After having a role in the online training, role-specific workshops, leadership training and venue tours, I had the privilege of meeting thousands of the generous paid and unpaid staff that have been wearing the uniform around the country.

It was a fantastic experience to be a part of, but rather than bouncing around a few insights, I’ve loved hearing the stories of those visitors that have enjoyed and benefited from the effort and passion that everyone in NZ (incl. those in the ‘official’ uniform) have put in, ensuring that the legacy of RWC 2011 lives on.

Here is a letter sent to the NZ Herald from Amelia Wade, a RWC 2011 visitor.

DEAR NEW ZEALAND

Tena koutou

Despite the IRB’s best efforts you have made a terrific job of hosting RWC2011 and from our point of view there are so many things to thank you for that it is difficult to know where to begin.

Apart from being in what is probably the most all-round beautiful country on earth, our trip was a thoroughly enjoyable experience from beginning to end and it was made so by you, the Kiwis.

All right, you stuffed up on the public transport for the opening ceremony but we can forgive you for that.

Let’s start with the unsung heroes – the volunteers. To a woman/man the volunteers we met were cheerful, knowledgeable, helpful, funny, patient and charming – although come to that, we didn’t meet a Kiwi who wasn’t.

Within hours of arriving in the country our B&B hosts had lent us, total strangers from a foreign land, not only their valuable binoculars to satisfy our obsessive bird-watching habit but also their car. That was amazing enough, but that same generosity was repeated so many times during our trip.

You welcomed and tolerated with equanimity the volatile and voluble Argentines, the slightly over-excitable Italians, the sanguine French, the brash and overconfident Aussies and South Africans, the partying Irish, Scots and Welsh, the vast hordes of Pacific Islanders, and the supporters of all the other nations that descended on your shores to support their teams. You even let the boys on Tindall’s Stag Do get on with their beer-fuelled dwarf-tossing, blonde-fondling, staff-insulting, ball-tampering, harbour-swimming self-destruction with just a wry smile…and some very funny journalism.

We shared your pain on that dreadful day when the most-reported groin-strain in history happened … More seriously, we shared your pain in Christchurch and hope that this World Cup has done more than a little to help that fine city back to its best.

Thank you for hokey-pokey icecream, Wither Hills Savvy, crayfish to die for, Speight’s Gold Medal ale, Jandals, the All Blacks, the tui, the spoof South Island sheepfarmers managing the crowds at the giant rugby ball on Queens Wharf, Kamo on the telly panel, and the Weet-Bix SBW advert.

It doesn’t matter (to us) whether Richie gets to lift the pot on the 23rd or not – in our eyes you are already world champions for what you have done and how you have done it.

Here is a message from our Volunteer Ambassador, Michael Jones….

Kia ora

Registrations are currently open for Volunteers for Rugby World Cup 2011 and I would like to request your assistance to get as many suitable people registered as possible by September 24, 2010.

Rugby New Zealand 2011 (Tournament organiser) is looking for 5,000+ volunteers to be the face of New Zealand, on the ground, at stadia and out in the streets, from one end of the country to the other.

There are many different roles on offer for those who are passionate about our country and willing to give their time and energy to support this fantastic event.

We are looking for a range of people who are enthusiastic, dedicated and committed to serving and hosting our guests.  We will provide volunteer training and experience that will enhance their skills and abilities, and of course, give them an opportunity to be involved in this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Volunteering during Rugby World Cup 2011 could be a valuable experience for your members, students, staff, stakeholders and/or clients.

Over the next few weeks there is going to be a big recruitment drive and it would be appreciated if you could promote this on your website and/or to your database via email by sending out the following message: 

Rugby World Cup 2011 Needs Your Help!

New Zealand will welcome the world next year as more than 60,000 international visitors arrive to enjoy Rugby World Cup 2011.

RWC 2011 will succeed through the efforts of all New Zealanders – we aim to be a nation of four million great hosts and volunteers will play an important role in helping the country to welcome our guests.

We are looking for a team of 5,000+ volunteers to be the face of New Zealand, on the ground, at stadiums and out in the streets, from one end of the country to the other.

If you want to be part of this amazing opportunity and have the experience of a lifetime, please register before September 24 2010.

Kind regards

Michael Jones

Volunteer Ambassador

Ever tried losing weight, but struggled to find the motivation? Let me tell you about a friend of mine!

This friend of mine was trying to lose weight, but complained how hard it was. He said that whenever he sees something sweet and fatty he keeps wondering “Should I? Shouldn’t I?” It made me think about what makes people commit to action…

… I reckon it’s the sitting on the fence that’s the hard part! Once you are fully committed, and you genuinely cut yourself off from other options, things feel a lot easier.

I mean, imagine if you were told that if you threw that chocolate muffin in the bin then the All Blacks would win the World Cup – you would throw it away and not even feel hungry!

If you’ve ever done a bungee then you know what I mean. When your toes are over the edge and you’re ready to go your brain has to convince your body to leap forward when it really doesn’t want to. It’s the trying to get yourself to overcome the fear that it is so uncomfortable. Once you jump you actually feel good on the way down – you’ve made the decision and you’re committed now (the bungee stopping you is just a bonus!)

It’s the same for rowing the Atlantic. It’s actually not that hard to get out and row when you are already sitting out in a rowboat on an ocean – there isn’t a lot of choice (its not like you have SKY TV!). Either you row for a bit and you get to a beautiful shady Caribbean island, or you sit and stay in the boat right in the middle of nowhere.

I’m reminded of my days rowing with various crews over the years - when your alarm goes at 5am in the middle of winter to tell you to go to training, you hardly feel inspired to put your feet on the floor, but because you are all relying on each other to get there (and to fill the boat), you don’t think about it. You just do it.

