E102 - Lee Child: Hoping for the best but planning for the worst

Lee Child (aka James Dover Grant CBE) is an author, most well known for his thriller series Jack Reacher. The novels follow Jack, a former American military policeman, who ambles around the United States. The series has sold over 100 million copies, selling 9 books every second.

Lee Child was born in Coventry, went to law school in Sheffield and after part-time work in the theatre, he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director. But Lee was fired in 1995 at the age of 40 as a result of corporate restructuring. He decided to throw all those years of television experience behind writing a thriller, spent £3.99 on some paper and pencils, sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series.

Reacher launches on Prime Video on 4th February.

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**Key Points:**

- **Embrace Failure:** Lee Child's journey to becoming a successful author began with a job loss at age 40. Instead of dwelling on the setback, he saw it as an opportunity for a fresh start.

- **Mindset Shift:** Child adopted a positive mindset, believing in his ability to succeed as a writer despite the low odds of success. He visualized his books becoming bestsellers and remained unwavering in his conviction.

- **Openness to Experiences:** Child's diverse work experiences, including theater and television, contributed to his growth mindset. He embraced new challenges and learned valuable lessons from each endeavor.

- **Process vs. Outcome:** Child emphasizes the importance of focusing on the writing process rather than solely on the outcome. He believes in giving each book his best effort, treating each one as if it were his first and last.

- **Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst:** Child follows the motto of hoping for the best while planning for the worst. He aims for success but acknowledges the possibility of setbacks and prepares accordingly.

- **Teacher's Influence:** Child credits a high school English teacher for instilling in him the importance of serving the audience. This lesson shaped his approach to writing, emphasizing the reader's happiness over personal recognition.

- **Feedback Loop:** In the absence of immediate feedback in writing, Child relies on his dual role as writer and reader. He taps into his extensive reading experience to evaluate his work from a reader's perspective.

- **Motivation:** Child's motivation has evolved over time. Initially driven by financial necessity, his success has shifted his focus to fulfilling his readers' expectations and delivering high-quality work.

- **Embrace Change:** Child acknowledges that life is not linear and that setbacks are inevitable. He encourages individuals to remain open to change and to view challenges as opportunities for growth.

- **Teaching and Inspiration:** Child emphasizes the importance of teachers and the impact they can have on individuals' lives. He believes that teachers have a responsibility to inspire and support their students, and that this positive influence can have a lasting impact.

# Lee Child, Author of the Jack Reacher Series: Insights from a High-Performance Life

## Introduction:
- Lee Child, author of the bestselling Jack Reacher series, joins the High Performance Podcast to share his journey, insights, and lessons learned.

## Key Points:

### 1. Writing as a Financial and Emotional Contract:
- Lee Child emphasizes the shift from writing as a financial contract to an emotional contract with readers.
- He stresses the importance of respecting readers' time and delivering quality content that resonates with them.

### 2. Non-Negotiable Behaviors:
- Child shares two non-negotiable behaviors:
- Getting over oneself and recognizing that everyone is an equal part of the equation.
- Treating others with the same respect one expects to receive.

### 3. Time and Sacrifice:
- Child reflects on the biggest sacrifice he made in his journey to success: juggling time.
- He highlights the challenge of balancing work and personal life, especially when working irregular hours.

### 4. Legacy and Humility:
- Child expresses indifference towards legacy, stating that he doesn't expect to be remembered beyond a few days.
- He emphasizes the importance of living in the present and enjoying the journey rather than focusing on leaving a lasting legacy.

### 5. Advice to a Teenage Lee:
- Child's advice to his younger self is to not panic and to avoid narrowing down choices too early.
- He encourages exploring different paths and experiences to broaden one's perspective.

### 6. Golden Rule for a High-Performance Life:
- Child's golden rule is to live life to the fullest and embrace the present moment.
- He emphasizes that there is only one life, and it's important to make the most of it without worrying about a second chance.

### 7. Overcoming Setbacks:
- Child's journey exemplifies the power of overcoming setbacks and finding success later in life.
- He highlights the importance of resilience, perseverance, and focusing on the process rather than the outcome.

