We all make mistakes on a regular basis.

I want you to understand you can own it, redeem it, and get value from your biggest mistake!

One big mistake can define you – but it doesn’t have to.

Like I said, we all have that one big mistake. It defines some part of our life and frames our thoughts and feelings in a negative way. The advice people sometimes give to “get over it” is not only useless, it’s impossible!

It’s a mindset shift.

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There is no better time than NOW for a personal mindset shift. We know that in challenging times of isolation, injury or loss it’s easy to feel down. It happens to everyone! You may be a leader or executive, or someone who wants a better life. And starting the day with a great leadership podcast is one way to start a transformation in your mind. It is a massive boost to your psyche. And with the right encouragement, the way you think and take action will change. So build yourself up with some encouraging content every day!

Humble podcast beginnings

Being stuck at home during the spring of 2020 has presented challenges to everyone. And always an Optimist, Ollie Phillips saw the opportunity to help more people with positive growth messages that are an encouragement. So starting in May, Ollie Phillips and Nick Harrington joined together to deliver great new interviews with business leadership strategies. The purpose is of The Growth Show falls right in line with the purpose of Optimist Performance. The show delivers great, inspiring content. It helps you feel connected and take positive actions to face fears and challenges.

Interviews include business leaders, Mike Friday, Matthew Campbell-Hill, Ollie Phillips, and Tom Pickering, to name just a few. They each share openly their business leadership success tips and tricks, along with key decisions they’ve made along the way. Successful leaders understand that what you put into your mind is what you are going to get out of it. This new business leadership podcast is specifically for helping people take a more positive look at growth and opportunity. It can help you as a business leader to move toward positive growth and take action, starting with the right mindset.

You can learn more about the engaging speaker services that Ollie Phillips delivers by heading to our main page. Or schedule a free consultation to learn how your team can be impacted with inspiring optimism, good working habits, and tools for team success. Book you free session with Ollie here.

The podcast is on YouTube, so after you watch the encouraging interview below, Click here to watch more great business leadership interviews on YouTube.

Don’t miss out! Get more growth and leadership content when you subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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All of these people have invested a great deal of time, energy and also money into being on this trip. They’ve also pledged to each raise at least £10,000 for children’s charity Wooden Spoon so it’s an incredible commitment.

How will everyone respond to the challenge of Everest? The nerves, the pain, the altitude, the emotional expenditure. How will I react? In going through things in my own mind, here are the top five things I’ll be reminding myself and those around me.

1. Accentuate the positives

In everyday life but also up Mount Everest, let’s remind ourselves that it’s never as bad as it seems. It’s a cliche but focus on the positives. Negativity only breeds negativity. We are creatures of habit and contagious behaviour needs to reinforce a positive attitude all the time.

2. You’re never on your own

Never try and solve everything on your own. Every team or group is greater than the sum of its parts. There will always be a piece of wisdom there from someone else, so be alive to that.

3. Listen

People will have different opinions and perspectives, but we need to listen to each other. It’s a very tough skill for lots of people, particularly when the chips are down. Hit pause, listen to people around you and be a sounding board for reason.

4. Focus on the fix

If things go wrong, take the time to recognise what went wrong. Don’t rush. Then be relentless in fixing the issue with a solution.

5. Trust

I remember this from the Clipper Round the World Race. When the chips are down, it’s your ability to trust in the people around you that matters. Trusting systems, trusting training, trusting people. That helps you to adapt, stay positive and believe that, even if things go wrong, together you can still achieve your goal.

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I can’t wait to team up with some incredible people as we attempt to set two World Records. First we’ll try to play the world’s highest rugby match and then highest tag rugby match. Working with children’s charity Wooden Spoon we aim to raise well over £200,000 in the process.

Alongside me as team captains are Shane Williams, Tamara Taylor and Lee Mears. Depending on how the Six Nations finishes, it could be a very chirpy Shane Williams, or not so much! We’ll see.. Whatever the result in the rugby, our ability to team-build is paramount. We’ve been spending as much time as possible with each other and all the team members. Knowing each other will make it much easier to help, motivate, nurture, manage, kick etc when we’re up the mountain. It’s a much-used phrase at the moment, but emotional intelligence is key.

Preparation and team-building for Everest

Preparations have been well underway for some time now. Physically I feel strong. I’ve just taken part in one leg of a cycle challenge in support of Scottish legend Doddie Weir. Doddie’s battling motor neurone disease and the whole experience with his team was incredible. Many thanks to everyone who made it possible.

