.

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THE CORE R A PI D L E A R N I N G S E S S IO N S (R L S)

long with the classic programme, Motivate Academy also specialises in a new kind of learning called Rapid Learning Sessions (RLS), designed to create instant results on a number of topics. Delivered with passion and enthusiasm, each session is condensed into a high-energy 42-minute learning experience and challenges your team to grow and work on a selected skill. Participants may attend online or live in-person. Every session has measurable outcomes and we frequently create full days, half days or a series of learning sessions over a given period, comprised of a selection of these programmes: Brutal honesty: Telling it like it is - A masterclass Business writing skills The art of thinking 9-step sales meeting process Understanding money IT management and innovation Face to face influence: How to get what you want every single time What should I do online? How senior managers should optimise their presence online All the executive do’s and don’ts Social media for directors Authenticity: What it is, why it matters and how to be authentic Time optimisation: How to use your time properly Brilliant goals Powerful listening Empathy in a post-pandemic world Learning how we learn Successful negotiation Enhancing Optimal performance Advanced Marketing for experts

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TRAINER PROFILES

MEET THE TRAINERS

Motivate Academy has a diverse group of trainers to offer you a bespoke programme tailored to your requirements 10

Charlotte Moore Charlotte Moore is an emotional intelligence coach, creator and facilitator of motivational programmes and also author of the book Being the Best Version of You, published in 2019. Passionate about personalising material for individuals, teams and organisations, she develops the culture of a business, leading to outputs of reduced turnover, high engagement and memorable experiences. She is also a specialist in coaching individuals and teams to strengthen and balance EQ (emotional intelligence), which leads to greater emotional wellbeing.

Nadine Khoury Nadine Khoury is a leader in conversational intelligence. Having grown up during the civil war in Lebanon and witnessed the hatred created as a result of that – and its impact on the country’s productivity – she made it her mission to create more compassion, peace and harmony in this world. Having been a corporate leader herself, and having faced many challenges, Khoury now works with corporate leaders who are struggling with disengaged teams. She helps them become emotionally intelligent, self-aware leaders who are capable of exceeding business objectives while inspiring a happy, harmonious, high-performing team. Companies she has worked with include AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Abbvie, Merck and others in the Middle East.

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MEET THE TRAINERS

Colin Lewis Colin Lewis is an author, coach, advisor and facilitator for C-suite executives. He runs one-on-one engagements and team workshops and also spends over 100 hours a year teaching in the UK, Ireland, Spain and Dubai. His clients include Unilever, Samsung, Kingfisher (B+Q, Castorama), Britvic, TK Maxx, Bayer, Oracle, Europcar, Facebook and Experian.

Associates Wealth Management & Corporate Insurance Brokerage, and Safe Hands. Passionate about sales, Lodge helps professionals learn the real skills they need to take their career to the next level and generate new clients. After almost three decades of experience with building startups into nine-figure organisations, he shares his expertise through leadership training, his e-learning platform – Make It Happen University, and his awardwinning The Spencer Lodge Podcast.

John Kairouz

Pegah Gol

Rita Feghaly A certified health coach, reiki healer and yoga instructor, Rita Feghaly passionately practices a holistic approach to health and wellness by looking at how all the areas of life are connected. Working closely with her clients, she creates a personalised plan based on their goals and their ideal vision of health and lifestyle. In her words: “With my strategy, you will implement lasting changes that will upgrade your energy, balance and health.”

Climb with his third book set to be published in 2022. Hayes has featured in or presented three documentaries; is a team advisor to a Mars project; an ambassador for economic, social and environmental sustainability; and a patron of several charities.

Author of the Amazon best-selling book on job-hunting, The Formula, Pegah Gol is a certified career coach from London and a senior recruitment expert with over 16 years of experience in the business. Having worked with several recruitment and executive search firms, she has helped thousands of job seekers land their dream jobs and helped hiring managers find the right talent in the market. She is also a serial entrepreneur, a business advisor and a keynote speaker.

A human development consultant, neuro integrative coach, master trainer, mentor, motivational and technical speaker, entrepreneur and organisational development specialist. His experience is built on having consulted, trained, and coached over 220 companies in 16 industries across three continents. The recipient of numerous awards, John Kairouz has extensively researched human behaviour within organisations and his passion to help accelerate human performance and enhance culture has made him a leader in the coaching, training, mentoring and speaking industry.

Sam Graham Adrian Hayes Spencer Lodge Spencer Lodge is the co-founder and chairman of The Blue Sky Thinking Group, now valued at over $100m and the parent company of three awardwinning brands: Beneple, Finsbury

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An extreme adventurer, author, keynote speaker, sustainability campaigner as well as a leadership, team and executive consultant and coach, Adrian Hayes is a ‘change agent’. A former British Army Gurkha officer and former Middle East sales director for Airbus, he’s written two books: Footsteps of Thesiger and One Man’s

With 20 years of experience across the hospitality sector in London and Dubai, Sam Graham has managed restaurants, bars, nightclubs and hotels. His approach to developing people is as raw as it is effective. His brutally honest programmes, as part of ‘Rapid Learning Sessions’, are direct, to the point, and very engaging. Having experienced the highs and lows in management, Graham’s knowledge assists clients looking to grow their teams.