### 8. The Importance of Emotional Intelligence:
- Child emphasizes the need to develop emotional intelligence and empathy in young people.
- He believes that I can and I will is more important than IQ and that education should focus on developing resilience, empathy, and love.

## Conclusion:

- Lee Child's interview offers valuable insights into the mindset, values, and strategies that have contributed to his success as an author.
- He emphasizes the importance of humility, resilience, and focusing on the journey rather than the destination.
- His message is a reminder to live life to the fullest, embrace challenges, and make a positive impact on the world.

[00:00.000 -> 00:06.840] This is High Performance, our gift to you for free every single week.
[00:06.840 -> 00:11.580] This is the podcast that turns the lived experiences of the planet's highest performers into your
[00:11.580 -> 00:12.580] life lessons.
[00:12.580 -> 00:14.840] Yes, I have got a cold.
[00:14.840 -> 00:19.520] And yes, this is what awaits you in today's episode.
[00:19.520 -> 00:21.840] I love being number one in the bestseller list.
[00:21.840 -> 00:25.440] It's just a thing that nobody can take away from you.
[00:25.440 -> 00:26.280] You know, you've done it.
[00:26.280 -> 00:29.080] That is the success that you get.
[00:29.080 -> 00:30.960] It feels really great.
[00:30.960 -> 00:32.440] I allowed no doubts at all.
[00:32.440 -> 00:33.960] I thought, I'm going to write a book.
[00:33.960 -> 00:35.360] It's going to be successful.
[00:35.360 -> 00:37.080] It's going to be okay,
[00:37.080 -> 00:40.280] which is a ludicrous, delusional thing to do
[00:40.280 -> 00:43.520] because writing a book is like buying a lottery ticket,
[00:43.520 -> 00:45.840] probably even worse odds than that, to be honest.
[00:45.840 -> 00:47.520] But if you allow that doubt to creep in,
[00:47.520 -> 00:49.120] you're never gonna get anywhere.
[00:50.400 -> 00:54.200] You know, so many writers are all about themselves.
[00:54.200 -> 00:56.560] They buy the leather jacket and the black polo neck
[00:56.560 -> 00:59.640] and this pack of Galois and so on,
[00:59.640 -> 01:01.600] and they think this is being a writer.
[01:01.600 -> 01:04.000] And it's not about you.
[01:04.000 -> 01:07.600] Is the reader happy? Is the reader turning the
[01:07.600 -> 01:11.440] pages? Are they desperate for the next book? That's the only measure of success.
[01:12.480 -> 01:18.880] I had an idea, I can't remember what it was for a move or a scene or a line of dialogue even
[01:18.880 -> 01:23.680] and I thought, you know what, I could save that for the second book. And then I thought,
[01:23.680 -> 01:29.040] wait a minute now, if you don't give 100 hundred percent to the first book there will not be a
[01:29.040 -> 01:35.360] second book and so that was very seminal for me that you've got to live in the
[01:35.360 -> 01:39.800] moment you've got to give it a hundred and ten percent that day and I always
[01:39.800 -> 01:46.900] took that approach that every book I wrote, I made myself think of it as the first and the last book I would ever write.
[01:49.200 -> 01:51.600] We love putting people in boxes, don't we?
[01:51.600 -> 01:53.000] Lee Child's an author.
[01:53.000 -> 01:55.720] Lee Child writes books about Jack Reacher.
[01:55.720 -> 01:58.240] What about Lee Child is a human being
[01:58.240 -> 02:01.200] with some amazing experiences, some bold decisions,
[02:01.200 -> 02:04.640] some huge failures, and some incredible learnings
[02:04.640 -> 02:05.400] for everyone, and that's what today's episode is about. I mean, and some incredible learnings for everyone.
[02:05.400 -> 02:08.000] And that's what today's episode is about.
[02:08.000 -> 02:09.920] I mean, I'm a massive Reacher fan.
[02:09.920 -> 02:11.960] I've just been watching the new series on Amazon.
[02:11.960 -> 02:15.040] I have every single Jack Reacher book,
[02:15.040 -> 02:16.720] and I kind of wish I'd told Lee that.
[02:16.720 -> 02:18.800] I don't know why, but I wish I had.
