JAMES MICHAEL LAFFERTY

James is the CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding. He is an Olympic Coach, a college Professor, an award winning journalist and a philanthropist.

POWERHOUSE GLOBAL MAGAZINE (PGMAG)

INTERVIEW WITH: JAMES MICHAEL LAFFERTY (JML)

PGMAG: James, welcome to today's interview . JML: Thanks for having me. It’s an honour.

PGMAG: You are a unique professional with over 30 years of experience in leadership, sports, business and capacity building. As a leader I believe you have encountered numerous challenges whilst climbing the ladder of success, how were you able to navigate through some of those challenges?

JML: I am a firm believer in the principle that, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”. I have had a life full of adversity. Losing my parents relatively young. Having a baby at 22 years old and starting a family whilst still in University. I was working 4 jobs, including digging ditches to lay sewer lines, to survive. It’s a long list. And all of it conditioned me for larger and larger challenges and obstacles. And it’s ironic. I went through so much hardship, and as I became a parent, I was so focused on ensuring my kids did not endure the hardships I did. And now I realize, by depriving them of adversity, I didn’t do them any favours and I actually deprived them of the very experiences that shaped me. I acted out of love but only now in retrospect do I realize it was a mistake.

PGMAG: What are the top three books that changed your life?

JML: I am a big believer in mainly biographies of real people who achieved real things. I don’t have much time for books written by so-called experts who frankly haven’t achieved much of anything. I want the real deal. So the books that have done it for me: --Jobs—The biography of Steve Jobs of Apple.

--Touch the Top of the World. The autobiography of my dear friend Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind man to summit Mt. Everest. This set the benchmark for me of the epitome of overcoming obstacles! --Slay the Dragon by the world record sprinter Michael Johnson. One of the greatest champions ever. He always won in the big races like the Olympics.

PGMAG: What are some of the vital keys to building a successful business?

JML: I think fundamentally great businesses bring real value to it’s customers. Great businesses are hence customercentric and put the customer at the heart of everything they do. They execute flawlessly. Great businesses believe, “The only strategy the customer sees is execution”. Brilliant strategy,

I am a firm believer in the principle that, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”. I have had a life full of adversity. Losing my parents relatively young. Having a baby at 22 years old and starting a family whilst still in University.

without strong execution, is nothing more than a pretty powerpoint presentation.

PGMAG: How would you describe your style of leadership?

JML: I am at heart a servant leader. I am here to help my people, to serve them, help them grow and be successful. They are not here to serve me, which is unfortunately the approach many weak leaders take. Having said this, I do hold very high standards and I believe people are happiest when they have sacrificed and achieved lofty goals. This only comes from setting high standards. So whilst I know sometimes my people may resent the standards I set, over the long term they are happier as a result, and they are better prepared for what the world has to throw at them.

PGMAG: As a global influencer, what is your message for world leaders?

JML: I would honestly say, “Forget the politics and the self-interest and just lead!” The Covid-19 crisis has brought to the forefront just how few true leaders we have in the world among those who are in positions of authority across many countries. It’s sad. Some of the performances we see today, if in the business world

“Forget the politics and the self-interest and just lead!” The Covid-19 crisis has brought to the forefront just how few true leaders we have in the world among those who are in positions of authority across many countries.

these supposed “leaders” would be long fired from their job.

PGMAG: Tell us about your role as an 'Olympic Coach'. What do you bring to the table in order to achieve set results with your clients?

JML: Well, I have a strong background in physiology and I am very much up-to-speed in the areas of strength training and nutrition. So I can bring a great deal to the table here. I am also a strong motivator and I play a role with all of my athletes on the sports psychology side. I have always been a clutch performer, be it in business or sports. I do my best under extreme pressure and difficult situations.

PGMAG: Who would be your ideal lunch date, and what would be the topic of discussion?

JML: My favorite saying is, “ A principle is not a principle until it costs you something”. I have lived my life adhering 99% of the time to the principle of “do the right thing”. In this light, I would love to have lunch with Mandela. How he stood by his principle of righteousness and stayed in prison over 20 years! I would love to just ask him about his emotions and whether he felt time would vindicate him—which it obviously did. The man’s

My favorite saying is, “ A principle is not a principle until it costs you something”. I have lived my life adhering 99% of the time to the principle of “do the right thing”. In this light, I would love to have lunch with Mandela. How he stood by his principle of righteousness and stayed in prison over 20 years!

strength of conviction is just a sight to behold.

PGMAG: If you knew what you know now, what would you do differently?

JML: Well, in terms of the aforementioned principle of “Do the right thing”, I fell down hugely once. I was married happily for 25 years. In year 26 I moved away from my family out of necessity and I ended up lonely and I cheated on my wife. She didn’t deserve this. This singular act of stupidity and weakness unleashed a chain of events that led to my marriage collapsing. And altering the course of my life. I am in a good place now and happy, and I am very lucky. But if I could go back and un-do the damage, I would. But this is the reality. Sometimes the damage is so great, that saying “I am sorry” over and over again doesn’t fix it. Things can be broken beyond repair. All I can do now is learn from this; and be resolute it will never happen again. And it won’t.

PGMAG: Finally, what would you say to your younger self?

JML: Chill out. Take time to smell the roses. Life goes by in the blink of an eye. Enjoy a bit more. Don’t rush getting old--it is coming anyways. PGMAG: James, thank you for honouring this invitation - much appreciated.

JML: Thank you so much for having me and for the excellent questions!

PGMAG: Please share your links with our readers.

JML: All information about me, and I can be contacted, is via my website, JamesMichaelLafferty.com Our company website is Finehh.com