MEET THE TRAINERS

Professor Mike Berry Mike Berry’s purpose is to educate and train marketers. Passionate about digital and integrated marketing and ROI, he has authored/co-authored four books on the topic. He has also taught undergraduate and postgraduate students. Having worked as a consultant with some of the world’s biggest brands as well as SMEs and startups, Berry draws on his experience to help professionals broaden their skills.

Laura Laugier With 20 plus years in the luxury hospitality industry, Laura Laugier has lived and worked across the world. These experiences enrich her interpretation of the cultural workspace and help shape her leadership style. A curious coach and a linguist at heart, she is fascinated by the link between the words we use and the behaviour that it results in. An advocate of collaboration, she believes that everything is worth doing if fuelled by passion and fun.

improvement of metabolic factors. An athlete who participated in two Olympic summer games, he later operated a premiere performance training centre in Lebanon, and travelled the world as a high-level athlete. His focus is developing strength and skills for those who want to develop and grow.

awards after turning around the ratings of the series. Richmond specialises in talent and large team management, format development, commercial spinoffs, live and pre-recorded content, TV presenting, competitions, website content and management as well as social media marketing.

Alec Yaverian

Alan O’Neill

Alec Yaverian is an expert and advisor in data mining and harnessing the power of data – both within companies and in cyberspace. He has 20 years of know-how in digital marketing, customer relation management, and data mining, and has provided services to over 500 businesses in sectors ranging from retail and F&B to major car dealers. An advocate of data driven enterprises, he stresses that ‘data will talk to you if you are willing to listen’. Data leads to insights and more efficient action, while also enabling organisations to connect with customers, understand their needs, analyse their feedback and target them with products and services.

A highly experienced change management consultant and keynote speaker, Alan O’Neill specialises in organisation culture and customer experience. He is an author and a columnist with Gulf Business and Ireland’s leading newspaper, Sunday Independent. For more than 30 years he has worked with companies around the world and supported iconic brands such as Dubai Duty Free, Harrods of London, Ikea, Intel, Moet et Chandon, Toyota and the UN.

Jacqui Crutchley

Siubhan Richmond

Jean-Claude Rabbath Jean-Claude Rabbath is a strength and conditioning coach, with an emphasis on the development of athletic abilities, prevention of sports injuries and the

A multi award-winning senior producer and highly effective manager, Siubhan Richmond has extensive experience in developing, producing and managing live and pre-recorded factual, cookery, daytime and lifestyle programmes. As editor of ITV’s flagship daytime programme, This Morning, she achieved a National Television Award and two TV

A natural communicator, professional certified coach and speaker, Jacqui Crutchley’s career is helping others see and believe in their potential. She draws upon her own life experiences along with her formal training to present practical learning solutions. She believes that there are no coincidences; you either win or you learn – you never lose, and that powers her as she guides her ‘tribes’ through dynamic, lifealtering material. She helps replace limiting beliefs with positive beliefs that breed self-confidence, faith, and produce energy resulting in new paths.

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I BEC

OME

WHAT

I THINK

OUT

FEEDBACK

New approach Nadeem Khan, senior executive director at Century Financial, reveals the holistic impact of the Motivate Academy training programme on their senior leadership team

“The training programme helped us create a positive outlook amongst most of our key seniors”

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/LUIS ALVAREZ

n mid-2020, when the Covid-19 wave was at its peak in the UAE and work from home (WFH) was the norm, there was an air of uncertainty that affected the overall morale of most organisations. At that point, Century Financial decided to collaborate with Mark Dickinson of Motivate Academy to create a specially designed training programme for our key senior managers. Mark and the team at Motivate Academy created a 100-day executive coaching programme for the various department heads of Century Financial. The programme focused on personal growth and leadership development for the senior managers, who were then tasked with driving their teams to enhance overall morale and productivity. It was a remote one-on-one session over 100 days where detailed attention was given to the senior managers in helping them to develop their overall professional and personal development. The training programme helped us create a positive outlook amongst most

of our key seniors. The results went beyond regular leadership and personality improvement. It helped them deal with – and work on – their physical and emotional issues to emerge winners in their outlook and actions. Some of the managers even focused on their physical well-being and lost significant weight, while some gained fresh perspectives on relationships and team building. Overall, we were highly delighted with the outcomes of the training programme, and we thank Mark for the individual attention and focus he provided to each of our senior managers. It was indeed a pleasure collaborating with Motivate Academy and Mark Dickinson.