[02:18.800 -> 02:20.600] And so when we knew he was coming on the podcast,
[02:20.600 -> 02:22.000] I was personally really excited,
[02:22.000 -> 02:24.320] but I still didn't know anything about Lee Child.
[02:24.320 -> 02:26.840] I knew about the books he'd written and I think that's the the joy
[02:26.840 -> 02:30.360] of this episode is that we all know or many of us know the books we know the
[02:30.360 -> 02:34.880] characters we know the stories. What about the person? What sort of mistakes
[02:34.880 -> 02:39.160] has he made? How has he lived his life? What are the highlights? What are the low
[02:39.160 -> 02:42.280] lights? What does he want to share with you? What's his opinion on teaching and
[02:42.280 -> 02:47.560] on young people and on taking risks? It's time to find out. I think you're really going to enjoy
[02:47.560 -> 02:51.280] today's episode. Can I also just say thank you so much to everyone who has
[02:51.280 -> 02:57.240] bought a ticket to our show that's coming to the O2 in March. We've sold out
[02:57.240 -> 03:02.160] the O2 for High Performance Live. It's a massive one for us. We can't wait to be
[03:02.160 -> 03:09.980] there. If you're listening to this episode on Monday morning I think there might just be like a tiny handful of tickets left for our show tonight at the Lowry Theatre in
[03:10.320 -> 03:16.820] Manchester come and join more than a thousand people packed into that theatre special guests amazing learnings from the podcast
[03:17.160 -> 03:21.340] Some really fun stuff as well. So if you're listening to this on Monday the 7th of February
[03:22.060 -> 03:27.460] Get yourself to the Lowry Theatre tonight if you can get hold of the final few tickets that remain for that. We're also coming to
[03:27.460 -> 03:30.840] Edinburgh as well towards the end of February so if you're in Scotland come
[03:30.840 -> 03:34.400] and see us there. But whether you see us live, whether you listen on the podcast,
[03:34.400 -> 03:37.920] whether you're a member of our club the High Performance Circle, thank you so
[03:37.920 -> 03:44.200] much for being part of this podcast. Today's episode comes next.
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[05:58.320 -> 06:02.880] Lee Child is the author of the brilliant Jack Reacher novels. Not only do they fill
[06:02.880 -> 06:05.520] my own bookshelves, but they probably fill yours as well.
[06:05.520 -> 06:08.360] They've sold over 100 million copies worldwide,
[06:08.360 -> 06:09.640] which is an incredible number.
[06:09.640 -> 06:13.040] And now the big news is Reacher comes to Amazon Prime.
[06:13.040 -> 06:14.800] I'm already set up with a subscription,
[06:14.800 -> 06:16.040] ready to watch it.
[06:16.040 -> 06:18.920] So many of you know the story of Jack Reacher,
[06:18.920 -> 06:21.600] but do you know the story of the man behind the man?
[06:21.600 -> 06:22.760] Well, it's time to meet him.
[06:22.760 -> 06:23.800] It's a pleasure to welcome
[06:23.800 -> 06:26.160] to the High Performance Podcast, Lee Child. Lee, hello.
[06:26.160 -> 06:28.600] Hey guys, really good to be with you.
[06:28.600 -> 06:29.600] Yeah, thank you.
[06:29.600 -> 06:33.280] This might be slightly different to some of your other interviews today, Lee, but this
[06:33.280 -> 06:38.480] podcast exists to delve into the minds and the learnings of some of the world's highest
[06:38.480 -> 06:42.560] achievers. So in your opinion, what represents high performance?
[06:42.560 -> 06:46.240] Well, I guess that's dependent on what field you go into.
[06:46.240 -> 06:49.920] You know, if you want to become a motorist, so then sure, you want to win the races
[06:50.120 -> 06:51.960] and become world champion or whatever.
[06:52.160 -> 06:57.680] I went into being a writer and the structure is somewhat imposed upon you
[06:57.880 -> 07:02.680] in that sales are measured and there are bestseller lists and so on,
[07:02.880 -> 07:05.840] which I always feel kind of weird about, you know,
