Issue 2
ASIA-PACIFIC LEADER The E-Magazine for Leaders
Having The Courage To Rebuild How to achieve business success from business failure
Common Leadership Myths
Do you really know leadership?
Meet The Coach: Amanda Moresi
Behind the scenes with a Life Coach
What Is Your Leadership Legacy?
How to truly make your mark as a leader
 
New Zealand Leadership Courses
Mark Wager Leadership coach Asia Pacific region
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From the editor Leadership is the new currency for success This month our thoughts and prayers are with our friends and colleagues in Fiji.
I was in Fiji delivering a series of leadership workshops when Cyclone Winston struck and I saw at first hand, the damage that was done. Many businesses, families and Fiji in general has to rebuild and in this edition we look at some other businessmen who had to rebuild and ended up more successful than ever.
In this edition we start a new segment in which we interview current coaches and ask them about their area of expertise. In this first interview I speak with Amanda Moresi, a Life Coach from Wellington. If you are reading this and are currently a coach then contact me to be interviewed. My contact details are below.
A lot of people know about leadership but very few understand leadership, is in this edition there's an article about the common myths about leadership. You will also find an article about how a leader can create a legacy.
If you have any ideas about articles or features you want to see in AsiaPacific Leader feel free to contact me.
Email: mark@eliteld.co.nz Twitter: Mark_wager
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Inside Asia-Pacific leader magazine
Finding The Courage To Rebuild 07
Common Leadership Myths 10
Meet The Coach: Amanda Moresi 12
What is Your Leadership Legacy? 15 Images courtesy of: renjith krishnan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Inspirational quotes
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Finding The Courage To Rebuild By Mark Wager
This past month has been tough for everyone in Fiji. I was in Fiji myself when the cyclone hit. I had just finished delivering a leadership training programme to a group of companies and individuals and had decided to stay a few extra days to enjoy a relaxing holiday in Fiji and then quite unexpectedly the cyclone warning came and flights were cancelled. The next thing I knew is that we were being hit by cyclone Winston. We've all seen the pictures. Many people have been impacted and if you are one of those people whose business has been impacted and you are facing the harsh reality that you have to rebuild your business under such challenging circumstances, then this article is for you.
I know the pain you are going through. All the time and energy you have spent for so long building your dream business is now in pieces. You may consider yourself a failure and you are questioning yourself whether you have the drive, the motivation or the passion to rebuild. Well! I'm here to answer that question. Yes! you do and not only can you rebuild but you will rebuild better than before and not only that,
but this moment in your life will define you and it's in this moment that you will meet the real version of yourself. The version that doesn't give up and will rebuild your business.
During this rebuild period you will have several significant advantages, the first is that you've done it before. You've already built this business and that was when you were younger and had no experience. Just imagine everything you've learnt since then and now all that experience and knowledge will go into your new business and not only that but this time you won't make the same mistakes you made the last time because you are a better businessman now than you were then. Secondly there's more at stake. This time it's about your legacy and leadership is all about legacy. You remember the feeling you had the first time you built your business, the pride you felt? Well! just imagine how much pride you will feel when you show the world the courage not only to build one business but to build up two, now that is how to create a legacy.
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In the business world there are many examples of businessmen who have had to overcome the odds and rebuild and when they rebuilt they did so armed with all the knowledge and experience that one can only find when discovering the courage to rebuild. With this courage they built something far greater than they ever achieved before.
Donald Trump has had to rebuild several times. In fact, Donald Trump has been declared bankrupt four times. Some people dislike him and some love him but you can't ignore the impact he has had on the business world. Each and every time he has come back stronger than before and today is currently the leading Republican candidate for President of the United States.
world’s most profitable companies and was behind the inventions that have transformed the world. If he didn't find the courage would we ever have had the iPhone and the iPad?
"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become" - Steve Jobs
Henry Ford is well known for creating the Ford Motor company but not so well known is that Henry Ford had twice before started automotive companies that both failed and left him broke. Yet he found the courage to rebuild and when he did he changed the industrial world by creating automobiles that were within the economic reach of the average household.
"Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war." Donald Trump
Steve Jobs was thirty years old when he was removed from his job at Apple, a company he had built himself. He had to overcome depression and self-doubt but he found the courage to rebuild and when he was asked to rejoin Apple he turned them into one of the 8
"Whether you think you can or think you can't you're right" - Henry Ford
Richard Branson is one of the world’s most famous and successful businessmen and his business career is perceived as a great success with Virgin records and Virgin airways and are both recognised as a worldwide brands yet Richard Branson has also suffered some high profile failures with his forays in the soft drinks industry with Virgin Cola and the spirits industry with Virgin Vodka being complete failures. but he always found the courage to continue.
If any of these people didn't find the courage to rebuild, the world would be a very different place. The question you should ask yourself shouldn't be whether you should rebuild but instead you should ask yourself how can you not rebuild. You have been given a wonderful opportunity to rebuild again and this time better than ever before. That is your legacy.
