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Welcome to the program! Every body, even elite athletes, struggle at times to stay motivated towards achieving their fitness goals. You are much more likely to engage in regular fitness training, however, if you have a goal or an event to aim for. Rather than just turning up to the gym and stumbling on the treadmill like a Zombie on autopilot, try the following ideas to invigorate you fitness plan:

• Fun Run, or a half marathon
• Cycle or a Mountain Bike race
• Ocean swim
• Paddle race
• Conquer a bush walk, climb a mountain, or train for the Kokoda Trail
• Charity walk or fundraising event with friends

At the time of writing this article I’m in Shanghai knowing I need to get a swim in early tomorrow morning because I’ve made the commitment to participate in an ocean swim in 2 weeks time with a good mate of mine. This will make sure I get to bed at a decent hour tonight, and also keeps me disciplined when on the road.

Try locking in a Fitness Activity Goal to add variety and purpose to your fitness training program. It is amazing how much more disciplined and focused you’ll be when you have a goal to train towards. Plus, the exhilaration and achievement you’ll feel by accomplishing a fitness goal, especially if it’s really challenging. Happy training!

In the box below, list ideas for your own Fitness Activity Goal

Sensory Awareness and Purpose

Being outdoors makes you feel alive. The smell of lemon-scented eucalyptus trees, the salt-spray from a blue ocean and the crackle of twigs beneath your feet on a bush track awaken the senses. Research shows connecting with nature also bestows a meaning of purpose and connectedness.

Disguised Physical Activity

Outdoor environments beg to be explored and discovered. If you hate going to the gym, explore a valley, bush track or a mountain range. Grab a surfboard or kayak and hit the wet stuff. Nature has a great way of ‘disguising’ fitness and making physical activity fun.

Humans Crave Connection with Nature

Disconnect from the ever-present technological distractions of email, RSS feeds, internet, text messages and constant news updates and get out of the concrete jungle – revive your body and soul by heading back to the bush. Next time you feel stressed, get outside and have a healthy dose of the outdoors…

(Main sources: Why nature is therapeutic, Wilderness Programs Association. Psychological benefits of nature experiences, John Davis PHD, 2004).

How do you start your working day? My bet it is like most people checking emails, RSS feeds, reading blogs, scanning the internet… Setting your day up with one distraction after another.

Transform the way you work and invest 10 to 15 minutes planning your day, before you turn on your email. This is a great way to think and paint a clear picture of what really needs to be accomplished. Ask the following questions:

• What are five things I can achieve today that will make the biggest difference to my job/role/organisation/sales volumes/etc?
• What do I do best? How can I plan my day to spend a large amount of time actually doing my job?
• Is there anything that needs doing urgently?
• Who do I need to speak with today?
• How will I plan today to maximise energy levels and boost productivity?

The discipline of kick-starting your day with a Warm Up Ritual will change the way you work forever. Stop being reactive and take control of your day with a proactive plan.

That’s why every year, or after a set level of kilometers, we book our cars in for a check up. Expert mechanics complete a full inspection and safety report and make adjustments to ensure your car is back to its optimal functioning level.

Just like cars, human beings also have an optimal functioning level. After prolonged periods of constant pressure, our bodies and brain can also become sluggish, less responsive and run the risk of breaking down.

At the Performance Clinic we offer science based human performance check up’s. In a comprehensive assessment, one of our expert coaches will assess you in over 100 areas of human performance and provide a report that details where you are going well and where you can make some adjustments to achieve your optimal functioning level.

The Performance Clinic is a corporate coaching and training consultancy committed to helping you reach your performance potential. We partner with you to produce measureable benefits in both your work life and in your personal life.

Reaching your Performance Potential
Anyone can reach his or her performance potential. Quite simply, it is being the best that you can be.

This is important because when you are performing at your best you feel in control, your satisfaction with work increases and you enjoy life more. Not to mention additional work-related benefits associated with high performance including career progression, getting a pay rise or being recognised by your peers.

Let’s imagine for a moment that you are performing at your best. You are effectively managing stress, you feel healthy and energetic, you are productive at work, your employer values your contribution and you experience positive relationships. Things seem easier.

On the other hand when you are not performing at your best work can be tiresome, you get frustrated easily, relationships become strained, you feel more fatigued and there seems to be less fun in your life. Things seem tougher.

When asked to choose between the two operating levels, it’s a pretty simple choice isn’t it?

So, how do you know what your performance potential is and how do you achieve it?

The 4 Elements of Performance
At the Performance Clinic we have been working with sporting teams, Olympic athletes, CEO’s, leadership teams, self-traders and all manner of employees to understand what makes people great.

We have discovered that in any given situation, regardless of your role, the industry you work in, your marital status, your sex, or your age – there are behaviours that contribute to high performance and behaviours that interfere with your performance potential. We call these behaviours “performance triggers” and have categorised them into 4 elements.

Psychology – the way you think
The psychology element of performance provides you with the skills and techniques to be in control of how you think, feel and behave. It provides you with a better understanding of self and enhances your relationships with others.

It improves your satisfaction with life.

Productivity – the way you work
The productivity element provides you with the skills and systems to be more efficient by saving time, more effective by adding value and reduces stress and anxiety by clarifying purpose.

It makes work easier.

Recovery – the way you balance stress
The recovery element provides you with the skills and technology to help you replenish energy levels so you have the capacity to deal with periods of high stress.

It keeps performance consistent.

Physiology – the way you eat and move
The physiology element provides you with the knowledge and skills to improve physical fitness, energy levels, concentration and mood.

It makes you feel good.

Using these 4 elements as the foundation of great performance we applied scientific research and measurement tools to develop our comprehensive Performance Profile Assessment.

For more information on our Performance Assessment and what it entails please contact our office on 02 9299 2525

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1. Ignore the comment and continue life as usual
2. Encourage your child to chat to friends, and use their friend’s guidance to increase their performance
3. Seek out professional help to coach your child

What would you choose? Most people in this situation choose C. They recognise an opportunity and choose a course of action that’s going to give them the greatest return. After all, who wouldn’t want to increase their child’s performance if they had the chance? For many, this is an easy decision. Ignoring the problem is out of the question and seeking informal help may provide a short-term social buzz but do nothing for long-term performance.

When it comes to making the best decision for our children, we see a situation, think rationally and apply the best solution. But why is it so hard for us as adults, to apply the same principles to similar situations that involve us? That is, when we’re doing ok personally or professionally, but know we could be better, what stops us from seeking the services of a professional coach to improve our performance?

According to research by Spence & Grant (2007) from Sydney University, when individuals seek the services of professional coaches, rather than consulting peers, they are more committed to reaching their goals; progress more quickly towards these goals and experience greater well-being.

For many readers, this is probably no surprise.  You want to improve your child’s education so you get a tutor. You want to develop your son’s tennis skills so you send him to tennis lessons. You want improve your daughter’s singing, so you send her to singing lessons. You know that when you want to improve something, you seek expert advice and this results in accelerated performance and your child is happier as a result. Why then, is it so hard for us, as adults to acknowledge that we too need to increase our performance and the only way to do it, is by seeking support from experts?

Maybe it’s the old case of ‘I don’t have time’ or ‘I don’t know where to go’ perhaps its even a result of the he-man complex and believing you don’t need any help. But to those excuses, we provide you with this science:

In a study by Smither (2003) executives in the workplace who sort the services of a professional coach increased their workplace performance because they were better at providing feedback, they set more goals for themselves, sort out more feedback, could use the feedback more wisely and got better performance ratings.

In another study by Luthans and Peterson (2003) executives at work who sort the services of professional coaches not only increased their performance at work, but positively increased their attitude to work and relationships with others.

Finally, in another study by Grant, et al (2009) people who engaged in a structured executive coaching program, compared to those who didn’t, experienced enhanced goal attainment, increased resilience, increased workplace well-being, increased self confidence, increased ability to handle organisational change and decreased feelings of stress and depression.

Who wouldn’t want these things?

To date, there is an ever-growing body of research highlighting the benefits of seeking out the services of professional coaches to enhance our performance at work, at home and all the places in between. The question is, what’s stopping you from participating?  So, over to you. If you want to experience greater well-being, improve your performance at work, improve your relationships with others and of course role model to your children the importance of working hard to reach their goals, then ask yourself; what are you doing about it?

By Danielle Buckley

References:

Grant, A. M; Curtayne, L., & Burton, G (2009).  Executive coaching enhances goal attainment, resilience and workplace well-being: A randomised controlled study.  The Journal of Positive Psychology. 4(5). 396-407.

Luthans, F., & Peterson, S. (2003) 360 degree coaching with systemic coaching: Empirical analysis suggests a winning combination. Human Resource Management, 42 (3), 243 – 256.

Spence, G. B., & Grant, A. M. (2007) Professional and peer life coaching and the enhancement of goal striving and well-being: An exploratory study. Journal of Positive Psychology, 2, 185 – 194.

Smither, J. W., London, M., Flautt, R., Vargas, Y., & Kucine, I. (2003) Can working with an executive coaching improve mutlisource feedback ratings over time? A quasi experimental field study. Personnel Psychology, 56 (1), 23 – 44.

The New Year is a great time to take stock of all of the really important parts in your life including your health, finances, relationships and your career. Right now thousands of people around the country are setting goals – some will be successful but the reality is so many goals will be broken in the first 2 or 3 weeks.

Goal Setting Statistics

• 25% of all new years goals are broken in the first 2 weeks
• It normally takes 5 or 6 unsuccessful attempts at goal setting to make them happen
• Less than 20% of people actually write their goals down

Top 5 Reasons Goals are Broken

1. Goals set to impress others
2. Goals were forced upon you
3. Trying to do too much, too soon
4. Self sabotage due to fear of failure or low self-esteem
5. Poor understanding of the goal setting process

So why don’t most people set and achieve personal goals, career goals and business goals? Goal setting is a positive, powerful practice when it ignites enthusiasm and provides clear direction.

When practiced poorly, however, goal setting also has a serious downside that can undermine your success. Poor goal setting makes people cynical, wastes their time and fosters confusion about where to concentrate actions and energy.

TIPS

What are your likes and dislikes?

This is a really good place to start. Grab a sheet of paper and make a list of what you like about your current/recent job and also make a list about what you don’t like.

• What type of environment would you ideally like to be working in?
• What would you be doing on a day-to-day basis?
• What type of people/boss would you like to work with?

If you find this difficult to get started – make a list of what you enjoy and what you are passionate about outside of work. Can you find a career in an industry that engages these passions and interests on a daily basis.

Ask yourself the right career questions

Give some thought to what you really want and why you want to achieve it?

• How much does changing your career really mean to you?
  What are the benefits of achieving this goal? (list all the benefits)
  Who else does this affect/impact? (include partner/family/etc)
  Are you really prepared to do what it takes to achieve this goal?
• List all of your transferable skills? (communication, presentation skills, IT and computers, leadership, etc)
• What are the financial ramifications of changing careers?

Polish your Presentation

Regardless of what you might think, or what other people might have told you – first impressions do count, period.  Research points over and over to the fact that the first impression people have of you sticks, especially in a 30 minute meeting or job interview. Spend time crafting your ‘story’ about the experience you’ve accumulated and why this qualifies you to change careers – be clear and to the point, don’t ramble on as your prospective employer will only switch off.

Are you fit and healthy? Now might be a great time to also work on your physical appearance. You don’t have to walk into the interview wearing a mesh singlet showing off a six-pack – but looking healthy and energetic goes a long, long way.

And finally, take a review of your wardrobe. Quality clothes not only make you feel better about yourself, they help project an image of success. Dress appropriately for the industry you are aiming to work in.

Craft your CV

OK, so maybe it’s time to update your CV and remove the reference to being on the Year 12 end of year ball fund raising committee or winning the 800 metres in the under 12 regional carnival. I’m sure you get my point…

Set aside adequate time to tailor your CV to the new career you are targeting. Include all of the transferable skills that you have learned in previous jobs to show why you are ready to pour your energy and passion into a new career. Include all of your qualifications and training courses. Also invest time tailoring a specific cover letter and clearly summarise why you are qualified for the job (assuming you are applying to a specific role that has been advertised)

Process Goals

The science of goal setting focuses on breaking large outcome goals into smaller, manageable pieces, or process goals. Rather than focusing primarily on the outcome of a new career, break the larger goal into smaller bite size pieces. Along with the above questions, also consider:

• What new skills or education do you need in order to change careers?
• Do you need to work out a longer plan over the next 6 to 12 months in order to gain the skills and qualifications necessary to change careers?
• Does your CV showcase all of your skills, talents and passions?
• Have you worked on crafting your story?
• Have you identified the right type of look or personal brand needed to change careers?
• Do you have a mentor or someone you know who can help you change careers?

