Leadership Advice: What’s in your hand?

I dove back into the archives this week and ended up watching a TED clip by Rick Warren on purpose. Go to to view. You will remember him for authoring Purpose Driven Life. I have heard it before but again was riveted by what he was saying. One of John Maxwell’s leadership laws is the ‘law of process’. This law states that developing leadership happens through a continuous reinforcing of what has been learnt. It is small actions over time that deliver results rather than cataclysmic events! Watching this clip reminded me of commitments and insights that I had when I first saw him speak in 2006 and again how critical the ‘why’ and ‘what’ are continuously reinforced in our own lives.

Last week we reminded ourselves of a ‘deeper purpose’. This week we add a layer and look at the ‘what’. Once the ‘Why’ is clear it makes sense that we focus on ‘what’ we have to work with. Rick Warren uses the metaphor of Moses’s staff in the Bible which represented 3 core areas in his life - his Identity, his Income and his Influence. In other words the staff defined the job that he had, how he earned his money and the influence he had in that position. Rick uses the metaphor in talking about his work with NBA basketball players. The Ball represents their Identity, Income and Influence. That’s what’s in their hands.

What’s in your hand? What talents, skills, passions so you have that can impact on others?

Connecting to this ‘what’ off the foundation of a solid ‘why’ yields defining changes in your daily actions. You have been given gifts. You were not born with nothing to offer, but rather a great deal of uniqueness which the world needs to see. You being all of who you are is what makes the difference to the rest of us. Spending time on these questions helps you shift your focus away from self and onto others. Impacting on others fuels meaning and fulfillment, something all of us desire to strongly.

Take some time to answer these questions:

• What, when you do it, makes you feel powerful? Time seems to fly by, you feel energised and alive?
• What positive feedback have you been given consistently - a skill, talent, character trait etc?
• If it was not about money or time what would you most like to do with your time?
• What do you dream about doing to make a difference in the world?

Own it. Own what you have in your hands. Own it and use it!

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com

Finding that ‘deeper’ purpose

Yesterday, a friend of mine recounted a dream he had last night where I sat him down and challenged him on finding his ‘deeper purpose’. I was fascinated by his ‘nocturnal’ encounter with these words. In his dream he was unsure about what it was which meant he was not able to respond to my continual quest for clarity from him. I told him he needs to discover his deeper ‘inner vibe!’ and be connected with why he was doing what he was doing. Eventually I sent him up a hill with a journal and pen to journal what he thought this ‘deeper purpose’ could be. After a period of reflection he came up with some answers.

The person who I am referring to, in my opinion, is pretty connected to why he does what he does. In fact, I would say he has an array of questions and statements which he reminds himself off constantly. Words like purpose, vision and values form a part of his weekly speak. Yet the question in the dream challenged him. As we spent time discussing the dream I realised it challenged me too! The reason was that one word: deeper.

What is that deeper purpose for you? What is that ‘why’ that runs through your veins, is ingrained in your DNA and that connects you powerfully with how you live your life? What is it that you feel so powerfully about which runs as deep as the oceans within your soul?

The timing of this discussion was impeccable. My challenge lately is to continuously remind myself of the ‘why’ rather than to become too focused on the ‘what’ and the ‘how.’ When this ‘why’ is not clear I look back over a week and wonder how much of what I have done has been effective. The disciplines which are important to me such as times of quiet and solitude go out the window. When I focus on my ‘why’ I can clearly see which of my actions have substance and color. Those actions feel rewarding and energising rather than empty and fruitless.

The point is we both realised we would like to be able to articulate that ‘deeper purpose’ off the cuff. If we have to journal on the hillside to find it out it probably means we are not going to be able to call on it in the moment. That’s where it counts!

How many of your actions have purpose behind them?


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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com

Un-Limit your Limiting Beliefs

Between the ages of 0 - 7 we receive over 24 000 hours of programming. We all know the little ones we share homes with suck in information like a sponge. Young kids seem to soak in each and every bit of information or influence that comes their way. As they consciously engage with their surroundings, each little individual begins to shape a set of beliefs which will inform the way in which they live. Experiences both positive and negative will sit in the sub conscious storage department.

As we grow older our conscious choices are influenced by those sub conscious beliefs. Most faith based messages or self help advice roots down to working with what you think, a renewing of the mind.

I gave blood when I was young. They only needed a vile, yet the factors surrounding the ‘blood removal’ freaked me out and sent me into a black out right their in the doctors room. That was it - a limiting belief. I can’t give blood. The blood bank would roll into school with its worthy message of the need to donate. But each time I stood up to do my part, my sub conscious reminded me of that fateful day. I sat back down.