In terms of the body, that’s the kind of physical preparation you can control. The toughest part of taking on something this monumental, though, is all the bits you can’t control. Such as altitude sickness and blisters, both of which can silently creep up on you. We’ve worked hard in an altitude chamber to get the body used to that and hopefully my walking boots are the perfect fit.

Other than that, I’m still doing a lot of visualisation, mentally rehearsing how I will feel and behave at altitude.

Only time will tell but Everest is now feeling very real, and very soon.

The post Everest: One month to go appeared first on Optimist Performance.

Setbacks are never easy when they’re unexpected. We feel disappointment, frustration, panic and shock. Preparation goes well, you feel in good nick, in control. But then a big curve ball hits that you didn’t anticipate, and hits you for six.

Doddie is a glowing reminder that it’s not the setback, but how we react to it, that’s most important.

So how can we deal with the kind of setback that comes out of the blue?

I try not to over-analyse or over-react. Try to be objective and take the time to assess what’s happened and why it’s happened before you move forward.

I always think back to the four months of preparation I did for my white collar boxing fight. I was super-sharp, super-lean, and then on the day I was knocked out in 30 seconds. How did this happen?… [Time to reflect]. Maybe because four months isn’t that long. Maybe because I lost the best part of 20 kilos for the fight and wasn’t used to it. Probably because I’m not a boxer and he landed a decent punch. You pick yourself up and move on.

Killing complacency

Most of the time, though, setbacks don’t come out of the blue. They’re a time bomb waiting to happen because we’ve got complacent, stopped doing the basics and lost sight of the bigger picture.

In business or in sport complacency cannot set in as easily if everyone has bought into a team culture. Why? Because in a good team, at the first sign of complacency, or bad behaviour, someone should be able to pull you up on it. If it’s against the team’s values, you should get called on it.

In your own office, could every team member pull the others up today for being complacent or behaving badly? If not, why not? For the sake of the business, that level of transparency should be there with everyone, including your boss. In sport it’s easier to achieve than in business. Would you benefit from that kind of culture, with a bit of help?

Speaking of the boss, how important are your leaders during these tough times?

Leading for the storm, not through the storm

Leadership is vital in tough times but have you noticed how the best leaders constantly challenge themselves and their teams to self-evolve and remain open and honest? Because in that kind of environment everyone becomes empowered.

In tough times some people will step up to the plate more than others. That doesn’t make them better, it just means they relish that opportunity. Some people lead and some prefer to be led, and are most effective being well led.

The sign of a really effective, positive leader is not one who belittles or blames. It is someone who empowers and enables, fixes and problem-solves. Sometimes that means having harsh conversations but they don’t need to be negative or detrimental. Most importantly, they need to help people realise it’s not the end of the world.

We get up off the canvas and live to fight another day. Believe me, I know. And if you think you might need a hand with any of this, please get in touch.

Introducing Optimist Performance (LR) from Optimist Performance on Vimeo.

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Tactics and organisation are important at this stage but I would argue that two things stand head and shoulders above everything else. Both can relate to every one of us in our daily lives: leadership and team culture.

leadership and team culture

To take England as an example, reflecting back on 2003 there’s always a temptation to focus on Clive, Johnno and Jonny. The mastermind, the captain, the kicker. All three were exemplary in what they did and their work ethic on and off the field of play and practice constantly set a benchmark for all the others to follow. But around them in the dressing room stood yet more leaders, role models, army officers, former captains, future captains.

We’re talking about guys like Jason Leonard, Lawrence Dallaglio, Phil Vickery, Richard Hill, Matt Dawson and Neil Back. Or Lewis Moody, Mike Tindall, Mike Catt, Will Greenwood, Ben Kay, Jason Robinson and Josh Lewsey. Do you think they needed to be told how to train or what to eat? Probably not, but neither did that happen by accident.

Together they were an exceptional generation of players, but over a period of time they installed a set of guiding principles by which they trained, ate, slept, drank, recovered, met, spoke to each other, spoke to the media, all before even stepping onto a rugby pitch. Out of respect for each other, they were living common values and that is what we call building a strong team culture.