Review Regularly

Goal setting is not like a long term investment strategy for the share market of ‘set and forget’. Review your goals at least every 1 to 2 weeks, preferably weekly. Don’t leave it for another 365 days. This helps activate the Reticular Activating System (RAS)

The RAS is an inbuilt goal setting device that tracks us towards our target and filters the type of information we let into our internal system. Have you ever noticed when you buy a new car you notice every similar make and model on the road? Or when you want to buy a house you notice every for sale sign in your desired suburb?

Regularly think what it is going to be like once you have successfully achieved your goals. How are you going to feel?

Watch this segment on the Today Show

www.andrewmay.com

Researchers have known for a while that there is a link between light and sleep. While not fully understood, exposure to light appears to trigger our brain and hormones to wake up in the morning. Alertness hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are naturally released in the early hours of the morning but appear to be secreted in larger doses when we are exposed to natural light at this time. An example of the benefits of early morning light was demonstrated in a study conducted in 2004 where 450 research participants found that those who got the most light, particularly in the morning, reported better moods throughout the day and reported better night-time sleep.

So what can we do to in our working day to get a healthy dose of light? Try some of the following:

•    A 30-minute walk or some form of outdoor exercise each morning will help kick start the day. This doesn’t need to be a planned training session but just walking to work, or even the train station. Some researchers believe that combining exercise with morning light exposure may amplify light’s beneficial effects on your mood, night-time sleep, and overall day-time alertness.

•    Eat breakfast near a window or, if possible, out in the garden or balcony. If not possible before you get to work, try having an early morning tea outside the office building.

•    Ensure your bathroom is bright. If you don’t have natural light in the bathroom, ensure you have multiple sources of light, not just one light bulb. Think about painting this room a bright colour next time you are decorating.

•    Avoid bright evening light. Dim your indoor lights after 6pm to prepare your body for sleep later. You production of the hormone melatonin, the main sleep inducing hormone, relies on the reduction of light to be stimulated.

•    Best to avoid your computer after 7pm. If you do have to do later evening computer tasks, soften your computer screen. Reduce the screen brightness. Better still, turn it off.

•    Use the window and drapes. If possible, leave your window drape open a little to allow morning light to seep into your bedroom. Research has consistently shown that the rising sun is the best and most natural alarm clock. Of course in summer, this may be too early so, if possible, open the drapes as soon as your alarm clock goes off and before you drift back into a snooze.

Tom Buckley a University lecturer and researcher in the field or Health Sciences whose doctoral studies focused on physiological responses to stress. Author of several peer reviewed publications and supporting author of Flip the Switch, his current research interests are in human factors related to performance and wellbeing

This concept has never really made sense to me. Why do we work so hard and push ourselves so far throughout the year that we spend a large part of our holiday time feeling flat and fatigued?

Follow the tips below to make sure you don’t burnout before Christmas and to ensure you have the energy you need to make the most of the time you have with family, friends and loved ones:

1. Fill up on Fluids

And I don’t mean just alcohol! We tend to drink more alcohol during the festive season so we need to drink even more water than usual to ensure we stay hydrated. As a general rule try a water chaser after every alcoholic beverage.

The most common cause of daytime fatigue is mild dehydration. Even minor dehydration can make you feel fatigued, lose concentration or cause headache. Water helps the blood transport oxygen, and the level of oxygen in the bloodstream is greatest when the body is well hydrated. This leads to increased energy levels. If you are properly hydrated, your heart also doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood throughout your body.

2. Pep Up with Protein

So many Christmas gifts contain candy canes, Belgian chocolates and cookies. While these do taste great, they are not the best foods for sustained energy release.

If you are feeling lethargic or peckish between meals try a protein snack instead. Meals that tend to make you more alert contain protein, are low in fat, and limit the amount of carbohydrate. Protein contains tyrosine which is converted into the alertness neurotransmitter, dopamine.

3. Move Baby Move

Don’t use all of those deadlines and hangovers as a reason to skip your regular exercise. And if you really do need to miss a session or two add strategic movement – get up off your backside and take a walk around the office every 90 minutes.

As soon as you begin to move a cascade of chemical and physiological equations occur that immediately boost energy. Building strategic movement into your day is a proven way to instantly increase energy levels, improve blood flow and deliver oxygen and glucose to the brain and muscles. It is vital to switch on your energy hormones and triggers the sympathetic nervous system that helps keep you alert and sharp.

4. Be Mindful

Everyone wants everything at the same time leading up to Christmas. It can be difficult not to be pulled into a million directions at once and it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed. Try focusing on one thing at a time so you can stay in control and get more done.

When you’re calmly focused on a single task, your brainpower is multiplied. Whilst it may seem more productive to multi-task, in fact it dramatically reduces efficiency. Try removing yourself from distractions and work in forced isolation to solve problems and boost creativity.

5. Take a Breath

If you feel stressed it’s time to take a deep breath, literally. The way we breathe has a powerful effect on how stressed we feel.

One of the physiological changes that occurs with the stress response and the kicking in of the automatic nervous system is a switch from slow, abdominal breathing to faster, shallower, chest breathing. By consciously taking a few deep breaths we take in more oxygen and send a message to our brains that we are coping with the stressor and this helps to reduce a number of the emotional symptoms of stress.

6. Think Positively

How many times have you heard or said these statements in the last month, “I’m exhausted, I have more work than I can handle, why do I have to do everything?” Constant negative thinking decreases our ability to perform.

Our thinking patterns directly affect the body and how it functions. When you replace your negative thoughts with optimistic thoughts instead of resentment, anxiety and worry – you will start to feel an increased sense of wellbeing. This results in better quality sleep, improved productivity, reduced muscle tension, anxiety, and fatigue.

7. Look in the Rear View Mirror

Goal setting is a lot like driving a car. While you definitely need the majority of your focus out the front windscreen looking at the road ahead, every now and then you also need to take a look into the rear view mirror to see what’s behind you. Now is a great time to take stock of the achievements and wins you have accomplished in 2010.

It is easy to become obsessed with soaring faster, higher and stronger that we forget to celebrate our successes along the way.
I’d like you to grab a blank sheet of paper and complete the same activity. Write down all of your achievements over the previous year.

• What has worked well in your personal and professional life?
• What positives have you drawn out of your relationships?
• What wins have you had with your health and fitness?
• What have you learned this year?
• What have you enjoyed doing more of this year?

While there is loads of research highlighting the benefits of adopting an optimistic future, it is also essential to every now and then take a glance in the rear view mirror and remember where you’ve come from. Happy reflecting!

1. Plan your break.

So many people plan their working days to the last second but fail to give any thought to their time off. Pack early, ensure a good night╒s sleep before you leave and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed, not zapped.

2. Leave work in the office.

Don‘t take reports or proposals to finish by the beach. Be disciplined and leave work in the office. Turn off technology and take time out.

3. Prune your schedule.

Adrenaline junkies are notorious for getting back from holidays feeling tired and fatigued. Don‘t spend every waking moment scheduling activities, leave some margin to just chill and have time out. Try going slow for a while, you might just like it.

4. Learn to relax.

Set up boundaries that force you to relax and try doing something else a little bit new in this day and age turn off your mobile phone for a while and ditch the watch!

It suddenly dawned on me that it had absolutely nothing to do with all of the people I had tried to employ in a support capacity, the ‘crappy’ person was in fact me and I needed to dramatically change my approach to building a great team and creating a sustainable support structure.
More often than not we have the right people, the right strategy and the right resources but we’re not achieving our business or financial goals because we have not invested the time to properly define how we work as individuals and as a team.

Ask the following questions related to your team

• What work/tasks do I perform and what work/tasks do I need each member of my team to perform in order to achieve success?
• Do they have the right skills for the job? (they may be either over or under qualified)
• Do team members have the right characteristics for the job?
• Do team members understand what I need to achieve each week and how they can best help me to achieve this?
• Do we all clearly understand what success looks like for our team?

If you don’t know how to answer these questions, it is even less likely that your team will know. And if you do know but have not communicated the answers in a clear manner to your team, they are still unlikely to know.

Your Right Arm

Support Team members are regularly described as the boss’s right arm. ‘Meet my Personal Assistant Karen, she is my right arm’. This is actually a good analogy for support staff. The question is, how are you using your right arm?

Juggling Act

Are you using your right arm to keep all the balls in the air, to assist you to stay on top of your workload?

When trying to keep ‘all the balls in the air’ two hands are definitely better than one. You work together to catch and throw. This scenario requires little to no planning as you work reactively. The right arm instinctively follows the left. That is until the pace (workload) dramatically picks up and someone drops the ball.

Playing Beautiful Music Together

Are you using your right arm and left arm to produce beautiful music together?

When playing the piano the left and the right arm work together to produce a complicated rhythmic piece of music but the left and the right hands are doing different things. They support each other but each has its own defined responsibilities and purpose. In this scenario, everyone is clear about how he or she contributes to the team’s success and, just like sheet music, has a documented set of rules to get there.

Sitting down at a piano and just banging away very rarely produces a great result (with the exception of the likes of Mozart, Handel or Beethoven). To create a melody or rhythm we follow sheet music. Producing sheet music for a high-performing team starts with defining the notes we need to play. For your team, that means documenting what each member is responsible for and breaking that down further into specific tasks.

For Example:

RESPONSIBLE FOR DIARY MANAGEMENT:

• make new meetings
• make meetings as requested by clients (sales meetings)
• change meetings as required by clients
• create agendas for meetings and distribute to all parties
• confirm the week ahead using CRM system

This process ensures everyone is clear about what they are responsible for achieving, as well as safeguarding that there are no crossovers or double ups. Or in a musical sense, no one is trying to play the same keys at the same time.

Hitting the right notes

Now that you know the notes each person has to play, the next step is to define when each note needs to be struck. If the left hand is way ahead of the right hand, the music is still not going to sound very good. As the business leader you need to set the pace and then manage the tempo and rhythm of the entire team. In business terms this is about resource allocation. For example, if your Perfect Week overview involves sales meetings on a Monday, then your support team will allocate time on a Tuesday to develop sales proposals. If you produce team reports on Wednesday then each member assigns time to prepare their individual reports on a Tuesday. This process ensures each team member knows how they should be allocating time to specific responsibilities and supports the team in achieving its overall goals. The sum of the parts creates a much greater whole.

What if someone is playing hip-hop or rap?

If you have written a piece of music that is meant to be played in the classical style and one of the team is playing it as hip-hop, the melody might still work on some levels but it does not produce the result you had in mind. If a team member is playing hip-hop then you need to ask yourself whether you have clearly defined the characteristics/attributes you need each member of your team to exhibit. They may have all the skills and knowledge they need to do the job, but if they are not honest or helpful or passionate then they may not be approaching the job the way you want them to. This is where a set of Team Values can help. Developing a set of Team Values ensures the attributes you want each team member to display are transparent and explicit.

Trust the right hand to coordinate with the left

To play the best you possibly can the left hand needs to be playing independent of the right hand. You can’t always be stopping to check up on the right hand, or even worse trying to play their part at the same time as yours. One of the hardest yet most essential things for business leaders to do is let go of the job they used to do. The key to letting go is building trust. Building trust within support teams is primarily about two things, clearly defined rules and effective communication.

RULES

Set the rules and daily behaviours you want your team to follow. We call this a Team Code. This can include anything from the way your team manages their email, the format and structure your meetings take, right through to the way you take your lunch breaks and annual holidays.

COMMUNICATION

Your team members are not mind readers. Make yourself available for a set time, say 10 to 15 minutes at the start and end of each day to help your team prioritise tasks and answer questions they may have about the work you have assigned. This process stops you from worrying that they are not focusing on the right tasks, that they are missing important details or that they are working in a way that does not reflect you positively. But what if it’s still not sounding right?

If you have defined job descriptions, Perfect Week, Team Values, Team Code and communicate to your team on a regular basis and you are still not getting the results you desire, it may be that the team member does not have the knowledge they need to perform their job.