"If you don't learn to walk by following rules, you learn by doing and falling over." - Richard Branson
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Common Leadership Myths By Mark Wager The lifestyle of an entrepreneur is a tempting one. I should know as I'm an entrepreneur myself. I took the step of moving away from a safe but dull full time job and into the world of entrepreneurship. I created my own leadership development business and I started travelling around the Asia Pacific region delivering workshops showing people techniques and strategies in order to become inspirational leaders. It's a great life but it's a life full of misconceptions and myths. Based on my personal experience here are a few myths about the life of an entrepreneur.
Myth: You no longer have a boss One of the most appealing aspects of entrepreneurship is that you get away from a boss who tells you what you do yet the idea that you no longer report to anyone is a myth. As an entrepreneur you may not have someone who tells you what to do everyday but you are still accountable to people and their needs, in this regard you still have a boss, in this world your client is your boss. In many ways your clients are much more important than a boss because your business is nothing without your clients
it's them that will determine whether or not your business is successful.
Myth: If you have a strong product you will succeed If life was fair then the best product would always be the leading product but life is not fair. When I started out on my journey as a Leadership Coach I had full confidence in my expertise, I received incredible feedback from my workshops and I was listed on websites as one of the world's top 100 leadership experts. Yet business was tough and there wasn't many enquires coming into my inbox. The truth is being the best is not always enough. Each and every year awards are given out to the best tasting burger, MacDonalds never win the award but they win the biggest share of the market. Success is not just about having the best product it's about having the best marketing, promotion, systems as well as a good product.
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Myth: You will have more free time This is kind of true but the good news about entrepreneurship is that you set your own working hours. The bad news about entrepreneurship is that although you set your own hours, success and hard work are connected, you can't have one without the other. You can work as few or as many hours as you want but the truth is that the harder you work the greater chance there is that you are going to succeed. There will be a temptation especially at the beginning to work every hour possible but you need to be conscious of your own wellbeing because without you your business is nothing.
at sales but poor at budgets. The key is knowing your weaknesses and putting in plans to address them. If you are poor at book keeping then approach an accountant, if you are not confident at website design then approach someone who is. Being an entrepreneur doesn't mean you are a one-man show, an entrepreneur needs to be a leader, they need to be able to lead themselves and just as importantly be able to influence others in order to share their passion and to contribute towards their goal.
Myth: You will automatically be happier There's no doubt that the life of an entrepreneur is an amazing one and I can testify from personal experience that there's no job that comes close to the satisfaction you will get from building your own business. Yet this life is not for everyone, the highs are higher than a normal job but the lows are lower. One of the best descriptions I've heard about the lows described the role of the entrepreneur as waking up every day unemployed with the aim of creating a job for themselves by the end of that day. You need to be mentally strong to enter a profession that has a 90% chance of failure and not everyone possesses this mental strength and will find this path a very unhappy one.
Myth: You need to do everything yourself Again this is true in some circumstances but not all. The majority of entrepreneurs fail because they do not have all round skills. They may be good 11
Meet The Coach:Life Coach Amanda Moresi By Mark Wager
In this new segment I interview dierent coaches from around the world. In this first interview I speak with Amanda Moresi, a Life Coach based in Wellington and we explore what is life coaching and how does it benefit people
[Mark Wager] Thank you taking time out Amanda, so let's start o by clarifying what is Life Coaching?
[Amanda Moresi] Since I've taken an interest in life coaching I've had many conversations with people and it seems many people have a range of definitions of what life coaching is and what a life coach does but broadly a life coach is someone who helps someone to realise their potential and maximise their performance in life so basically just helping people find a way to make their life more meaningful
[Mark Wager] so is that trying to fix people's problems?
[Amanda Moresi] The life coaching that I practice is not about fixing defects. The focus is not on the healing side it's more looking at the person in the moment. Why are they unhappy? Why
are they dissatisfied? What change they want to make and looking forward. There is an approach which is called acceptance and commitment therapy. I was taught this approach through counselling over health issues and it was an approach that just stuck instantly. I've been through a lot of techniques, a lot of approaches and programs and this particular approach blew me out of the water. It pushed me through what I needed to push through. Which is why I endorse that approach and use it in my sessions.
[Mark Wager] What made you get into the field of Life Coaching?
[Amanda Moresi] My own personal experiences led me to where I am. In my early twenties I developed a digestive disorder which has daily symptoms that I have to manage. I have managed them quite successfully for quite a number of years but I got to a point about a year or so ago that I decided enough was enough and something had to change. I was going to work and struggling through every hour of the day and couldn't wait to get home. 12
Something had to change so I started working with a psychologist who introduced me to a book called The Happiness Trap which is a brilliant book. The boom and the sessions made me accept that I can't escape the pain so in order to move forward I had to find something more meaningful, more important something that is worth going through the suffering for. It took a lot of self reflection time to discover what was import at to me and what does make me happy and I found that helping other people succeed and reach their potential also made me happy. So I wanted to share what I've learnt during my journey and help people see that there is a way out of where you might be.
[Mark Wager] Does your work include using affirmations?