FEEDBACK

Crucial to growth Orange Hospitality invests in distinguished team training programmes as it looks to expand its presence

range Hospitality is a boutique restaurant operator that owns and operates a growing portfolio of F&B concepts, including multi award-winning restaurants Il Borro Tuscan Bistro Dubai and Alici Dubai. Since its first opening in 2016, Orange Hospitality has managed to develop a strong and inimitable brand identity, giving them a distinct competitive advantage. In a market that is driven by changing consumer preferences, the

“The Orange team is able to access crucial training programmes from remote locations and ensure that standard operating procedures are followed by all team members” Orange team continues to break through the market and build strategic brands that are recognised globally. Investing in its greatest asset, its team, Orange Hospitality is able to sustain its growing operations and strengthen its business. A crucial element to enable this is the adoption of cutting-edge training programmes for its people, including the online learning system Done!. While providing a simple, reliable and multi-lingual training platform, the team at Orange has invested in Done!’s knowledge learning

Orange Hospitality opened its first F&B concept in 2016

programmes in order to strengthen dayto-day operations. Making use of modern technology, the learning platform provides the management team with the tools they need to succeed in achieving their niche and unique goals in the hospitality industry. Strategically designed paperless learning allows Orange Hospitality to benefit from informational videos, digital evaluations and live feedback for the highest efficiency in knowledge transfer amongst their team.

Without compromising on quality, Orange Hospitality continues to provide award-wining cuisine and hospitality with new openings in exciting dining destinations across the globe. Headquartered in London with a celebrated presence in Dubai, the Orange team is able to access crucial training programmes from remote locations and ensure that standard operating procedures are followed by all team members. Orange Hospitality has plans to continue their global expansion and grow their distinguished team.

One of the most powerful and timely books of the year,

Sons of Abraham The successful journey of a Rabbi and an Imam in building their global friendship. AVA I L A B L E I N A L L M A J O R B O O K S T O R E S A N D AT B O O K S A R A B I A . C O M

MOTIVATEBOOKS

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MOTIVATE_BOOKS

MOTIVATEBOOKS

EXPERT TALK

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES/TOMOZINA

marketing might include: CRO, CRM, CLV, SEO, PPC, UX, CX, CMO, and most important of all – ROI. Not to mention: TLA (three letter acronyms – we admit, we made that one up). It is critical to question – do you use any of these terms? Does everyone in the meeting/ audience understand you perfectly? I believe that as an educator, it’s my job to explain and facilitate learning. This means stripping away (demystifying) the fancy language, so that delegates leave the session with clarity and understanding and are ready to liaise confidently with (digital) marketing specialists (colleagues, partners or suppliers)

All in a word

THE ‘WEAPONISATION’ OF JARGON IS WIDESPREAD, BUT SHOULD BE AVOIDED

BY MIKE BERRY

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usinesspeople love their jargon. But why? Jargon can be a good thing – it can act as a shorthand between colleagues who all understand perfectly the exact meaning of each abbreviation or acronym. It saves time and words and so improves communication and efficiency. Bad jargon, on the other hand, is the sort used by certain parties to show off – and perhaps to signal to others that they are ‘experts’, so justifying their position / hourly rate! The worst example of this phenomenon is when people hide behind jargon to conceal their own lack of expertise – this is truly an example of ‘the blind leading the blind’. This ‘weaponisation’ of jargon is widespread but should be avoided. My own discipline (digital) marketing and customer experience

(or should that be CX?) is a prime example; digital marketing has certainly been guilty of spawning its own group of ‘snake-oil salesmen’ at various points during its recent rapid growth. A good rule of thumb is “if anything looks too good to be true, it probably is”. This includes hiring an SEO consultant who promises that you will be ranking number one in Google results for your top 10 keywords within a week (and for a surprising low fee) or commissioning a video ‘guaranteed’ to go ‘viral’ (one piece of jargon which probably won’t be used now for a few years). And it’s healthy to question the social media influencer (vlogger) as to exactly how many extra units of your product you might sell as a result of your proposed collaboration with them (or at least ask yourself). Examples of jargon from (digital)

We should remember that good business should fundamentally be based on common sense and driven by experience, creativity and testing without being intimidated or disadvantaged by any jargon. Above all, we should remember that good business should fundamentally be based on common sense and driven by experience, creativity and testing. This certainly applies to marketing. So if you do use jargon, make sure you define your terms clearly up-front – so that jargon is used as a valuable tool – not a weapon!

EXPERT TALK

What is emotional intelligence? EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS A LEARNABLE SKILL THAT CAN BE GROWN AND STRENGTHENED AND THEREFORE IS WITHIN OUR INFLUENCE AND POWER

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES/FANATIC STUDIO/GARY WATERS

BY CHARLOTTE MOORE

motional intelligence is the ability to recognise, manage and evaluate your emotions and the emotions of those around you. If you thought emotional intelligence in business was potentially lip-service to tick the people box, then it’s time to think again. Organisations that emphasise emotional

intelligence have higher employee engagement and customer loyalty, leading to greater productivity and profitability. Through education we are taught literacy. We leave school with this skill, knowing how to read and write. Computer literacy was also taught and gave us a strong foundation for technology,

now an essential part of everyday life. Yet where in the curriculum did we learn about our emotions and the emotions of others? How were we taught to use the insight, energy and knowledge of emotions to support us to live our best life? With emotional literacy missing from the syllabus for many, it was left to chance about whether this essential skill would develop within us. We have all been influenced in this regard by our family, friends, and mentors to various degrees. Examples of this show up in the way some of us can read a room well, where others completely miss the pulse. Some of us express how we feel effectively, while others let emotions fester, leading to unhealthy patterns and habits. Being emotionally literate is to recognise, understand and appropriately express our emotions. If underdeveloped, this can hugely impact our mental health. The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of wellbeing in which the individual realises their own abilities, can cope with the stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and… make a contribution to society”. Around the world, mental health disorders are on the rise, with an estimated 792 million people affected at present. A recent Lancet Commission report forecasts that mental health disorders will cost the global economy $16 trillion by 2030. From panic attacks to eating disorders and depression, most of us have been affected at some level with emotions such as anxiety, anger and isolation leading us to