Ask yourself whether you have trained them properly in all aspects of their role. If yes, then they just may not be the right person for your team. If no, then take the time to map out what they need to learn over the next couple of months so they can excel in their role. We call this a Learning Ladder.

Now ask yourself the following questions about your team again?

• What work do I do and what work do I need each member of my team to do? – Job Descriptions
• Do they have the right skills for the job (they may be either over or under qualified) – Learning Ladder
• Do they have the right characteristics for the job? – Team Values
• Do they know what I need to achieve each week and how they best help me to achieve that? – Perfect Week
• Do we all know what success looks like for our team? – Team Code

Great teams have great support staff

Creating a high-performing team that works in unison like a beautiful piece of music requires time and energy. Great support staff require great leaders to help nurture, develop, teach and inspire. The long-term rewards from this short-term investment will pay for itself over and over again. Take some valuable time to pause and reflect about how you can support your team to develop it’s very own operating rhythm.

Andrew May and Christie Coleman

When I started my career as a Personal Trainer in Hobart at the tender age of 21, I knew a fair bit about fitness and nutrition and absolutely nothing about business. I can still remember the look of shock/horror on the face of Sean O’Sullivan when he suggested that at the very least I buy a copy of the Financial Review every weekend and start reading it to garner a better understanding of business. ‘Nah, never heard of it!’ I responded. “Where do I get it from Sean? Do you have to order it in?’

Sean was the CEO of North Forest Products, who was one of my very first clients who then became an amazing business mentor for me over the years and was personally responsible for kick-starting my foray into the corporate health market. Sean and I were having a coffee and chat on the banks of the Derwent River and he was giving me some much needed business advice. My business was booming. I had only been operating for 6-months and was already fully booked out and I had 2 other staff working for me. My passion and enthusiasm, while achieving great results for my clients – was hindering the growth of the business as I had absolutely no idea about admin, systems or processes. Sean could see this a million miles away and was offering me some polite, yet very needed advice.
‘Have you thought about getting someone to help you with your book work and doing the administration and all of your paperwork?’ he asked politely. ‘No, I haven’t Sean, but I don’t really need anyone to do that. I know the business inside out and I’m much better at doing that because I know all of the clients and their details!’ I retorted as a brash and arrogant 21 year old. Truth was I was in denial, I knew I needed help but I was too proud to ask… And there was no way I was going to ask the CEO of Tasmania’s second biggest employer. Gees – he might sack me as his fitness trainer and never work with me again.

‘Ah, Andrew. For what it’s worth, I’ve been in business for longer than you’ve been on this planet. Would you like some advice that will help you get control of your business? he said in a slighter sterner tone. ‘Yeah Sean, of course’.

‘Well, do you want to keep working every Sunday doing all of the paperwork because you are doing it so well? And if you are doing it so well, how come you haven’t given me a copy of the results of my fitness assessment that you did 3 weeks ago? And, where’s my new program that you were going to give me 2 weeks ago?’

BAAAM! I had just been king hit and I didn’t even see it coming. I stared at the boardwalk below us and didn’t know what to say. ‘Ummm. I just don’t know where to start, Sean. The back end of my business is so disorganised and chaotic and I have no idea what to do. I can get anyone fit and healthy but I can barely use a computer’ The words bumbled out of my mouth, but my stilted response started a process that to this day has been continually evolving – great support staff help you grow great business, and just as importantly – help you to have a great life as well.

Sean kindly ‘seconded’ his PA Marianne to help me get everything sorted and make some sense of the shoeboxes full of receipts, the folders spewing with paper and the desk about to buckle under the pressure of too much clutter. Sean and Marianne showed me firsthand how a manager and his or her support staff create a highly functioning team and work in unison, together ploughing through an amazing workload.

Riding on my own

After Sean and Marianne got me sorted with the basics, it was time to unscrew the training wheels and ride by myself, it was time to hire my very own support person. And this is where I made the next series of mistakes, probably for the next decade until I met Christie Coleman, but more about that later in this chapter.
As a young athlete and personal trainer, my recruitment policy was similar to that of Richard Branson in the early days of Virgin.

Fit? Check
Good looking? Check
Can you type? Check
Ok, great. You’ve got the job.

Now while I wasn’t purely that shallow, you get the point. I was employing more on what people looked like than actual skill set needed to meet the demands of the job. But without doubt the biggest mistake I made was employing PA’s and then expecting them to work it all out themselves. ‘Besides’ isn’t that what a PA does’ would have been my subconscious reasoning. There was no job description, no induction process, no graduated learning pathway, no real direction, no leadership, no…

I definitely had the internal story that I still hear so many people in business repeat day in day out ‘you just can’t find good support staff. It’s so difficult to find someone that is reliable and truly capable’.

But that is truly what it is. A story. And a misguided one at that. One day after years of trying a number of different support staff and swearing that it was all too hard to employ good staff, I caught a glimpse of someone in the mirror. Someone who was central to the continuing theme of ‘employing crappy support staff’. Me! It suddenly dawned on me that it had absolutely nothing to do with all of the people I had tried to employ in a support capacity, the ‘crappy’ person was me and I needed to dramatically change my approach to building a great team.

Read my blog on Building a Great Support Team here

On today’s BTalk Australia Phil Dobbie talks to productivity expert Andrew May, author of Flip The Switch, about how to improve the balance in your life and improve the way you work. Often we know what we should be doing but we never find time to put it into action. So how do you turn good intention into reality? What one thing can you change today?

Listen to Andrew May’s interview here

Performance coach Andrew May joins TODAY to highlights the benefits of the midday nap. Watch the video here.

Research
Recent research pinpoints that regular napping is not just beneficial for toddlers. Research from the Sleep and Performance Centre in Washington and Harvard Medical School highlights a 20-minute nap significantly improves performance on repetitive cognitive tasks, memory and creativity. Regular naps have also been shown to dramatically reduce the likelihood of long-term fatigue and even burnout.

Benefits
Benefits to the body include better heart functioning, hormonal maintenance, and cell repair. It is believed naps help you live longer, stay more active, and look younger. They recharge the brain resulting in greater alertness, improved memory retention and creative insight. Napping can make you a faster typist, better dancer and improve motor skills and coordination. Effects on mental health include improved mood, decreased stress and greater psychological balance. Power naps increase memory by almost 20% during the remainder of the day

How long to nap?
Professor Leon Lack from Flinders University in South Australia led a study into the effectiveness of power naps. He says it’s the length of sleep that is crucial to our post-nap performance.

“Ten to fifteen minutes of sleep seems to be the optimum period in terms of improving mental operations, performance, reaction times and subjective feelings of alertness,” he says. “And that improvement in performance and alertness seems to be maintained for up to two and sometimes three hours after the nap. Interestingly, the five-minute nap just didn’t produce the same amount of improvement, while longer naps of 25 to 30 minutes led to subjects being somewhat drowsy and less alert for up to an hour after the nap.”

Generally, naps are best taken 6 to 8 hours after waking time. So if you’re an early morning person (gazelle) nap between 1pm and 2pm and if you are more of an afternoon/evening person (bear) nap between 2pm and 3pm.

Napping tips
1. Keep naps to 20 minutes or greater than 90 minutes to avoid sleep inertia
2. Ensure you have a quiet, well ventilated room
3. Clear your mind, breathe slowly and deeply to help switch off and relax
4. If you’re going to nap at work -make sure you have permission!
5. Best to nap 6 to 8 hours after normal wake up time
6. Use naps to recharge, refresh and reinvigorate the body and the brain

Andrew May

www.fliptheswitch.com.au

At some point in everyone’s working career there comes a time when we are bullied by our boss – the toxic boss. Performance coach Andrew May joined TODAY to advise on how to deal with them.

Watch Andrew on the Today Show here

The Screamer
Sadly, at one point, we’ve all worked for or with a screamer. Excessive yelling definitely makes for a toxic work environment. This type of boss doesn’t need a reason to yell. It’s just his or her style to scream at will.

How to deal with a screamer
Walk Away: Best solution is to stand up for yourself by walking away from a tirade. Bullies only scream at people they perceive to be weak – people who’ll easily take it. As a kid, you may have had to sit still and take it from a parent, but not so at work. Refuse to subject yourself by walking away, going to the restroom, grabbing a cup of water, stepping outside. This is especially helpful if you’re on the verge of getting emotional, which you don’t want to do. Above all, remember that when you do nothing, when you just sit there and take it, you’re giving the bully permission to continue. By doing nothing, you’re saying, “This is OK,” even though it’s not.

The Demeaner
The demeaner makes humiliating comments – “You’re such an idiot.” “Could you be any dumber?” “My kids could do this better and faster than you any day.” This person also uses humiliating gestures – rolling their eyes, using their hands dismissingly. This kind of toxic boss might also laugh at your ideas to belittle you. This kind of boss is particularly vexing because one of the most important characteristics that drives our excellence at work is our confidence in ourselves and our abilities. When we’re demeaned, we naturally second-guess ourselves and our worth. That means we don’t perform our best work. So it’s counterproductive for the boss to treat people this way on the job, even though he or she doesn’t see it.

How to deal a demeaner
Confront Calmly: If you work for a small business, there isn’t an HR department to complain to about this, which means it’s up to you to tackle it directly with the boss. Sit down with the boss and tell him or her that you’re very proud of your skills and abilities and you’re especially proud of the results you generate in this role – and you know the company does good work. But you’re curious as to why someone who is so successful would resort to bully tactics when it accomplishes nothing. Make it clear that you don’t mind constructive criticism but when you do X, Y, Z, it’s not conducive to performing at your very best. If you go this route, make sure you share very specific examples. Instead of asking, “Why are you a bully?” say, “When you laugh at my ideas, call me this name, and compare me to your kids – like you did on these four occasions – those specific actions and comments prevent me from giving you and this company my absolute best. And I want very much to over-deliver for you, so I’d respectfully request that you stop doing this.” Stick just to facts delivered in a reasoned manner.

The Schemer
The schemer attempts to undermine your status by repeatedly withholding key information from you, excluding you from e-mail distributions, and intentionally leaving you out of meetings when you ought to be in the loop. The schemer nitpicks and micromanages, somehow always finding fault with your work, and fails to give you credit for the good work you do. A demanding boss can push you to deliver the best and can set the bar high with big expectations for excellence, but the schemer is never satisfied because of barriers that he or she puts in your way.

How to deal with a schemer
Document Details: Complaining about these toxic tactics can make you seem petty “Oh, I wasn’t invited to the meeting; oh, the boss never told me about this” so to avoid that impression, you want to document the details over time. It could be a couple of weeks or even a month where you write down exactly what happened, when, where and any witnesses, so it’s all spelled out in meticulous detail. Keep copies of any supporting documentation. That prevents you from being brushed off as a petty complainer or thin-skinned. Depending on the size of your organization, you’ll bring this to HR or you may have to go directly to the boss. You’re not just going to report this behavior, but also going to demonstrate that it’s impacting your work because it has created an uncomfortable or even hostile work environment. Even though bullying has been proven to be costly to the company’s bottom line, which is why they should take action to nip this behavior, don’t expect HR to be instantly on your side. HR works for the company’s benefit, not that of any individual employee. If you don’t find satisfaction, you may have to contact a labor lawyer who can advise you on your situation.

The effects of workplace bullying

• Headaches and nausea
• More serious illnesses resulting from a weakened immune system that makes them more vulnerable to disease
• Depression or anxiety, which may lead to suicide or thoughts of suicide
• Insomnia
• Increased risk of work-related injury

Effects in the workplace

• More mistakes are made by workers who can’t concentrate because of their negative work environment
• Workers compensation claims increase (eg injuries resulting from tiredness and poor concentration)
• Highly trained and experienced workers resign and leave their jobs
• Teamwork suffers because there is less cooperation and communication
• Alcohol or drug abuse at work may increase
• If nothing is done to stop the bullying, respect for the employer and loyalty to the company decrease

www.fliptheswitch.com.au

And then every day after that as well?

What would you do with your extra hour?

Below are 5 productivity tips that will save you at least one hour every day.