[07:05.840 -> 07:10.520] because writing and reading is not the Olympic Games, should there really be a
[07:10.520 -> 07:16.040] ranking of that nature, but there is, and given that there is, then obviously my
[07:16.040 -> 07:20.000] instinct is if you're in it, you better win it. I love being number one in the
[07:20.000 -> 07:24.800] bestseller list, it's just a thing that nobody can take away from you, you know,
[07:24.800 -> 07:28.880] you've done it, that is the success that you get. It feels really
[07:28.880 -> 07:32.160] great. Well I was going to ask you Lee, if I can take you back to the start of your
[07:32.160 -> 07:36.200] writing journey then, because I'm intrigued by that job you'd had at
[07:36.200 -> 07:40.720] Granada for 18 years when you were made redundant and you spoke about how fear
[07:40.720 -> 07:47.400] and hunger was a motivation for you to begin writing. Can you tell us about what your thought process was of dealing with this trauma
[07:47.400 -> 07:50.560] and what you learned from it that you still use today to write?
[07:50.560 -> 07:55.000] Yeah, it was a, I mean, it was in one way, a super stressful period
[07:55.000 -> 07:59.080] because I was 39, about to become 40,
[07:59.080 -> 08:03.040] and that is like a classically bad age to be out of work.
[08:03.040 -> 08:06.160] You know, tragically, it's too young to retire completely,
[08:06.160 -> 08:11.840] but nobody wants to hire you when you're 40 and you're sort of too old and too kind of
[08:11.840 -> 08:17.120] tired by that point to go through that interviewing process that you used to do when you were 20.
[08:17.120 -> 08:23.040] It was a really miserable prospect, really, and scary in that I was like everybody else. I had
[08:23.040 -> 08:29.080] a mortgage and I had a kid in school and I had credit cards and stuff like that.
[08:29.080 -> 08:32.760] So in practical terms, it's a problem.
[08:32.760 -> 08:38.800] But simultaneously, I also felt that it was also kind of the last chance.
[08:38.800 -> 08:47.360] It was your last opportunity to change or do something different. It's halfway through your work in life, more or less.
[08:47.360 -> 08:50.240] And you've gained a lot of discipline.
[08:50.240 -> 08:52.240] You've learned a lot of things.
[08:52.240 -> 08:54.260] You're a different person by then.
[08:54.260 -> 08:56.960] You're not the idiot you were when you were 20.
[08:56.960 -> 08:59.760] You can look back over the first half of your career
[08:59.760 -> 09:01.520] and say, what have I got?
[09:01.520 -> 09:02.680] What have I learned?
[09:02.680 -> 09:05.280] How do I use this going forward?
[09:05.280 -> 09:09.280] So in one way, it seemed like a really shining opportunity.
[09:09.280 -> 09:12.640] And I played a psychological trick on myself,
[09:12.640 -> 09:16.080] which was to completely ignore the negatives
[09:16.080 -> 09:20.040] and just concentrate on the positives, which was,
[09:20.040 -> 09:21.560] yeah, I can start over.
[09:21.560 -> 09:22.920] I can do something different.
[09:22.920 -> 09:24.680] I can be somebody new.
[09:24.680 -> 09:28.960] Again, I played another trick, which was I allowed no doubts at all. I thought I'm going
[09:28.960 -> 09:34.800] to write a book, it's going to be successful, it's going to be okay, which is a ludicrous,
[09:34.800 -> 09:40.320] delusional thing to do, because writing a book is like buying a lottery ticket, probably even worse
[09:40.320 -> 09:44.000] odds than that, to be honest. But if you allow that doubt to creep in, you're never going to
[09:44.000 -> 09:49.440] get anywhere. So people would ask me, what are you going to do now? And I'm writing a book and in
[09:49.440 -> 09:54.880] my own mind like night follows day it was going to be a success and people would look at me like
[09:54.880 -> 10:01.360] with this rather apprehensive worried expression like he's also gone crazy. I love that story. So
[10:01.360 -> 10:08.440] where did this growth mindset come from then Lee? Because to take the leap is one thing, to take the leap and to be smart enough and
