First Published 2020 by Darren Lewitt 

This Edition Published 2020 by Darren Lewitt  

 

ISBN: 9781655628436     

 

Text Copyrights © Darren Lewitt 2020 

Image Copyrights © Darren Lewitt 2020 

Moral rights asserted.  

 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be 

reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or 

transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, 

photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior written 

permission of the publisher. 

 

Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this 

publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil 

claims for damages. 

 

Written in Norwich, Norfolk, England.    

2  

This book is dedicated to all my former 

colleagues 

 

Without their support, none of my success would have been                   

possible. They helped me transform a tiny company in the heart                     

of East Anglia into a global giant that would not only dominate its                         

field, but would later be listed on the stock market with an                       

incredible turnover approaching £1 billion a year. 

 

A special mention to all the people in this book who inspired me;                         

especially Sir Roger Bannister, who died during my writing of this                     

book, Jim Lewitt - my father and ultimate hero, Pamella Lewitt -                       

my mum, who was my rock, driving force and taught me so much,                         

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and Ed Moses - who as a young child, kept me on the edge of my                               

seat for almost 10 years; to all the other people who I refer to in                             

this book, and last but not least to my wife Ann, without whom,                         

none of this would have been possible. Thank you. 

   

4  

Foreword 

 

Do you have a dream? Let me inspire you 

 

My name is Darren Lewitt and I wrote this book for you, to help                           

prove that anything is possible if you work hard enough, care                     

enough and are determined enough. This is my story… 

 

As a normal lad from the streets of Leicester, like many, I dreamt                         

of one day becoming the next footballing sensation. But like so                     

many young lads I had to accept that my initial dream wasn’t to be                           

and refocus on some realistic goals. Instead, aged 18, I decided to                       

join the Royal Air Force where I learned self-discipline and team                     

ethics. For 7 years, I worked as a technician on surface-to-air                     

missile systems and early-warning radar before leaving to embark                 

on what became a 25-year journey when I joined a small company                       

called Midwich in a sleepy Norfolk town. I started at the bottom                       

and faced innumerable challenges, all the time trying to saturate                   

5  

myself with knowledge of the business. Who would have thought                   

that a few years later I would find myself ‘morphing’ this tiny IT                         

company into the world’s largest audio visual distributor. 

 

If I Can Do It - You Can Too 

 

Through a collection of anecdotal musings, I decided to create                   

this book. I believe you will benefit from some of my                     

observations as a successful businessman. I’m sure you will enjoy                   

them and they will spark something in you. Think of this book as                         

your ‘business bible’ when you embark on your own journey. 

 

The Beginning at Midwich 

 

Having spent a good many years treading water, without having a                     

clear strategy or much imagination, there came a time when I was                       

tasked with developing the business. As it turned out, my team                     

and I would mastermind an evolution that would see the company                     

become a global group of companies, changing the face of audio                     

visual distribution forever and, seeing off a good many rivals along                     

the way. A colleague, and once former competitor, best described                   

his own move to Midwich as joining “the Machine”. 

   

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Moving Forward 

 

I recently sold my share of Midwich because I felt that my legacy                         

was secure and it was time to pass the baton on to my colleagues,                           

allowing them to step up and complete the job I had                     

masterminded. In their capable hands, the company continues to                 

flourish. The decision allowed me to do what I always wanted to                       

do, spend a lot of my time giving back to society and inspiring                         

young people by sharing my hard-earned wisdom and a vast array                     

of business experiences. 

 

I now mentor a wide range of people through the charity                     

‘Volunteering Matters’ and their ‘Grandmentors’ program. Acting             

as a role model and drawing on my experience I play a significant                         

and transformative role in the life of young, vulnerable care                   

leavers.  

 

One of my mentees called Cole wouldn’t even go into the YMCA                       

canteen alone and struggled to communicate with people.             

Working one step at a time we set ourselves goals and most                       

importantly Cole wanted to change his life. Two and a half years                       

on, he now has a council HR apprenticeship, new accommodation                   

and a positive mental attitude. It hasn’t been easy but we are now                         

enjoying the results. Recently we both picked up an award at the                       

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“Mentor of the Year Awards”, appeared on Sky News and the                     

BBC’s The One Show, and Cole has just been nominated for the                       

“Suffolk Young Person of the Year Award”. 

 

In conjunction with the Careers and Enterprise Company and                 

New Anglia LEP, I work with pupils at Ormiston Academy. And                     

in association with “All Together”, I mentor students with                 

complex learning needs at Thomas Wolsey School.  

 

I also give up my time to help a significant number of male and                           

female business leaders.   

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Table of Contents 

 

Section One - Starting From Scratch 

 

Chapter 1 - The Distance Between Your Dreams and Success is 

‘The Extra Mile’ 

Chapter 2 - Is There a Fine Art to Selling?  

Chapter 3 - The Corridors of Success  

Chapter 4 - Creativity - Your ‘25th Hour’ 

 

 

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Section Two - Motivation and Inspiration 

 

Chapter 5 - The Harder I Practice, the Luckier I Get 

Chapter 6 - Time and Tide Wait for No Man  

Chapter 7 - Balancing the Half-full or Half-empty Glass 

Chapter 8 - Your Most Important Word 

Chapter 9 - That Friday Feeling  

Chapter 10 - Aspire to Inspire Before You Expire  

 

Section Three - Resilience and Positivity 

 

Chapter 11 - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life 

Chapter 12 - Bouncing Back 

Chapter 13 - If You Ain’t Ever Been Down  

 

Section Four - Moving Up the Ladder 

 

Chapter 14 - The Answer is Yes. Now What’s the Question? 

Chapter 15 - How Do You Start Out as a Manager?  

Chapter 16 - How to turn ‘RAGE’ into ‘COURAGE’?  

  

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Section Five - You’ve Made It! Now What? 

 

Chapter 17 - Recognise Your Superstars  

Chapter 18 - Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word 

Chapter 19 - Social Media or Social Menace  

Chapter 20 - Don’t Become a Business Dinosaur  

Chapter 21 - Taking Your Brand to a Different Level  

 

Section Six - Don’t Get Complacent 

 

Chapter 22 - Make Time for Reflection  

Chapter 23 - Expect the Unexpected 

Chapter 24 - Has Anyone Seen My Lunch? 

Chapter 25 - Festive Cheer or Simply Bah Humbug? 

Chapter 26 - A Degree in Common Sense  

Chapter 27 - Keeping an Open Mind  

Chapter 28 - The Pressure Cooker  

 

Epilogue   

11  

Section One 

 

Starting from Scratch 

   

12  

Chapter 1  

 

 

 

The Distance Between Your Dreams and 

Success is ‘The Extra Mile’ 

 

Before the 6th May 1954, the idea of running a 4-minute mile was                         

dismissed as inconceivable, impossible, out of the question.               

However Sir Roger Bannister did something quite remarkable that                 

day.  

 

In less than 4 minutes, he made people believe that goals                     

considered to be unattainable could now be within their reach.                   

What’s nearly as incredible is that his inspirational record time                   

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lasted only 46 days. 

 

And 60 years on, it has since been lowered by 17 seconds. Both a                           

17-year-old and a 40-year-old have also accomplished the feat                 

along with thousands of others thanks to Sir Roger and pure                     

human belief. In addition, Kenyan runner Daniel Komen, literally                 

went ‘the extra mile’ in 1997 when he completed 2 miles in under                         

8 minutes for the very first time. I’m now left wondering when the                         

first woman will achieve the 4-minute mile. And why not because; 

 

‘Anything is Possible.’ 

 

Throughout life and in any business career, adopting a positive                   

mental attitude is what separates the winners from the also-rans.                   

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there, focus on your goals                         

and make it happen. At a young age, my mother taught me to say                           

the alphabet backwards, which of course ends in DCBA. This has                     

always stuck in my mind and to me, those four characters spell out                         

the title of my book...  

 

● Dream   

● Create   

● Believe   

● Achieve 

 

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As long as you excel at what you do and put yourself in the right                             

place at the right time, there is no reason why you can’t achieve                         

your dreams. Just keep going, no matter what, and maintain your                     

self-belief.  

 

During your career you will have times when you think that your                       

goals or your dreams are not realistic or in fact achievable. With                       

the right attitude, you will not only climb to the mountain top                       

you’ll have the chance to see the infinity of possibilities that lies                       

beyond it. 

 

I set myself a target when I left school to retire by the age of 50                               

and although I do a bit of coaching now I effectively achieved that                         

goal when I sold my share in my company on my 48th birthday.                         

So, if just an average lad from the streets of Leicester can do it                           

then you can too. 

Those ‘Oops’ Moments 

 

Everyone has them. Throughout my career, I have suffered my                   

fair share of embarrassing incidents, including the one that began                   

on my very first day as a salesman. Having successfully closed my                       

first sale on my opening call, I was naturally buzzing with                     

excitement and pretty full of myself. However, just like a balloon                     

15  

that someone stabbed with a pin, I was about to completely                     

deflate and learn my first lesson in business. 

 

Attention to Detail 

 

Back in the early 1990s, cars didn’t have central locking systems.                     

So, after noticing that I had locked the keys inside my car, I                         

suddenly twigged that things weren’t lining up to be the perfect                     

start to my sales career. After weighing up the options, I decided                       

that the only thing to do to retrieve my keys was to smash the                           

back window, like a common thief. The wet afternoon didn’t help                     

to lift my gloomy mood either. Now running behind schedule, in a                       

windy and unsecure car, it prevented me from making all the calls                       

I had planned, so I let a lot of people down that day, and that                             

didn’t feel good. 

 

Turn a Negative into a Positive 

 

Letting down my future customers was a tough lesson, but I was                       

adamant that I would draw something good from this unfortunate                   

experience and never forget how it made me feel at the time. Six                         

months later, while ‘dining out’ on this comedy of errors with                     

some customers, it turned out that I was having the last laugh as                         

my sales region had become the most profitable for the company. 

16  

The Chicken or the Egg, What Comes First? 

 

The answer is actually irrelevant because hard work comes before                   

them both. Having said that, just how do you get a job in sales                           

with no experience when you can’t get experience without having                   

a job in sales.  

 

‘That catch 22 situation!’ 

 

To be successful you do need commitment and determination. If                   

you want to be the best and you want to beat the rest then                           

dedication’s what you need.  

 

Sometimes a manager has to take a calculated chance on people,                     

and in my own case, a very special man called Robin Howell                       

believed in me enough to give me a chance. And so, coming from                         

a military background with no sales experience I was presented                   

with my first opportunity. All I had in my armory was quantity                       

and dedication. 

 

Working late nights, stuffing handwritten mail-shots and licking               

hundreds of postage stamps taught me that; 

 

‘Quantity is sometimes better than quality.’ 

17  

“I spent about four and a half years in field sales before                       

moving into the office. In that time, I turned my area into the                         

most profitable within the company, winning my first               

salesman of the year award and securing my company’s first                   

ever £1 million contract along the way. It was certainly a                     

platform that positioned me for moving up into a business                   

management role, ready for the next exciting challenge               

ahead.” DL 

   

18  

Chapter 2  

 

Is there a Fine Art to Selling? 

 

Well, that is the six-million-dollar question! OK. Here’s the drill… 

 

You pick up your phone, make an appointment, get in your car,                       

present your pitch, promise to deliver, ship out the goods, hit your                       

target, and you count your bonus. 

 

Selling - It’s as Easy as That, or Is It? 

 

Throughout my career I’ve learned many great lessons, and I’d                   

19  

like to share a few that just might improve your thinking.                     

Although sales-based, these are easily transferable to other areas                 

of business. 

 

I have met countless salespeople, including the good, the bad and                     

the downright ugly; but the one common denominator among all                   

the successful ones is that they were all ‘personable’. 

 

Those who are the most memorable are not necessarily the most                     

successful. Packing in as many clichés and acronyms as possible                   

into a sentence isn’t selling. I still raise a smile at the thought of                           

some of them today. 

 

One guy used to shout out “Don’t forget your ABCs!” at the                       

end of each sales meeting (that’s ‘Always Be Closing’ for people                     

not from a sales background) or, put more simply, make sure you                       

get the order from the customer. 

 

Here are some pointers that, I hope, will guide and inspire you to                         

make your mark if sales is your chosen route. Once again, many of                         

these relate to any role within your business. 

 

20  

● Respect - Earn respect from your colleagues, customers,               

suppliers and indeed, your competitors. Respect isn’t             

something you can just buy in a shop. 

● Effort - If you put in the hours, you’ll win more battles                       

than you lose. The harder you practice the luckier you                   

will get. 

● Preparation - Here’s a personal favourite of mine. If you                   

Fail to Prepare, then you are Preparing to Fail. 

 

It’s amazing how many people arrive into work each morning and                     

just go for it, like a bull in the china shop. How can you be                             

productive and at your best if you don’t prepare for your day                       

ahead. Make sure you know which customers have viewed your                   

website and make sure you analyse your daily sales history reports.                     

Knowledge of who has bought what and when is key but, even                       

more importantly, find out who isn’t buying from you anymore so                     

you can establish why and do something about it. 

 

Know Your Target Audience  

 

You have got to challenge yourself every day by asking the right                       

questions. “Who, What, When, How and Why am I calling my                     

customer base?” “Who did this job before me and how can I                       

become more successful at it?”   

21  

Start by learning from other people’s mistakes. If you are new to                       

your role ask yourself “why did the last person leave this role?”                       

You need to know because you have a point to prove, and fast. I                           

once discovered that my marketing department, which was               

targeting 2000 sales contacts only had 400 set up to receive                     

updates. 

 

A lack of care, organisation, attention and laziness in sales and                     

marketing have no place in business. The number one priority for                     

any salesperson is to make an up-to-date customer database an                   

immediate priority. 

 

Once you have your customer list, ask yourself six simple                   

questions. 

 

● Who am I going to contact? 

● How am I going to communicate with them?  

● What is it that they do? 

● What is the history between our two companies?  

● What am I going to talk about? 

● And what do I ultimately want to achieve? 

 

If you don’t know the answers to your own questions, then you                       

are always going to generate limited results. Get to know the                     

22  

buying patterns of your customers and the best times of the day to                         

call them. Find out when they place their orders and who places                       

them. Who is your main competition? Find out why they like to                       

use them and how you can win more business. It’s really not                       

rocket science. Someone once said to me “I don’t like calling                     

customers because they will think I am desperate.” Proof, if you                     

ever needed it, that there will always be people who succeed and                       

people who fail in business. 

 

● Presentation - You never get a second chance to make a                     

first impression. Make it count by ensuring you have the                   

right image, dress well, present appropriate materials and               

come across as both a likeable and professional person. 

 

People will always buy from positive people. 

 

● Teamwork - Extend your network by using the team                 

around you. Engaging with your suppliers, your             

colleagues and your customers. Think of them as an                 

extension to your own sales force or mini business. 