1. Turn off your pop up alert – Bing!

The noise alert ‘you have mail’ has to be the greatest killer of productivity and concentration known to man. Get rid of the email alert and focus on one task at a time, especially when it requires thought and innovation. Check your emails at specific times throughout the day to enhance productivity and output. For example, only check emails at the start of your day, just before lunch and at the end of the day. One in five people fall into the category of ‘email dependent’ and compulsively check email and panic when they can’t get access.

2. Pick up the phone

Ever had one of those asynchronous email conversations that goes on like a Lleyton Hewitt 5th set tie breaker? Get out of the habit of long games of email tennis. Follow the 2 email rule – if you’re still not sure what to do after 2 emails revert to a really old fashioned way of communicating and pick up the phone and actually have a conversation and work out what needs to be done. Better still, if they work in the cubicle next to you, get out of your chair and go and see them face-to-face.

3. Make your meetings shorter

Why are all meetings scheduled for blocks of 60 minutes. Is it because that fits best with our electronic diaries? Turn your 60 minute meetings in 45 minutes and your 30 minute meetings into 25 minutes. Not only will you will save time spent in meetings but you will also have time to do the follow up admin or actually get to the next meeting on time before it starts.

4. Plan your day before you turn on email

Stop making endless To-Do lists that make you feel stressed about how much you haven’t done! Instead, kick-start each day with a Will-Do list and complete what is most important. Spending 10 to 15 minutes prioritising tasks at the start of each day (before you turn on your email) is a great way to get a clear picture of what really needs to be accomplished. We call this a Daily Warm Up. Then control your time as much as possible and focus on your action list. Get active, not reactive!

Ask the following key questions:

• What are five things I can do today that will make the biggest difference to my job/role/organisation/sales volumes etc?
• What do I do best? How can I stay on this and get support for/outsource the rest?
• Is there anything that needs doing urgently that I’m better off getting someone else to do for me?
• Am I setting up my day to maximise energy levels and boost productivity?

5. Work in isolation

Have you ever noticed how much more productive you are when you don’t have constant interruptions? Once or twice a week isolate yourself from all of the distractions and try chunking your tasks together. Chunking involves focusing on completing one task at a time, or working on similar tasks together. Make a booking in your diary for three to four hours and work in isolation and get rid of interruptions. You can achieve forced isolation by:

• Putting a ‘Do not disturb sign’ on your door or workstation
• Stick headphones in your ears (even if you’re not listening to anything)
• Work in a coffee shop or designated quiet area to avoid the constant daily distractions
• Work from home
• Work in a dedicated quiet area/room

Each of the above tips can help you save at least an hour of wasted/distracted time every day. Imagine how productive you will be if you implement all 5 tips throughout an average working week?

Now, stop reading this article and go and get super productive and leave work an hour earlier – starting today!

Standing meditation

To begin, stand with good posture; your knees unlocked, feet about hip width and parallel to each other, and your spine lengthened to comfortably make yourself as tall as you can.  To achieve this position, gently draw your belly button toward your spine, tuck your chin slightly and relax the shoulders and arms, letting the shoulders roll back slightly (not drop forward).  When in the correct position to perform you standing meditation you ear, shoulder, hip join, knee and ankle should all line up when viewed from the side.  You should be balanced on your feet.  Further, your tongue should rest on the roof of your mouth just behind the front teeth (if you swallow, it will go where it belongs).  Keep the tongue relaxed at all times.  When in this position, you’re prepared to get the most out of doing nothing because this is the best position to allow optimal flow of life force energy, often called Chi or Prana.

Once in standing meditation position, you may perform the exercise of doing nothing in several ways:

1.     Let your arms hang at your side completely relaxed.

2.     Pretend you are holding a soap bubble (or a Chi bubble) about the size of a basketball right in front of your lower abdomen/pelvis region.  You should feel and image the Chi bubble being half in and half out of your body.

3.     Change the size and location of the Chi bubble, moving it up and down the body to wherever you would like, always remembering to keep half the bubble in your body.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth.  Your breathing should be deep, slow, rhythmical and relaxed, never forced.  Just be sure that your belly expands as you breathe in, allowing your diaphragm room to drop down and pull air into the bottom of your lungs.

As you are doing nothing, your mind will want to wander.  It will try to think about the stressors of your life.  Try to be an observer, as though you were watching yourself from a distance.  Each time your mind wanders away from this glorious chance to be quiet, to do nothing, take it by the hand and bring it back to that quiet place.

Famous expert of Tai Chi and Qigong, Master Fong Ha (author of Yiquan and the Nature of Energy)

Found deep in the Amazonian rain forests and sold in 1-litre bottles, Elbillug Juice is the latest sensation sweeping the global health and wellbeing market. Scientific research has proven that just a couple of doses of Elbillug Juice every week has the following psychological benefits:

• profound impact on cognitive ability and mental health
• increased creativity and lateral thinking
• forms building blocks to help stimulate learning in the brain
• releases endorphins and neurotransmitters in the brain and creates positive moods
• improves self-esteem and self-efficacy
• greater capacity to manage stress and improved resilience
• is a proven treatment for psychiatric problems including stress, anxiety and depression
• is better than Zoloft for treating depression*
• is proven to reduce the likelihood of dementia and Alzheimer’s
• reverses the effects of ageing in the brain

Elbillug Juice also has the following physical benefits:

• dramatic weight loss/weight maintenance
• decreased body fat
• improved muscle tone and bone density
• decreased resting heart rate and blood pressure
• reduced cholesterol and blood sugar levels
• decreased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
• decreased risk of colon cancer, diabetes and obesity
• increased oxygen carrying capacity
• improved functioning of the immune system
• enhanced stamina and endurance throughout the day
• helps achieve a deep, restorative sleep
• improved ability to stimulate the parasympathetic (recovery) nervous system and switch off and relax
• helps women stave off tumultuous effects of hormonal changes
• reverses the effects of ageing in the body

And finally, Elbillug Juice has proven to have the following social benefits too:

• helps build stronger social ties and connected relationships
• makes you a more engaged partner, parent, colleague and friend
• dramatically improves your sex life!

‘Holy Crap!’ I can hear you exclaiming, ‘where do I buy truckloads of this stuff? As if I don’t want to have mental alacrity, razor sharp thinking skills, a brilliant memory, boosted confidence and enhanced self-esteem; not to mention a fit and buffed body, look amazing in jeans or in a skinny black dress, endless levels of energy and endurance, the ability to relax and switch off, quality restorative sleep and let me reverse the effects of ageing on my body immediately; COME ON – let me guzzle litres of the stuff now – of course I want to connect a whole lot better with family and important people in my life.  And throw me another bottle to add immediate sizzle to my sex life!’

Elbillug Juice

If you haven’t realised by now, I am taking you on a ride. Elbillug is ‘gullible’ spelt backwards. Sorry if I had you believing right up until now, but I just wanted to show you the hype marketers would create if they could bottle and sell all of the benefits attained through regular physical activity. Somehow sounds a lot easier if we can consume it in a pill or a lotion, a bottle or potion doesn’t it? But when you have to actually get off your backside and move – it doesn’t seem anywhere near as sexy.

So what are you waiting for?

Need some help getting moving then email support@andrewmay.com for a copy of my Physical Activity for Performance article.

Answer the following questions and find out.

Let’s explore some of the facts around retirement in Australia.

• 1.8 million people over the age of 45 years retired between 1987 and 2007
• The average retirement age is 60 years for men and 57 years for women
• Aussies life expectancy is ranked third in the world. Almost 84 years for females and 79 for males
• 30% of people retire due to ‘personal health or physical abilities’
• 31% of retirees said they’d prefer to clean their bathroom or pay bills than plan for retirement
• 49% of retirees in past 12 months spent less than 5 hours planning for retirement

A couple of things automatically hit me about the facts above.

• The average person is going to have 20 to 25 years of opportunities to explore and have fun in their retirement
• It is scary how little time most people spend on getting ready for their retirement

Transition to Retirement

The last few years I have had a number of coaching clients who wanted my support in helping them make the transition into retirement. The theme is generally the same with each person and the conversation goes a little like this.

Client: ‘Apart from helping me with my leadership team, there’s something else I’d like to talk about today. I’m planning to retire in 3 years but have absolutely no idea how to do this’.

Me: ‘What do you mean no idea? You run a very successful business and manage hundreds of people. How can you have ‘no idea’ about retirement?’

Client: ‘Andrew, I’ve just never thought about what I’m going to do after I finish full time work and it kind of scares me. At work I’ve always had structure and control. But what will I do when I have all of this freedom?’

Me: ‘Well, what excites you outside of work? What are your hobbies and passions? What really excites you other than work?’

Client: ‘That’s a really tough question. Obviously, I love my family and want to spend more quality time with them. But I don’t really have any interests that get me really excited outside of work’…

Retirement can and should be some of the best years of your life. Most people are financially independent or at the very least have a greater financial comfort than they’ve ever had, the kids have all grown up and you’ve now got all the time in the world. But what has really started to surprise me the more I work with individuals and companies around making a successful transition into retirement, is how little planning goes into exactly how people are going to spend the next 20 to 30 years of their life. Sure, nearly every one has a financial plan for retirement. But for many people, that’s about it.

Whenever I have one of these conversations, I revert to a discussion around the following questions.

1. What are your hobbies outside of work?
2. What other topics are you really passionate about outside of work?
3. What are your main goals in the next 18 months to 3 years?
4. What activities do you enjoy engaging in that increase/maintain your health and fitness levels?
5. Do you have an active involvement in the community/church/sporting club/additional areas outside of work?
6. Have you thought about still keeping your brain active and either consulting or working in a part time capacity? What could you do?

Answer the 6 questions in the table below and really think about how you want to spend your years after work.

Brain- Body Gap

To ensure you can flourish and really engage in life when you do retire, it is imperative that you maintain your mental and physical health. I see so many people that have thrown all of their time and energy into work and they’ve allowed their health to go out the back door. Increased weight, joint problems, high blood pressure and many of the lifestyle diseases including heart disease and diabetes become your companions due to poor lifestyle choices and decreased physical activity. But this doesn’t have to be the way. Getting into a routine of regularly training your body and brain now will pay dividends in the future.

Train Your Body

Make sure you are physically fit when you do retire. Avoid spending the first 5 years of your free time trying to claw back your health and fitness. And remember, a ‘double whammy’ occurs for most people at 65 years of age.  We become less efficient at making muscle from the proteins we eat and muscle breakdown also increases. So if you don’t have strong joints and muscles by the time you hit 65, it can get even harder.  Remember the old saying ‘use it or lose it’. It is so true. As a guide, stick to the following outline to maintain optimum fitness:

• Regular Cardio Vascular exercise for 30 mins plus x 3 times a week
• Vitamin D from sunlight also strengthens bones
• Strength training x 1 or 2 times a week
• Yoga/flexibility x 1 or 2 times a week
• Regular activity also has social, self-esteem and health benefits

Train Your Brain

• Training your mental fitness is just as important. Research published by the Western Australia Mental Health Institute highlights two hours of brain exercises a week can markedly improve mental capacity and help fight age-related memory loss. Engage in the following:
• Crosswords, Sudoko and Puzzles
• New languages
• Music
• Study
• Learn new skills
• Life-long learning

Snow Skiing with Frank

Recently I was in Queenstown presenting at a conference and I had a half-day to wait before my plane flew back to Sydney. Seeing it was winter I quickly hired some ski gear and caught a taxi to Coronet Peak to hit the white stuff for half a day. Now, I’d previously only skied twice before in my life, but like the typical Aussie male my belief in my ability far surpassed what my ability actually was.

Gloves, boots, goggles, ski pants, ski top, beanie, skis and stocks. Check. ‘Ok, time to carve up the snow’.

Now, a smart person would have either booked a lesson to get their legs back (my last time skiing was 7 years ago) or at the very least started on the green run. ‘No way. I’m not doing that’ my inner voice exhorted. ‘straight to the blue run for me’.

As I slid off the ski lift at the top of M1, I began a disastrous slide down to the bottom of the mountain. Picking my self up and dusting ice off literally every part of my body, I made a pact to do it again and this time ‘I was going to nail it!’

On the way back up to the top of M1 I shared a ride with Frank. Frank was a mature looking gentlemen who had an amazing energy and I couldn’t help but be drawn into conversation.

Me: ‘Have you been skiing for long’

Frank: ‘Oh yeah, I’ve been skiing for years now. How about you?’

