Thursday, 15 July 2010

Sebastian Coe's latest speaking endevours

Sebastian Coe has recently been speaking at the Yorkshire Gold Business Club, which is aimed at ensuring the Yorkshire businesses are in the best position to cater for London 2012 related opportunities as the games draw closer and closer. As the games will bring lots of unique business opportunities across the UK, it is important businesses know how to spot, manage and make the most of them all.

Coe states that there will be more than £600 million worth of contracts over the next two years leading up to the games. Speaking of Yorkshire specifically, he said that there was no reason why Yorkshire companies cannot be part of the games phenomenon.

All future opportunities are registered on a website called Compete For, in order to make sure that everyone has a fair chance of getting involved.

Read more about how Sebastian Coe is promoting the London 2012 Olympics and how you can contact him for help or advice by visiting his profile page.

Wednesday, 14 July 2010

A Look at Hamish Taylor's Latest Business

One of Hamish Taylor latest endevours was as Chief Executive Officer of Sainsbury's Bank, which was a joint venture between Sainsbury's and Bank of Scotland. The ojective was rapid growth in profit from his position, utilising the ability to innovate and move away from the traditional banking approaches. He made the bank behave more like a retailor and this proved to be most successful.

Hamish later moved on to Vision UK in the position of CEO. Here he worked with clients ranging from Time Warner to General Motors and always brought profit back to the UK.

Hamish is now a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport, and was the Rail Professional Business Manager of the year in 1998 for his results at Eurostar.

Hamish is happily married and has three young boys, living in Edinburgh. To read more about him, please see the Hamish Taylor profile page.

Sunday, 11 July 2010

The greatest British explorer?

Some say that the world's greatest explorer is the amazing Sir Ranulph Fiennes. He has been on some amazing expeditions so far, but he is now planning his next endevour, in between all his speaking events where he acts as a keynote motivational speaker.

He has been speaking to the press about his next adventure: “I just spent half the night talking to the guy who is doing the polar ship, who’s the same bloke who did the Transglobe ship, and he was just telling me that he’s got all the blokes that are still alive [from the Transglobe expedition] back from New Zealand, Fiji, all over the place, to man this ship for two years.”

For now, Ranulph Fiennes doesn't have enough money to buy the ship he wants, but he also won't tell anyone what the boat is going to do. The reason for this he claims is that he wants to keep it secret, as in the past people have stolen his ideas!

Read more about Ranulph Fiennes' explorations at his profile page.

Saturday, 10 July 2010

Sebastian Coe - Inspiration to be a winner

Successful athlete and motivational speaker Sebastian Coe states that anyone and everyone can find it in themselves to find the inspiration to be an Olympic winner - and why let this be your limit? Finding the inspiration to do such a mammoth task may be all the inspiration one needs to do anything they may be struggling with, whether in work, life or relationships.

We all need a little inspiration or motivation in our lives from time to time, even if you are one of the most energetic and motivated people in your team or group. coe states that failure is often the wake up call and motivation that many people need to go on to succeed. He qualifies this advice by using an analogy from his racing days as an Olympic athlete - fighting to win is often one of the strongest motivators, but it can make a person single-goal-focused. Always remember you most likely have other responsibilities before dedicating your concentration on just one.

Follow more motivational advice on this blog, or even try looking through our archives for more advice, news, tips and information.

Friday, 9 July 2010

Ken Livingstone hasn't lost his touch

Ken Livingstone hasn't lost his touch. He has a new campaign with the slogan, "Yes We Ken", might easily be compared to something Barack Obama's team may come up with, but Livingstone pulls it off despite being a 64 year old grandad who has been working in politics since 1971.

Senior Labour MP Jon Cruddas said a second title for Mr Livingstone would mean “a top class Mayor from day one, who knows the levers of power”.

The winner will be announced in September. Livingstone is going up against ex-MP Oona King.

South London press have highlighted the support Livingstone has been receiving from his fellow Londoners, putting him in a very strong position for the new Mayor.