 

● Don’t take your eye off the ball for a minute - If                       

you’re not contacting your customers, then a competitor               

probably is. If you’re not asking for the order, then your                     

23  

competitor probably is. As you build your client base, ask                   

your clients to recommend you to their colleagues. Never                 

underestimate the power of your customers and suppliers               

and work closely with them both. This is real networking                   

and it really works. It’s so important that you become;  

 

The conductor of your own orchestra. 

 

● Product knowledge - This is a key fundamental of                 

selling. It’s imperative that you know all the key features                   

and benefits of the product and company you are                 

representing. Research and compile a cheat sheet. Never               

waffle, lie, or make promises you can’t deliver on. You                   

will quickly be found out and made to look like a                     

complete fool. It can take a very long time to win back a                         

customer who has lost faith in you. 

 

● Closing the deal - If you know exactly what your                   

customer needs then you have the best chance of                 

securing the deal.  

 

Don’t forget your shopping list. 

 

24  

‘Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions - Congratulations 

you’ve closed the sale.’ 

 

“Your colleagues are there to support you, but they will only 

send you away if you don’t ask your customers for all the 

information needed for a specific project. Get everything on 

your shopping list right from the start and make yourself look 

professional. Asking the right questions the first time around 

is professional and essential.” DL 

   

25  

Chapter 3 

 

 

The Corridors of Success 

 

I’d like you to imagine yourself walking down a corridor for the                       

first time and all you see is an infinite number of doors with                         

hundreds of people knocking on them.  

 

There are people talking, having conversations and even shouting.                 

Whilst some people are working their way up the corridor others                     

seem disillusioned and are running back towards you. 

 

Congratulations you have arrived in your corridor of dreams; a                   

place where your success or failure will be determined over the                     

next few years; a place where you will gain experience, and a place                         

26  

where you will learn lessons and become a stronger and more                     

confident person, a place where you will become a leader of                     

people, and a place where you will ultimately succeed. 

 

From the moment I started my career, I visualised business as a                       

series of parallel corridors connected by an infinite number of                   

doors and every time you step through a door you gain access to a                           

better and more prosperous corridor, thus helping you climb up                   

your pyramid of success. 

 

The only challenge you have is to continually work out how to get                         

through the right door into the next corridor and ultimately the                     

more successful you are at this, the more corridors you will                     

inevitably walk down during your career. 

 

So Which Corridor are you in Right Now? 

 

If you are just starting out in business, you will be walking down                         

your first corridor but if you have more experience then you may                       

well have passed through some of your doors and corridors                   

already. 

 

Whatever corridor you are in right now you would have at some                       

point started in the first one, so let’s talk about your first corridor.                         

27  

As you travel down this never-ending passage, knocking on every                   

door, the devil’s advocate inside of you will try and convince you                       

that none of the doors will ever open for you. “Surely they will”,                         

you think because you’re a likeable person right? Wrong! Just                   

being another nice person in this corridor won’t guarantee you                   

anything. 

 

So Why do I Need to get Through These 

Doors? 

 

These doors represent opportunities, lessons, successes and             

promotions and you’ll soon learn in business that the more effort                     

you put in, the more reward you’ll ultimately get out. The further                       

you travel down each corridor the more you’ll realise that looking                     

after yourself is of huge importance, especially when there are lots                     

of other likeable people around you. Sure, there are times when                     

teamwork is essential but only you can control your destiny. You                     

need to learn to find and shape your own identity and personality,                       

the one that sets you apart from most of the others in the corridor                           

and you need to be confident enough to both market yourself and                       

back yourself for the exciting challenges that lie ahead. 

28  

So How do I get Through These Doors? 

 

Look around you and you will see other people moaning, giving in                       

and telling you to turn back; “none of these doors will ever open,                         

they’re locked, give it up”; take this on board because this is your                         

very first lesson in business. These are typical negative people that                     

you will encounter in life who just can’t be bothered to go the                         

extra mile and will always have an excuse or a reason why they                         

can’t do something. I call them ‘the contenters’ - People lacking                     

desire and happy with their lot. Some might even call them the                       

quitters but you’re not a quitter, you’re a winner, a future                     

champion; just remember this: 

 

‘Winners never quit and quitters never win.’ 

The more negativity you hear from others, the more inspiration                   

you will gain and although at times this might be mentally                     

challenging, it’s actually the time for you to excel, to start                     

knocking harder and walking faster, continuing to think and learn                   

all the time. Your efforts will soon be rewarded, your first door                       

will open, and you’ll immediately jump through it. At this point it’s                     

time to let others know that you have arrived. This is your                       

moment. 

 

29  

You’ve now arrived in the ‘LEARNING’ corridor where you will                   

gain product knowledge or specific role experience. You will also                   

start making mistakes but ultimately you will become a more                   

rounded, reliable and mature person. The further you travel along                   

this corridor the more valuable skills you will learn. 

 

When you find your way through the next door, you’ll find                     

yourself in a slightly smaller corridor full of winners and positive                     

people. This is the corridor of ‘OPPORTUNITY’ where you are                   

let off the leash to show off all your skills and talent, where the                           

people who have put their faith in you have given you a chance to                           

shine. But there is still a lot of competition around so keep                       

knocking hard on those doors. 

 

Once you’ve gained some experience and started to stand out                   

from your colleagues, you’ll find the next door opening for you.                     

This is an even smaller corridor called the corridor of                   

‘RESPONSIBILITY’ and this time there aren’t as many people                 

about nor as many doors to knock on. For the first time, you’ll                         

realise that all your hard work has paid off. Congratulations you’ve                     

advanced ahead of your colleagues, but don’t celebrate too soon,                   

because this is just the beginning. The lessons learned through                   

ignoring the doubters and focusing on your own goals will no                     

doubt have put you in a strong position moving forward. 

30  

With fewer doors available in this new corridor, you will realise                     

that you need to become more creative and more imaginative. It’s                     

time to discover the ‘25th Hour’ in the day and time now to focus                           

on; 

 

‘Quality rather than quantity.’ 

 

You’ve come to the point in your journey when it’s about making                       

decisions and looking out for others, as you are now a Team                       

Leader or a Junior Manager. The most important thing now is that                       

you stay visible right in the middle of the corridor and support                       

your team. Plan your route forward, and make sure you knock                     

with confidence on each door moving forward. You now also                   

have the opportunity to open a few doors and see who is                       

knocking to try and get into your corridor with you. 

 

The secret of my success was to always think of the corridor                       

concept and believe that with the right determination and                 

persistence doors would always open for me. 

 

Why not challenge yourself, depending on your own stage of life                     

and development, and decide which doors and corridors you                 

ultimately aim to conquer. 

 

31  

Sometimes a door will be shut firmly in your face, but you must                         

not let that set you back. I have always believed that if someone                         

says ‘NO’ it simply means;  

 

‘Next Opportunity’. 

 

Stay positive and believe that things happen for a reason and                     

you’ll do just fine. Finally, the most important piece of advice to                       

remember is; 

 

‘If you knock on 1000 doors and none of them open then 

knock on 1000 more.’ 

 

“I entered many corridors during my period in sales                 

culminating in my role as Head of UK Field Sales with a                       

team of people to manage. Stepping through into another                 

corridor the management decided that my skills would be                 

better utilised working at Head Office to lead the evolution of                     

our business by formulating a strategy for change. However, I                   

didn’t become a director on my first try. I was actually                     

overlooked and, whilst many people could have taken this as                   

a negative, I just put my head down, cracked on and believed                       

32  

that my time would come. Always believe in yourself. When                   

it was my time, I grabbed the opportunity and the rest would                       

end up being my Midwich legacy.” DL 

   

33  

Chapter 4 

 

Creativity - Your ‘25th Hour’ 

 

To be successful in business we all have to keep evolving to stay                         

ahead of our competition. Harnessing, developing and             

implementing ideas ultimately sees our business prosper, both in                 

terms of new clients and ultimately more profit. It’s time now for                       

you to open your mind, forget about 24/7 and focus on your                       

‘25th Hour’ of the day. 

34  

So What is This ‘25th Hour’ and Where has 

This Come From? 

 

I was talking to a movie director recently in the Blue Mountains,                       

north of Sydney, Australia and he told me he was working on a                         

film about the power of the subconscious mind whilst you are                     

asleep but he was yet to find a title for the film. Without thinking,                           

and much to his surprise and indeed my own, I came out with the                           

concept of the ‘25th Hour’. He told me he was blown away with                         

my train of thought and even asked me if he could use the ‘25th                           

Hour’ as his film title. I light-heartedly told him “of course you                       

should but make sure I get a walk on role”. 

 

So Again What is Our ‘25th Hour?’ 

 

Let’s start by saying that most creative and imaginative people find                     

it hard to switch the creative sides of their brains off and when we                           

hit our pillows at night that really isn’t the end of the day for us. 

 

No, far from it. We all have a creative side and for a few minutes                             

when we are all at rest or indeed when we wake up in the night,                             

we have those ‘eureka’ moments which I’m hoping many of you                     

can and will over time relate to. 

 

35  

However, the key to this ‘25th Hour’ or the ‘Creative Hour’ as I                         

also like to call it, is to write everything down as soon as we think                             

of it. Have a pen and paper at your bedside and just scribble away.                           

Most of our great thoughts and ideas come when we are settling                       

down trying to sleep. 

 

There are two reasons why we write it down, firstly to remember                       

it the next morning and secondly, as soon as we’ve written it                       

down our brains can process it which enables our thought                   

patterns to move on further to the next stage of our creative                       

development. 

 

This is totally my concept and I have never heard of this before                         

but this process led me to many great ideas that I implemented                       

both as a business manager and a director of my company,                     

Midwich. These ideas ultimately played a significant part in                 

enabling the company to grow and change direction from that £10                     

million IT company into the billion-pound audio visual giant it is                     

becoming today. There will always be a few ideas that get away                       

from you before you grasp the concept of writing them down but; 

 

‘Why not give it a go, and congratulations because you now 

work 25/7.’  

   

36  

Section Two 

 

Motivation and Inspiration 

 

 

 

   

37  

Chapter 5  

 

 

  

 

 

The Harder I Practice, the Luckier I Get 

 

If you are going to Dream, Dream BIG and if you are going to                           

Dream BIG, Dream BIGGER. 

 

From the beginning, I found myself searching for change, for a                     

way to create a business evolution, to find the next opportunity,                     

the latest technology, again that ‘eureka’ moment. So, just what is                     

the magic formula to becoming the next channel explorer? Or is it                       

really more about being in the right place at the right time? 

 

38  

At an early stage in my business management career I was handed                       

a simple brief: “Darren, go and evolve our business”. 

 

No matter what your directive is, you need to be able to analyse                         

the task given to you and work with the tools at your disposal and                           

learn to adopt a confident mental attitude believing that; 

 

‘Anything is Possible.’ 

 

It never rang true to me that simply striving to become the best                         

means you will be the most successful. Instead, I have always                     

thought that, as long as I am the luckiest, I don’t have to be the                             

best.   

 

I vividly remember a story that the South African golfer Gary Player                       

once told. He was practicing in a bunker down in Texas and this                         

good old boy with a big hat stopped to watch. The first shot he                           

saw Gary hit went straight into the hole. The American clapped                     

and cheered and said, “you’ve got yourself 50 dollars if you knock                       

the next one in”.  

 

He holed the next one of course and the American shouted, “100                       

bucks if you can do that again”. Well you guessed it, straight out                         

of the sand and into the hole for three in a row. As he peeled off                               

the bills he said, “boy, I’ve never met anyone so lucky in my life”,                           

39  

and Gary simply replied, “funny but the harder I practice the                     

luckier I get”.  

 

So just how do you ensure that you grab your fair share of luck? 

 

Right Place, Right Time? 

 

I suppose you do have to be lucky to find a new technology in a                             

shopping mall in Florida or walk out of a supplier meeting with a                         

technology agreement you never actually went in for; but always                   

remember if you don’t work hard to give yourself the opportunity                     

to be at the right place at the right time then how will you ever                             

land that piece of luck? To have any chance of finding long-term                       

success, you need to be able to combine any luck you get with                         

your own visions of the bigger picture. 

 

Being creative with vision and drive, identifying, creating and                 

instilling your ideologies before delivering a strategy is so                 

important. It has a lot to do with training your mind to stay open                           

and dedicated. 

 

   

40  

That ‘25th Hour’ Again 

 

Be prepared to take chances and you need to be surrounded by                       

positive people. Keep reminding yourself that: 

 

‘You can do it and anything is possible.’ 

 

Foresight is a word that can stop you from progressing or                     

achieving all that you want in life. It will deceive you into                       

accepting that what your eyes see is the total reality. It is easier to                           

accept that what is in your line of vision is everything you have. 

 

I’m here to tell you that this simply isn’t true! We are here for a                             

reason…and that includes achieving whatever you want. 

 

Remember that, if someone else has achieved it, then it’s possible                     

for you to achieve it and even improve it. Open your mind and let                           

your inner belief, imagination and determination assist you in                 

mapping out a better future for yourself. It’s these types of                     

creative people who become the industry ‘farmers’, who steer the                   

sheep down a specific path, setting the benchmarks and                 

parameters along the way. As farmers we all need to find the time                         

to drive one of these tractors to our personal destinations of                     

choice. 

41  

A very negative person once suggested to me that I must be                       

extremely disappointed that I missed out on a major opportunity.                   

My response was simple but canny. I just said, “Not at all”,                       

because I knew it would provide me with more time to remain                       

positive, work harder, get luckier and make sure I landed the next                       

five major opportunities. No matter how good you are, you can’t                     

win them all. Just make sure you win more than your competition.  

 

The most successful people in the world today have one thing in                       

common; 

 

‘They are not necessarily the best at what they do but they 

will be the luckiest.’ 

 

So, does luck really play a part? Of course; but the more you put                           

into life, and the harder you work your mind, the luckier you will                         

become, and the more opportunities will certainly come your way. 

 

“I arrived back in the UK from that Florida shopping mall                     

and persuaded Casio to allow us to sell their digital cameras                     

which eventually turned into a £15 million a year imaging                   

business for the company. The knock-on effect from that                 

fortuitous moment in Florida was that we soon took on                   

42  

Sanyo cameras which included leaving the room with a                 

contract to sell Sanyo projectors. This was to become the                   

catalyst for creating that global audio visual giant. Wow how                   

lucky was I? What’s also interesting is that my old company                     

have now landed the major opportunity I missed out on a few                       

years back proving that persistence really does pay off. When                   

I was asked to evolve the company I had no idea how to do                           

that but my advice to you is this. Whatever challenge you are                       

given in life, accept it and then work out how to achieve it.                         

Good luck.” DL 

   

43  

Chapter 6 

 

Time and Tide Wait for No Man 

 

There are moments in life when someone famous inspires you so                     

much that the memory never leaves you. These special people are                     

natural born winners with a gift that impacts the world. They                     

somehow find the strength and determination to create and repeat                   

their winning formula and stay ahead of the game. This memory                     

from my childhood involves one of the greatest and most                   

inspirational sportsmen of all time. Four decades on, it is still as                       

clear as ever. 