These external sources of motivation can be incredibly powerful and the more you can use them the more committed you are, and the less painful the task might seems. Interestingly, we often ‘know what needs to happen’ (i.e. to prevent heart disease, you need a healthy lifestyle) – so how come we don’t always do it?!

As neurologist Donald Calne puts it, it’s “logic leads us to conclusions while emotion leads to actions”.

It’s all about getting yourself ‘onto a ‘hook’! Muhammad Ali use to tell as many people as possible that he was going to win a fight – because then he had to win! Once you are ‘on the hook’, and fully committed to a course of action, then you don’t have any angst and achieving your goals becomes a whole lot easier.

Anyway my friend agreed and so handed me over a cheque for $2,000 and told me that if he didn’t lose 8 kilos in 11 weeks then I got to keep it (NO EXCUSES). It seems that being healthy isn’t his ‘hook’ – money is!

I’ll tell you how he went with the ‘deal’ in a message soon…

Some love it. Some hate it. But no one can argue against the proven benefits of effective goal setting for individuals, teams and organisations.

We’re coming toward the end of June – almost half way through 2010!

It’s about now that I normally check on my goals for the year and see how I’m tracking. A year is too long to get my head around, and I don’t feel like I can get a lot done in a month. So I prefer to break my annual goals down to quarterly and half-yearly targets to see how I’m tracking.

I’m a great believer in SMART goal setting, you’ve probably heard of it, but here is my take on it.

Specific: This should have three parts. The ‘What’, ‘Why’ and ‘How’. What am I going to do? Why am I going to do it? How I’m going to get it done?

Measurable: A goal like ‘learn Spanish’ is too vague; it needs to be worded in such a way so that you know when you’ve got there. For example ‘Within a 10 minute chat with a Spanish girl, impress her enough for her to buy me a drink’. 

Achievable and Realistic (but Exciting): Think ‘Edge of Stretch!’ A goal can’t be too easy – I try to set my goals at a level so that I wonder if I can really achieve it. It’s all about being at a level that is neither in my comfort zone, or that I am panicking to get through each day. 

On the other hand it can’t be impossible either.  If you want to earn a $1m ina couple days then you might have trouble. There has to be at least a chance of getting your goal done in the time frame that you have set yourself. A good benchmark is to see if someone else has done something similar.

Time bound: Otherwise it’s not a goal, it’s a dream. Simple.

Hopefully by now you have clarity. Now to SMART, add ARSE. Sorry, but you won’t forget it!

Act now! – There is magic and power in getting started. As soon as you start chipping away at a goal I find I feel a million times better and far more empowered.  A useful rule that Tony Robbins suggests is that you should never leave a goal without doing something toward it.

Review/Remind – Don’t put those goals in a drawer – make sure they stay in front of you. Put them on the bathroom mirror. Put them on the back door of the loo. My favourite is putting them as a screensaver on my computer.

Simplify - What? Not making any progress? Break it down until it is something you can do – today! Make a phone call, research something on the web. Anything hard or difficult can be made simpler.

Engage others -  Get other people involved! Tell people what you are trying to do so that you feel like you have to do it! Read my article about putting yourself on the hook! 

The point of goal-setting is to get a better outcome than if you hadn’t had it. If you only get half way – you’re half way closer than if you had done nothing. Don’t stop because you aren’t achieving as fast as you should. Remember that this is a game, and that you should enjoy the progress towards the goal as well!

Drop me a line at jamie@inspiringperformance.co.nz  if this has helped you, or add a comment below how you defined you last goal.

Perhaps not part of his day-job, Andrew had a challenge put in front of him that he could have either declined or accepted – well, I took his nervous smile as acceptance, but I’m sure hew questioned the type of event we were inviting him to!

Recently I hosted an event called AN OARSOME EVENING, which was held at Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World in Auckland. It wasn’t about sting-rays, nor was it about the South Pole or Atlantic Ocean that Kevin Biggar and I shared stories with the audience. It was about three questions you need to ask yourself:

• Do I spend too much time in my own comfort zone?
  
• When I take on a challenge or goal, what is the process I use to succeed?
  
• How do I measure my comfort zone growth during, and after testing myself?

 Kevin and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing stories about our adventurous projects from the last few years. It was great that ON-Brand Partners (fellow work mates of mine) could help with the organising and hosting of it too.

Walking to the South Pole, for example, was a goal that Kevin and I asked the above three questions regularly. Whilst ‘competing’ in the coldest, highest, driest, and windiest continent on the planet, we would have no chance of achieving without a strong set of project-based principles and acknowledging the emotional complexities that are tied to uncertain futures – similar to any strategic and operational goals teams and leaders face.

This required alignment between logical progress and personal development is the basis for the Edge of Stretch and leadership development programme. This might sound ok, but as Paul Stewart from ON-Brand says, “The problem is not in the thinking, but in the doing!”

Meybe we should be asking ourselves “How am I going to become the change I want to see in the world?”  You see, thinking and talking about it for individuals, teams, or an entire organisation is easy. The toughest part, however, is building momentum in behind it, because to do this you need logical processes AND emotional confidence in the cause. Once you have a handful of momentum it can work in your favour. I good book I read about just this issue for teams and organisations is ‘Confidence’ by Rosabeth Moss-Kanter.

Now, back to that event.  I mentioned that a programme has been developed based on the principles covered during the evening (either overtly or covertly!), that drives results by accelerating performance, and building capability – all while achieving real benefits to you, your team and your organisation. If you’re interesting in hearing more, give me a call to discuss what your Edge of Stretch could look like!