Thursday, 8 July 2010

Fiennes Finds Something New

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is an experienced explorer: having been the first pensioner to ever climb Mt Everest and being the first man to cross the North and South Poles and climb the world's highest peak.

Currently however he has discovered something new to explore - his amazing family tree.

The seasoned explorer is related to a leader of William the Conqueror's army in 1066, three signatories to the Magna Carta, the first King of Jerusalem, King Henry VI and Jane Austen.

Ranulph Fienne's new book, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, explores some of the most amazing events and battles in British history, whilst relating back to Fiennes' relatives and their contributions.

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Everybody Loves Ken Livingstone?

Despite having been beaten by Boris Johnson in 2008 for the title of London Mayor, Ken Livingstone is admired and genuinely liked among his fellow Londoners.

Returning to South London while campaigning to oust Johnson in 2012, he walked up Norwood Road whilst shaking hands with passers-by. A tradesman stopped to say simply "Get rid of Boris', while another passer by shouted from inside his van, "You're the best bloke we've had Ken".

Livingstone states he is more than ready for the campaign trail and role, despite his advancing age.

“Sixty-four isn’t old. It might have been in my parents’ day, but I could go until I’m 94.”

Read more about Ken Livingstone and his progress at his profile page.

Sunday, 4 July 2010

Put the fun back in motivation

Motivation is often one of the hardest exercises in an organisation, not only do you have to motivate yourself but you must also encourage your staff too. If you don't feel positive and motivated, then what chance do you have at motivating your staff?

One of the ways of making motivation a little easier is to make it fun. Money is not the only way to motivate people - try a few other little tips from motivational speakers...

- create an opportunity for a pay rise - let the employee work towards this as a motivation to work beyond their expectations
- create a situation where the employee must manage a certain team or task. This will create a sense of responsiblity that will in turn promote motivation and creativity.
- ask them for their opinion on things that don't always concern them - they will appreciate being asked
- reward your employees with something they value - this is not always money. Often it's just extra time off!

Ken Livingstone for Mayor?

Ken Livingstone is one of the top contenders to be a labour Mayor of London in 2012. London MP and Labour leadership hopeful Diane Abbott is backing Livingstone “because he has stood up for London under Tory and Labour governments alike and that experience and knowledge of London politics will be an asset in these difficult times.”

Livingstone also has the backing of London MPs David Lammy, Chuka Umunna, Virendra Sharma, Karen Buck, Jon Cruddas, Andy Slaughter, John Cryer and Jeremy Corbyn - Livingstone lost to Boris Johnson in 2008.

The winner will be announced in September. Follow Ken Livingstone on his profile page for more news and information on how you can contact him.

Friday, 2 July 2010

Even More Motivatinal Tactics

Here is more from our motivational tactics series. This is the last in our series so make sure you check out our other two posts. Print off the tactics to help you with every day group situations – you might end up being the motivation star of your group.

If you are in a business or managing a group, alongside using these tactics, also consider employing a motivational speaker from a speaker bureau. They will help motivate your staff in a more direct way and might just be the eye-opener that they need.


1. R.E.S.P.E.C.T – Respect people and give them your trust. They will be more likely to respond positively to tasks that are given to them.

2. Give challenges – Challenge people by giving them a goal to strive towards. They will be happier with a clear challenge and clear goals. Give them the opportunity to face new problems and they’ll respond more enthusiastically.

3. Let the creativity flow – Don’t expect people to do things your way – allow people to be creative and figure out their own way of doing things. This will let their creative juices flow and create a more optimistic environment.

4. Constructive criticism – Offer constructive criticism, not just criticism. People sometimes don’t realise that they’re doing something wrong, so just let them know. People usually want to improve and do better.

5. Fun fun fun – Work is always more enjoyable when it doesn’t even feel like work – make work fun by creating a positive environment. This will always lead to better results for everyone.

Good luck and get motivating!