 

Imagine the scene. It is the late 1970s, and I’m an excitable                       

teenager sitting in front of a black and white television eagerly                     

anticipating my weekly instalment of athletics. Yet again, one man                   

tops the bill. A black American athlete is, unknowingly, inspiring                   

44  

children all over the world as he effortlessly glides around the                     

track for an inspirational minute, continuing his unbeaten run. He                   

is, quite simply, invincible. 

 

It’s hard to comprehend being the best at what you do for such a                           

long time, but just try to imagine topping your chosen profession                     

for 9 years, 9 months and 9 days. That’s how long Edwin Moses                         

remained unbeaten at the 400 metre hurdles. Spanning 122 races                   

his repetitive winning habit saw him walk away with two Olympic                     

Gold medals plus two World Championships, setting new world                 

records along the way. He was, no doubt, equivalent to a                     

modern-day Usain Bolt or Tiger Woods. For inspiration alone, he                   

would be up there in my top ten legends of all time along with                           

Martin Luther King Jr, Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela. 

 

Despite only ever having seen Ed Moses on TV, I did have the                         

privilege a few years ago of meeting him in a baggage area at                         

Heathrow airport. It was one of the most amazing days of my life,                         

when a colleague and I spotted him. The feeling of adrenaline                     

when we turned to each other and mimed those three words                     

simultaneously was incredible: 

 

“It’s Ed Moses!” 

 

45  

It came as no surprise that he was a complete gentleman and only                         

too pleased to talk. He had left athletics to become an engineer                       

because the money wasn’t around in his track days, but he seemed                       

to be delighted that we recognised him and that he had inspired                       

us. 

 

I believe that meeting Ed Moses was fate, and it closed a                       

life-changing chapter for me, one that provided me with                 

inspiration and belief throughout my entire career. 

 

‘Repetition is your habit for success.’ 

 

“Sometimes in business you will feel that you are taking one                     

step forward and two steps back or that the finishing line is                       

constantly being pushed back. My advice is to always remain                   

focused on your objectives but be prepared to adapt, to refocus                     

on your goals. Then continually repeat what you do best and                     

success is bound to come your way. Lost time is never found                       

again. Time is your greatest ally in business yet, instead of                     

embracing it, people seem to make weak excuses for the poor                     

management of it. From the moment we won our first audio                     

46  

visual award Ed's inspiration enabled me to stay on top of                     

my profession for another 10 years 10 months and 10 days                     

before I decided to pass the baton on.” DL 

 

Isn’t it Time You Reviewed Your ‘Time 

Management’ Schedule? 

 

How many excuses do we hear every day that have to do with                         

time? 

 

● “I’ve hardly had time to think or catch my breath.”  

● “Where did the time go?” 

● “I’ve run out of time.”  

● “It’s a race against time.”  

● “But I haven’t had time to do it.” 

 

In my experience, you need to commit to change and get the task                         

at hand done and out of the way as quickly as possible, because                         

one thing is for sure in business. 

 

‘The early bird really does catch the worm.’ 

 

Make sure you manage your time positively, plan specific                 

47  

activities, be productive and, most importantly, enjoy the journey.                 

The last thing you want is for ‘time to pass you by’. 

 

Stick to your ‘time management’ plan all the way through a                     

process and don’t be drawn towards the end. Whilst others are                     

‘racing against time’, your powers of concentration, planning,               

preparation and dedication will ensure that you never ‘run out of                     

time’! 

 

If a specific task doesn’t go to plan don’t beat yourself up about it.                           

There is always ‘next time’ and with that another chance. 

 

When you look at how best to manage your time, you need to                         

think about how you, personally, like to work. Do you work better                       

at a given point in the day or do you prefer to work alone or as a                                 

team? Be honest with yourself about how you like to work and                       

once you become consciously aware, you’ll be able to tailor your                     

day to what suits you best. 

 

Got that sorted? Now, Here are the Next Steps 

 

1. Setting your goals - The most fundamental skill to                 

effectively managing your time is driven by goal setting. Every                   

action that you undertake should be aimed at bringing you                   

48  

closer to achieving your goals. 

 

2. Prioritising - Most items on your to-do list will not be a                       

priority so changing your focus to completing the most                 

valuable work first with the time and resources available to                   

you is essential. Prioritisation is key, deciding when and where                   

you do each task will ensure that your time management                   

rapidly improves. 

 

3. Focus and motivation - Regardless of what you are trying to                     

do there will always be something else competing for your                   

attention. It’s not easy but try shutting out all of the                     

distractions and focus on the task in hand. 

 

4. Systems - Having accurate processes in place will allow you                   

to manage information and make key decisions, effectively.               

Having access to the right information is crucial. 

 

5. Decision making and planning - Once you’ve prioritised               

tasks and established which ones are the most important and                   

what resources are needed, ask yourself; “Which tasks do I                   

need to delegate and how will my schedule be affected by the                       

reliance on others?” “Will the inclusion of others cause delays                   

and put pressure on deadlines?”.  

49  

Remember that building positive relationships with your orchestra               

members is key and working effectively as a team is the quickest                       

way to succeed in a task. Always have a plan B though, just in case                             

you need to review, identify and implement it.  

 

Sometimes in business you will feel that you are taking one step                       

forward and two steps back or that the finishing line is constantly                       

being pushed back. My advice is to always remain focused on your                       

objectives but be prepared to adapt and refocus on your goals,                     

continually repeat what you do best so success has a greater                     

chance of coming your way. 

 

Remember that ‘lost time is never found again’. Time is our                     

greatest ally in business yet, instead of embracing it, people seem                     

to make weak excuses for the poor management of it. From the                       

moment we won our first audio visual award back in 2003, the                       

inspiration drawn from Ed Moses’ enabled me to stay on top of                       

my profession for another 10 years, 10 months and 10 days before                       

I decided to pass the baton on. And if you think you’ve read these                           

words before think hard about what I said above;  

 

‘Repetition is your habit for success.’  

   

50  

Chapter 7 

Balancing the Half-full or Half-empty Glass 

 

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with, against and alongside a                     

lot of amazing and very different people throughout my career.                   

But early on in my journey, it became apparent that there wasn’t                       

any concrete right or wrong way to run a business. 

 

The right way is surely always the most successful way, isn’t it?                       

There have been many debates over the years as to whether the                       

motivational ‘CARROT’ or the pressurised ‘STICK’ is ultimately               

the best approach. 

51  

Well on trial today, for me, is most definitely the stick. Whilst I’m                         

pretty sure there are a few people left out there who can plead a                           

case for the defence, my headmaster was definitely the last person                     

I saw who successfully used a stick when flexing his cane on a                         

number of naughty schoolboys backsides in the 1970’s. The stick                   

approach however to both life and business now seems pretty                   

prehistoric. Imagine you were an abused dog, you certainly                 

wouldn’t be holding out your paw, asking to be beaten some                     

more, now would you? 

 

On the one hand, you have this gloomy,               

stick-come-glass-half-empty approach that pressurises you         

to perform and often threatens your job and livelihood, where                   

everything is always so serious, versus my own positive solution -                     

the healthy incentive, that delicious carrot. 

 

My friendly and likeable approach that incentivises and rewards                 

the individual, as well as the team, uses the mentality that the glass                         

is always half-full, where things are on the way up and anything is                         

achievable and if we come across a problem we will work together                       

to find a solution. 

 

Now let’s look at the different types of people in business and                       

why managers end up using the stick or carrot approach. I’ve                     

52  

always believed that there are six different types of people in                     

business; the Extrovert, the balanced Introvert, the Socially               

Awkward, the Jobs-Worth, the Relational and the Dominant. 

 

Some people are eccentric, some are as quiet as a mouse, some                       

just get on and do it, some create attention, some are power crazy                         

and some just have a good old fashioned goodie two shoes                     

approach. Whichever they are you need to realise that you do need                       

all these types of people for a successful balanced business. Try                     

not to judge people, just accept them for what they are and                       

maximise their potential by harnessing their skill sets. My advice to                     

you is find your own personality as quickly as possible and stick to                         

it. 

 

● The Extrovert - Someone who sees a pretty full glass                   

and who, by nature, is confident, has the swag, is usually a                       

salesman or creative business head with the skills of an                   

actor and who can easily change from a subdued to                   

excitable tone at the click of a button. Their positive                   

energy is pretty infectious. 

 

   

53  

● The Balanced Introvert - Very much an individual               

who’s extremely organised but generally lacks that             

motivational touch, who normally resides in a quiet               

financial area and has a distinct eye for a long number.                     

They are often very uninspiring to an audience and talk in                     

a low, unexcitable tone (a bit like a football player). They                     

don’t mean to be negative, but they can’t relate to people                     

that easily. 

 

● The Socially Awkward - That probably isn’t politically               

correct, however, this individual normally hides in their               

little corner or under the desk and who, to the outside                     

world, contributes little but does the job. I imagine this                   

type presenting any first date with a carriage clock on                   

departure. They will definitely drink alone out of a half                   

empty glass and quote acronyms from a personal business                 

dictionary. 

 

● The Jobs-Worth or Goodie-Two-Shoes - The 9-to-5s,             

they wouldn’t lead by example and have a tendency to be                     

more technical or just lack confidence. Many probably               

can’t wait to get home each night to watch yet another                     

repeat episode of Star Trek or Neighbours. On a positive                   

note, I know they’ll gladly fix my home computer at night                     

54  

or look after my pets for cash! 

 

● The Relational - These people are core to your business                   

and will get the job done day in and day out. They build                         

relationships with clients, suppliers and their colleagues.             

They are great to be around and will get the job done.                       

They are easy to manage as they don’t normally have                   

ambitions to move on. However, as managers they do                 

tend to be ‘yes’ men and women which you need to keep                       

an eye on. 

 

● The Dominant - Beware as this person generally tends                 

to be power hungry and will end up shouting you down,                     

making you feel so small and making you question your                   

own inhibitions. They don’t tend to be in their role long                     

because their methods are soon found out. They have a                   

fantastic side to them but they will switch with the wind                     

like a Jekyll and Hyde type and normally use a stick. 

 

Tongue-in-cheek stereotyping aside, I will reiterate that you do                 

need all types of people to run a successful business which is why                         

my personal experiences have been so interesting. I’ve always                 

loved to people-watch and, whilst I know which type I would                     

prefer to be down the pub with, a balanced management crew is                       

55  

essential in any business to represent stability, planning, forward                 

thinking and profitable growth. The glass half-full types for me                   

seem to be the most creative with motivational minds and the                     

only ones to successfully lead a sales team. Their excitable                   

approach does, on occasion, need to be harnessed so that it is only                         

unleashed when the time is right. 

 

Conversely, I have never seen the benefit of the glass half-empty                     

or the stick approach to business. It feels so wrong and negative                       

to me, and I have witnessed it causing demotivation and negative                     

performance. The glass half-full or carrot approach, on the other                   

hand, has positivity written all over it - and with positivity comes                       

productivity. 

 

Balance With Everything is King 

 

‘Inside-support’ is one of the most underused phrases in business.                   

It is the responsibility of the manager to get this right and support                         

their team. 

 

Business has a far greater chance of success if the glass is half-full                         

during the tough times, with a pretty full pint during the better                       

times. And finally, if I ever see a half empty glass down the pub, I                             

certainly won’t be getting the next round in! 

56  

“I once worked with someone who did everything because                 

either it was in a book that they had read, or he did it at his                               

previous company. He lasted less than two years and faded                   

into the long grass. In short, if you are nice to people who                         

work both for you and with you, then the odds are that your                         

productivity will be sky high. The worst phrase of all time has                       

to be ‘Treat them mean and keep them keen’.” DL 

   

57  

Chapter 8 

 

 

Your Most Important Word 

 

Without this one word, we cannot discover who we are or be                       

satisfied. Without this word, we have neither a real existence nor                     

any ability to develop and grow. 

 

This word provides us with our freedom, shows off our character                     

and distinction, and gives us our personality. Once you’ve                 

mastered this word, you will be rewarded over and over. Your                     

imagination and creativity will blossom. You will discover your                 

worth and your real existence. 

58  

This word will provide you with patience, it will determine your                     

spirit and even your sense of humour and allow you to stay in                         

control of your business dreams. It will stimulate your emotions,                   

even when you feel unable to control them. It will provide you                       

with impartiality, coordination, equilibrium and tolerance, but             

most of all…freedom. 

 

‘Have you guessed the word yet?’ 

 

Stay focused on it throughout your career and, if you haven’t                     

already done so, discover this word as soon as possible. 

 

Your own DNA has created it. Your Disposition, your Nature                   

and your Attributes. It should be the most important word you                     

have in your business vocabulary. It is of course your; 

 

‘Identity’. 

There’s one question that I’ve always asked myself throughout my                   

business career and that’s, “Am I in the foreground or am I simply                         

‘background noise’?” We make life changing decisions every day                 

with regard to those with whom we surround ourselves; our                   

choice of friends, acquaintances, business colleagues and, these               

days, even our families. 

59  

The one thing that is inevitable, both inside and outside of work,                       

is that we will come up against negative people. These are the                       

people who you need to distance yourself from and keep firmly in                       

the background. You know; the people who don’t hear you: 

 

● The Pessimistic. 

● The Resistive. 

● The Contravening.  

● The Dissenting.  

 

And even the plain old Boring.  

 

The people who simply want to destroy your; ‘Identity’. 

 

You’re probably shaking your head right now because you know a                     

few people who tick all those boxes. In our private lives they are                         

often the parasites or the social media trolls. In business, they tend                       

to be disruptive and annoying. My name for these people is; 

 

‘The Negatinos’. 

 

Labelled purely for their negative behaviour, I position them in                   

my life as simply ‘background noise’. You must know the types:                     

The ones that put you down, who laugh at your goals, who                       

60  

attempt to steal and lock away your own ambitions and never give                       

them back. 

 

If you have people like this around you either right now or in the                           

future, then you need a simple plan of action; 

 

‘Identify them; wean them out; jettison them; cast them 

overboard and out of your surroundings.’ 

 

This will allow you to take back full control of your ship. Then                         

you need to rebuild with a positive crew:  

 

 

 

‘People who enjoy your company; people who respect you; 

people who listen and encourage you.’ 

 

These people will stay constant and assist you as you manufacture                     

your own building blocks of success, ultimately allowing you to                   

sail off into the sunset and fulfil your dreams. 

 

Being in the foreground of any business will reward your integrity,                     

passion and self-confidence. 

 

Surround yourself with ‘positive people’ who will be an                 

inspiration, who don’t just want to talk about themselves, who                   

show a creative and motivational understanding and take a                 

61  

significant interest in you. Just make sure you reciprocate. 

The moral of this story is that, in business, you can either be: 

 

● Recognised or remain unnoticed. 

● A reality or a perception. 

● A contributor or part of the silent and often disruptive                   

crowd.  

● A market maker or a market taker. 

● In the foreground or simply part of the ‘background                 

noise’. 