Me: ‘Only been a couple of times before so feeling a bit rusty’.

Frank: ‘A couple of lessons then a few days on the snow and you’ll be a pro’.

Me: ‘Yeah, I’ve only got half a day but will definitely book a lesson next time. So, how old were you when you learnt to ski?

Frank: ‘Oh, let me think. Um, I think I was 78, no, 79 actually!’

Me: ‘What the? You only learnt to ski at 79. That is incredible. Do you mind if I ask how old are you now?’

Frank: ’87 years. And to be honest young man, I feel like I’m still in my 50’s’.

At that moment our ride up the mountain had ended and Frank and I slid off the chair lift and down towards the top of M1. Frank stoped calmly to adjust his equipment and I took off down the mountain like a giraffe on roller skates. About 1/3 of the way down the mountain and after numerous attempts to ski on my arse, Frank slid gracefully beside me and asked ‘do you want a few tips?’

‘Would love some please Frank, my backside is getting more action than my skis’. I spent the next few minutes learning some tips on turning, balance and weight distribution from my spritely ski instructor. At the bottom of the mountain I thanked Frank and arranged to meet him in 45 minutes time so I could shout him a hot chocolate to say thanks for my impromptu lessons.

Lessons in Life with Frank

The 30-minute hot-chocolate conversation with Frank was one of the most engaging and inspiring lessons I’ve had in my life. Frank’s wife had died when he was in his mid 70’s and he said he decided that even though she was the absolute love of his life, he was still going to go out there and get amongst the world and learn new skills. At 79 Frank lived in the French Alps for 6-months and had skiing lessons nearly every day. He told me how it made him deeply sad that many of his friends had worked so hard on their careers but then poor health and fitness really let them down when they retired. Most of Frank’s really good mates had either passed away or were in nursing homes living very restricted lives.

‘If I can give you one bit of advice young fella (Frank had grown fond of calling me young fella throughout our conversation), stay healthy in your body and stay healthy in your mind and retirement can be the best time of your life’. We finished our steaming hot chocolates and Frank took off for another run, leaving me in his snow-dust for the last time that day…

The Best Years of Your Life

With the continued increase in life expectancy, improved medicine and technologies, plus more research into optimum functioning of the human body and brain – the rules around retirement have changed! Grey nomads are taking over and surfing, skiing, canyoning, hiking, biking, strolling and exploring all over the world.

I hope when I’m 87 and skiing down the M1 on Coronet peak I too have the opportunity to help an egotistic 37-year old to actually learn how to ski as well. Start planning now and look after your body and brain and just like Frank, retirement should also be the best years of your life as well!

By Andrew May

Siestas, nana-naps, power-naps – call them what you will, but they have major benefits to brain function and wellbeing. Benefits to the body include better heart functioning, hormonal maintenance, and cell repair. It is believed naps help you live longer, stay more active, and look younger. They recharge the brain resulting in greater alertness, improved memory retention and creative insight. Napping can make you a faster typist, better dancer and improve motor skills and coordination. Effects on mental health include improved mood, decreased stress and greater psychological balance. Power naps increase memory by almost 20% during the remainder of the day

Researchers tracked 23,681 Greek men for 6 years. Those who napped 3 times a week had a 37% reduced risk of dying from heart disease

How little, how long?

Professor Leon Lack from Flinders University in South Australia led a study into the effectiveness of power naps. He says it’s the length of sleep that is crucial to our post-nap performance.

“Ten to fifteen minutes of sleep seems to be the optimum period in terms of improving mental operations, performance, reaction times and subjective feelings of alertness,” he says. “And that improvement in performance and alertness seems to be maintained for up to two and sometimes three hours after the nap. Interestingly, the five-minute nap just didn’t produce the same amount of improvement, while longer naps of 25 to 30 minutes led to subjects being somewhat drowsy and less alert for up to an hour after the nap.”

Generally, naps are best taken 6 to 8 hours after waking time. So if you’re an early morning person (gazelle) nap between 1pm and 2pm and if you are more of an afternoon/evening person (bear) nap between 2pm and 3pm.

Will napping make me feel groggy?

Have you ever fallen asleep on a lazy Sunday afternoon watching your favourite footy team, then woken up an hour or so later and felt like you’ve been whacked across the face with a wet fish? Well, that’s probably because you almost have. . .

A full sleep cycle lasts between 90 and 100 minutes, so waking up after 40 to 60 minutes will put you in phase 3 or 4 of the sleep cycle, also called Slow Wave Sleep (SWS). This groggy feeling is called sleep inertia and in terms of brain activity, is the polar opposite of wakefulness when the brain’s electrical activity is busily multitasking and operating on many frequencies. During SWS, we have almost completely tuned out the external world and our entire brain rhythm synchronizes into a slow, uniform pattern.

Sleep Inertia can be minimised by either shortening (20 minutes) or lengthening (greater than 90 minutes) the nap to avoid waking up in SWS. Otherwise, it can be quickly dispelled by physical activity, noise or other sensory stimulation (such as a shower) or, for those who must, with a shot of caffeine.

Do naps interfere with nighttime sleep?

No, as long as your nap lasts less than 3 hours and is completed at least 3 to 4 hours prior to your normal bedtime. Light sleepers or people with insomnia are advised to nap 7 to 8 hours before bedtime.

Working under fatigue

When you’re sleepy, you are seven times more likely to make an error. Some of the worlds greatest disasters have been directly attributed to fatigue including Chernobyl, Exxon Valdez and the Challenger space shuttle disaster.

Sleeping on the job

Airline pilots and air traffic controllers already have sleep breaks built into their work routines. A culture shift encouraging napping is starting to take place in the US, where high profile corporations including Google, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble and Saatchi & Saatchi have added Energy Pods to their work spaces.

In Australia, leading companies including Salesforce, the Australian Institute of Sport, PWC and subsiduaries of BHP have also invested in Energy Pods.

Napping tips

1. keep naps to 20 minutes or greater than 90 minutes to avoid sleep inertia
2. ensure you have a quiet, well ventilated room
3. clear your mind, breathe slowly and deeply to help switch off and relax
4. if you’re going to nap at work –make sure you have permission!
5. best to nap 6 to 8 hours after normal wake up time
6. shift workers can use a late afternoon nap to help stay alert during the night
7. use naps to recharge, refresh and reinvigorate the body and the brain
8. book a session in our Enery Pod!

The Energy Pod

I’m really excited about our newest arrival at The Performance Clinic.  We have just received the latest recovery technology called an Energy Pod.  Looking like something out of The Jetsons or from the movie Gattica, the Energy Pod harnesses science and NASA technology to help keep you alert, energised and power through the afternoon slump.

Research conducted at Harvard highlights a 20-minute nap significantly improves performance on repetitive perceptual and cognitive tasks. The Energy Pod is designed on a 20-minute cycle to allow five minutes for falling asleep and fifteen minutes of naptime. According to their research, fifteen minutes is the optimal nap time during the afternoon to recharge the batteries.

How does the Energy Pod work its magic?

• A room within a room
  The spherical shape of the Pod’s upper body provides you with a semi-private acoustical and visual environment.
• Cool to the touch
  The Pod’s upholstery breathes and remains cool. It is durable and stain resistant, and its internal fibers maintain their shape despite hours of daily use.
• Ergonomic perfection
  The Energy Pod inclines forward to allow for easy entry, and then reclines to allow for optimal positioning. The slight elevation of the feet promotes blood circulation, while the elevation of the knees takes pressure off your lower back.

At the timer’s expiration, the occupant is gently woken with a combination of lighting and vibration. The nap is purposely kept to 20 minutes to ensure there is no experience of ‘grogginess’, known as sleep inertia, on waking. While an Energy Pod combines the latest technology to give you an energy boost and minimize fatigue, people have been enjoying the benefits of napping for thousands of years.

(main sources: School of Medicine, Flinders University, SA; Metronaps, )

So while the Kiwis are crowing about how amazing their national football team performed, the French too are crowing about how pathetic their team was. And I have to agree with both sides. It got me thinking about 6 things not to do in leadership, inspired by ‘Les Blues’…

1. Sack experience when you start in a new role

When Raymond Domenech was anointed coach 4 years ago, he immediately wiped the slate clean and sacked a lot of experienced players. These players were the workhorses of the team. He believed they needed to install younger players with more flare and better national profiles.

We’ve all seen this many times in companies as well. The new CEO or business manager decides to inject a totally new management structure to really stamp his or her mark on the new team. Invariably, this tends to follow the same path as the French Football team – you often don’t realize what you had until they are gone. Years, decades of experience and IP gone out the window mainly due to ego and insecurity…

2. Choose a leadership group based on popularity

Domenech appointed Franck Ribery (the guy with the really bad teeth) to the leadership group over Yoann Gourcuff. It has been well publicized that Gourcuff is a much better leader on the field, but he is not popular with a number of the rock-star players because he doesn’t like getting on the fizz at night clubs, he’s quiet and listens to opera music.

Ribery has a much higher profile in France and is more popular with the coach and fellow players. But he just hasn’t got the leadership skills to be captain. To make matters even worse, throughout the World Cup Ribery played in the positions he wanted to, not where he was best suited to play.

How many times have you seen leaders appointed on the same basis? Working in elite sport for 15 years, one thing I’ve learned about the world’s best athletes and the world’s best sporting teams – is that it is much better to be respected rather than just being liked. To be respected as a leader means you often have to make hard and courageous decisions. Making difficult decisions is what great leaders are paid to do…

3. Play for cash, not passion

What a contrast comparing the 2 teams again – the French and the Kiwis. The top French players including  Thierry Henry with a contract worth £27.2 million, and Nicolas Anelka and Eric Abidal, both with contracts worth £15 million and transfer fees of £90 million, compared to the better known NZ players Shane Smeltz, Ryan Nelson, Rory Fallon and Mark Paston (I know, I had never heard of any f them either) who are lucky to earn over $100,000 each playing in second or third tier competitions around the world.

If you watched any of the All Whites games or saw the highlights, it was obvious they were all so proud to be playing for their country. In contrast, the French team looked like they really didn’t care. With all of the off-field dramas and tension in the locker room, I really think a number of their players would take cash over country any day.

We’ve all seen the senior executive who is checking in, doing their time to accumulate the dollars. They are physically present, yet mentally absent. Sure, money is very important and we all need it, but if you are only turning up to work for the dollars alone, I really think you need to have a good hard look at what you are doing! A small percentage of people are very fortunate and love their job every day, while the majority of people have to find a balance between doing what you have to (the tedious working tasks) and finding joy and rewards in other areas of your job. If you don’t have any passion in what you are currently doing – either get out and start a new career or try to shift your attitude and learn to love parts of what you do. Passion is infectious, so to is negativity and apathy.

4. Pick an team of individual rock-stars

Sticking with the theme of point 3, the French have picked a team of individual rock-stars, rather than selecting a team that will perform well together. Their entire team is individually paid millions and millions of dollars (pounds) and play for a number of the world’s best football teams. Yet when they play together, they play like 11 individual players doing their own thing. Or to stick with the music analogy, the lead singer is belting out his own tunes, the drummer is always playing solo, the saxophone player wants the spotlight and lead guitar is fighting with the singer to grab the spotlight at the same time.

In sport, just like in business, it is imperative that the band plays well together. Of course rock-stars are important. In business, they could be the number 1 sales person, the creative genius or the flamboyant CEO. But in teams rock-stars are only as good as the rest of the team. To quote Paul Roos, coach of the successful Sydney swans ‘don’t select a team of champions, select a champion team that plays well above their ability when they come together’.

5. Fight your battles in public

Come on lads, seriously! What a bunch of pork chops carrying on the way you are. Even my French friends think you are a ‘bande de clowns’ (bunch of clowns).

After striker Nicolas Anelka was expelled from the team following his insulting barrage to coach Domenech after France’s defeat against Mexico, the entire team staged a walkout the following training day.  This resulted in a furious exchange between captain Patrice Evra and the fitness coach (having been a fitness coach in sport for more than 15 years, of course it wasn’t his fault!), which provoked the resignation of team director and French Football Federation managing director Jean-Louis Valentin.

The global press picked up on the drama and the French press starting running headlines including ‘Deserters, cowards, miserable tantrum-throwers…’

Even French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his sports minister Roselyne Bachelot got in on the act calling for “dignity and responsibility otherwise disciplinary action will follow”.

