Nicholas Bate

How To Be Brilliant 1-50: 6

Invest in yourself. Always have a book on the go. An audio version in the car, a pod-cast on your iPhone. Immerse yourself in that new skill until you have got it. Discounted cash-flow, unplugged presenting, copy-writing. Invest, invest, invest. Once you have got that skill nobody can take it away from you. You are constantly becoming more valuable. Invest in yourself.

So, Your Sales People Are Not Brilliant....

(currently) that's good news. Because if you train, coach and inspire them you can be making even more money. Set aside some training sessions on objection handling, presenting and cold calling. Book some coaching sessions for fine tuning. And catch them doing things right to inspire. Work on your business as well as in your business.

Hurricane Paul

Paul Schwend is a man you need to know. I call him Hurricane Paul. Hurricane in the sense he'll get you the insurance you need to avoid the disaster you don't want. But also hurricane in the sense of make things happen. And Paul's just let me know of a handy document you can be the first to read. Co-ordinated by top blogger and thinker Rajesh Setty, here it is.

Thanks Rajesh for the work and investment.

Thanks Paul for the notice.

Read This Quote

and choose the less crowded group.

Trust Him

for great music inspiration.

How To Be Brilliant, 1-50: 5

Be curious. Fanatically, absolutely curious. About your subject, about the periphery of your subject and of stuff outside your subject. The future belongs to The New Renaissance Man. Over-specialisation got us into this mess: so hunkered down in a silo, we didn't notice the impact elsewhere. Get out of the silo. Get out on the street. Read widely, discuss broadly. Be curious.

Don't Let Go Of Your 7

1. Personal Power (your worth, drive and sheer ooomph) to anyone. Especially poor drivers and bad-tempered customers.
2. Vinyl Collection. One day you'll have the time to sort it. And it will be fun.
3. Old moleskine notebooks. Just label them and put them on the shelf in chronological order. There: you do get stuff done.
4. First draft manuscript. When your book is a best-seller you can auction those for charity.
5. Hope. Tomorrow will be a better day.
6. Belief. One more call may or may not do it. But do the call.
7. Texts from a loved one.  Read them on a wet Monday morning in Manchester when you need reassurance that there is Life beyond the monthly quota.

The 180 Degree Rule In Film-Making...

and when to break it.

How To Be Smarter by Friday 7

1. Read a non-fiction book such as history, art or language. Write comprehensive notes on it and talk it through with someone. 
2. Learn 30 extra words of vocabulary of your favourite foreign language.
3. Balance your diet: more nutrition, less junk.
4. Re-learn how to juggle three balls.
5. Meditate every day for 15 minutes. 
6. Understand an opposing idea rather than just dismissing it. 
7. Carry a (paper) note-book and capture ideas and review them daily. 

The Next Starbucks 'Stealth' Store...

details here.