 

It’s not hard to be successful and achieve your goals but only you                         

can make it happen. I find it is far easier to stay positive and use                             

selective hearing, surrounding yourself with positive people, thus               

letting any ‘negatinos’ remain as pure ‘background noise’. 

 

“People respect you more when you are yourself, come up with                     

fresh ideas and especially when you stick to your guns.                   

There’s no point in just being part of the crowd; make                     

yourself known. There is no better time to start building your                     

own legacy. Try and understand quickly that you have ‘the                   

voice’ that can make the difference and, when called upon,                   

62  

make sure ‘the noise’ you project is clear and concise. You’ll                     

feel a sense of accomplishment and soon realise that there’s                   

never any point in sitting in silence or living in fear. You can                         

and will make the difference because you are a winner.” DL 

   

63  

Chapter 9 

 

 

That Friday Feeling 

 

Being different is one of the most important attributes you can                     

have; but being different on a Friday, when others are likely                     

hitting the brake pedal, is so much more impressive.  

 

I receive a weekly email from Niki the estate agent; but she’s not                         

just any old estate agent. Niki stands out from the crowd by doing                         

something very simple and also very clever, she instantly grabs my                     

attention and makes me smile because she is so different. She                     

makes a superb first impression because Niki uses her initiative                   

and is always creative and imaginative. 

 

64  

On a Friday, I always read the details of the houses she sends me,                           

(even if I’m not remotely interested in buying a house in that area)                         

because I always want to see what new twist she has thought up.                         

She is invariably thought-provoking and topical, but most of all,                   

she makes me curious. 

 

This is how she started her Valentine’s Day email:  

 

“Good afternoon. Well, it’s a grey day here in the West Country,                       

but I hear the weather is getting better for the weekend just in                         

time for Valentine’s Day, so: 

 

Roses are red, Violets are blue, 

At Maples we love our houses and hope you do too.” 

 

Whilst others will be thinking ahead to what’s about to happen at                       

the weekend, you need to remember, there is still a lot of business                         

out there to close; so, the next time you write an email to your                           

clients (especially if it’s Friday), try to be more creative, thought                     

provoking and personal and make sure you; 

 

‘Stand out from the crowd.’ 

 

65  

“I once met a guy called Tony who worked for a computer                       

retailer in Leicester. I still remember his name and what he                     

looks like all these years later for one particular reason, he                     

went to work every day wearing a different colour bow tie.                     

The first time I met him I thought, “Wow this is strange and                         

maybe you do look a bit weird, Tony”. Actually though, he                     

was nothing short of genius - a way to stand out in a crowded                           

industry. All his customers loved him, remembered him and                 

he was a star performer in his business.” DL 

   

66  

Chapter 10  

 

 

 

Aspire to Inspire Before You Expire 

 

When we become inspired, we experience, imagine and become                 

creative, ideas surface and we become open to new possibilities.                   

We aspire to achieve new goals and as a result, we reshape, change                         

and transform moving towards a new conscious state. But do you                     

ever stop to analyse who is aspiring us to make our inspirational                       

changes? 

 

 

67  

Could it be; 

 

● A family member whose encouragement and loving             

words inspire you?  

● Or your boss who offers continuing motivational             

support? 

● Perhaps, it’s a customer who admires you and shows                 

gratitude? 

● Or a supplier, who values your assured and genuine                 

relationship? 

 

There is no doubting the positive contribution and motivation                 

that can be gained from all of these parties but the one person I                           

haven’t mentioned yet, who is far more important and inspires                   

you around the clock is of course ‘yourself’. 

 

‘You’ are the only person that generates the most important                   

quality; your ‘self-belief’. 

 

‘You’ are the only person that has passion, drive and the soul to                         

‘succeed’. 

 

‘You’ are the only person with the ability, style and wisdom                     

needed to ‘flourish’. 

68  

‘You’ are the only person with the courage, vision and attitude to                       

achieve your ‘goals’. 

 

To be inspired by others is great but to inspire yourself is                       

incredible. Use your inner strength every day, remain positive and                   

tell yourself that ‘you have it all’ and ensure that you: 

 

‘Aspire to inspire before you expire.’ 

 

“I have found inspiration from many people and for various                   

reasons some of the people are still with us and sadly some                       

have passed. Their individual stories inspired me to strive and                   

make a difference. I'm a strong believer that there will be a                       

number of people in your life that end up being key to your                         

decision-making choices and the paths you'll ultimately end               

up taking. Listening to other inspirational people is               

sometimes all you need to lift yourself. So, what are you                     

waiting for? Go out there and make it happen.” DL 

   

69  

Section Three 

 

Resilience and Positivity 

   

70  

Chapter 11 

 

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life 

 

Having a great sense of humour plays a significant part in the art                         

of leadership, allowing people to approach and complete tasks                 

more productively. When people are happy they are positive;                 

when they’re positive they are smiling; when they are smiling they                     

have a spring in their step; and when they have a spring in their                           

step, they will also have a sense of humour which leads to them                         

completing their objectives more efficiently and more effectively. 

71  

Therefore, it’s time to appeal to all the boring bosses out there to                         

shape up, grow a sense of humour and dramatically change the                     

atmosphere within their business. To me, humour, positivity and                 

professionalism go hand in hand. I’d bet my entire career on it! 

 

‘You can lead a donkey to water, but it’s still an ass.’ 

 

Many introverted leaders don’t encourage the use of humour in                   

the workplace or know how to use it in their own leadership style                         

or more importantly to their own benefit. The desire may be                     

there, but the challenge is introducing it into their busy working                     

lives. Whilst typically the extrovert leaders will have it in                   

abundance. You cannot underestimate the power of humour and                 

injecting more into the workplace will transform any dull and                   

underperforming climate into a prosperous and positive             

environment. 

 

Humour galvanises, excites and helps you hold onto your                 

employees, it attracts customers and suppliers and earns you                 

respect. It helps to build relationships, and it closes deals. 

 

‘People buy from positive people, not robots.’ 

 

I have encouraged the use of humour in all my teams and built                         

72  

numerous multi-million-pound relationships on the back of it. If                 

you are that glass half-empty sort of person, it’s time to turn your                         

negative vibes into positive communication. 

 

Reinvent your style and make sure you always wear a smile and                       

keep a gag or two in your pocket. Workplaces that encourage                     

people to be themselves tend to be less hierarchical and more                     

innovative. 

 

Well-placed, clever humour will enhance a career. I have seen it                     

time and time again, so my advice is to get out there and laugh                           

your way to the top. Do, however, always keep it professional and                       

don’t cross the line because; 

 

‘The higher a monkey climbs the tree, the more of his butt 

you will see!’ 

 

You don’t have to be one of the lads to enjoy humour with your                           

colleagues and your staff. Laughter generates a happy ship and                   

that leads to oceans being crossed and lands being conquered. 

 

“I’ll never forget my first ever presentation in the Hilton hotel                     

in Watford on a blisteringly hot day and we were all set to                         

show off one of the world’s brightest projectors, along with a                     73 

 

new range of digital cameras. Back in 1995 things were done                     

on a budget, we managed to set up 3 or 4 trestle tables in a                             

hot and stuffy room before laying the products on top of neatly                       

ironed white tablecloths. That was about it in terms of                   

presentation! As we nervously waited for the first customers,                 

up came a new challenge. I reached down to push some empty                       

boxes under one of the tables and heard an unpleasant                   

ripping sound. Unfortunately, it was the rear of my trousers                   

and I mean they were ripped! 

 

I asked my colleague Lee to take a quick picture and show                       

me, the tear was probably 5 or 6 inches long no wonder he                         

was on the floor in stitches. (The heady enjoyment of too                     

many takeaways is probably what led to my downfall). In the                     

event, I now had to think on my feet, the only solution I could                           

come up with was to put on my suit jacket and keep my back                           

to the presentation screen at all times. 

 

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I had to put up with a lot of strange looks and grins from                           

Lee the whole time, and I did wonder if people thought I was                         

mad for wearing a jacket on such a hot day. Sweating                     

profusely, I made it through the day and despite the stress it                       

caused me I managed to see the funny side, telling the story to                         

my customers and colleagues for years to come. So remember -                     

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!” DL 

   

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Chapter 12 

 

 

Bouncing Back 

 

Have you ever misplaced your mojo?  

 

Have you ever got into work in the morning and wondered what                       

on earth am I going to do today?  

 

Maybe complacency is setting in or you have an outside                   

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distraction that’s impacting on your work?  

 

Maybe you’re simply being badly managed or you are disillusioned                   

in your role?  

 

Or maybe it’s complacency setting in when you least expect it?  

 

Maybe it’s frustration with your colleagues and the team you work                     

in? 

 

Whatever is on your mind, and I’m sure that there are an alphabet                         

of excuses, at times like this you need to put a call into your inner                             

self, question your ambition and scrutinise the ideology that has                   

taken you to your current position in life which is now a seemingly                         

grey place.. 

 

It’s time for a reality check... 

 

It’s time to tackle; 

 

‘The business illness.’ 

 

It’s capable of paralysing you, a stealth bug that sneaks up on you                         

when your guard is down. You wake up one day and there it is:                           

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Pinning you tightly to your inhibitions, taking away your get up                     

and go, challenging your own business DNA. 

 

It’s trying to destroy the highly committed and ever adventurous                   

reflection you see daily in your bathroom mirror. 

 

But never fear, Robin. Batman is here to tell you that there is no                           

need to panic. Just like a blood thieving tick, it’s just one of those                           

nasty parasites that bites the best of us when we least expect it.  

 

Any feeling of self-doubt could just mean that it’s time for a                       

promotion or a change. Maybe, you’ve hit the buffers or you feel                       

disillusioned that you’re just not progressing fast enough or even                   

at all. Whatever the cause, the most important thing is being able                       

to; 

 

‘Diagnose it, find a solution and take action now to put it 

right.’ 

 

For a rapid recovery, you need ‘Bouncebackability’. 

 

Human nature provides us with a self-assessment management               

system that includes its own self-guiding module, thus enabling us                   

to identify any alien threat and target its destruction. You just need                       

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to learn how to use it and if you catch it quickly no one else will                               

ever have to know the turmoil that’s been going on inside you.  

 

You are not alone, everyone at various times in life, becomes a bit                         

stale and demotivated. Whatever it is that’s making you feel down                     

and defeated, the solution is not to panic. You’re experiencing a                     

normal human reaction that can be conquered by taking a step                     

back, inhaling a deep breath, refocusing and recharging those                 

batteries. 

 

This happened to me too over the years; but I never lost sight of                           

my dream, the ultimate ‘prize’, and that helped me through. The                     

quicker you ‘bounce back’ and move on the better life will be.  

 

You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to train your mind, to open it                             

up to your priorities, to relive your visions and so, achieve your                       

goals. It’s mind over matter. Give it a go, pick yourself up and                         

give yourself a good pep talk. It’s time to get up, man up, and dust                             

away all those cobwebs. 

 

I like to compare these downtimes to a sat nav system. There are                         

points in our lives when we all need to enter new coordinates,                       

program in new destinations, make a re-alignment and give                 

ourselves a reality check. 

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Just recently I met a nice guy called Ben who is an English golfer                           

from NW England. Ben had gone to college in the US and ended                         

up playing golf against Bubba Watson as an amateur (for non-golf                     

fans, Bubba burst onto the scene by winning the Masters, the                     

biggest US golfing event, twice in 3 years). The significance here                     

for Ben though is that, when at college he consistently beat                     

Bubba. 

 

Unfortunately, whilst Bubba was rising to world fame Ben lost his                     

mojo and his love for the game. He found it difficult to ‘bounce                         

back’ and handle the pressure. Today, however, he is playing again                     

and has just secured his professional tour card. 

 

As we stood talking on the tee Ben’s friend Steve chipped in, (not                         

literally, of course!), to tell me what it was that helped Ben in his                           

quest to ‘bounce back’. Representing his local club at an away                     

fixture in Liverpool, he was drawn against their top player who                     

had just missed out on winning the British amateur championship.                   

This attracted a big home crowd, adding more pressure. Ben’s                   

self-belief was further eroded as his opponent was actually playing                   

very well. And so began his big test, Ben wrestled with his nerves                         

until, by using his inner conviction, new focus and all his skills, he                         

beat his opponent on the last hole. 

 

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There was a lot of whispering coming down the 18th hole, and                       

people were apparently asking “Who is this Ben guy?” Steve told                     

me that someone even rang up the R&A (Royal & Ancient), the                       

home of golf, to try and find out who Ben was as he shouldn’t be                             

beating our top player. 

 

How good could Ben have been had he continued his progression                     

from college and, especially, had he managed to ‘bounce back’ just                     

a little faster? Things don’t always go to plan in life, sometimes,                       

we just have to accept who and what we are and make the                         

necessary changes; to focus, once more, on our goals even if there                       

is a brand-new set of objectives. 

 

“There is a fundamental truth that declares we are all                   

destined to be good at something. You can never lose the gift                       

you’ve been given because your mojo will always be there. If                     

you believe in a purpose, even if the level changes, just like                       

Ben you will get your just rewards in the end. We can’t all be                           

Richard Branson but I believe we can all be extremely                   

successful at what we do.” DL 

   

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Chapter 13 

 

 

 

If You Ain’t Ever Been Down, How You Gonna 

Get On Up? 

 

Life is all about surfing the highs and riding out the lows, but can                           

you really ever prepare yourself for a fall? How would you handle                       

it if you did fall and what would you do? 

 

I was fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by both highs and                       

lows and when I say fortunate, I mean I can now look back and                           

draw a number of positives from what were some very challenging                     

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times. 

 

Living through turbulent times at such a young age provided me                     

with perspective, which helped me mature faster and allowed me                   

to conquer any fears that stood in my way. I was taught a number                           

valuable lessons which I would never forget. My father used to                     

listen to a song written nearly 80 years ago and performed by the                         

late greats, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. The lyrics still ring                       

true today. 

 

“So take a deep breath, pick yourself up, dust yourself off 

and start all over again.” 

 

As a schoolboy, the meaning of this song was to play a poignant                         

part in my life because one day, out of the blue, I received a                           

message that changed all my perceptions about everything. “Please                 

go home because your father (yes, the great man and my hero) has                         

been hit by a car.” 

 

This happened in the City centre right in front of my mother, and                         

my entire world stopped for those few shattering moments.  

 

We didn’t have mobile phones back then so you can imagine the                       

emotions running through me as I waited for news.  

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Despite surviving, they never diagnosed his broken neck for six                   

months, and yet remarkably my father took a deep breath, picked                     

himself up, dusted himself off and started his life all over again.                       

Learning how to live with his new limitations, he worked very                     

hard until he was 67 and, like the soul singer James Brown once                         

said: 

 

“If you ain’t ever been ‘down’, how you gonna get on up?” 

In the 1970s, this country was overwhelmed by ‘down’ times.                   