Of all the teams heading into the Six Nations, Ireland are probably closest to this at the moment. It’s no coincidence that their coach Joe Schmidt is a kiwi. In rugby, the All Blacks have pretty much stood out on their own in terms of living a team culture, certainly over the past 10 years. I’ve experienced the trickle-down effect of playing them in sevens. You only need to read about their ‘Sweeping the Sheds’ mantra in James Kerr’s great book Legacy 15 Lessons in Leadership. “Never be too big to do the small things that need to be done” is just one great quote that comes to define their powerful blend of pride and humility.

Same principles can apply to any environment

Living by a common culture is essential in elite sport but the same principles should apply to any team or environment. Getting the best out of people is the same, whether they’re playing in the Six Nations, competing in the Square Mile or running a pub in the Lake District.

Cycling across the States and sailing around the world I was part of a team made up of very different people, like any business. That in itself required us to adopt a common set of values, a culture, without which we would almost certainly have failed.

So whoever you support over the next couple of months, ask yourself this: Is our team culture what it needs to be in order to reach and exceed our targets in 2019?

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What exactly is Optimist Performance?

We inspire businesses and teams to exceed their potential in the areas of Teamwork, Leadership, Resilience and Change.

What makes it different?

Professional rugby and my many adventures have taught me huge amounts about these intangible things. Crucially, though, working at PWC I’ve also learnt how powerful they can be in the corporate world. If they’re harnessed into words, values and actions they create a winning culture. So I’ve set up Optimist Performance to help businesses and teams do that, and smash their potential.

How does it work?

Firstly, we don’t like to label what we do just ‘motivational speaking’ because it’s more of a two-way street than that. Typically we work with clients through three phases:

1. Inspiration – we challenge you to think about how you’re operating
2. Exploration – together we find out more about you, your goals and how you’re set up to achieve them
3. Implementation – we help you define and grow the culture, behaviour and processes to succeed

How long does it take and what does it cost?

Ultimately you decide because we can find options to match each need and budget. Some companies like to try us for size with a 1-hour ‘inspire’ pep talk or half-day seminar. Others book whole days or even weekend workshops away. We will end up seeing most clients a few times over four to six months.

Who are your clients?

I have worked with many companies across various sectors, including Google, Accenture, Tesco, Schlumberger, Gatorade, UBS Wealth management, AJG, Clear Channel, Casewise, TBWA and Dark Horses.

Going forward, other speakers and mentors will come in under the Optimist Performance umbrella, broadening the client base but also – crucially – giving all of our clients a wealth of content and case studies, which we will make exclusively available to them.

How do we start?

Click here to Contact Ollie at Optimist Performance now!

The post Optimist Performance: How we work appeared first on Optimist Performance.

Last year I became a father and now I can’t wait to take my own family on a Sunsail yacht charter. So my mission for the next year is to build my confidence and experience.

I’m hoping to complete my RYA Day Skipper course in early 2019. I’ve already passed my theory exam and I am now looking forward to the practical part. That includes five glorious days on the Solent on a cutting-edge Sunsail Match First 40.

A busy 2019 ahead

I’ve been involved with Sunsail previously thanks to the great people at Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby. Wooden Spoon funds life-changing projects and events to help children with disabilities and disadvantages. One such event is the annual regatta on The Solent with Sunsail Events.

I’m honoured to compete in my third consecutive regatta in September 2019! I’ll also be racing with Sunsail and Wooden Spoon at Lendy Cowes Week 2019 and it’s all very exciting.

It’s a busy year in fact. I’m taking on the LMAX Exchange Everest Rugby Challenge in April and May for Wooden Spoon. I’ve also recently launched my own motivational speaking brand Optimist Performance, and all that alongside my full-time role as a Director at PWC.

Fingers crossed I’ll also get out to the Rugby World Cup in Japan – as a fan and broadcaster I hasten to add!

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Since I retired from rugby I’ve been involved in some life-changing challenges which have continued to teach me about leadership, team-building and managing change in adversity. As a Director at PWC, I’ve also learnt how powerful these things can be in the world of business so I set up Optimist Performance to impart that same knowledge in the areas of Teamwork, Leadership, Resilience and Change to help businesses & teams exceed their potential.

This website is also the best place to find out about my latest adventure tours – for example I’m climbing Mount Everest this April – and my broadcasting work.

Whether it’s been captaining England in New Zealand, sailing through 80-foot waves, cycling across America or grappling with a new corporate lifestyle, I’ve always been one of life’s eternal optimists, so the name just seemed to work.