Paul Potts, winner of Britain’s got talent a few years back, speaks about how it took him an hour to click on ‘submit’ after filling in his online application form to enter the show. He notes that confidence has always been an issue for him. His belief was that he did not have a great deal to offer those around him because of how he looked and who he thought he was. The temptation was to just continue selling cell phones rather than reveal his talent to the world.

Which begs the question - what beliefs limit you? As I work with people I uncover limiting beliefs such as ‘I can’t speak my truth, hand over responsibility, love unconditionally, get my drivers license, take time off, start that sport, take that risk.’ It seems as we mature we simply develop more reasons why we should remain in our comfort zones.

Comfort Zone? That place where our fears sleep unchallenged. Paul selling cell phones. Beneath those fears is a deep ocean of potential. What would happen if you had to dive in? I broke my blood fear by giving blood. Paul broke his limiting belief by getting on the stage. Look fear straight in the eye and take it on. Paul now touches millions of lives every day with his music and his story.

Un-limiting your beliefs is not just about you but about the impact your potential can make on the world around you. The world wants the best of you.

Start Un-Limiting!

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com

What if I don’t have the time to lead?

“Ok, so we get we need to lead but we actually don’t have the time!” was the opening statement made at this week’s leadership forum. Once again, rather than focusing on the answer we need ask the right questions. Too often we make decisions off the base of assumption rather than awareness.

Question 1: What robs you of the time that you need to lead?

“Issues!” is the response. I immediately draw a line across the centre of a flip chart page when I hear that word. On the top of the line I put a whole lot of x’s. Each x represents an issue - absenteeism, lack of productivity, demotivated staff, negativity etc. These are ‘above the line’ issues.

Question 2: How do you deal with these issues?

“We give warnings. We discipline. The latecomer is told not to be late and the demotivated is told to jack themselves up.” Problem solved - but for how long?

Question 3: How often do you found these same issues reoccurring despite your actions?

“Yes...” is always the answer. The crux here is that what we do to resolve these issues only offer short term solutions. The issues simply repeat themselves, managers ‘fight fires’ continuously which robs them of their time.

Question 4: What causes these issues?

Our answers are usually assumptions. Words that stem from the mouths of weary and worn out managers, returning home from the battlefield each day where it is a fight to get people just to fulfill their basic functions. Those tired minds, often resentful, toward their people begin to assume why these issues arise. Most often they are very off the mark.

Question 5: What difference would it make If you committed time and energy uncovering and dealing with the cause?

In the flip chart I place a large X below the line drawn across the middle. From that X I draw several lines pointing back toward the little x’s on the top of the line. Most often 1 ‘below the line’ cause stimulates several ‘above the line’ issues. Now it’s time to be frank about the illogical logic. Our time is swallowed up by all the issues, yet if we were to take the time to deal with below the line cause, many of the issues would be removed - sustainably. Which in turn then - would grant us more time.

We would have less issues. We would have more time. Most importantly, we would have more space to lead.

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com

Why is leadership monotonous?

Why is leadership monotonous?

That was the question posed to me yesterday in a leaders forum I facilitated. Great question. I think the beauty of facilitation is that you get to move a group closer toward an answer which they otherwise might not have come to on their own. Often it takes a neutral influence to shake up perspective. Whatever the science is behind it, it is very rewarding.

My first comment is always this. Rather than focus on finding the answer, lets focus on asking great questions.

Question 1: What about leadership do you find monotonous?
Their answer was simply this. It is routine, predictable. Same same every day. Repetitive. Probing deeper I found a team of ‘leaders’ in a thoroughly disengaged space who were simply dragging themselves through the day to pick up the pay cheque at the end of the month. We put it all on the table, felt it and spoke about it.

Question 2: When, over the past few months, have you felt different to how you felt now? What factors influenced that? They perked up a little. Each one of them recounted a moment, even if it was an hour, where they felt motivated. The factors were similar. Rising up to a challenge that presented itself. Receiving acknowledgment for the work they were doing. Knowing the future of their campaigns/teams were solid. Working with solid teams. Feeling envisioned and connected to the purpose of why they were doing what they were doing.

Question 3: What is the difference between leadership and management? After some discussion we all agreed. Management is about systems, structure, tasks & processes. It is very much focussed on the NOW. Leadership is about people, empathy, influence, relationships. It looks at the FUTURE by casting vision enthused by vision and values.

Question 4: Is Leadership Monotonous? By now their minds had clicked. Leadership is not monotonous. Management is. I challenged them a little. Management in the absence of leadership is monotonous. Leadership needs management. Management may not choose to work with Leadership. Repetitiveness, routine and predictability all fit into the management zone.

Question 5: What does this mean for the people that work for you? “Well it’s all the same” they said! Factors that demotivate us demotivate our team and vice versa. Whats more, when we are heavily managed from our superior we feel demotivated to lead.” Once again - the illogical logic. When we most need to lead, we are least likely to!