There were strikes, blackouts, three-day-weeks where electricity             

would as it suggests only be supplied to your house for 3 days in                           

any given week; but nothing seemed to phase my parents’                   

generation. People of that era were hard-core and knew how to                     

cope. I vividly remember watching a BBC comedy series called                   

“The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin” where one of the main                       

characters was CJ, Regi’s boss, who would start every sentence                   

with the words; 

 

“I didn’t get where I am today without…” 

 

Well CJ, if you were here today, I would be saying that, I certainly                           

didn’t get to where I am now without…continually striving to                   

improve myself, no matter what situation I was in. 

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Having experienced the 1970s, I used to tell myself that, if it all                         

goes wrong, I shouldn’t panic because everything happens for a                   

reason. Most of us will always get another chance in life, no matter                         

what the circumstances, plus there will invariably be someone in a                     

worse position than me. 

 

If you ever find you’re feeling down or confused, without getting                     

emotional, take stock of your situation, stay positive and then                   

apply yourself to your next challenge in life because you will                     

bounce back and, once again, start achieving your goals. I never                     

reached the lows in business that affect many but I did hit, what                         

was for me a big time low a few years back, which almost caused                           

me to leave the company I was building. What got me through                       

was, doubtless, drawn from the words of inspiration that I                   

obtained from many famous people over the years, plus those of                     

my father and one or two colleagues. 

 

“In the course of my 30-year journey there were a few                     

occasions that I believed threatened the Company’s future and                 

my own. They will always stand out as personal and all-time                     

challenging moments. 

 

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Halfway through however it seriously felt that I had reached                   

the end of my tether. After experiencing what I believed to be                       

bad man-management, I made the decision to set up my own                     

business and was ready to jump ship. For 13 years I had                       

lived and breathed the Company, but morale was getting                 

really low and I needed a change. 

 

Fortunately, before I could make my move there was a                   

changing of the guard and along with that change came my                     

chance - A fellow director still believed in me and my                     

opportunity came; it was my time to really shine. To become a                       

director and an owner of the business myself and, finally help                     

lead and shape the company into a direction that I                   

passionately believed in. Though everything had turned on a                 

dime, I never forgot the past. Instead, I turned the negative                     

memories into positives and dragged myself up from the                 

depths. I dusted myself off, took the opportunity and with the                     

biggest smile ever’, I went out and achieved my dreams.” DL 

 

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Section Four 

 

Moving Up the Ladder 

 

   

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Chapter 14 

 

 

The Answer is Yes. Now What’s the Question? 

 

Have a look around you…over there…can you see them? 

 

Their smiling faces, without a care in the world. They’re happy                     

because their Senior Manager has given them their own little team.                     

They’re living in a bubble and take every instruction literally. They                     

crave attention and want to be everyone’s friend. They are masters                     

88  

at confusion, never question and dress to impress. You can almost                     

predict their next rash, unnecessary change.  

 

They’re crushingly indecisive and make so many obvious mistakes.                 

You gasp as they constantly reverse their own irrational decisions.  

 

You will often see them stressing out and running around the                     

office like headless chickens.  

 

Their demotivated team is a reflection of their own state of mind.  

 

And the word confidential is not in their vocabulary. 

 

Just who are these puffed-up and loud self-proclaimed paragons?  

 

Look closely around the office, you must have noticed what is                     

happening, it’s just a shame that your Senior Manager hasn’t. 

 

Meet the Young Team Leader 

 

Have you noticed that your team members have started arriving                   

later and leaving earlier each day? You can’t fail to spot the phone                         

activity falling, the team has started to miss its targets for the first                         

time, there never seems to be a full team on parade and too many                           

89  

are having time off. People are applying for other roles and a                       

number are starting to leave the company. 

 

These tell-tale signs are so obvious to the troops on the shop                       

floor, yet Management seems slow to see it, react to it and make                         

any changes. The gossip has now reached both the canteen and                     

the street. 

 

If you haven’t already guessed, I’m talking about the ‘YES’ troop,                     

those Junior Managers who have been elevated without the                 

necessary experience, who have been thrust into a leadership                 

position and just left to fend for themselves. You must have seen                       

them, they are the ones holding a baby or wearing rose tinted                       

sunglasses on their LinkedIn profiles and just can’t seem to say                     

anything to their boss other than ‘YES’. 

 

● “You are right!”  

● “I’ll do that!” 

● “I couldn’t agree with you more!” 

● “Bang on boss!” 

● “Consider it done!” 

 

‘YES, YES, YES, YES, YES is not always good.’ 

 

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Any Senior Manager worth their salt wouldn’t have allowed this                   

situation to occur in the first place, but if it did, the issues would                           

be recognised early on before they became a train wreck, and                     

changes would have been made accordingly. It’s worth asking                 

yourself;  

 

“If this happened on your watch would you have spotted 

these problems, and at what stage?” 

 

Senior Managers who promote Juniors to Team Leadership roles                 

have a responsibility to guide and educate the ‘newbies’ on how to                       

manage, motivate, stay level-headed and most importantly, how to                 

offer encouragement. Without these qualities, I’m afraid some               

embarrassing times lie ahead. 

 

‘My advice for any newly promoted manager is to keep it 

simple.’ 

● Take a step back and become a great listener. 

● Be prepared to offer constructive criticism. 

● Create your own identity by making your decisions feel                 

more popular. 

● Don’t make changes for the sake of it. Less is more. 

● Understand that your team is your first and, sometimes,                 

91  

your only priority.  

● Don’t make things personal, and don’t make idle threats. 

● Remember that a happy team is a productive team.  

● Don’t run before you can walk. 

 

A wise young manager listens, digests and stays focused and alert.                     

There will always be someone ready to knock you off your                     

pedestal. Believe in yourself, your drive and ambition because                 

those are the qualities that will ensure you grow properly into your                       

role and know how to stand up for yourself and your team. 

 

‘Anyone who wants to lead the orchestra must turn their 

back on the crowd.’ 

 

It’s so easy to believe that saying ‘YES’ will elevate your standing                       

and earn you considerable respect. Experience has shown me that                   

people with intuition and imagination will gain recognition a lot                   

faster than paper pushing ‘YES’ men and women who can be                     

found lurking somewhere in the corner of any office.  

 

It’s not hard to say ‘NO’, there are plenty of times in everyday life                           

where challenging or saying ‘NO’ is more than appropriate. 

 

 

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● “Can I borrow your car because mine has a few dents in                       

it?” - ‘NO’. 

● “Can you lend me some money because I’m almost                 

bankrupt?” - ‘NO’. 

● “Can you chip in some money as it’s a special occasion                     

for someone you don’t know?” - ‘NO’. 

 

You are acting responsibly by thinking about any and all questions                     

before responding. An automatic ‘YES’ may be easy because it                   

requires no thought, but it has the potential to be far more                       

dangerous than a well-thought out ‘NO’. 

 

Your manager and your team will respect you much more if you                       

are challenging and creative and offer your own constructive                 

solutions. 

 

● “I think you need to consider this…for the following                 

reason…” 

● “I can’t see that working because…” 

● “Great idea but this way is more productive because…”  

● “Sorry, I don’t think that will work because…”  

● “There is a problem with that because…” 

● “I don’t think that will be productive for my team                   

because …” 

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‘Remember, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO is not always bad.’ 

 

For Senior Managers, my advice is;  

 

Think twice before promoting inexperienced ‘YES’ men and               

women into your ranks, and make sure they are mature enough                     

for the role ahead. Obviously, I’m not suggesting that all newly                     

promoted Junior Managers are headstrong, naive and on a power                   

trip, far from it, but I have witnessed this on so many occasions. 

 

Right from the start, you need to make it your own responsibility                       

to support, coach and direct those coming up; and if it doesn’t                       

work out, then take ownership sooner rather than later. When you                     

realise you’ve made a mistake, recognise it quickly and admit (if                     

only to yourself) that you were wrong, because making tough                   

decisions is what makes great managers. 

 

There’s a delicate balance here, your Junior Manager can still be                     

rehabilitated and be given a fresh chance at a later date if it turns                           

out the promotion has been a bit premature; but leave it too late                         

and they will lose confidence. More importantly, you will lose a                     

potential leader forever. 

 

 

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So, to summarise; 

 

If you are a new manager, be yourself and learn how to say ‘NO’                           

if you want to accelerate your career. 

 

And if you are a Senior Manager then you should already know                       

that it’s your responsibility to mentor your juniors and help them                     

become the leaders of the future. 

 

“If you are a Senior Manager I can’t stress how important it                       

is in business to surround yourself with good enthusiastic                 

Junior Managers who have the respect of their teams. The last                     

thing a business needs is demotivated staff.” DL  

   

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Chapter 15 

 

How Do You Start Out as a Manager? 

 

When you get promoted for the first time, it’s a fair bet that you’ll                           

be excited about the opportunities ahead. I suspect that you’ll also                     

be a bit apprehensive, you need to remember that your time has                       

come, and everyone feels that you are ready for the added                     

responsibility. 

 

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Whilst graduating into management is a huge achievement, it’s                 

also the start of many new challenges. Here are six tips to help you                           

get off on the right foot. 

 

1. Know your Stuff 

 

Make it your personal mission to become a ‘tree of knowledge’ as                       

this will be the key to your success as a new manager. Seek out the                             

management tools at your disposal. Know what resources are                 

available to you. What training does your company offer?                 

Understand your Company’s policies and procedures. Get to               

know your team and remember everyone’s names. After all, you                   

are now responsible for managing and developing them. 

 

Look at their past performance and carry out reviews. Identify                   

their strengths and any areas for improvement. The more you                   

know about the individuals in your team, the better your team                     

performance will be. 

 

The sooner you get this right, then the quicker you can lay down                         

your building blocks for success. 

 

 

 

97  

2. Find a Mentor 

 

If you’re going to be in charge of a new team, you’ll have to come                             

up with solutions to issues that you won’t find in any textbook.                       

An experienced manager, who has already dealt with most                 

situations, can provide valuable and confidential advice to handle                 

whatever matters arise. If this describes your boss, that’s great;                   

but, if they’re not approachable or you think it might make you                       

look weak given your ‘newbie’ status, seek out someone else to                     

advise you, either from within your company or an experienced                   

mentor from outside the company. 

 

3. Remember your Role 

 

It is likely that you were promoted because you’ve been                   

performing well at your job; but you need to remember that                     

you’re not carrying out that role anymore. Your previous position                   

called for you to accomplish tasks. Now it’s all about assisting                     

others to accomplish the tasks that you set them, to help them to                         

learn and become as successful as you. It’s important for you to                       

remember that your performance reflects on the performance of                 

the team and, in the final analysis, you will ultimately be judged on                         

their performance. Without proper direction, they are unlikely to                 

perform to the best of their abilities. Keep any thoughts of failure                       

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well out of your mind, as this isn’t an option. Be mindful of your                           

role and when you succeed, share that success with your team. Big                       

doses of encouragement and praise will spur them on to continue                     

to be successful for you. They’ll have your back because they                     

know that you will always have theirs. It’s all about gaining respect                       

and keeping up the momentum. 

 

4. Know your Team 

 

It’s tempting for new managers to make their marks and show                     

their authority as early as possible, but as mentioned in the last                       

chapter, this is where a lot of mistakes are made. A new manager                         

needs to understand everything about the Company and their                 

team, whilst fully committing to the desirable objectives before                 

even considering making any changes to existing procedures. The                 

priority is to listen to your team and set up both individual                       

meetings and team meetings with them. 

 

Ask them if they fully understand their roles in the team. What is                         

it they like about their jobs? What are their biggest challenges?                     

Discuss any ideas they have for improvement of the team. Are                     

there any procedures they have to adhere to that they might not                       

like? 

 

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Just by listening and inviting their input on a confidential basis,                     

your team members will appreciate that you care about their                   

views. Build on these relationships and always keep               

communication open, letting them know that you’re always there                 

to listen and you are not afraid of change as long as it’s for the                             

right reason. Adopt an open-door policy, or schedule regular                 

sessions with them - even each day, if you feel it’s needed. 

 

Make sure your team knows when and how they can reach out to                         

you. If you are now managing former peers, you must address the                       

shift by letting them know that you value their friendship and                     

experience, but you need to be seen to be fair and consistent with                         

all members of the team. 

 

The dynamics of your relationship will need to change. It’s not an                       

easy conversation to have but it’s crucial for team success. 

 

5. Don’t Cross the Line 

 

Now that you’re a manager, you can no longer complain about                     

Management or the decisions they take. As a role model to your                       

team, as well as to the rest of the Company you need to be at your                               

best both inside and outside of the office. 

 

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Keep all personal views to yourself, especially on social media and                     

always represent your team at your best. 

 

If you’re engaging in outside activities with your team, for                   

example, at events or office parties - don’t cross the line, don’t                       

have too much to drink and make a fool of yourself. Having said                         

all this, I would encourage you to generate your own managerial                     

style. No company worth its salt would ever want to create robots.                       

I prefer to adopt a hands-on, reassuring and motivational                 

approach and, as I’ve already mentioned there’s also nothing                 

wrong with showing you have a sense of humour. 

 

Just make sure you don’t cross the line, never lose sight of the end                           

goal. A great atmosphere and great teamwork will give you the                     

best chance of success. 

 

6. Manage your Orchestra 

 

Being a manager isn’t just about looking after your team. 

 

You need to make certain that your own manager is consistently                     

appraised of the progress of your team and understands whether                   

or not you are being given the right tools for achieving success.                       

Regular one-to-one meetings to keep everyone in the loop, discuss                   

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any issues and organisational goals that will keep the team on the                       

right track. 

 

Make sure that your customers are happy, especially the major                   

accounts. This means keeping in contact and having regular                 

meetings. You need to be confident that your team is engaging                     

properly with your suppliers’ representatives and that you are                 

receiving your fair share of attention. It’s never a bad idea to try                         

and form new relationships with more senior people within the                   

supply chain. Keeping your suppliers in check and having the                   

up-to-date knowledge about what they are up to is just smart                     

business. Keep an eye on your competitors too, I like the line                       

from the Godfather II movie about keeping your friends close but                     

your enemies even closer. It works for me. 

 

Being a manager means an ongoing learning curve. It’s never                   

going to be easy, but if you follow these tips you’ll be up to the                             

challenge and off to a great start. 

 

“New managers need to take any new challenge in their                   

stride. Remember that you are there because you deserve to be.                     

You managed to open that door into your new corridor of                     

responsibility. You were prepared to stand up and be counted,                   

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to put the hard work in, and it was you who outperformed                       

your colleagues. Try not to get stressed, and just take                   

whatever is thrown at you with good grace. You’ll work it out                       

and become a better manager for it, and one day a great                       

leader of people. Taking on challenges and making mistakes                 

is all part of the learning process.” DL 

   

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Chapter 16  

 

 

How to Turn ‘RAGE’ into ‘COURAGE’? 

 

We’ve all seen it in the office and should know by now how the                           

script goes.  

 

Someone completely loses the plot. 

  

The slanging match begins causing disruption and hitting your                 

productivity.  

 

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Frustration and anxiety creep in.  

 

The result?  

 

The team becomes de-stablised, now the problem is transferred to                   

you. Just how should you, a young and newly promoted manager,                     

handle it? I’ve seen differing approaches over the years. 