[Amanda Moresi] Yes it can, drawing from my own experiences I do a number of things to improve my health including mediation and affirmations. It's all about reinforcing the good things that you are doing to improve your life.
[Mark Wager] For someone who hasn't experienced a life coaching session how would a typical session work?
[Amanda Moresi] The first session would start off with asking the client to take away all boundaries and limitations and all of those things that keep you where you are and imagine what their life would look like. What do you dream about that you can't obtain and that is our starting point. The we start talking about the resistance, what is it that stops you achieving what you want in life and depending on what is discussed that determines our path forward. The following sessions focus on clarifying their values and what is important about them. After looking at their values we look at setting some goals, depending
on their end result is impacts what the hoax setting looks like.
[Mark Wager] You mentioned the importance of removing barriers but why do you think people have these barriers in the first place?
[Amanda Moresi] We are all human. We all have barriers even the most confident people and top performers in sports or music or whatever have all experienced that negative chatter the person sitting on your shoulder saying "you can never do that" but the difference is that people chose to either focus on that internal dialogue or they can chose to refocus elsewhere which quietens the voice. I don't think it ever completely goes away I think it will always be there but it all boils down to how we deal with them.
[Mark Wager] Who benefits most from life coaching?
[Amanda Moresi] I think when I was trying to define my target market as a life coach I soon realised it was everyone. It could be the person who is struggling with confidence issues or it could be someone who is succeeding professionally but is struggling in their private life. Life coaching benefits people from all walks of life,
[Mark Wager] when you hear the word "success" who comes to mind
[Amanda Moresi] I would say a contented person, someone who radiates an energy, wellness, happiness. What I've learnt is that those people are successful because they chose to focus on what's truly important and when you do you can only radiate.
If you want to know more about Life Coaching and Amanda Moresi check out her website at www.mindspacecoach.com or connect with her on FaceBook.
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What is Your Leadership Legacy? By Mark Wager
If you are reading this article then there's a high probability that you are a leader. You have already made the decision to influence people, to inspire people to become better as individuals and as part of a wider team. At the end of the day how will you be measured as a leader? Will it be by how much profit you made for your organisation, how many products you produce or awards that you receive?
The role of a leader is to provide people with the belief and power to take them to a level that they've never been to before. This kind of empowering leadership is not measured by the amount of glory the leader receives. Leadership and ultimately the leader's legacy is measured by the quality of leaders that they produce. To value a leader's legacy look at the people they have inspired to start their own leadership journey and where that journey is taking them.
One of the most successful Managers in the history of football is Sir Alex Ferguson the former Manager of Manchester United. During his 26 years at the club, he won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League and two UEFA Champions League titles. Yet an achievement which is rarely mentioned is the number of players who played for Sir Alex who later went on to become Managers in their own rights. Currently there have been over 30 former players who have followed Sir Alex Fergusons path, all of whom have remarked on the influence that Sir Alex Ferguson had on their managerial career.
A true leader inspires others to become leaders.
"I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers" Ralph Nader
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Leaders inspire people to take action but it's the great leaders that inspire others to lead themselves. This is challenging as today's busy work environment requires leaders to focus on activities that will result in immediate results and activities that produce long term gains can easily become a low priority. Great leaders know that developing the next generation of leaders is not just a task it's an honour, leadership is not a position to be kept hold of. When you are a leader you are a caretaker of people's hopes and aspirations and that honour needs to be passed on. These leaders do three key things in order to develop a leadership legacy.
Believe in themselves One of the saddest things I see with some managers is the reluctance to develop others because of the fear that the person will end up taking their job. This kind of thinking is false and destructive to a team environment. If you develop others then three things start to happen. Firstly, the team becomes more motivated as they feel more valued. Secondly, they find that they have more freedom to do tasks and have more options to delegate and thirdly they become more highly regarded as a leader when people see the quality of the team. Some leaders stop developing their team due to a misguided survival mentality yet in fact developing the team is the perfect survival tool
believe that they can become an inspirational leader. Create opportunities, no matter how small to demonstrate your faith in people. If you are away from the office then put someone in charge even if it's for a day. They may not have to do much but just the fact that you have shown faith in them to lead will inspire them to start believing in themselves .
Become a mentor The journey of a new leader can be a lonely, one filled with many self doubts and mistakes. An offer of support and a few kind words and advice can make a great deal of difference and you don't have to wait to offer this advice. I remember a story of a former player of Sir Alex Ferguson who had started in management and his team had just suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat. Sir Alex called him and told him to get into work early the following day, stand in front of his team and look them clearly in the eyes when talking. The advice was simple and brief but it was the right advice at the right time and helped the new Manager turn the results around.
A true leader realises that leadership is about many things but there is one thing it is not about and that is themselves. A leader is nothing without the courage of people who are willing to follow . Show gratitude for that courage by being courageous yourself and inspire them to be the next generation of leaders.
Believe in others Anyone who has ever led has had that special moment when someone believed in them enough to follow. Be that special person and tell people that you have faith in them and that you 16