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EXPERT TALK

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Happiness at work... Is it luxury or a necessity? HAPPINESS IS NOT ONLY ESSENTIAL ON A PERSONAL LEVEL. HERE’S WHY BY NURCIN ERDOGAN

n the last 19 years that I have been in business, in the majority of the companies that I worked at and for the majority of the people that I worked with, work sucked. I have met hundreds of smart, well-educated people, who were drained and overwhelmed by unreasonable demands, tired of office politics, cursing to get it over with and craving for the weekend. The average person spends an estimated 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. That’s 90,000 unhappy hours, when they become unproductive, unengaged and uncreative, with their full potential

wasted. This is only the tip of the iceberg for unhappiness at work. According to the latest State of the Global Workforce report from Gallup, 85 per cent of employees worldwide claim that they are not fully engaged or have no passion towards what they are doing for a living. It also found that disengaged employees lead to between $450bn and $550bn in lost productivity every year – and that’s just in the US. I call this a very high price tag for thinking ‘happiness at work’ is a luxury or nice to have. It’s a necessity, not only on a personal level but more so on a business level. Unhappiness is simply too costly for any business. It’s about time to look deeper into it, to understand what it really is and how to achieve it. Evidence from psychology, leadership and management studies, and even neuroscience supports that it is possible to find happiness at work, and that doing so is necessary.

What is happiness at work? One of the typical mistakes that leaders make is to think ‘happiness’ or ‘culture’ means having to cuddle employees and not being demanding or competitive. It’s not. You might have a very ‘driven, striving for excellence and competitive’ culture where your people are happy. The key is to find the right people for it and treat them the right way. It’s also common that leaders think all employees shall be happy and the company shall have the best culture when they provide free coffee and yoga classes during lunch break. It turns out these are more a

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES/HOLA ILLUSTRATIONS

feeling overwhelmed. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is still to be fully understood. Yet we can agree, that for many of us, the pandemic has further fuelled feelings of loneliness, anxiety and an overarching sense of fear for the future. In this landscape, the key is bringing it back to ourselves and our power within. Emotional intelligence is a learnable skill that can be grown and strengthened and therefore is within our influence and power. In that there is real hope. Knowing how you feel and recognising that your feelings can be a mixture of emotions is the first step to building emotional intelligence. When you become more familiar with various emotions, you can then identify what daily patterns are working for you or working against you. Do you often shout when you don’t feel listened to? Do you cry because you have let things build up inside you? Do you get frustrated by the same situations? When you are more aware of your feelings and habits, you can then make optimal choices with that information. I’m feeling this emotion, I’ve heard this message, what choices do I have? And with every choice we make, there are costs and benefits, and so we make optimal decisions that work best for us. For some of us knowing how we feel is the easy part. The harder part can be developing our emotional intelligence, so we that we can behave differently and therefore see different results. If we don’t use this insight to make choices, we are left with the same outcome. We are aware, yet we don’t consciously choose to make a change. If you would like to know more, we offer one-hour workshops online to support emotional health and wellbeing. Each training provides tips, tools, and insights to build emotional intelligence with practical tools to navigate daily life. Participants leave feeling inspired, refreshed, and motivated.

EXPERT TALK

waste of money than real sources of happiness and motivation. A professor from UC Berkley describes ‘happiness at work’ as “feeling an overall sense of enjoyment and belonging at work; being able to handle setbacks; connecting amicably with colleagues, coworkers, clients, and customers; and knowing that your work matters to yourself, your organisation, and beyond.” Easier said than done. But it’s worth it. Here is why.

Why does it matter? • Being happier at work is tied to better health and well-being, more creative and effective problem solving, more productivity and innovation, and faster career advancement. • People who are happier at work are more authentic, more committed and driven to work, and more willing to contribute beyond their job descriptions; they also find more meaning in their work. • In the face of adversity and setbacks, people in happier workplaces tend to see the bigger picture, making them less stressed; better at coping with and recovering from work strain; and also better at reconciling conflict. • Socially, people who are happier at work are rated by others as more likable, more trustworthy, more deserving of respect and attention, and more effective leaders; at happier workplaces, people are also more helpful to each other and more supportive of one another during difficult times. • Happier workplaces report less people turnover, lower health care costs, fewer mistakes and accidents, more efficiency, greater shareholder value, and quicker rebounds in the wake of adverse events or failures. They also earn higher customer loyalty, commitment,

1. You are a part of this group 2. This group is special and is a

and business growth via wordof-mouth endorsement.

match with who you truly are

How to make happiness work for your brand culture?