 

“In my office…Now!” The dressing down process starts and the                   

laughter starts to echo around the building. 

 

“You again” - “But it wasn’t my fault”, as the office floor                       

arguments get underway, and the decibel count increases before                 

poor little Freddy and Clare get their comeuppance.  

 

Bang, as the big stick hits the desk, and someone is hauled into                         

the big chief’s office. This may be great theatre, but your common                       

sense should tell us how to better handle this situation. 

 

● Act quickly. 

● Defuse, don’t ignite the situation. 

● Take it off the shop floor but be professional. Treat it the                       

way you would want to be treated yourself.  

● Bring the atmosphere back to normal as soon as possible. 

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● If necessary, talk to your allies and find out what lit the                       

fuse and who actually ignited the situation. 

● Tackle those involved one-on-one, but in a neutral               

environment. A cup of coffee can be worth its weight in                     

gold. 

 

What is the Best Way to Deal with Hot-Headed 

Employees? 

● Harness their built up and stored energy. 

● Identify their issues and talk to them about applying                 

themselves positively.  

● Move away from the ‘blame game’. 

● Motivate, inspire, support and remind them just how               

good they can be. 

● Set new challenges by using this incident as a turning                   

point and a learning curve. 

● Set new guidelines so, in future, they come and talk with                     

you before any conflict arises. Move them away from any                   

disruptive employees. 

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‘That’s how I believe you turn someone’s ‘RAGE’ into 

‘COURAGE’ in just ONE word. The word is of course called 

‘EnCOURAGEment.’ 

 

“At times in business passion can be misunderstood, and                 

there is not always a definitive line between passion, office                   

banter and rage. If you suspect that an incident is on the verge                         

of eruption, defuse the situation before the bomb explodes.                 

You’ll end up with a clearer atmosphere that will deliver                   

productive results.” DL 

   

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Section Five 

 

 

You’ve Made It! Now What? 

   

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Chapter 17 

 

Recognise Your Superstars 

 

After watching a big football match between Barcelona and                 

Bayern Munich, it came to my mind that the first 90 minutes of                         

any football match are the most important. For 60 minutes, I had                       

witnessed what I thought was going to be one of the best                       

defensive, away performances I’d ever seen in football. Bayern                 

Munich had played magnificently, but then it all got a bit ‘Messi’. 

 

Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man 

 

Lionel Messi’s two goals for Barcelona in 3 minutes reminded me                     

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of how important your superstars are in business and how they                     

can be the difference between you hitting your targets and falling                     

just short. They certainly can help you portray that winning                   

mentality.  

 

“Goals are only important if they win games.” - Lionel Messi 

(Barcelona FC) 

 

Whilst I’ve never had a problem with people turning to their                     

superstars when times are tough, it’s even more important to                   

recognise them when their outstanding performance continually             

helps you stay ahead of the pack.  

 

Recognising success is incredibly important and the best way to                   

retain good people. 

 

‘Team ethics count because there’s no ‘I’ in ‘TEAM’. 

 

Individual praise at the right time is even more important than                     

team praise. Your team will all have their own aspirations and                     

hopes, goals they want to attain, egos that will need stroking,                     

expectations that good things are about to happen and emotions                   

that can change at short notice. 

 

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It’s down to you to manage your team and your superstars if they                         

are going to effectively deliver the ‘groceries on your shopping                   

list’. Always remember the last thing you need is any ‘own’ goals.  

 

In my own case, every time I landed a new technology or a                         

manufacturer contract for the Company, there was always               

someone who said, ‘Well done’. To be honest, those two small                     

words are sometimes all that is needed. 

 

“There were many times in my career when I was fortunate                     

enough to shine but, I have to say, praising others within my                       

team gave me more satisfaction than actually receiving praise                 

myself. Any great leader will ‘have the back’ of their team,                     

especially when things are not going so well. Receiving awards                   

might seem like the pinnacle but battling back to success from                     

a daunting and challenging position will always be much                 

sweeter. So, praise your superstars and remember there’s no                 

limit to how many you can have in your team.” DL 

   

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Chapter 18 

 

 

 

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word 

 

We’ve all done it - raised our voices, been dismissive, got                     

over-excited, showed too much passion and forgotten to bite our                   

tongues. Often, we don’t even realise we are doing it because it’s                       

our own passion bursting through. We just haven’t learnt to                   

control or channel it in the right direction. 

 

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It’s part of human nature and our evolution process to becoming                     

a great person and a great manager. 

 

Maturing, Evolving, Developing 

 

So just how should we deal with excitable situations? 

 

Your experience and skill set lets you; 

● See any collateral damage that you may cause.   

● Reflect quickly on what has just occurred. 

● Make the tough decisions to put things right.  

● Start the healing process. 

 

The toughest part for many managers is simply to accept that we                       

occasionally get things wrong with regards to our team. The next                     

time you get excitable, make sure you are prepared. Bite your                     

tongue and rein yourself in before you hurt someone’s feelings so                     

that; 

 

● Your team remains motivated.  

● Respect for you continues to grow. 

● The business will outperform its targets.  

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● Everyone will reap the rewards. 

 

And if you find you haven’t managed to control your emotions on                       

this occasion, then remember to be big enough to realise it and                       

apologise quickly because; 

 

‘Sorry really doesn’t have to be the hardest word.’ 

 

“I remember Hannah, a young spotty teenaged girl with                 

braces coming into my office to get some marketing advice. I                     

think she was pretty overwhelmed by everything at that time,                   

and the passion I showed may well have come across as                     

criticism. Before long I had her back into my office to tell her                         

I was sorry. There was a lesson in there for both of us and,                           

from that day on, I made it my responsibility to do my best to                           

mentor her. Today, she has matured into a fantastic and                   

beautiful young business director. I was delighted to have                 

assisted in her career development. I can look back with                   

satisfaction that I helped mentor someone and, along the way.                   

learned an important lesson myself.” DL 

   

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Chapter 19  

 

 

 

Social Media or Social Menace 

Communication, self-promotion and great marketing are vital for               

any business looking to grow and prosper. There is a place for                       

social media and, used correctly it can be the perfect platform and                       

springboard for a business, but there’s also a downside. 

 

Has the emergence of social media actually become a menace                   

within your business?  

 

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● When was the last time you got up in the morning and                       

had a shower without looking at your phone? 

 

● When was the last time you picked up your phone at                     

work just to see if there were any new messages or ‘likes’                       

that weren’t there five minutes earlier? 

 

● When was the last time your phone bleeped, and you                   

couldn’t help taking a sneak peek whilst you were meant                   

to be doing something else? 

 

● When was the last time you looked at, or replied to a                       

message when you were in a meeting or driving your car? 

 

● When was the last time you went out for dinner with a                       

friend and both of you sat there staring at your phones? 

 

There is no arguing that technology has enhanced our lives. I can                       

remember joining my company in 1991 and the only form of                     

communication was; 

 

● A telephone on a cord.  

● A telephone in a box.  

● A fax machine. 

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● The postman. 

● Or - wait for it! - face-to-face communication. 

 

In less than 30 years, we have accepted and adopted handheld                     

mobiles, the text message, email, Facebook, Messenger, Twitter,               

Instagram, Hangouts, Google Plus, YouTube and LinkedIn and               

by the time of this writing, there are probably thousands more. 

 

When we first made the decision that our staff could have their                       

phones on at work, our only worry was that they would send out a                           

sneaky text message now and again or place a call to mum or to                           

the bank manager. As technology has expanded and matured, it’s                   

now all about checking for re-tweets, likes, new followers,                 

comments, Snapchats and WhatsApp messages. 

 

We accept that the internet can enhance our businesses, the                   

question is surely this; “Are we in danger of becoming obsessive                     

robots and social media outcasts?” 

 

I’ve given a lot of thought to possible solutions for the                     

ever-changing productivity problems businesses face. Maybe one             

day, the mobile operators will be forced to succumb to pressure                     

by installing a business mode on the phone next to the flight                       

mode. This would allow people to accept only work-related calls                   

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during business hours and surely increase productivity. 

 

This solution, however, brings up problems of its own because                   

more and more people will likely stop communicating with                 

customers via email and start using App based communication                 

systems. Car modes are already appearing which hopefully will                 

eventually make it impossible to use the phone Apps whilst                   

driving. 

 

It’s not helpful that many of us take our leisure time social media                         

addiction with us into work. It won’t let you put your phone                       

down. It’s stopping you from focusing on the job in hand, yet we                         

all keep doing it. Even Facebook have admitted it’s an addiction. 

 

Think Like a Manager 

 

Just imagine how much time and productivity would be lost every                     

day if everyone in the Company spent just 5 minutes on the phone                         

every half an hour. You do the sums! 

 

So, ask yourself, has technology abuse already planted itself inside                   

your head or inside your business? If it hasn’t yet, is it about to                           

take a stranglehold?’ 

 

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Why not set yourself and your team some challenges to make you                       

start talking to friends and colleagues face-to-face. Set up an office                     

challenge, whereby a fine is dished out to anyone using a mobile                       

phone for anything other than business calls, with the money                   

raised going for a team night out. 

 

The next time you unlock your car, why not lock your phone in                         

the boot or glove box. You can still use it for hands-free calls; but                           

if nothing else it will remove any temptation to pick it up and will                           

make you a safer driver. 

 

The next time you are in a restaurant with friends, get everyone to                         

put their phones in an empty wine bucket in the middle of the                         

table. The first one who goes into withdrawal and reaches for a                       

phone is responsible for the bill. Obviously, you should make an                     

exception so that, if it rings, it should be answered because we                       

know emergencies can happen. 

 

Encourage your team to be vigilant during the day to identify                     

addicts and then have them spread the message before the                   

wonderful world of social media becomes an ugly social menace                   

that gets its tentacles coiled around us all. 

 

 

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‘For many of us this dream won’t be possible, but just 

imagine if you could pull just some of these ideas off?’ 

 

“I must admit that, despite my own sound advice, there are                     

times that I am chained to my phone. For me, as for so                         

many, it has taken over from the computer as my device of                       

choice for day-to-day communication. In the long term, a step                   

backward has to happen to enable productivity to leap                 

forward once again.” DL 

   

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Chapter 20 

 

Don’t Become a Business Dinosaur 

 

My wife once asked me if dinosaurs really existed or were merely                       

just characters in Disney movies. I couldn’t help but wonder if my                       

wife had really meant what she said, or had the wine simply gone                         

down a little too fast that evening! However, it got me thinking                       

about how quickly your business could become prehistoric if you                   

didn’t continue to evolve it. 

 

   

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Looking back over the past few years, I have seen many                     

companies go in reverse or vanish overnight because they refused                   

to update their outdated methodology. My greatest goal in my                   

career was to ensure that my company chose; 

 

‘Evolution over extinction.’ 

 

Evolution is not rocket science, but it is the key to both longevity                         

and a successful future.  

 

In my business, evolution meant identifying tomorrow’s suppliers,               

technologies and all the channels before my competitors. 

 

If you can ensure that your imagination and creativity provides                   

you with the foresight to create that investable and believable                   

business plan then you’ll be well on your way to success. 

 

A consistent error larger companies make is to assume that an                     

established market represents a golden ticket, and all they have to                     

do is turn up and steal the low-hanging fruit in the orchard, when                         

their smaller, but more focused competition have already spent                 

time and money ploughing, sowing, growing and harvesting that                 

channel.  

 

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They also seem to overlook the fact that decent suppliers will                     

always support their proactive, incumbent and historical partners. 

 

If you want to keep putting sticking plasters all over your business,                       

then go ahead and adopt a reactive market-taking strategy; but if                     

you want to evolve your business and secure it for the future, then                         

start strategising now. You not only need to work out how to get                         

into the race you need to cement and grow your place in the field                           

by staying ahead of the competition. Look at ways to offer new                       

channel incremental opportunities. Always stick to what you know                 

by evolving at your own pace, both organically and through                   

acquisition, now that’s a good strategy. 

 

If someone were to ask for my advice I would offer the following                         

food for thought. 

 

1. Don’t forget your ‘bread and butter’. Your current business is                   

important. 

2. Make sure you identify, and then target, your future                 

investments in under-developed areas. This will provide you               

with sustainable longevity and profitable growth success. 

 

 

 

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3. ‘Persistence is King.’ But don’t be afraid to abandon an idea                     

or development area if you feel it has dragged on too long.  

 

Admitting a mistake is far better than continually investing in a                     

dead-end idea. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. There’s a                         

reason this old chestnut is still around. It works! In fact, I’ve seen                         

these strategies work time after time. More importantly, they will                   

ensure that you don’t become extinct any time soon. 

 

“When we first started selling projectors, a colleague of mine                   

didn’t sell any at first; but, the second time around, due to my                         

persistence and self-belief, one sale a month soon turned into                   

one a day which eventually turned into 100,000 a year -                     

proof that evolution and adaptability can be extremely               

successful.” DL 

 

   

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Chapter 21  

 

 

Taking a Brand to Another Level 

 

The best way to make your brand stronger is to make sure that                         

everyone who works for your company is mindful of the                   

importance of their actions. A strong brand can be built up using                       

simple business basics. 

 

Here’s a revolutionary thought. You don’t have to just stick with                     

one brand name! Why not get a few people around a table and                         

throw some ideas at each other? Make sure you all know why your                         

brand or sub-brand, is special or unique - your important ‘USP’                     

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(Unique Selling Point). Try to come up with names that are                     

catchy, meaningful and memorable. Think, what steps do I believe                   

will maximise and indeed add value and substance to the Brand? 

 

● A picture paints a thousand words so make sure your                   

marketing is consistent with the images and the messages                 

that your company wants to convey.  

 

● Making a great first impression on the phone, sending                 

your first email or when meeting someone face-to-face,               

consistency of your brand and company message is               

crucial and for me no one has come up with better advice                       

than this. 

 

● A great rehearsed pitch that’s looking well-groomed can               

seriously make all the difference to how your company is                   

perceived and delivering your message on top is the icing                   

on the cake. 

 

● Don’t buy into the corporate mindset that               

everything must be under ‘one umbrella’. If you have a                   

brand name that works, don’t change it, evolve it. 

 

When we bought companies in France and Germany, we                 

126  

didn’t change their names to Midwich as no-one had                 

heard of our company in Europe. Instead, we evolved                 

their own brand under the one group umbrella. 

 

● Establish credibility by ensuring that your website,             

marketing and social media presence is professional, free               

of any grammatical errors and remove any controversial               

subject matter. 

 

● Make a contribution to your industry and try and                 

become a known face - This will give huge credibility to                     

your branding and can move it forward at speed. 

 

‘On occasion, there may be good reasons to rebrand.’ 

 

Here are two historical examples of success: 

 

● Philip Morris to Altria. Their reasoning for this               

rebranding in 2003 was to ensure that consumers knew                 

that it was “more than a tobacco company.” Looking                 

logically at that move however, it is a clear PR move to                       

distance itself from the hazardous product for which it                 

had become known - cigarettes. A great example of                 

thinking well ahead of time. 

