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123: ‘Electric (wheel)chair’ or ‘Sportscar’?

July 22, 2013 by Brenda Leave a Comment

Life is full of challenges.  This applies in the business arena and also in our personal lives.  We can live a negative ‘story’ or through innovation change the situation creatively into one that not only is more acceptable, but has great benefits.  We need to treat each ‘hiccup’ as a gift that could start us on a new, positive ‘story’.  The old cliché, ‘if life gives you a lemon, make lemonade!’ contains a powerful message. 

Let me give you an example.  My husband, Ed, unfortunately experienced a major stroke 30 years ago.  To us he has led a ‘normal’ life since them.  Oh yes, it has been filled with major challenges but we have met those with the help of a strong support structure - our amazing close family who are always ‘there’ for us, caring friends and an unbelievable team of doctors who make themselves available to us 24 hours a day.  So, I repeat, this means that both Ed and I can lead ‘normal’ lives. 

We seem to go to hospital like other people go shopping!  (Not quite!) Ed has just spent another 10 days in St Anne’s and had a major crisis during this time.  So, obviously we were all despondent as the increased pain and further deterioration were debilitating.  However, in the midst of this, Ed suddenly decided that he wanted a ‘sportscar’ and continued to search the Internet (his favourite hobby)!  This confused everyone. However, he persisted in his ‘shopping around’. 

As a result,  ‘Sportscar’ arrived two days ago, weighing in at 48 kgs.  Ed immediately decided that his new companion is a ‘he’ and named him ‘Sportscar’.  I tried saying, ‘doesn’t Mellow Yellow suit him better?’  ‘Yellow Submarine’ was also suggested.  (The lesson here is that we should explore possibilities.)  But no, the official announcement is that his name is  ‘Sportscar’.  That certainly sounds much better than ‘Electric (Wheel)chair’! 

Our housekeeper chuckles as she hears Ed arriving at the dinner table riding ‘Sportscar’.Like a new puppy, ‘Sportscar’ has spent the first few nights with his new owners at the foot of our bed.  He couldn’t possibly be left out in the cold in the Cornerstone Carpark!  However, ‘Botox’ (my white Mercedes – officially called the ‘Facelift model’ by Mercedes) and ‘Long John’, Ed’s white Mercedes ‘estate car’ (please note, also a ‘he’) are looking forward to sharing their space with ‘Sportscar’.  (Life is much more meaningful when we can name things.)

Ed and 'Sportscar'.

Ed and 'Sportscar'.

So, why am I telling you all of this?  Think of ‘Sportscar’ as a metaphor for turning problems into challenges in our business and private lives.  How can we make the situation more ‘palatable’?  How can we even introduce an element of Fun (with a capital ‘F’) into any situation?  What can we do to turn something dreary into an exciting concept that captures the imagination of our target market and also those whom we serve?  ‘Wheelchair’ has negative connotations.  ‘Sportscar’ is exciting.  Black is boring.  Bright yellow adds ‘oomph’.  ‘Bulky and square’ is stuck in the past, ‘zippy scooter’ takes us into the future.  (Coaches please note – here we have ‘old narrative’ and ‘new narrative’ on a continuum.  But I think it works, don’t you?) 

So, my BIG question is:  how do we turn the ‘wheelchairs’ or even the ‘electric (wheel)chairs’ in our businesses or personal lives into ‘sportscars’?  Have fun thinking about this. 

For more information on Executive Coaching or keynote speeches please contact Brenda Eckstein on +27 82 4993311 or brenda@146.66.90.172

Excess baggage

November 8, 2012 by Brenda Leave a Comment

This week’s theme involves ‘scraping away the barnacles’.  Most of us are weighed down by excess baggage, both physically  and emotionally  We have ‘blind spots’ and we need to consciously set time aside to rigorously inspect all aspects of our lives to make sure that we are the best we can possibly be in every domain or ‘stream’. 

In ‘Management Mess-ups’ Mark Eppler provides an excellent metaphor.  Walking along the beach in Ireland he noticed that the fishermen were not out fishing that day, but had their boats upside down on the beach.  He was curious as they were losing a day’s income.  He asked and they explained that one day a year they keep their boats on the beach, turn them upside down and scrape them.  It still didn’t make sense.  They went on to explain that they needed to ‘scrape away the barnacles’.  Now he was really intrigued and asked more questions.  The explanation was that over time, the barnacles gradually multiply, building up under the boats, weighing them down.  Thus, if left unattended, the increasing weight of the barnacles would result in the fishermen using up to 40% more fuel to reach the fishing areas.  In addition, the boats would be much less manoeuvrable. 

Doesn’t that sound just like our lives?  We use more energy to achieve our goals and our decreased agility means that we are less likely to recognise and move towards opportunities.  In addition, the heavier our burdens, sometimes the harder it is to move away from threats or negative situations.  So, we need to take action – Now!  But first, we have to ‘see’ through our ‘blind spots’.  Film director, poet, healer, fellow coach and cherished friend, Naahid Nakidien describes this beautifully in ‘Challenges’. 

Challenges

In darkness we sit,

Too scared to see

We’re all afraid to face

Those challenges we need to meet

Deep inside we find

A scary patch of fear we hide

 

Feelings despondent

Too scared to act

Answers to find

Too scared to embrace

Veils to lifts

Too scared to see

 

Crying,

Almost Dying

Always Lying

As we reach in vain

 

The time has come to tackle those demons one by one

The silence needs to find a voice

That’s been paralysed by fear all this time

 

Reach out with vigorous appeal

To release this anxiety

Courage,

Pain,

Sincerity,

Dig deep and take one step to reality.

 

Crawling,

Sitting,

Standing

Stepping out

Reach to the world with eyes that see

 

No more secrets

No more confusion

Only determination and full responsibility

To accept each new challenge

One at a time.

 © Naahid Nakidien

Brenda Eckstein and Naahid Nakidien, guest speaker at the PwC Women’s breakfast in Pietermaritzburg.

If you’d like more information on ‘leadership development’ or ‘executive coaching’ please contact me - brenda@146.66.90.172, Phone: +27 33 3425432, Mobile: + 27 82 4993311.

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