3. We have certain ways of doing

things here (this is where the uniqueness of every organisation is relevant) and I believe you can match these standards and be part of it

Regardless of the unique culture that your brand will have, your people need to have the following to be able to get the extraordinary results.

3. IMPACT

1. PURPOSE

This is where it all begins and it goes both ways. It’s crucial that individuals know their personal purpose and they make sure that they bring it to work. Personal purpose is a reflection of our core values, and we feel more purposeful at work when our everyday behaviours and decisions are aligned with those values. And on the other hand, the organisations need to be clear about their brand purpose and core values. Both these elements need to be aligned. I can not express how important this part is, and how dramatically it is missing in the execution of hiring. In most of the cases, the misalignment in purpose and core values is the biggest source of underperformance and unhappiness. The best way to assess the alignment in the hiring process is simple: Just ask for it. Start a conversation around each others’ purposes and be confident to vocalise yours. Turn the interview to an authentic first date, to mutually assess if this will work both ways.

The impact of being unhappy

85%

Of employees worldwide claim that they are not fully engaged or have no passion towards what they are doing for a living

4. PEOPLE

2. BELONGING

Once we know that we are at a place where the purpose is aligned, the second step is to belong in order to be happy. When employees belong to their organisation and their work, they have the confidence to bring their authentic selves to work. These are the teams who create the most innovative and extraordinary results. The secret to create belonging is give the right cues by the leaders:

Another common mistake that leaders make is believing money and titles are the only motivators for employees. Yes, these may create happiness in the short term, but the hedonistic adaptation of the human brain will shortly kick in and the motivation coming from these will disappear. Science proves that in the long term, persistent motivation and happiness is intrinsic – that is, it comes from within. Together with “having a meaning”, “creating an impact” can be a lot more powerful than money or titles. To reach this: • Enable employees to have a measurable impact within the organisation and make it clear to them and to their peers • Implement mechanisms that make employees feel valued for the impact that they created • Make sure that the feeling of progress and momentum are evergreen

$450bn -550bn The value of lost productivity annually in the US, due to disengaged employees

SOURCE: GALLUP’S STATE OF THE GLOBAL WORKFORCE REPORT

Last but not least, we need to remember that people are people. Every single one of us are good old “social animals” in every context, and we crave for social connection to be happy. It’s critical to accomplish the first thee steps to flourish the healthy social connection. Imagine a team of people whose purposes and core values are similar; they all have the same feeling of belonging to the organisation; and they are all confident about their impact - this is the perfect set up for them to connect to each other, and bring their full potential and best selves to work every day.

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ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES/DENIS NOVIKOV

at hand – your unique advantages, situation and experience”. Sullivan believes that “the purpose of generating your own confidence is to put your mind into a productive state; real confidence is a capability, and when you know how to build confidence for yourself, you can have it in endless supply”. Yet when life is uncertain, our confidence takes the biggest wallop. As a marketer, educator and coach across Europe and the Gulf, I tell clients who are setting up a

Protect your confidence with your life YOUR CONFIDENCE IS THE FOUNDATION FOR THE SUCCESSES THAT YOU WILL NEED FOR SETTING UP A NEW BUSINESS OR CHANGING YOUR CAREER BY COLIN LEWIS

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hen thinking about the future, the difference between a good day and a bad day is confidence. When we’re confident, we’re focused on the present rather than worried about the future, and that makes it much easier to see opportunities. We turn inevitable setbacks into breakthroughs. What is confidence? We tend to

think of it as a personality trait or an emotional response, but my experience is that it isn’t as passive or reactive as that. As my coach, Dan Sullivan, has taught me, “contrary to popular belief, the biggest obstacle to confidence is not unfavourable circumstances, but rather bad measurement: comparing yourself to others or against some perfect ideal instead of working with the actual material you have

Recognise what gives you confidence: it could be activities, actions like sending an application or any achievements new business, changing careers or learning a new skill that they have to build confidence every day. And to make this confidence happen, they have to keep it simple: target three or four ‘wins’ for the day. Recognise what gives you confidence: it could be activities, actions like sending an application or any achievements – big or small. On a personal level, this might mean eating well or exercising – anything that feels like a win to you. Then repeat the same thing the next day. Yes, it seems trivial at first, but the purpose of this exercise is to set up the ‘game’ so you’re

always winning. It’s a confidence system built for you, by you, so it’s part of your daily routine. Your confidence is the foundation for the successes that you will need for setting up a new business or changing your career. Your confidence comes from making progress toward goals that are a bit bigger than your present capabilities. Confidence keeps you moving forward even in the midst of the crazy upheaval we are all having – and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. After a few days, you’ll notice that your mind is looking for wins to add to the list. The simple act of looking for the positive will change your mindset to focus on progress – not perfection. And then, you might even get on a roll and want to keep your winning streak going. Within the confidence ‘game’, there are some steps you need to go through – aside from the task of preserving your confidence. Again, my coach Dan Sullivan has taught me the 4Cs: commitment, courage, capability and confidence – in that order. The first C is commitment: In order to achieve anything, you first need to commit to doing it. The second C stands for courage: Once you commit to your task, activity or goal, you will need to find the courage to actually do it. This is an ongoing daily challenge – courage is doing what you need to do. The third C stands for capability: With courage, you’re doing the thing you’ve committed to and this will give you new skills and capabilities. And the more you do it, the better you become at it. This leads you to the final C, which is confidence: The better you are at something, the more your confidence grows. Confidence might be what makes you get out of bed in the morning. But we have to start with commitment in the first place – and then we have to protect it. Protect your confidence with your life.