Question 6: What do you need to do then? Start practicing leadership was the answer. Both down, sideways and up.

Right now their climate is a challenge which requires the leadership gears to change. Yours might be the same. Ask yourselves the right questions & act.

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com

Stand in the Place of Possibility!

Yesterday at 06h10, I boarded a flight to Cape Town. Upon arrival I entered into their brand new airport and was just amazed at how fantastic everything was looking. I had this feeling of contentment and peace for the future of South Africa as I watched the people around me and ordered my Vide coffee. There were people everywhere, an absolute buzz.

A few years ago, Benjamin Zander challenged me in his talk on possibility. He spoke about the two options we have in every moment of the day. Option number 1 was what he termed ‘negative downward spirals’. These spirals pull ourselves and those around us downward emotionally. At the bottom of this spiral it is pretty much impossible to maintain any level of healthy perspective which reflects in your actions. Option number 2 is a much more attractive option. It is to stand in the ‘place of possibility’.

Standing in the place of possibility is what we most need to do. It is also what we are least likely to do. In fact, we seem to have our default setting at negativity. Finding Possibilities means we need to train ourselves to engage with two disciplines at any time.

Firstly - creating space. We actually do have time despite what people may think. Even a couple of seconds represents time and sometimes that is all that we need. All of us have stimulus or triggers which immediately set off that negativity in our minds. It could be the morning traffic, something our spouse does or that manager at work. We seem to react to it every time and end up feeling negative and heavy in a matter of seconds. What we don’t do is open up some space just after that trigger to make a conscious decision to stand in the place of possibility. Create space right upfront which gives you the opportunity to engage with the second discipline - asking great questions.

Many people are looking for answers - few are asking great questions. In that moment -post stimulus - great questions can save you from negative downward spirals. Watch what happens as you answer questions such as:

How is my negativity going to help this situation?
If I let myself go now, what does it mean for the rest of my day?

Followed by a critical question that swings us away from those spirals into the place of possibility.

‘What is possible right now?’

What you’ve done is stopped the downward flow of negativity and opened up possibilities. It will happen quicker than you think! Everything that we encounter has two sides to it - one positive and one negative. Your alignment to either side determines your actions and in many ways your future.

Thankfully you have a choice. I hope you choose to stand in the place of possibility.

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com

New York crime teaches us to dialogue

‘On December 22, 1984, the saturday before Christmas, Bernhard Goetz left his apartment on Manhattan’s Greenwich Village and walked to the IRT subway station at 14th street and 7th avenue... At the station he boarded the number 2 downtown express train and sat down next to 4 young black teenagers... Canty, and another one of the teenagers, Barry Allen, walked up to Goetz and asked him for $5. “What do you want?” Goetz asked. “Give me $5,” Canty repeated... Goetz reached into his pocket and pulled out a chrome-plated five-shot Smith and Wesson .38, firing at each of the 4 youths in turn. As the 4th member of the crew, Darrel Cabey, lay screaming on the ground, Goetz walked over to him and said, “You seem all right. Here’s another” before firing a 5th bullet into Cabey’s spinal cord and paralysing him for life. (Malcom Gladwell - The Tipping Point)

The story continues, ‘On the radio call-in shows and in the streets, he was treated as a hero...’

Wow - wasn’t a hero in my mind when I read that. So what was going on?

The Goetz case was during a very dark period in New York. Crime had reached epidemic proportions. During the 80’s New York averaged well over 2000 murders and 600 000 serious felonies a year. The underground system was described as ‘chaotic’. Goetz would have waited on a dimly lit platform. He would have been aware of the high crime situation. There was heavy graffiti on the walls, the floors littered with trash. Frequent fires meant trains were delayed. ‘Red Tape’ areas meant travel was slow. There were 15000 felonies on the trains alone per annum which even led to the lowest ridership in the history of the subway station.

What struck me was how all of a sudden my perspective shifted. His act was a result of negative influences repeating themselves day after day. Goetz eventually broke. The result was tragic.

It is critical that we deal regularly with our thoughts and feelings. I am often amazed at the lengthy history behind issues that I work with in teams. Insignificant events often cause significant conflicts, catalysts of harbored emotions never dealt with.

Right now, in our country’s climate, we need to talk. Right now, in our organisation’s climate, we need to talk. No matter what the climate, dialogue is critical! The most significant gift we can give each other is honesty and objective discussion.

Carly Fiorina, ex CEO of HP, speaks about dealing with change and crisis in organisations. She says if you think you have communicated enough with your teams during these times, you need to communicate 10x more than what you’ve done!

Goetz is no different to us. He acted off a platform off frustration. We are not exempt from that place.

My challenge might be yours. Where (family, organisation, social circles etc) do I need to increase dialogue?

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com