Creating Optimist Performance

I want to thank digital and creative agency Redwing for devising the new brand mark, which I love. Redwing were great in coming up with ideas, taking feedback on board and allowing a step-by-step process before we nailed it together, across the website and also social platforms. The compass and mountain imagery gives a strong nod to my various adventures!

Having a compass is important to me. In a literal sense it’s come in very handy hundreds of times now, but I think it’s crucial that we have a strong and conscious sense of where we’re trying to get to.

In the past couple of months I’ve done some work with an exciting sports sponsorship agency called Dark Horses. As a business they’re growing rapidly in a short space of time, which is great but also brings with it headaches. Like any company up-sizing, they’ll face inevitable challenges when it comes to retaining and nurturing the same core values and cultures they have at the heart of their team and their business, and that means navigating through some testing waters.

Hopefully by sharing some of my own experiences, applying them to my new corporate life at PWC, and also by asking them some challenging questions about how they think and behave, I’ve helped set them up to do that and I look forward to working with them some more on their journey. They certainly seem to be in a great place and hugely well equipped to move forwards.

I myself am still fully embracing my current role as Director for Real Estate & Construction at PWC. I head up a team of incredible people, all of whom know far more about it than I do. In fact, I’m often asked “Ollie, what do you know about construction?!” My answer is that I’m not here to put on a hard hat. I’m here to help them wear theirs as well as possible.

Are you facing challenges in teamwork, culture, behaviour or leadership?

Join the long list of businesses benefitting from a day with one of the most inspirational speakers and mentors in the city. Contact Ollie at Optimist Performance now!

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Optimist Performance: Tell us about Dark Horses and what you get up to

Simon Dent: We’re a sports-focused creative agency based in London for people looking to break away from the field. By that I mean the people within our four walls and also our clients. We deliver world-class creative for brands operating in sport and at the moment we’re working with Nissan, Peloton, Wiggle and Southampton FC.

We think there’s a huge opportunity out there to inject a higher level of strategic and creative thinking into the world of sports marketing. For us that goes across four key areas: the first is creative strategy and finding the unique sweet spot between a client’s brand and its audience. The second is advertising, transforming those ideas into execution. Then there’s content production, from films to blogs and everything in between, and finally sponsorship strategy, where we help brands and rights-holders make sure they’re both getting maximum benefit and value from their relationship. In an ideal world, we work for a client across all of those areas.

OP: What’s the Dark Horses ethos?

SD: We exist for those wanting to break away from the field. We’re built on the DNA of the UK’s most creative company, Lucky Generals, and our drive is to always exceed expectations. We do that by assembling incredible creative talent but also, most importantly, by applying a really strong work ethic of constantly challenging each other to do better. One of my favourite sayings is “The moment you see yourself as the favourite, you’ve lost the race”, and we try to really live that.

OP: You’re growing fast – what challenges does that present?

SD: Our culture is hugely important to us, so recruitment becomes incredibly important. Preservation of what we have built to date is my main priority and as we scale up we need to maintain and even distil that chemistry, not dilute it.

OP: You brought in Ollie to talk with your team. Why?

Ollie is a hugely impressive team player and inspirational leader who’s also making a success of himself in the world of business. He’s been in some of the toughest environments you can imagine, whether out on an international rugby field or sailing the seven seas, but beyond that he has an uncanny ability to relate everything he’s learnt, including to the work place.

Every member of our team is a leader and we want them all to feel empowered to grow quickly with us, so we’re always looking to bring in positive role models, to learn from and also to inspire and help us sense check our values and our behaviours. That becomes especially important as our numbers grow. Ollie is a great example of what can be achieved with focus, dedication and positive mindset.

OP: Would you recommend Ollie, and why?

SD: Yes. Ollie is inspirational and I would recommend him to any business looking to inspire a team and get them thinking about mindset and personal growth. He’s worked in a number of different environments, in rugby, sailing, at Cambridge or now becoming a Director at PWC, and he’s always attained ‘best in class’ status. I’m a big believer that one of the keys to survival and success in any field is the ability to adapt and evolve quickly and his continued reinvention of himself is a lesson to us all.

Are you facing challenges in teamwork, culture, behaviour or leadership?

Join the long list of businesses benefitting from a day with one of the most inspirational speakers and mentors in the city. Contact Ollie at Optimist Performance now!

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