127  

● Apple Computers to Apple. “We’re going to make               

some history here today” former CEO Steve Jobs said in                   

a speech in 2007. With that, he not only announced the                     

first iPhone, but he also said that the Company was                   

dropping the ‘Computer’ from its name. The iPhone               

would go on to become the company’s most lucrative                 

product. Apple could foresee that its product portfolio               

would expand and, therefore, a name change would more                 

accurately reflect the widening reach. And look what               

happened, they soon became the world’s most valuable               

company. 

 

Of course, there are also those companies who have                 

rebranded to their company’s detriment: 

 

● Cardiff City Football Club. In 2012, the Club’s owner                 

had a great idea to change the first team kit from blue to                         

red, along with replacing the blue bird on the logo with a                       

red dragon. There was uproar from fans and in January                   

2015, after enormous pressure, the kit was put back to                   

blue at a substantial cost to the owners. 

 

● Royal Mail to Consignia. In January 2001, the UK’s                 

biggest mail carrier announced a new company name and                 

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brand. Although the name fitted the description of the                 

company perfectly, customers didn’t like it. Just over one                 

year later, the company reverted to Royal Mail. The                 

Consignia name cost £1.5 million to launch and               

according to reports it cost the company another £1                 

million to rebrand themselves once again, as Royal Mail.                 

This is a great example of not doing your market research                     

first. 

 

We should all be proud of the brand name that we represent but                         

imagine, if we could create a truly memorable slogan, how much                     

more powerful our Brand could be. Granted, it’s quite difficult to                     

come up with just the right slogan, and some are more successful                       

than others, but getting it right would immediately take us up a                       

few levels in terms of recognition. 

 

Here’s a little test for you. See how many of the existing slogans                         

below you can relate to an actual brand?  

 

● ‘I’m loving it’ 

● ‘It’s in the game’  

● ‘The real thing’ 

● ‘Finger licking good’ 

● ‘Just do it’  

129  

● ‘Connecting people’  

● 'Have it your way’ 

● ‘Where dreams come true’ 

● ‘Let your fingers do the walking’  

● ‘Challenge everything’ 

● ‘Power, beauty and soul’ 

● ‘American by birth, rebel by choice’  

 

If you got most of them right, they are clearly serving their                       

purpose. Fast food chains have powerful slogans, without               

necessarily having the best product, so maybe we all need to keep                       

asking ourselves;  

 

“Can we create a slogan that’s as memorable or even better 

than: The brand name? The product we supply? The service 

we offer?” 

 

Food for Thought? 

 

Another school of thinking says that focusing on growing your                   

brand and having a great product offering creates longevity and is                     

simpler and more cost-effective than spending lots of time and                   

money creating a gimmicky slogan. Providing you lead from the                   

front with Passion, Professionalism and Quality you won’t go                 

130  

far wrong. 

 

“For many years, I was tasked to evolve and revolutionise                   

our business. I needed to identify new channels, new                 

technologies and new countries that we felt we could move into                     

successfully. Sometimes, the best option was to acquire an                 

existing company in a particular field or territory. By                 

formulating a strategy both in the UK and overseas it gave us                       

immediate business growth with the ability to evolve and                 

mould other companies, allowing us over time to instill rather                   

than force our own company ethics into their business. 

 

So how many of the marketing slogans did you get? Here are                       

the answers in case you were interested starting with ‘I’m                   

loving it’ - McDonalds, ‘It’s in the game - EA Sports, ‘The                       

real thing’ - Coca Cola, ‘Finger licking good’ - KFC, ‘Just                     

do it’ - Nike, ‘Connecting people’ - Nokia, ‘Have it your                     

way’ - Burger King, ‘Where dreams come true’ - Disney, ‘Let                     

your fingers do the walking’ - Yellow Pages, ‘Challenge                 

131  

everything’ - EA Games, ‘Power, beauty and soul’ - Aston                   

Martin, ‘American by birth, rebel by choice’ - Harley                 

Davidson.” DL 

   

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Section Six   

 

Don’t Get Complacent 

   

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Chapter 22  

 

Make Time for Reflection 

 

There have been many times in both my business and personal life                       

when I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; but whatever my                       

circumstances, I always made sure that I found time to step back,                       

reflect and take a reality check. 

 

A few years back I visited my father who suffers from                     

Parkinson’s, he is my hero and my inspiration. He has always been                       

funny with one-liners and has always had an infectious wit, even                     

now. 

134  

On this particular visit he asked me, “Darren, do you still have                       

my suitcase?” “Yes of course”, I replied, before asking him why                     

he wanted it. “In case I feel the urge to go on holiday”, replied                           

my father. 

 

Parkinson’s is an unkind condition because it confuses the mind                   

and makes you believe that you are somewhere else until you can                       

be persuaded otherwise. Sadly, my mother and I had to explain to                       

my father that he was no longer fit to travel and so wouldn’t ever                           

need a suitcase again. 

 

After a pause for reflection, and a quick reality check, he seemed                       

to accept what we had told him before the conversation moved                     

on.  

 

This episode took me right back to some business experiences and                     

reminded me how often I used to step back and reflect on my                         

journey. 

 

It reinforced my belief that you should shoot for your goals right                       

now because, in the blink of an eye, real opportunities can vanish. 

 

It also served to reinforce my belief that everyone in business                     

needs to make time to re-think and re-assess goals, to make sure                       

135  

you are working to improve your self-esteem and, also, to boost                     

your confidence. 

 

Things don’t always go to plan, but we can still learn and make                         

adjustments to get us over the next hurdle and keep us on the                         

right track. 

 

No one can be successful all the time but, if we are courageous                         

enough to start a journey, we can be courageous enough to                     

succeed. 

 

Sir Richard Branson is a perfect example. I’m sure he had to take a                           

few steps back over the course of his career as not all of his ideas                             

(e.g. Virgin Cola, Virgin Student, Virgin Brides, Virgin Vie, and                   

Virgin Cars) were as successful as he had envisaged. 

 

We all hit stumbling blocks, just as we all make mistakes.                     

Sometimes we underestimate our competition and take the market                 

for granted and sometimes we are just way ahead of our time with                         

a smashing new idea. 

 

Taking time out to step back and reflect is always the best                       

regenerator and will go a long way toward cementing your success. 

 

136  

Going back to my father, it was now time to leave. My visit                         

seemed to have gone well, and it looked like he had taken on                         

board my pearls of wisdom; yet before I could get out the door,                         

and with impeccable timing, he managed one last one-liner: 

 

“Darren, don’t forget my suitcase!” 

 

“Some people like the idea of looking outside the box for                     

fresh ideas. I happen to believe that most of the answers are                       

actually inside the box or, in other words, inside your own                     

business and you just can’t see the wood for the trees.                     

Stepping back, or bringing in a third party, will give you the                       

valuable time you need and the ability to analyse your                   

business which will enable you to move it up to the next level. 

 

Don’t ever be afraid of making mistakes or feel that being                     

disappointed is a bad thing. Life is actually all about making                     

mistakes because our ability to learn from them makes us                   

stronger and better prepared for the road ahead and the                   

challenges that will come our way.” DL 

 

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Chapter 23 

Expect the Unexpected 

 

Picture the scene - It’s been a long day at work, but you’re finally                           

in the car and on your way home only to find that you’re stuck in                             

road works. In your rear-view mirror, you see a solitary white van                       

heading down the outside lane, blatantly leaving it until the last                     

few seconds to push in well up the queue. Your adrenaline starts                       

pumping but, in a flash, you find yourself almost celebrating as the                       

large vehicle in front of you suddenly pulls out into the outside                       

lane. You know its intentions. It has just one purpose in mind - to                           

slow down that white van. 

 

138  

If you’re a driver, you will recognise this situation and you’ll                     

already know that the large vehicle will just keep up with your                       

pace before popping back in front of you as the contraflow starts,                       

preventing the white van from advancing any further.  

 

Ask yourself;  

 

“What are your initial thoughts right now?” 

 

A. “Well done buddy. That’ll teach him to wait like the rest                     

of us.” Or; 

B. “Come on, it’s an alternate contraflow so just chill out                   

because he isn’t harming anyone.” 

 

In business, when situations arise that are similar to this,                   

frustration and anger are understandable reactions. Frustration             

and passion can often lead to excitement and sometimes                 

confrontation. When we see something happening it’s right that                 

we offer an opinion and stand up for ourselves, just try not to                         

prejudge a situation before you have all the facts. 

 

So, returning to the driving analogy…just before you get to the                     

roadworks, it is clear that you will have to be the one to let that                             

white van in right in front of you. 

139  

“Oh, go on then”, you grudgingly mutter to yourself as the driver                       

thanks you in his mirror for your kind gesture. 

 

But it’s right in that split second that you completely deflate                     

because you have just discovered something about the white van                   

that the large vehicle up ahead still has no idea about.  

 

It completely knocks you for six as you start reading the writing                       

on the back of the van.  

 

‘Emergency - Human organ for transplant! Hospital patient 

waiting.’ 

 

In business and indeed your life outside of work you should                     

always be prepared for the unexpected. The curve ball, that one                     

thing that will test your resolve. Make sure you are ready to adapt                         

to any situation. Don’t jump to conclusions without knowing the                   

facts. I like to compare this parable to that of any great listener in                           

business, allowing yourself that extra time needed to ensure that                   

you make solid and correct business decisions. 

 

‘Only a fool tests the depth of a river with both feet.’ 

 

   

140  

“In the course of traversing my long and winding road to                     

success, I faced a lot of surprises and challenges from                   

competitors, suppliers, customers and colleagues. Imagine           

being told you’re not wanted anymore, that you no longer have                     

a franchise to sell. Imagine finding out that your competitor                   

has shut its doors or being told that a competitor now has                       

access to your largest franchise. Whatever the circumstances,               

you’ll be met by challenges in business, but you must take                     

them in your stride, find a solution, hit them head on and                       

conquer them all.” DL 

   

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Chapter 24  

 

Has Anyone Seen My Lunch? 

 

We’ve all seen the dreaded spam email topics coming through so                     

do any of these resonate with you? 

 

● Who has taken my lunch from the canteen? 

● Can anyone give me a lift home tonight? 

● I’m cleaning the restroom fridge so please clear it?  

● Does anyone want to buy a watch? 

● Has anyone got a charger for my mobile phone? 

● I’ve got two concert tickets if you are interested? 

 

142  

I recently read that 88% of all emails are actually spam; so why do                           

we need our staff to start adding to the mess with the dreaded ‘all                           

staff’ emails? 

 

So, what can you do? 

 

One company, the Halton Housing Trust, had a fundamental                 

rethink of how it worked and decided to remove all internal                     

emails, taking back control from some of the systems and cultures                     

we have all allowed to develop over the years since email has                       

become an integral part of our working lives. 

 

So why are they doing this and what are their key reasons for their                           

decision? 

 

Independent research has highlighted that the average employee               

spends 40% of the working week dealing with internal emails,                   

which add no value to the business. 

 

Imagine that in real terms: In an average week, you and your                       

colleagues only start work from Wednesday. How much work do                   

you think would get done? 

 

Analysis found worrying levels of email traffic. Of 95,000 emails                   

143  

sent, 75,000 were internal and only 20,000 external. 

 

Interesting stuff; but, just how could your business operate                 

without those internal emails? If you were around before the                   

advent of email you will, doubtless, remember that we all used to                       

cope very well indeed. 

 

The smart question here has to be; 

 

“Has email artificially created growth as well as the dreaded spam                     

for our businesses?” 

 

While even the least tech savvy people take measures to combat                     

external spam, some people believe that we should reject all                   

messages that even might possibly be spam. I appreciate that this                     

would also probably stop staff from receiving some legitimate                 

emails along the way and is a fairly draconian solution. 

 

If your beliefs do not stretch quite that far, you should make it                         

your sacred duty to educate your staff. Explain to them that,                     

before sending communications out to multiple people, they               

should first run it past a colleague or line-manager to see if it                         

couldn’t be communicated in a different way. 

 

144  

Another solution would be for HR, or a nominated person, to                     

send out just one or two ‘all staff’ Twitter style emails at the same                           

time each day. As they will be expected, everyone will read them.                       

Each message should be limited to a set number of characters.                     

This will cut out a lot of unwanted emails and make your business                         

run a lot more efficiently. 

 

In 2004, Bill Gates apparently said “SPAM will be a thing of 

the past in two years.” 

 

Proof that even the best minds get things wrong. But even if                       

someone does manage to find a way of filtering out spam in the                         

next few years, the internal challenges will always remain. 

 

Unless someone in your business takes the initiative and does                   

something about spam, be prepared for many more of these one                     

liners. 

 

‘All Staff’ - “Has anyone got a tin opener for my Spam?” 

 

 

   

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Chapter 25  

 

Festive Cheer or Simply Bah Humbug? -  

Ho! Ho! Ho! 

 

Against all the odds, you’ve had an exceptional business year.                   

You’ve just broken up for Christmas and you’re on a real high. It                         

feels great to be appreciated. Then Santa’s evil twin brings a letter                       

to your home marked ‘Confidential’. Uh-oh! This gets the                 

adrenaline pumping yet when you open it, the bombshell drops. 

Oh yes, it’s time to prepare yourself for yet another miserable                     

holiday period, feeling confused and undervalued. And, as usual,                 

it’s too late to go to your boss for some reassurance.  

146  

So what’s in this letter, or maybe not in this letter, that’s got you                           

so worked up and annoyed? 

 

A pay rise of course that’s lower than what you expected.  

 

Quite frankly it’s nothing short of a ‘schoolboy error’, that’s so                     

simple to avoid; yet many bosses fall foul of it every year and are                           

completely blinkered, not even seeing what a negative impact their                   

annual letter is having on their own staff. 

 

Your people are your greatest asset, yet after all your hard work in                         

motivating them throughout the year, why would you want to let                     

them down and demotivate them at the most important time of                     

the year? 

 

This is the time when they should be recharging their batteries                     

because they need to come back in the new year fresh, smiling and                         

fighting fit. 

 

What’s also blindingly annoying and obvious is that you haven’t                   

listened to last year’s festive feedback and are about to ruin your                       

staff’s Christmas and New Year once again. 

 

147  

Never take your eye off the ball and overlook one of the basics in                           

business; 

 

‘Continued motivation’. 

 

The negative impact of this ‘salary and terms letter’ just before                     

Christmas should not be underestimated. There’s a famous               

Christmas Vacation movie where Chevy Chase’s character Clerk               

Grizwold has a friend who kidnaps his boss over just such a letter. 

 

Our own human psyche might not tell us to go quite that far, but                           

our minds are often trained to view all letters as negative                     

communications even if on some level, they’re what we expected                   

to see. 

 

Being told something face-to-face feels more positive and gives                 

you the chance to understand decisions. It allows you to at least                       

question and discuss why the decisions were made. So why do so                       

many bosses simply hand this demotivational responsibility over               

to HR? 

 

‘It’s not personal. It’s not clever. It’s counterproductive.’ 