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES/CALVIN DEXTER

EXPERT TALK

What personal professional brand are we projecting? RECRUITERS USE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO JOBSEEKERS BY LAURA LAUGIER

n today’s world of video calls, I have become fascinated with the concept of personal branding. What others see, hear and feel about us matters, especially as many of us find ourselves transitioning for work or looking for alternative sources of income. This hold true regardless of our preferences for extraversion or introversion – whether you are comfortable being in a public or private space. So, have you thought about this – what do you project in terms of your own personal brand? Although some of us attend company orientation sessions and read policies on the grooming expected, we usually don’t take the matter further than that. What we like on LinkedIn, utter on Twitter and post on Instagram portrays volumes. I’ve been noticing that

both recruiters and jobseekers use these platforms to gain insight into personalities before the actual interviews. What we project goes beyond smart attire and beautifully coiffed hair, there’s also what comes from the inside out. Another consideration is how do we project our personal brand in a way to stand out while remaining authentic to ourselves? A keynote speaker who teaches executive education, Dorie Clark, in an article titled ‘How to Promote Yourself without Looking Like a Jerk’ for the Harvard Business Review, advised the importance of “sending a clear and unmistakable message about who you are and what you’re capable of”. Her advice stresses on starting with self-knowledge and simply taking action to ensure others recognise our full potential.

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Revealed: 7 steps to reclaim the best version of yourself RECLAIM IS A FLEXIBLE AND EFFECTIVE PROGRAMME THAT CAN BE TAILOR-MADE TO SUIT EACH INDIVIDUAL’S PREFERENCES

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES/MARIA PONOMARIOVA

BY RITA FEGHALY

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owadays, we live in a world of uncertainty where we attempt to either fit in or stand out, surrender or rebel, give up or keep going, control or let go. As a result, we end up lost between fight or flight and consume our time and energy trying to find an easy way out or a safe way in. In the process, we end up losing our “why”, our purpose and our true self. It’s like we’re constantly looking for the right formula or a magical road map that will take us directly to where we wish to reach. However, you now have the opportunity to discover how to

reclaim the best version of yourself, where you will thrive in any given environment, at any point in time. You will learn ways to strengthen your inner defence, to shield your wellbeing and finally, to live a happy, healthy and successful life knowing that whatever comes along, you will have the right tools to face it. Together we will set the programme according to your needs and your goals, so within a period of three to six months, you would have acquired the following: • RULE: How to take daily actions towards your specific goals, how to be able to manage your mission and your vision and how to rule your kingdom without fear. • EXERCISE: How to create time for your weekly activities and how to make sure that your body is getting the adequate quantity and quality of exercise that you need. • CELEBRATE: How to celebrate your slightest achievement with pride, how to praise yourself for any improvement you make in your life and how to cheer yourself up at any time. • LOVE: How to love yourself unconditionally, how to give yourself the right time and the proper environment to unwind and reset, and how to love the moment and live it fully. • ADD: How to know which new healthy habits to adapt and how to add innovative ways of processing your thoughts. • INPUT: How to input the right nutrients your body needs to thrive in your meal plan, as

well as how to identify the right atmosphere that you can create around you wherever you are. • MASTER: How to become the master of your own mind, which words to use to trigger the right feelings and emotions and how to manifest your dreams and desires. As a result of my knowledge and your commitment, you will notice a drastic improvement in your career, in your relationships, in your wellbeing and in your overall health. You will gain a different approach to life, since you will see it from a new perspective. You will learn how to manage your emotional state and how to unleash the warrior you have deep within you. Eventually, you will be flowing harmoniously with life instead of struggling to live. As a result, you will attract more positivity, love, wealth and success into your life. RECLAIM is a flexible and effective programme that can be tailor-made to suit each individual according to his state of being and preferences. I use specific holistic ways to introduce you to new tools as well as to reinforce the ones that you already know. With me, you will experience how to allow the energy to flow in your home and office, how to declutter your space and your life. Moreover, you won’t be the only one who will benefit from this programme – your loved ones and community will also feel the positive impact since you will become a happier, more present, more active and definitely healthier person. So, RECLAIM the best version of yourself now!

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EXPERT TALK

Quick fix or lasting change?