Every leader knows to air their dirty laundry in private. Sure, tension is a normal part of running a team. And ‘healthy tension’ can be very positive and has the capacity to create a much more cohesive and stronger unit. But avoid arguments and negative conversations in relation to other team members in the public domain. End of story…

6. What do you think?

Leadership requires a combination of skills, persistence, judgment, passion, communication and synergy. We can learn a lot about what not to do reviewing the circus created by the French national football team at the FIFA World Cup.

I’ve got to fly – I’m delivering a keynote presentation for 700 New Zealand school principals (never thought I’d get the opportunity to talk to 700 principals, in my schooling days they were always telling me what to do…)

What else you have learned not to do in leadership as a result of Les Blues?

Andrew May

Unfortunately, the guy standing in front of me didn’t have the same attitude. This man was in his mid to late 50’s and 5 minutes earlier had checked in next to me at the Malaysian Airlines counter with his wife. He looked like the Tailor of Panama, wearing beige coloured cotton pants, a blue cotton shirt, beige jacket, polished brown leather shoes and a Panama hat. ‘This is ridiculous. This airport is a joke!’ he exhorted to all nearby with his obviously well educated English accent. After saying the same thing over and over he stormed to the front of the line and showed his first class ticket and demanded to be jettisoned through in front of everyone else. The security guards told him in no uncertain terms to get back in line so the Tailor of Panama sulked back to his wife and continued with his moronic outbursts, getting louder and louder. ‘I travel all over the world and I never have to wait in cues like this’.

You know when you have those moments in life where you think ’should I say something or not?’ Those moments where you stop and pause and at least think before your open your mouth and allow words to tumble out… Well, sometimes I skip those moments and fast-forward to the bit where the words just tumble out. I had had enough, as had everyone else within earshot. But I thought it was my duty to be the nominated spokesperson for the tribe. ‘Seriously mate, we’re not standing here fighting for world peace. It’s called an airline queue. So just stand in line like the rest of us and stop getting so uptight. Relax mate, it’ll be ok…’

As my words cascaded out 2 things happened.
1) The Tailor of Panama’s wife glared at me with a bitter look, like she had just sucked on a piece of lemon. The Tailor quickly followed her lead.
2) A number of people next to me nodded in agreement. ‘Yeah buddy, just wait like the rest of us’ said the young American next to me.  (It also helped that he was 6”4’ and about 110kg).

Once we cleared customs and I walked onto the plane and sat down in my seat, I couldn’t help but think of the Tailor of Panama. The following thoughts raced through my head:

• How much stress must he add to his life that is unnecessary?
• What is he doing to his blood pressure, cortisol levels and sympathetic nervous system long-term if he gets into the stress response over something so small?  What must happen to his body when something really does go wrong?
• When did he really lose the plot and think just because he gets to travel first class around the world that he is better than everyone else?
• When did his lemon-sucked wife also lose grip on reality and think that waiting in a line was the worst possible thing that could happen?
• How many people in life really do worry about the small things that they can’t have any impact on?

I know sometimes in life we just hit the roof and react inappropriately. Maybe due to being tired, after a bad day, or things just aren’t going your way at that time. But I get the feeling the Tailor of Panama and his wife are like this all the time.
Next time you are in a situation where you can’t do anything to change the result (like waiting in a long airline queue), notice how you react. Try and remain calm and relax. If you’re still feeling stressed, put this into context. Is waiting in a queue really going to change the outcome of your life? Think of the pain and turmoil other people go through in their lives and gain some perspective. Also think about the great things you do have in your life (like friends, and family, relationships, opportunities to travel, etc).When you weight it all up, life is pretty bloody good…

I can’t help but wonder where the Tailor and his wife are right now???

This got me thinking, quite a lot…

Have we really become so caught up with having all of the latest gadgets, toys, applications and material goods?

Are we obsessed with trying to pretend to be something we’re not?

Are we trying to keep up appearances primarily for people that we don’t really like anyway?

Have we all totally lost the plot?

I’m spending more and more of my time each day talking at conferences, writing books and coaching people – trying to help people tame technology, manage time and discover that elusive thing called a ‘life’. We are so good at planning how to run successful businesses, yet so bad (most people) at actually planning how to have a successful life outside of work.

I’m convinced – Work Life Balance is a myth!

The term ‘work life balance’ is a myth. And I actually believe that the term ‘work life balance’ itself sets many people up for failure because they either feel like their lives aren’t balanced or don’t have an understanding what balance is for them. And remember the set of scales that was so often used to depict work life balance, with work balancing on one side and life balancing tenuously on the other. Using these scales to depict work life balance again sets people up for failure because they illustrate that if work is going really well, then life tips over, and if your life is going swimmingly then work must suffer as a result.

Here are 10 common myths around work that kill productivity, resulting in employees spending unnecessary amounts of time at work, leaving no time to have a life.

Myth 1 – Hours worked = productivity

Busted! This myth annoys me more than all of the rest. The notion that working an 11 or 12-hour day, every day, results in boosted output and efficiency, is totally archaic. Sure, there will be some days where you need to really put in extra big days to finish projects on time, but if you’re working excessive hours day in day out, something is wrong. Most people who think hours worked = productivity are stripped right back to reality when I do a time audit on their actually daily output. Eliminate 80% of the emails which are a complete waste of time, subtract the endless and pointless meetings that waste hours on end, then get rid of the dozens of daily distractions and you’re left with a few hours at the most of productive work.

Improved focus + less distractions = productivity.

Myth 2 – Compartmentalise your life into 8 – 8 -8

Busted! The old notion of 8 – 8 – 8 where the academics during the mid to late 80’s told us we were meant to spend 8 hours working, 8 hours sleeping and 8 hours on recreational and social activities is largely a thing of the past. Most people work a lot more than 8-hour days to pay for things like mortgages and just affording to live in some of our large cities. Try talking to anyone with young children about the 8-hour sleep thing and they’ll just laugh in your face. My 16-month old daughter Miki doesn’t understand that mummy and daddy need 8 hours of quality uninterrupted sleep each night. And who on earth has 8-hours a day to recreate and socialize? Where on earth do these people live?

Myth 3 – Follow the leader!

Busted! Now, this one sometimes gets me into trouble, but I’m sticking to it. So many companies espouse to have a high-performance culture (which by the way is one of the most overused phrases in the corporate vernacular, maybe we should add it to office bingo?) yet so many of the leaders in the organization exhibit a low-performance behaviour pattern. Just because someone’s card says ‘boss’ or ‘senior manager’ doesn’t necessarily mean they are a great role model on being productive or how to have a successful life outside of work. And if Mr or Ms Big is the type of ‘leader’ who is always late for meetings, and then when they finally do arrive, spend half of their time texting or taking phone calls form other people… Hmmm, where do I start explaining exactly what I think of this as far as ‘leadership’ goes?

Myth 4 – Be polite and respond to every request

Busted! Most people are fundamentally good people, and this is one of the big problems. You see, before technology literally invaded our lives we were all taught to return every phone call, write back to every person who wrote to us, and respond to every task that came across our desks. But with the explosion of technology, viral marketing, social networking sites, overloaded inboxes and information obesity – responding to every request or distraction is a good way to stuff up daily productivity and ensure your time, energy attention is totally controlled by other people. Why do so many people allow this to happen?

Myth 5 – Time management will set you free

Busted! I think the old school of time management is fundamentally flawed. I tried it myself for years and went to every time management program available and despite what actions I took I still had never ending to-do lists and unfinished tasks. A number of the workshops I attended taught me to fill an already full diary with more meetings, more appointments and even more scheduled tasks. Sound familiar? I believe the problem is most time management programs were designed before the internet and digital devices totally changed the way we work. Rather than focusing on trying to do everything, focus on what’s really important and manage your energy and attention throughout the day to maximize output.

Myth 6 – Technology will give us more leisure time

Busted! Technology was hailed as our saviour. All of the new inventions hitting the workforce including fax machines, electronic photocopiers, personal computers and wireless applications were purportedly going to ensure we got more work done and therefore had greater leisure time. The reality is the latest batch of digital devices including iphones, Blackberries and PDA’s keep us connected 24/7 and working longer hours than ever before. I was in Fiji for a conference 5 weeks ago and couldn’t believe the amount of people having a so called relaxing holiday in the Pacific, spending hours and hours by the pool watching their kids frolic in the pool while they were glued to the mobile phone. Are we really that important that we can’t switch off even for a few days? Aaaaargh!!!

Myth 7 – Great employees/managers are available 24/7

Busted! This is a great philosophy to wear you down completely. Many of us were taught the outdated mantra that to be a great manager, employee, sales rep, etc required you to be available for staff and potential clients 24/7. What a load of bollocks! This creates a lot of arguments especially when I say this to sales teams. But if your systems, succession plan and customer service levels are that poor that you have to be available for every potential phone call or walk-in – what hope have you got of building a sustainable business? Work in periods where you are available and then take yourself off the grid and remove all distractions when you need to stick your head down and be super productive. Providing clear expectations about when you are and aren’t available avoids confrontation around for 98% of the population. The other 2% are happy being unhappy (also called miserable bastards) so decide if you really want to waste time and energy on them.

Myth 8 – Constant change is bad

Busted! If you can’t handle and bounce back from constant change, probably a good idea to look at leaving the workforce altogether. The only constant in the current workforce is change. We are a truly global market place and change spreads faster than ever. Look at the recent Global Financial Crisis; a great example of what happens to companies that couldn’t change quickly enough when the financial markets started to turn south is that they no longer exist.

Myth 9 – Work is done at your desk

Busted! The way we work has changed forever and working patterns are also starting to change. I remember one of the board members of my previous company told me he was concerned that I wanted to work at home one day a week as he thought this was setting a bad example. The reason I wanted to work from home is I knew without the normal interruptions I accomplished 3 to 4 times more work. Just because you’re not at your desk doesn’t mean you’re not working, Work is no longer a place we go to in the morning and leave in the late afternoon, work is a mindset we dip in and out of around the clock. I wrote the majority of this article sitting on a plane flying back from Adelaide, not at my desk…

Myth 10 – Corporate success = happiness

Busted! Countless studies report that happiness and contentedness is about bringing to life our complete selves, not just our corporate façade. Of course happy and content people work derive much pride and pleasure out of their occupations, but they also build in time for relationships, outside interests and passions, time for learning new skills and time to look after themselves. From my own experience, I have worked with so many people who have reached the top of the corporate ladder and are very rich financially, but almost bankrupt in so many other areas of their lives. A better model for happiness is: Successful career + successful life = happiness.

Plan having a life – the 10% Rule

The key to achieving a better integration between work and life is to start planning what you do outside of work. I know this sounds so simple yet so many people make this oh so complex. If most people were to spend only 10% of the time and energy they spend planning their business life on planning their personal life – they would have a much greater chance of leading a rich and contented life. Take some time to write down the type of life you want to live – right through to where you live, where you go on holidays and what you do to relax and unwind.

Busting the myths and changing the rules around workplace productivity will ultimately ensure you achieve a lot more in less time. This will also provide you with the opportunity to spend more time with friends and family as well as engaging in the activities you love. Getting the mix right is really hard and requires constant calibration. But trust me, if you work at it I guarantee you can have a great career and an amazing life as well.

Andrew May is is considered Australia’s leading expert on performance and productivity and is the author of the bestselling book, Flip the Switch. Andrew speaks at conferences across the globe, mentors CEO’s and senior managers. He is published throughout national and international media, with regular segments on 2UE radio, Mix 106.5 Body and Soul and Channel Nine’s TODAY show.

