He started my journey - 30 years later we met!

Reaching up, reaching out and making the effort to meet.

On Saturday, something very special happened. I finally met the man who had first sparked a real interest in me, the man who stoked my passion and ignited my fire around becoming a leader, a coach, a builder of high performing teams and ultimately a professional speaker and now author.

This man was Frank Dick, OBE. I first saw him speak in the early 1990s at a conference in Birmingham. I was totally transfixed by his presentation and took pages and pages of notes. I bought his book ‘Winning’ which I read quickly and then over the next 10 years or so, bought many, many copies for the people in my teams and wider business units.

One of the best GiFTs I received at the time was a ‘bootleg’ cassette of Frank speaking at a conference in Estoril, Portugal. I played it and played it and played it, absorbing all the messaging and building his thinking and themes into my fledgling leadership style. I didn’t just learn, copy and add 10%……………….over the years I must have added a 100%.

At the time Frank was the Head Coach for GB Athletics during a golden era, nurturing top talent from Daley Thompson to Lord Sebastian Coe and many many others. He then worked across many sports and with elite performers. Like my own style (& perhaps where it originated from) Frank’s messaging was simple, practical, focused and inspirational.

He wanted me (& everyone else he was around) to strive to be a mountain person (player mindset), avoiding the valley people (victim/cynical/negative mindsets), to understand the risk of winning and say ‘let’s go’ to opportunities. He stuggles with the spectator mindset encouraging all to get into the arena and start taking action!

If you know my speaking work, this will also resonate.

What struck me at the time was Frank talking about giving those around you the ‘roots to grow and the wings to fly.’ Fast forward and you see the GiFT631 logos with the eagle, ‘helping you soar’ instead of fly, my events brand being #whatwinnersdo (Frank’s books are Winning and Winning Matters), along with one of my core mantras

Decide - Commit - Go!

Again, a play on Frank’s ‘let’s go’ mindset and attitude?

There was so much I took from Frank. I have kept his bamboo analogy of human (& team) growth and potential close - this is GiFT40 in the #rockingchairtest where I acknowledge Frank being my leadership spark and share this analogy.

I also still love: You have to:

• Want to win

• Believe you can win

• Persist until you do win

Wow x lots!

Imagine then, when I see a very short Linkedin post saying Frank had been working that day in Melbourne with a sports organisation. I immediately (a very quick D-C-Go!) messaged him to ask whether he would be on the Gold Coast. He quickly came back with dates. I immediately asked if he had time for a coffee or breakfast………then NOTHING.

I waited 2 days, reflected on it and thought this was possibly my one chance to meet Frank. I messaged again. He apologied for not replying said his schedule was crazy. We finally found one 45 min slot on a Saturday evening (I had a late family lunch that day but everyone understood why I was driving and why I needed to be away).

That 45 minutes (probably 50) flew by. Frank, now 81, has an incredible energy and zest for life. It was a masteclass on coaching, team dynamics, self and team leadership, on being the best version of yourself, on humility and vulnerability. On making mistakes, learning and going again. Like the first time we met, I scribbled notes and only wish I had taken more. That meeting will help me soar to significantly greater heights.

When I got home, I was buzzing and Leona commented on the sparkle in my eyes and my energy and excitement. I recited some of the diamonds from a conversation packed with jewels.

My messages to you:

• Seek out aspirational people.

• Be willing to reach out - make contact.

• However busy, find the time to meet, even if it seems inconvenient at the time.

• This might have been my only opportunity but I had taken it, learnt from it and will undoubtedly be better for it.

• Decide - commit - GO!

• #dare2soar

• It took 30 years for this meeting to happen…………it was worth the wait.

My #giftbite acknowledging Frank is here:

You can get your copies of The Rocking Chair Test here (or via IngramSpark):

• 🇦🇺https://amzn.asia/d/d0bP52M 

• 🇬🇧https://amzn.eu/d/72aMnls 

• 🇺🇸https://a.co/d/dnaleMn 

• 🇨🇦https://a.co/d/e7ls0fW 

I am still buzzing, even more so writing this article.

Keep winning and #dare2soar Andy ✍️🦅📚