BY ADRIAN HAYES

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES/JASMIN MERDAN

COMPANIES EMBARKING ON REGULAR PROGRAMMES OF LEADERSHIP AND CONSULTING SEE UNTOLD BENEFITS IN TERMS OF COHESION, SYNERGY AND GROWTH

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hat skills, training, coaching, development, motivation or inspiration do our directors, leaders, managers, supervisors and staff in governments, corporations, NGOs and other organisations in the GCC need to cope with the massive change in the workplace and society this decade? And how exactly do we go about it? It’s a question that has limitless answers. So, let me discuss what I am personally most asked to deliver in keynote speeches, coaching and mentoring programmes across the region and the world – work that I have been presenting for over 15 years. Taking speaking first, I fully acknowledge that the first reason I am asked to give a speech at any event is because of the many long camping trips and package holidays I have been on in mountains, deserts, jungles and seas across the world. The ‘motivational speaker’ industry is vast, and, in its most common incarnations, a company will usually want a speaker to liven up its two-or three-day annual offsite for their staff. But I personally have a problem with the ‘motivational speaker’ title to start with. ‘Motivation’ (or

its close associate ‘inspiration’) is usually only one of the countless objectives a conference may require. Hence the first question I always ask is what exactly are you trying to achieve from a speech? That’s also why I never personally use the term ‘motivational speaker’ – ‘keynote speaker’ is much more applicable. My experience is that, for many years, companies have wanted far more than just motivation or inspiration from a keynote speech. And that highlights an often-unspoken issue. We can all be inspired by the man or woman who suffered 99 per cent burns, lost their arms and legs at birth, got lost in a jungle and survived for 100 days eating ants, climbed Mount Everest on one leg blindfolded and everything else thousands have achieved or suffered all over the world. But while these stories are often highly inspiring, how do they relate to the attendee who has all his limbs, hasn’t suffered huge traumas

or hasn’t achieved so called ‘massive feats’ – and is simply trying to be the best possible version of themselves they can be? In reality, they don’t. This is why I am almost always asked to speak on subjects vast and varied, in which summitting Everest or K2 may provide a bit of ‘wow factor’ to start with, but the real substance comes from all my hats in human development, business, the military, charity work, causes and campaigns and every other experience I have sourced. There are subjects that I will always be asked for – issues such as teamwork, leading high performing teams, communication, overcoming challenges, leadership, maximising potential, performance and results, risk, change, resilience, trust, conflict resolution, sustainability, society or life itself. For universities, colleges and schools, I speak to young people about mission, goals or authenticity – and about the damages to our

EXPERT TALK

Is honesty always the best policy? Yes ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PARTS OF MANAGEMENT IS GIVING YOUR TEAM CRITICAL FEEDBACK AND DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS BY SAMUEL GRAHAM

his article is about my management style regarding giving and receiving team feedback in my career of over 22 years working in restaurants, bars, nightclubs and hotels. The title is self-explanatory, and the words appear easy to absorb, but putting it into practice is more complicated than it seems. One of the most challenging parts of management is giving your team critical feedback and dealing with your customers’ complaints. These particular topics require a great deal of care and attention, and one word out of place can trigger a chain of events that, on occasion, can be impossible to recover from. Adopting a culture of brutal honesty will empower your teams to communicate better, more

efficiently and give all customerfacing team members greater confidence when dealing with difficult situations. It starts with you. To give direct feedback to your team, you must first open yourself up to direct feedback. This means you must perform a brutally honest self-assessment, ask yourself the toughest of questions, like “what would my team say if I suddenly gave them free rein to criticise my performance”. Remember, human nature dictates that when you criticise someone, they will look directly back at you and judge whether you have the right to do so. As a leader, you have the right, given the position you hold, but if the person on the receiving end doesn’t feel you maintain the correct standard, they

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES/MUNANDME

brains from smartphones and social media. On all these subjects, I try to bring in valued lessons from unique lived experiences and knowledge. And I do question how some ‘motivational speakers’ – of which there is a choice of tens, possibly hundreds, of thousands of people to choose from across the world – can speak with authority, credibility and authenticity on these important subjects. But I always stress that a speech of between 20 mins to an hour at an event can never change the world, let alone a conference. What it will give is a few valuable takeaways to explore further within the organisation. This brings me onto the longer programmes I am asked to deliver. The subjects are usually similar, but the simple reality is that there is far more time to explore, coach and consult in depth with regular seminars or sessions spread over several months to a year or more. This is where real change, benefit and growth can happen, yet many companies naively believe that the only initiative they need in the development of their staff is an annual ‘teambuilding day’ – which, while always well organised, will bring fun above anything else. There is countless research proving that companies embarking on regular programmes of leadership, team and personal coaching, consulting and development – delivering the awareness, models, mantras, lessons, learnings, tools and techniques to leaders, managers and staff – will see untold benefits in terms of cohesion, synergy and growth. And, above all, results. It all depends on what exactly one is trying to achieve. Which brings me to my final point, in that the objective or goal-setting in itself is one of the most undervalued and misunderstood yet critical values across the whole world in almost every facet of society.