“Toyota prides itself on continued training and constant improvement. Andrew stands out with a great message and he’s been a hit with our employees and dealers across the country, supporting them with strategies to sustain performance and much needed accountability” National Manager Sales & Marketing

“The Exec Performance Coaching program has dramatically increased productivity and performance levels of Fairfax managers. We work to constant daily deadlines and this often results in high levels of stress and resulting anxiety and fatigue. Understanding how to control the way we think, the way we work, the way we regulate stress and the way we look after our bodies has had an immediate impact on our organisation. I highly recommend this program!” Publishing Manager

‘‘Andrew May has made a major difference to the performance of a number of teams and key individuals at CB Richard Ellis in Australia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Our business has grown dramatically in the last five years and Andrew has helped our senior leadership team gain clarity and direction about where we need to spend energy and how we can get there without burning out. We consider him a vital part of our competitive advantage in the marketplace.” CEO, Australia

“citegrene” – cant read this? Andrew May can. The man with the amazing ability to read and talk backwards delivered an energetic presentation to InterRISK on the benefits of an integrated approach to performance. Like people in most industries, we tend to overwork without giving our body or mind the required level of rest and recovery. As Andrew says, “… life is series of sprints, not a marathon”. Our session with Andrew was thought provoking, refreshing and provided simple and realistic strategies to maintain peak performance in our work and personal lives”. CEO, Australia

“Andrew May caused us a great deal of concern. That concern was how do we fit twice as many people into a room for his second presentation once the word got around how fantastic his first session was. Andrew’s productivity and performance messages seem to strike a chord with the AMP delegates and their partners who flocked to his two workshop presentations. All his feedback pointed to how relevant and useful ‘The ‘Science of High Performance’ principles and philosophies are to real people. Andrew was a joy to work with and nothing was too hard or difficult.” Conference Manager

‘‘I can not commend you highly enough for your professionalism and friendly approach to both the Emerald Club Business Session workshop and our annual Connections Conference. My expectations were met and exceeded for both of these events. Our audiences felt that you had a great understanding of their business challenges which is a very important nut to crack with such a diverse group. Your presentation was the perfect mix of a serious business based message, along with a funny and engaging delivery. Our members are still talking about ‘Hapa Hapa’ and the 100 points Recovery Toolbox.” Trade Marketing Communications Executive, ACP Magazines

‘‘In my endeavours to maintain the high standards continually achieved by the Australian Cricket Team, Andrew has always been a very consistent and positive resource. Whether he be working inside the environment on a day to day basis, or assisting me to keep my focus and energy on the things that matter, Maysie has been outstanding! His understanding of the requirements of both players and leadership alike allows for a consistent message to be delivered, ensuring the individual and the group are always given the best opportunity to deliver their skills to an optimum level. Elite performance should never be taken for granted, and whether it be in the corporate or sporting world Andrew ensures the principles are adhered to and results follow – something that is not easy to achieve but an enormous credit to himself and his ability!‘‘

Tim Nielsen, Coach Australian Cricket Team

‘‘I have worked with Andrew on both a personal and professional level. His thorough understanding of elite performance (from both a physical and psychological perspective) sets him apart. His Science of High Performance philosophy is a winning formula for success and I thoroughly recommend his services to any person or organisation wanting to get the best out of themselves or their team.’

Kieren Perkins, Olympic gold medalist

“Before completing coaching with Andrew May it was fair to say I was typical of many executives in banking and finance, filling my diary with back to back meetings and working ridiculous hours, 7 days a week. I was addicted to email and blackberry.

As a result of Andrews coaching program I have been genuinely shocked by how much more productive I am. Definitely the biggest change though has been working smarter and getting through a lot more work in an average day. As a result I have time for a more fulfilling personal life.

After seeing my own results I immediately contracted Andrew and his company to roll out an intensive behaviour and cultural change program across Bankwest. We have equated that the productivity improvements are saving the bank literally hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.” Mark Reid, Head of Business and Private Bank BankWest

“I have spent years running back to back meetings often without creative and structured communication breaks – let alone applying real discipline to ensure the meetings are as effective as they could be. I think most people are guilty of this in large organisations.

After completing Andrew’s coaching program I realised I needed to change the way I approached performance and productivity. Andrew’s philosophy is that we need to build mental fitness, get rid of unnecessary distractions and allocate time, energy and resources toward recovering and recharging. Andrew’s programs have radically changed not only my habits and practices, but also that of Lend Lease as a whole. The improvements I have seen across the country have been extraordinary and can be attributed solely to Andrew’s corporate productivity and performance programs. I now achieve significantly more in my time allocated to work and as a result have a more enriched life outside of work‘” Maria Atkinson, Lend Lease

Sport has been my passion ever since I can remember. I have always had a huge interest in all sport but running has been something that I have particularly loved and is what drove me to study Exercise Physiology and Sports Coaching at University. Connecting the science behind the human body with my practical knowledge of sport was a natural next step.

At 21, I had the opportunity to train with the Australian Institute of Sport’s High Performance Coach for Tasmania. I learnt a hell of a lot from one of the best in the business and it wasn’t long before I became the assistant coach, helping to develop junior Australian athletes.

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5 Reasons to book Andrew May

1. Experience. Andrew has spent the past 15 years working with some of the world’s leading athletes and sporting teams including the Australian Cricket Team, The Sydney Swans, Olympic athletes and world champions.

2. Qualifications. Andrew has studied Sports Coaching and Exercise Physiology and is currently completing his Masters in Coaching Psychology.

3. Profile. Andrew is the author of the best selling books Flip the Switch, Switched On Health Professionals (vol 1 & 2) and Between Jobs; The redundancy survival guide. He has regular segments on national TV, radio and in the press a leading commentator on health, performance, productivity and psychology.

4. Fun. Participants rave about Andrew’s energetic and entertaining style. He blends entertainment with evidence- based research. We guarantee your delegates will laugh out loud and remember the message long after the conference is over.

5. Support. Andrew has a highly qualified support team who do a great job organising everything behind the scenes. We also have a range of products that support the learning experience and ensure accountability long after the conference has finished.

Andrew’s Core Keynotes

The Science of High Performance

The rapid speed and intensity of modern business demands a new way of approaching performance. Today’s workplace is a highly competitive cauldron sharing many similar characteristics with the world of the high performance athlete. Intense effort, thriving under pressure, focused concentration and the ability to recover are fundamental to success. Being able to consistently perform at your peak requires a balance between intense effort and essential periods of rest and recovery. You cannot be 100% efficient if you are on 24/7.

The Science of High Performance is drawn from the fields of performance psychology, sports coaching, exercise physiology and business management.

Learning outcomes:

• Learn about the 4 pillars of performance – Psychology, Productivity, Physiology and Recovery
• Learn how to put these pillars to work to improve your performance and output
• Understand the 4 different performance zones – chill, thrill, spill and kill
• Tap into your biologically determined Energy Personality and make every day productive and on purpose – even when you’re feeling flat!
• Learn how to get more done in the hours you dedicate to work
• Leave with techniques to help you stay focused and productive throughout the year
• Use the Recovery Rocket to help you recover, recharge and reconnect
• How to be ON when you have to and OFF when you can

Resilience and Positive Stress

Resilient people and resilient organisations have a competitive advantage. They adapt and thrive better than others in environments of non-stop change, have a greater sense of purpose and social conditioning and have the ability to bounce back quickly following times of stress or hardship.
Resilience is not just for the ‘lucky few’ who were born with it, resilience can be taught. People with high resilience bounce back from difficulties faster, tend to thrive under pressure, adapt better to constantly changing environments, have higher energy levels and are better adapted to managing stress.

Learning outcomes:

• Learn why some people are naturally more resilient than others and how to increase your personal resilience
• Understand the behaviours and traits that underpin both learned optimism and learned pessimism.
• Realise why many of us suffer high levels of stress, anxiety and depression during various stages in our careers and how to reduce the likelihood of this happening with a proactive approach
• How Psychological Skills Training (PST) is now being used in the corporate world to help workers improve their ‘mental toughness’ and increase performance
• Why it is essential to have a defined purpose and regular boost of passion in your life
• Natural ways to boost energy levels and avoid ‘resilience fatigue’

Recharge

Stress is now described as the great modern plague, with resulting anxiety, depression and ‘burn out’ growing at a rapid rate. Building in activities and habits where you consciously change gears, switch off and recharge are essential to clear thinking, effective team-work and managing day to day pressures. Elite Athletes spend more time, money and resources on this process of recovery than on training and now the corporate world is cottoning on to its power.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand the difference between pressure and stress
• Learn the physiology of stress and recovery and the risks associated with not spending enough time in the recovery mode
• Strategies to switch off and relax and daily rituals to boost performance
• Walk away with a structured annual recovery plan including holidays. Mini-breaks, weekly recovery points and relaxation
• Build in regular periods to recharge and reconnect with what is really important

Get a life

Seven out of eight Australian employees report wanting to have a better work-life balance. As work hours increase and advancements in technology allow the invasion of work into our homes we are struggling to integrate our private and professional lives, to balance day-to-day work and family pressure, stay fit and healthy, maintain relationships and find time for our hobbies and passions. Our lives are filled but often we are unfulfilled.

Get a life is about knowing what is important to you and finding the right use of your time for all of these areas of your life.

Learning outcomes:

• We introduce the concept of Work-life integration and explain the most common Work-Life balance myths
• The starting point for achieving a better integration of work and life is to understand who you are, what you want and most importantly, why you want it.
• We teach you strategies to organise your daily tasks, avoid distractions and get things done in less time so you can focus on what is really important at work and use the time you save to build the life you want outside of work.
• Use our proven system to start planning your ‘Perfect Week’ and achieve a lot more in the time you allocate towards work.
• We teach you strategies to balance your Capacity (daily energy levels) vs. Demands (requirements of your job and life) and how to have a positive balance between the two. This is then integrated into your ‘Perfect Week”
• We teach strategies to help you utilise and recover energy throughout the day, month and year so you can be 100% on the and 100% off the job.

The 8-day week

In today’s time-poor society, more and more people are exasperating ‘if only I had an extra day in the week!’ What if I could give you an extra day a week? What would you do with it?

If we can get crystal clear about the activities that will make the biggest difference to our productivity and then connect these with what is truly important – we can get more done in less time, effectively creating ‘8 days a week’. Then spend the extra day doing the things you love.

Learning outcomes:

• Eliminate email overload with a proactive email management system
• Make your meetings, sharper, more productive and focused on outcomes
• Manage your internal body clock and boost your daily output by 30%
• Learn mindfulness techniques to focus your attention and improve concentration
• Gather the time you save into a half-day of forced isolation, work uninterrupted and watch your productivity soar.

Andrew May’s high performance corporate programs are designed to effect culture change from the top down. Starting with the Executive team who set the direction that is then cascaded down to the rest of the team.

Sustained Performance in 4 steps

1. Diagnosis of the issues

In medicine, prescription without diagnosis is considered malpractice. We believe the same holds true for corporate training. The first step in your program is to determine the performance status of participants. Using the individual and cumulative results from the completed Performance Diagnostics we identify your teams strengths and weakness and build a program accordingly.

2. Building knowledge

Andrew’s training modules deliver the knowledge and skills that individuals and teams need to achieve high performance for sustained periods of time. The content of the Knowledge modules are drawn from the Four Pillars of Performance – Psychology, Productivity, Health and Recovery.

• Core Psychology Modules
• Core Productivity Modules
• Core Recovery Modules
• Core Physiology Modules

Each knowledge module has supporting worksheets and resources that ensure the learning continues to be integrated into daily working life long after the program ends.

3. Developing a Blueprint for Performance

Drawing on the knowledge learnt in the previous sessions your team is now asked to develop a Performance Blueprint that outlines the behaviors that are integral to the success of the team.

High Performing teams have a clear understanding of what needs to be done and how each member of the team contributes to the overall success of the team. By developing a Blueprint for change you increase the transparency of expectations and create lasting accountability.

4. Creating Change

Overcoming resistance and winning support is a critical capability for senior leaders. Andrew’s Change modules provide program participants with the knowledge, tools and confidence to deliver change to the rest of the team.

Andrew May’s executive coaching program is designed for CEO’s, Executives’ and future leaders. His intensive coaching solutions are built around the highly effective formula that lies at the heart of all of his programs, that achieving high performance requires an integrated approach to the way you think (psychology), the way you work (productivity), the way you eat and move (physiology), and the way you recharge (recovery).

Unlike other executive coaching programs, Andrew’s customised, science-based approach is designed to strategically help you sustain performance and become more productive under pressure. You will work side-by-side with Andrew May to develop specific performance rituals that support your personal and professional goals.

Programs designed with you in mind

Andrew’s approach to coaching requires you to be active in the design of your coaching journey. By completing an in-depth Performance Diagnostic he is able to determine which coaching modules are relevant to you achieving sustained high performance.

Programs vary in length from 4 to 12 coaching modules. Each module is delivered as a 60-minute coaching session.