 

148  

You need your staff to come back in the New Year excited, hitting                         

the ground running and raring to go. But if you thought things                       

couldn’t get any worse, many bosses then go on to make their                       

second ‘schoolboy error’. Your staff may have tried to put that                     

bad Christmas experience behind them, and they are now looking                   

to you for a lift. But what do many managers do? 

 

Strike Two 

 

New targets! It’s no surprise that your planning and target setting                     

for the next 12 months is overrunning, but why penalise and                     

demotivate your staff for it? Would it not have a more positive                       

and motivational impact if you gave your staff their January targets                     

before the Christmas break? At least they would know where they                     

stand, have a few weeks to digest it and could start planning. 

 

But no. Instead of providing staff with an early budget based on                       

the previous January’s performance, many managers decide to               

significantly delay issuing them, preferring the ‘double whammy’               

approach. 

 

Imagine it’s now mid-January, and you’re still on a downer                   

because of that Christmas letter. Despite this, you’ve done really                   

well at the start of January. Then, Boom! Your targets and                     

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objectives arrive followed by the realisation that they have been                   

significantly increased with unobtainable stretch targets, and this               

has all been done without any discussion or buy-in from any of                       

the team. 

 

‘Let me reiterate (More loudly this time so I might be 

heard!)’ 

 

‘IT’S NOT PROFESSIONAL. IT’S NOT CLEVER. IT’S 

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.’ 

 

If you’re planning to become a boss in the future, please take heed                         

of this advice; and, if you’re already one of these bosses, it’s time                         

to open the brain valves because your staff can’t function well if                       

you are not all on board the same ship. Always remember the ship                         

will sink without all the officers and hands working together to                     

keep her afloat. 

 

“It really isn’t hard to motivate staff; it just takes a little                       

more effort and forward planning at the end of the year. I                       

cannot reiterate how important it is to start the year well and,                       

if everyone is on board and happy, then at least you’ve given                       

yourself the best chance to achieve your annual goals.” DL 

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Chapter 26 

 

A Degree in Common Sense  

I never managed to obtain a degree in:  

 

● Imagination  

● Responsibility  

● Teamwork  

● Creativity 

● Self-control 

● Sense of judgement  

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● Determination 

● Self-discipline  

● Skilful planning 

● Good personality or humility 

 

I had to learn how to harness them all, but what I did leave school                             

with was common sense - the uncommon degree called wisdom. 

Someone once said to me “If I have 20 apples in my left pocket                           

and 20 apples in my right pocket what do I have?” Most people                         

would probably have replied “40 apples” but, surely, the better                   

answer is “bloody big or ripped pockets”. 

 

I’ll bet you’ve heard some pretty insane one-liners in your time.                     

Here are some beauties that just might also make you think.  

 

“Is olive oil made from olives?” 

 

You can have the best education in the world but, if you are the                           

world’s worst problem solver then, Houston, we have a problem! 

 

“What time do the cats’ eyes light up?” 

 

I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with a lot of young                       

people but the earlier people realise that it’s better to have                     

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common sense without education, than education without             

common sense, the better our businesses will be. 

 

More young people will understand that they can be proud of                     

what they are achieving using their common sense. 

 

“The Muppets haven’t aged at all have they?” 

 

Having common sense shouldn’t be a punishment, but it can feel                     

like it at times when you have to deal with people who simply                         

don’t have any. Maybe we all have to accept that common sense                       

isn’t as common as it used to be and just get on with it. 

 

“Does looking at a picture of the sun hurt your eyes?” 

 

We all have a collective responsibility in business to identify,                   

educate and nurture our young staff and give them a chance to,                       

hopefully, learn some common sense. If you want your business                   

to prosper then, please, roll your sleeves up and have your answer                       

ready for the next time someone asks; 

 

“Is there any possible way of making 2+2=5?” 

 

Thankfully, we’ve all got a lot of great managers out there taking                       

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mentoring seriously, spotting potential and bringing along the               

good ones. The dream has to be that one day, and maybe one day                           

soon, we’ll have a conveyor belt of young people with common                     

sense. 

 

“We might not be qualified schoolteachers, but we all have a                     

responsibility to be the ‘teachers of all things’ within our                   

businesses. There are a lot of creative brains out there who are                       

waiting to make a massive difference to our businesses. Our                   

task is to find them, shape them and bring common sense to                       

the forefront of everyone’s thinking. It’s a challenge, but it’s                   

one at which you will succeed if you adopt the right positive                       

mental attitude.” DL 

 

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Chapter 27 

 

 

Keeping an Open Mind 

 

The Celestine Prophecy is a book by James Redfield that discusses                     

various psychological and spiritual ideas rooted in multiple ancient                 

Eastern traditions and New Age spirituality. I’d just finished                 

reading it and what became clear to me was that coincidences in                       

life were more common than one thinks and, actually, more of an                       

everyday occurrence. It’s my belief that, if you are open-minded                   

enough you will begin spotting these coincidences for yourself. 

 

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‘Have you ever sung a song to yourself and then heard it on 

the radio a few minutes later?’ 

 

‘Have you ever thought about someone, and then they just 

happened to call you?’ 

 

Some might say “their ears must have been burning” but I believe                       

there is a lot more to it than that. 

 

I had just climbed aboard the early train to London with three of                         

my colleagues one bright and sunny midweek afternoon. A                 

supplier had invited us to a football match at Stamford Bridge to                       

watch Chelsea play in the League Cup.  

 

En-route, we found lots to talk about including our business and                     

social networks. We discussed how we could sell lots of Pioneer                     

products and we worked on our latest business plan. Once                   

finished the topic of conversation then switched to the latest BBC                     

Top Gear episode, which saw the presenters take three supercars                   

around France before ending up in Paris. It featured the latest                     

Ferrari, which was so new that none of us had ever seen one in                           

the flesh - but it did look stunning on the screen. We unanimously                         

agreed, however, that the grey colour used on the show didn’t                     

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have the same ‘wow factor’ and what was needed was that Italian                       

Racing Red look. 

 

Upon arrival at Liverpool Street station, we headed for the long                     

taxi queue. There was no panic though as we had lots of time and                           

there seemed to be plenty of taxis, but we were happy to wait. 

 

All the taxis had advertising on the side, we passed the time by                         

reading the ads as the queue gradually diminished. This is where                     

the first coincidence occurred. We couldn’t quite believe it as we                     

spotted a Pioneer-branded Taxi in the distance. I was immediately                   

convinced that this was a coincidence, and fate had us all climbing                       

into that specific taxi. 

 

After a 30-minute ride across London just as we were entering                     

into Chelsea, you won’t believe me now, but the same new Ferrari                       

pulled out in front of our taxi and we began to follow it, our jaws                             

wide open. Not only were we gob smacked but, you guessed it,                       

the car was painted in Ferrari Rosso Red. 

 

Making our way to the hospitality suite, we were greeted by two                       

old Chelsea legends of the game - Peter Osgood, probably                   

Chelsea’s best ever striker and Chopper Harris, a great defender of                     

his time. I was very lucky and managed to have a decent                       

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conversation with Peter, he was such a nice man and he actually                       

showed a lot of interest in me. 

 

Peter asked me if I was a Chelsea fan but I quickly made it clear                             

that I was born and bred in Leicester, at which point he began to                           

tell me a story about how his best mate for many years was a                           

Leicester player and still working there like him as an ambassador                     

all these years later, and how he’d lost touch with him. 

 

Peter called him the Birch; a Leicester City legend called Alan                     

Birchenall. I think I amazed Peter by telling him that, not only did                         

my brother know him, he also had his contact numbers. Peter left                       

me his card and before the end of the match, I had messaged him                           

with all the details. 

 

A few days later, I received a message from Peter informing me                       

that, not only had he been in touch with ‘Birchy’, he was going to                           

meet him at the Southampton game that weekend. Peter also said                     

that if there was anything that he could do for me to reciprocate                         

to just let him know. Wow, what a guy I thought as he didn’t have                             

to do that. I’d be lying though if I didn’t think ‘Cup Final tickets’                           

to myself. 

 

Just a few short weeks later this story took an extremely sad turn.                         

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The news came through that Peter had suffered a heart attack at                       

his uncle’s funeral and had died. I couldn’t quite believe it as he                         

was only 59. 

 

With all this happening I felt drawn into watching the next                     

Chelsea game as they were playing at home that weekend. I’ve                     

never seen anything like it, with so many high profile people                     

paying their respects on the pitch. Peter had scored over 100 goals                       

for Chelsea and was worshipped, not just by the Chelsea fans but                       

by everyone in football. 

 

The real emotion came though as the minute of respect played                     

out. The cameras panned down the line of famous people and,                     

when they reached the last person in the line, who should that be?                         

None other than his best mate, Alan ‘The Birch’ Birchenall.  

 

I couldn’t help but feel that, if it hadn’t have been for our chance                           

meeting and all the other coincidences that day, those two best                     

mates wouldn’t have met again before Peter passed away. 

 

“In business you must never underestimate the power of the                   

mind. Whether merely a coincidence or an idea for the next                     

best thing, having a great team around you with the ability to                       

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be imaginative, presents you with the best opportunity to                 

think of ways to evolve your business. Remember this ‘No                   

Man is an Island’ so don’t think you have to do things alone,                         

keep looking at the horizon and that will help bring you the                       

success you need.” DL 

 

 

   

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Chapter 28 

 

The Pressure Cooker 

 

Treat today as if it’s your final day. Every morning when you wake                         

up, make time to look into the mirror because looking back at you                         

will be the most important asset of your life. Don’t ever be afraid                         

to ask that asset to change because change is good. 

 

As Michael Jackson once said, “If you want to make your world a                         

better place, then take a good look at yourself and make the                       

change.” 

 

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You are that asset, and in your long business journey you will find                         

that only you can; 

 

● Offer yourself true guidance. 

● Drag yourself back up when times are tough. 

● Come up with creative solutions when challenges are set.  

● Keep yourself grounded when the pressure is turned up. 

● Inspire yourself to Dream, Create, Believe, and Achieve               

your goals.   

● Persuade yourself to change. 

 

Throughout your life’s journey, you will be set challenges, have                   

your expectations raised and feel untold pressure. At some point,                   

you will look back and wonder how on earth you ever managed to                         

achieve what you did. In my final words to you, I wanted to talk                           

about pressure and how best to approach it. I believe that pressure                       

comes in three variants: negative, positive and temporary. Let’s                 

take a look into each one. 

 

Negative Pressure 

 

Imagine a shadow following you everywhere you go, like the                   

darkness from a spotlight permanently standing 2 metres behind                 

you. It only has one objective, and that’s to creep up on you when                           

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you least expect it, grabbing you from behind and choking the life                       

out of you. This is definitely the type of pressure you need to keep                           

at bay. But how do you do it? 

 

By becoming the conductor of your own orchestra and staying in                     

charge of your own destiny. 

 

Imagine what each section could represent. The woodwind,               

percussion, brass, strings etc. are all important, but try to visualise                     

them as all representing different groups in your life right now -                       

your family and friends, your work colleagues, your boss, your                   

customers and suppliers. Then think of ways, every day, that you                     

can delegate tasks to them to reduce your workload and help you                       

to become more efficient in the way you work. These people will                       

protect you, stopping the dark shadow from ever getting near you. 

 

Positive Pressure 

 

Now picture the self-same shadow, 2 metres behind you again,                   

only this time when it catches up with you it pushes you forward,                         

motivating you and challenging you to expand your limits. Have                   

you ever heard people say that they thrive on pressure and get a                         

major buzz from it? 

 

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Welcome to positive pressure, the sort of pressure we all want to                       

encourage because it will help us to achieve our goals. This                     

pressure defines our road ahead and the path that we are destined                       

to take. Keep an eye out for it as it’s what we all need to boost us                                 

to greatness. A sportsman might feel pressure before the start of                     

their event but harnessed the right way it can make anyone                     

perform to the best of their ability. 

 

Temporary Pressure 

 

This is the shadow that stands alongside us, but we decide when it                         

makes an appearance. 

 

Imagine having to travel 60 minutes to a meeting and giving                     

yourself just 60 minutes to make it. For the next hour, you will be                           

wondering whether or not you will make it to the start of that                         

meeting. 

 

Imagine the temporary pressure if you don’t plan for that meeting                     

and just turn up ill prepared. 

 

Imagine the temporary pressure if you’ve gone out and partied too                     

hard and for too long the night before a really important                     

presentation you have to deliver. 

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Imagine yourself smoking or indulging in any other similarly                 

frowned upon ‘vices’. Definitely a cause for temporary pressure. 

 

The thing about temporary pressure, however, is that we all have                     

the power to change it and eradicate it if we have the will to do so. 

So good luck everyone. 

 

“Pressure is as much about planning and preparation as                 

anything else so, if you can take any inspiration from my                     

book, then I hope you will decide to keep your shadow way                       

behind you when you don’t need it and close behind when you                       

need that little push forward. What’s important is to keep a                     

good work life balance in everything you do to keep that                     

negative pressure away.” DL 

   

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Epilogue 

  

Throughout these pages, I have shared with you, through a                   

collection of anecdotal musings, my observations as a successful                 

businessman. But my closing thoughts for you are meant to sum                     

up what you have read and registered. 

 

Always be prepared to: 

 

● Go the extra mile. Listen, learn and digest, and make sure                     

you continually question yourself.  

   

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● Never give up on your dreams and start knocking on                   

doors. 

● If you can’t be the best, then be the luckiest. 

● Create your own identity. 

● Take ‘NO’ as meaning ‘Next Opportunity’. 

● Encourage others as you expect to be encouraged.  

● Bite your lip and admit when you are wrong. 

● Improve time management to maximise productivity.  

● Harness your enthusiasm but never stop the creative               

ideas.  

● Become a great listener. 

● Work as a team player but don’t forget who is number                     

one.  

● Cut out bad habits.  

● Deal with pressure immediately through delegation and             

good planning. 

● Take a step back and don’t be afraid of making changes                     

to your plan. 

● Step ahead of anyone you envisage as your competition. 

● Eradicate negative people from your life. 

 

And, finally, I’d like to leave you with my favourite saying because                       

it contains a truth that supersedes anything in life or in business: 

 

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Fail to Prepare - Prepare to Fail 

 

Remember that, no matter what is thrown at you, only you have                       

the power to change your own destiny, never beat yourself up and                       

always keep the faith, your time will come, even if the first                       

opportunity doesn’t include you. Imagine yourself walking a               

tightrope, never look down because failure isn’t an option, keep                   

looking at the horizon so you can see and reach your next                       

destination. 

 

Good luck, and if you need any further advice or support you can                         

always contact me on LinkedIn (Darren Lewitt), Twitter               

(DarrenMentor), Instagram (darrenlewitt_mentor), or check out           

my website www.darrenlewitt.com.  

 

“Be the luckiest, not the best.” 

 

“Just remember anything is possible and if I 

can succeed, anyone can... 

 

...Dream. Create. Believe. Achieve.”  

 

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