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will lose respect for the company and your leadership. I have adopted a ‘brutal honesty’ strategy from my time working in high-pressure environments for genuinely inspirational leaders, where there was no time to beat around the bush. If you had something to say, you were encouraged to say it, no-frills – simply say it. The leaders I worked for were strong enough to hear it and take it on board, which gave me the confidence to listen and accept

It takes courage to say what you’re thinking and encourage others to do the same their brutally honest feedback on my performance. Now don’t get me wrong. Not every conversation was a joy to be a part of. However, issues were dealt with quickly and efficiently and resulted in the highest respect between people because everyone knows they are honest. A culture of brutal honesty takes a great deal of time, care and attention to master. It takes courage to say what you’re thinking and encourage others to do the same. It requires structure, timing and tact as you are looking to develop people, not offend them. It demands that you listen and understand your team, get to know them and discover what truly drives them. Most importantly, a culture of brutal honesty will give you the ability to know when you’re the one who needs to listen. The truth really does set you free.

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Conversational intelligence HERE’S HOW PLEASANT CONVERSATIONS CAN ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY BY NADINE KHOURY

“T

here is nothing like a good conversation.” How many times have you heard that statement? Or perhaps you have said it yourself on different occasions. But is that all that good conversations do? Do they just bring about a feeling of pleasure? Or could there be more to it? As Dr Judith E Glaser, the creator of Conversational Intelligence always says: “To get to our next level of greatness depends on the quality of our culture, which depends on the quality of our relationships, which depends on the quality of our conversations.”

Everything happens via conversations. Conversations are not merely an exchange of words and ideas. They impact our whole neurochemistry and performance. When we engage in conversations that bring about a sense of security, non-judgement, inclusivity, respect and trust, we not only feel good, but our body also starts producing a hormone known as oxytocin. High levels of oxytocin activate an important area in our brain (the prefrontal cortex), which is essential for problem solving, compassion, strategising, innovation and many other higher cognitive functions that we need in order to be able to operate at high-performance levels. In addition to that, during pleasant conversations where our oxytocin levels are high, we tend to behave differently. We open up more easily, we are not scared to share opinions, we are open to experimenting with – and accepting – new ideas, and we are able to see the best in people and in situations. In other words, when our oxytocin levels are high, we are able to function at our best. On the other hand, when conversations bring out fear and a sense of doubt and uncertainty, the hormone cortisol is produced. High levels of cortisol activate our instinctive protection brain networks that set us up to be defensive and offensive in our behaviour. We thus resist new ideas and become very critical of everyone and everything. We go into judgement rather than understanding and operate out of survival mode rather than thriving mode. Which one of these two cultures would you like to nurture in your organisation? Develop your organisation’s Conversational Intelligence to help establish a high-performing and engaging culture where people experience happiness, harmony, a sense of belonging and where they are able to give their best!

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MOHAMMED OMRAN

A BUSINESS ICON WHO SHAPED THE TELECOM INDUSTRY OF THE UAE. READ ABOUT HIS JOURNEY IN MILESTONES: IN CAREER AND LIFE. AvA i l A b l e i n e n g l i s h A n d A r A b i c A c r o s s A l l l e A d i n g b o o k s t o r e s A n d At b o o k s A r A b i A . c o m

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INTERVIEW

PLAYING FOR KEEPS Motivate Academy sat down with world-renowned rugby player Mike Phillips to ask him about his experience with our personal coaching programme

ou recently engaged in a 100-day coaching programme with Motivate Academy. You have played in front of millions and are highly respected around the world for your achievements in sports. Why did you opt to be coached and what is the value of participating in a personal coaching programme?

It comes down to growth and wanting to make the best version of yourself. When you want to influence others in a personal way, you need the tools and some direction to come across in the right way. You need to know how to share your experiences with others and how to get your information across. If you are not clear, then people will not take you seriously. It [the programme] is fantastic in that way, helping in preparation and giving confidence to help others. You are used to being in front of thousands, if not millions of people at one time. What makes it so different between rugby and getting up on stage to speak to people?

It is different – rugby is physical, action-based and is all about reading the game and seeing space. Communication is a massive part of high-end sports, especially in my position, where I’m conducting the plays. For me, rugby was something I did at a young age, so I was really comfortable in front of 80,000 people, much more than in a team meeting. But it’s a different kind of attention on stage where everyone is listening to what you are saying. You have to know how to communicate in a different way. How does working on life skills change what you do?

You want to come across in the right way and you want people to listen and take away two or three points from what has been said. People aren’t going to take it all, but if you can add value in one or two things, that’s massive. In a big game, one person can be the difference between winning and losing the World Cup. It’s about the small things, doing it often and it grows. How was your experience of undertaking our coaching programme?

I felt a difference in my focus right away. I have noticed a lot of difference and a lot more positivity going on in my life at the minute – I have better relationships. My direction has been huge. Of course, there’s loads of things in the pipeline and I am more confident that they will happen because there is focus there. I am confident about the future.

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Mike Phillips collected 94 caps playing for Wales

Is it worth getting coached?

I’m not saying yes for the sake of saying yes. It’s something that I have done, and so I know that it works; and I’ve seen it firsthand and it helps you grow and improve and so if you are willing to change and you have a positive mindset and you want to see positive things happen, you have to change your normality. You have to do something new. Change your diet, go training, work harder – nothing is going to fall in your lap. What would be your final thought?

Focus!

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Manish.chopra@motivate.ae +971 4 427 3443

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