• Psychology modules
• Productivity modules
• Recovery modules
• Physiology modules

Measurable Results

Before and after your program you are assessed on the 4 Pillars of Performance – Psychology, Productivity, Recovery and Physiology. The results (called your Performance Profile) are tangible measures used to demonstrate your progress.

A first for Performance Coaching

The pre and post coaching program for executive professionals results for clients in 2009/10 were evaluated by Dr Tom Buckley, a research academic at the University of Sydney and expert in measuring physiological stress and recovery. Measurements of physiological stress and recovery balance were scientifically evaluated in clients who completed the 12-week week performance coaching program:

• On average, sleep time improved by 22%;
• 24-hour Average heart rate and resting Heart Rate lowered by 8%;
• 24-hour Heart Rate Variability increased by 7% demonstrating lower biological stress;
• Measurements of physiological recovery time, during working hours, increased from an average 1 minute per day pre-program to 155 minutes post program.

What do these results mean for the average person?

These results demonstrate a significant reduction in 24-hour biological stress, and greater recovery resulting in significant improvements in sleep in participants who completed the 12-week program. Numerous large epidemiological studies have consistently reported a linear relationship between both average and resting heart rate with future cardiovascular risk. From these studies, the improvement observed in higher parasympathetic heart modulation, and subsequent reduced heart rate equate to a lowering of cardiovascular risk by approximately 15-20%. Additionally, research has demonstrated a linear relationship between reduced sleep and health risk, especially immune related diseases, making the improvements seen in our clients clinically significant and important in reducing the risk of sleep related health diseases. With over 60% of visits to General Practitioners today related to stress and sleep related disorders, our findings are novel in that not only did clients report lowers perceived psychological stress, but this was quantified scientifically using validated measurements of biological stress.

(This scientific evaluation was conducted by Dr Tom Buckley, who works as a research academic at the University of Sydney and was based on Andrew’s 12- week performance coaching program)

Physiology is about the way you eat and move. High Performers understand that regular physical activity and planned nutrition boosts energy levels and capacity for output, improves confidence levels and concentration. Fit and healthy people have lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression and a competitive advantage in the work place.

Andrew’s Core Programs

Physical Activity for Performance

Learn how your physical condition impacts your energy levels, recovery time, thinking patterns and confidence.

Get Active

Put the theory of Physical Activity for Performance into practice by working with your Physiology Coach on strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness in a one-on-one session.

Customised Training Programs

Our Physiology Coaches develop 4 week to 12 month training programs to help you achieve your health and wellbeing goals including the completion of a fitness activity goal such as a marathon, ocean swim, triathlon etc.

Group Program

We offer 10 week group physical activity programs so you can work out with your team or your friends.

Productivity is about the way you work. High Performers focus on the most important tasks and have strategies in place to minimise distractions and achieve more in less time. High Performers focus on what is really important at work and use the time they save to build the life they want outside of work.

Andrew’s Core Programs

Designing the Perfect Week

We provide you with techniques to manage email, meetings, distractions and energy levels so you can free up an extra half to full day of time each week.

Get Productive

Learn our proven productivity system that provides step-by-step instructions for managing your daily tasks, communications and priority setting, allowing you to take control and truly get organised once and for all.

Working with Support Staff

Recognise that the real driver of productivity in teams are the support staff and that to work effectively together management and support staff must have an understanding of each other’s needs.

Getting Sorted

Administer a simple system to organise your working and living environments so you can get control back.

Recovery is about the way you recharge. High Performers understand they need to find a balance between the amount of time they spend in stress (sympathetic response) and the amount of time they spend in recovery (parasympathetic response). They have strategies to help them utilise and recover energy throughout the day, month and year. Taking time out to recharge supports you in sustaining peak levels of performance for longer periods without burning out.

Andrew’s Core Programs

Stress for Success

We coach you on stress management skills so you understand the different types of stress and are able to effectively navigate through them.

Learn to Recharge

We teach you how to apply recovery strategies that will help you utilise and recover energy efficiently throughout the day, month and year.

Improving Sleep

Learn why you sleep, how much sleep you need and how to improve the quality of your sleep by learning to control your circadian rhythms.

The Relaxation Response

We coach through practical relaxation techniques including deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery so you can stay calm and beat the effects of stress.

Stress and Recovery Analysis

Wear a heart rate monitor for 48 hours to create your personalised profile illustrating the percentage of time you spend in stress and in recovery so we can develop a recovery plan specific to your workload and physiology.

Psychology is about the way you think. High Performers know exactly who they are, what is important in their lives and why it is important. They have learnt how to be optimistic even in the face of adversity; they have high levels of confidence, concentration and resilience and have learnt to train their thinking skills for optimum results.

Andrew’s Core Programs

Becoming Self Aware

We help you to become aware of what is really important in your life and to recognise your strengths and weaknesses.

Learning to Set Goals

We show you how to align goal setting with what’s really important in your life and provide a practical framework to keep you accountable.

Thinking Positively

We coach you to understand how your thoughts impact on the way you behave, your emotional state, your health and your success at work.

Changing Behaviour

This module explains the different stages we go through in order to achieve lasting change and how to navigate your way through them.

Psychological Skills Training

We provide you with the skills to make sure you keep your mind alert, calm and focused even under intense pressure.

A recent survey by American Express revealed 40% of British holidaymakers find travel stress unbearable, with the same number claiming a visit to the dentist is less stressful than having a break. The Germans have coined a word for our inability to relax: Freizeitstresse, or “free time stress”.

Aren’t holidays meant to be a time out to recharge, refresh and rejuvenate? Stick to the following tips to ensure your upcoming break is more fun than a trip to the dentist.

1. Plan your break. So many people plan their working days to the last second but fail to give any thought to their time off. Pack early, ensure a good night╒s sleep before you leave and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed, not zapped.

2. Leave work in the office. Don‘t take reports or proposals to finish by the beach. Be disciplined and leave work in the office. Turn off technology and take time out.

3. Prune your schedule. Adrenaline junkies are notorious for getting back from holidays feeling tired and fatigued. Don‘t spend every waking moment scheduling activities, leave some margin to just chill and have time out. Try going slow for a while, you might just like it.

4. Learn to relax. Set up boundaries that force you to relax and try doing something else a little bit new in this day and age turn off your mobile phone for a while and ditch the watch!

Psychology is about the way you think. High Performers know exactly who they are, what is important in their lives and why it is important. They have learnt how to be optimistic even in the face of adversity. They have high levels of confidence, concentration and resilience and have learnt to train their thinking skills for optimum results.

Find out more

Productivity

Productivity is about the way you work. High Performers focus on the most important tasks and have strategies in place to minimise distractions and achieve more in less time. High Performers focus on what is really important at work and use the time they save to build the life they want outside of work.

Find out more

Recovery

Recovery is about the way you relax and recharge. High Performers understand they need to find a balance between the amount of time they spend in stress (sympathetic response) and the amount of time they spend in recovery (parasympathetic response). They have strategies to help them utilise and recover energy throughout the day, month and year. Taking time out to recharge supports you in sustaining peak levels of performance for longer periods without burning out.

Find out more

Physiology

Physiology is about the way you eat and move. High Performers understand that regular physical activity and planned nutrition boosts energy levels and capacity for output, improves confidence levels and concentration. Fit and healthy people have lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression and a competitive advantage in the work place.

Find out more

Coaching

Andrew May’s executive coaching program is designed for CEO’s, Executives’ and future leaders. His intensive coaching solutions are built around the highly effective formula that lies at the heart of all of his programs, that achieving high performance requires an integrated approach to the way you think (psychology), the way you work (productivity), the way you treat your body (physiology), and the way you recharge (recovery).

Find out more

Training

Andrew May’s high performance corporate programs are designed to effect culture change from the top down. Starting with the Executive team who set the direction that is then cascaded down to the rest of the team. His programs are customized to the needs of your organization and involve a combination of knowledge building sessions, facilitation and behaviour change workshops.

Find out more

Keynote

Andrew May offers a range of keynotes based on the Science of High Performance developed over 15 years of working with some of the world’s leading athletes and sporting teams including the Australian Cricket Team, The Sydney Swans, Olympic athletes and world champions. Participants rave about Andrew’s energetic and entertaining style. He blends entertainment with evidence- based research. We guarantee your delegates will laugh out loud and remember the message long after the conference is over.

Find out more

P: 1300 695 550

P: +61 (2) 9299 2525

F: +61 (2) 8079 6684

The Performance Clinic

Level 3, 131 Clarence Street

Sydney, NSW 2000

Email Andrew’s assistant: support@andrewmay.com

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1. Ask the right questions

* What do you really want and why do you want to achieve it?

* How much does this really mean to you?

* What are the benefits of achieving this goal?

* Who else does this affect/impact?

* Are you really prepared to do what it takes?

2. Involve significant others

Enlist the support any buy-in from your partner, significant others, family, friends, colleagues etc.

3. Get Anchored

Write your goals down on a sheet of paper, simplify them into point format and then put in a place you will regularly see them. E.g. your diary, in the office, in the car, the bathroom, etc.

4. Small bytes

Leading psychologist George Miller believes we can only deal with 7 bits of information at any one time. Keep goals down to a manageable number and group similar areas.

5. Set a plan

After writing your goals down, work out a specific plan. Identify the key steps you need to take towards accomplishing your goal and assign specific dates.

6. Project the future

Review your goals at least every 7 days. Don’t leave it for another 365 days. Think what it is going to be like once you have successfully achieved your goals. How are you going to feel?

7. Reward yourself

It is important to reward yourself along the way as you tick off your action plan. Give yourself a pat on the back for sticking to the process.

Human beings make mistakes so don’t beat yourself up if you lose focus. If you find yourself relapsing sit down and go through the goal setting process again starting at step 1.

An approach built on experience

Sport has been my passion ever since I can remember. I have always had a huge interest in all sport but running has been something that I have particularly loved and is what drove me to study Exercise Physiology and Sports Coaching at University. Connecting the science behind the human body with my practical knowledge of sport was a natural next step.

At 21, I had the opportunity to train with the Australian Institute of Sport’s High Performance Coach for Tasmania. I learnt a hell of a lot from one of the best in the business and it wasn’t long before I became the assistant coach, helping to develop junior Australian athletes.

Running as a profession did not provide a great income so I began taking ‘fat blokes’ for walks.  A number of these ‘fat blokes’ were CEO’s of large organisations. When they started seeing significant improvements in their productivity, as a result of their improved physiology, they asked me to deliver corporate health and wellbeing workshops for their staff. The changes in output generated from improvements in health and physical fitness were profound and clear evidence of the link between Physiology and Productivity.

With my new-found knowledge I started Healthy Business. Within two years we sold to ACCOR and formed a new company, Good Health Solutions (GHS).  GHS is now Australia’s largest corporate health consultancy.  I continued to work in the new structure for the next 2 years, until I discovered there was another piece to the performance puzzle.

I have been fortunate to work with elite athletes and sporting teams throughout my career. I was the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the NSW Cricket team for 6 years and have also worked with the Sydney Swans.  A few years ago I had the opportunity to work with the Australian Cricket team as their Physical Performance Manager. For a year I travelled with the team ensuring each player was in the best possible physical condition for every match of the demanding international cricket calendar. This opened my eyes to the fact that the world’s best sporting teams and athletes spend more money, time and resources on recovery than they do on training and performing.

I went on to write Flip the Switch, an Australian bestseller.  As a result of the book, which explains why performance increases when you play hard and recover even harder, I was asked to speak at conferences and work with senior executives to apply my understanding of high performance to the corporate world. The impact of Recovery in my programs was profound with clients sustaining performance throughout the year and avoiding burnout even under increased pressure. The success of my speaking and coaching programs demanded a full time focus. It was time to take it to the next level.

The more I continued working with executives and their teams the more I realised that something was still missing. Performance strategies around Physiology, Recovery and Productivity can provide a path to success, but what is it that will motivate you to take the first step on that path? Completing my Masters of Coaching Psychology is providing me with the tools to focus on behaviour change, goal setting and what really drives people. I’ve learned that training your brain is just as important as training your body.

I have studied and worked in all four performance areas – Physiology, Productivity, Recovery and Psychology. 15 years experience in elite sport and business has taught me that peak performance comes from integration of all four areas.  One does not work as effectively without the other.  I finally feel like the puzzle is complete.