[10:08.440 -> 10:13.040] educated enough to know that if you control your mind, then more often than not,
[10:13.040 -> 10:14.200] you can control the outcome.
[10:14.560 -> 10:15.440] Where did this come from?
[10:15.560 -> 10:19.560] Yeah, no, deep down, I think it came from Birmingham, which was where I grew up.
[10:19.640 -> 10:23.360] And for those people that don't know Birmingham or don't remember it at that
[10:23.360 -> 10:28.720] time, it was a manufacturing city where they could do anything at all.
[10:28.720 -> 10:31.380] Whatever you wanted, somebody would make it for you.
[10:31.380 -> 10:36.920] In the 19th century, a long time ago now, 200 years ago really, it was the Silicon Valley
[10:36.920 -> 10:38.200] of the world.
[10:38.200 -> 10:40.040] Anything could be done there.
[10:40.040 -> 10:43.040] And it was really the last of the industrial cities to fade away.
[10:43.040 -> 10:46.400] So when I was a little kid, it was still going full strength.
[10:46.400 -> 10:49.960] And it was all based on the fact that whatever you wanted,
[10:49.960 -> 10:51.560] somebody could do it for you.
[10:51.560 -> 10:52.900] They would do it well.
[10:52.900 -> 10:55.880] They would do it with a little bit of understated pride.
[10:55.880 -> 10:59.040] And then tomorrow they would tell you how to do it better,
[10:59.040 -> 11:00.600] faster, and cheaper.
[11:00.600 -> 11:03.960] So it was an artisan approach.
[11:03.960 -> 11:07.040] And it was totally baked into me that I believed in
[11:07.040 -> 11:14.640] deep down that if you did the work and you got it right, then somebody would
[11:14.640 -> 11:19.520] buy it. It was that simple because that's what I saw all around me and not in a
[11:19.520 -> 11:23.680] sort of pretentious highfalutin way. It was all down and dirty, you know,
[11:23.680 -> 11:29.440] whatever you wanted. You want a bolt, you want a nut, you want a steering wheel. When I was a little kid
[11:29.440 -> 11:33.200] for instance, the Ford Cortina came out, which was not made in Birmingham actually,
[11:33.200 -> 11:36.960] it was made down in Dagenham, but Birmingham was a car town and so the
[11:36.960 -> 11:42.400] gossip was always about cars. And there was this story going around about 1961
[11:42.400 -> 11:47.920] and 1962 that somebody had redesigned the steering wheel
[11:47.920 -> 11:52.920] for the new Cortina like 20 times in order to save a penny
[11:53.300 -> 11:54.920] on making it.
[11:54.920 -> 11:58.640] And a lot of people sort of thought, well, that's stupid.
[11:58.640 -> 12:02.120] But if you're a Brummie, you understood immediately
[12:02.120 -> 12:04.520] a million steering wheels is a million pennies
[12:04.520 -> 12:10.180] and that's worth saving. And it also got past the argument, what is art and what is
[12:10.180 -> 12:15.160] commerce? They're both basically the same thing. So that was my background and so I
[12:15.160 -> 12:18.760] thought if I do the work, I do it properly, it's got to work out.
[12:18.760 -> 12:23.040] I think one of your great talents, Lee, is the fact that you seem so open to
[12:23.040 -> 12:26.480] experiences. I've read the quote from you that you said that writing was a second yw'r ffaith bod chi'n eithaf agored i brofiadau. Rwyf wedi darllen y cwôt o chi yw eich bod chi wedi dweud bod y swyddi
[12:26.480 -> 12:28.320] yn eich cyfrifol arall,
[12:28.320 -> 12:31.360] gwybod, gan fod wedi ymdrechu i lawr yn y brifysgol,
[12:31.360 -> 12:35.080] lle roeddech chi'n dweud bod chi'n agored i ddysgu am gynllun o ddifrifol
[12:35.080 -> 12:38.400] ac yna y gwaith yn y theatrau oedd am y show a'i gyrraedd.
[12:38.400 -> 12:42.480] Sut ydych chi wedi rhaid iddo fod yn agored i'r brofiadau gwahanol
[12:42.480 -> 12:44.520] a gael yr ymdrechion hwnnw'n byw?
[12:44.520 -> 12:45.520] Rwy'n credu os ydych chi'n agored i bethau, to the different experiences and kept
[12:43.000 -> 12:49.440] that curiosity alive. I think if you are
[12:45.520 -> 12:51.600] open to things you can never close
[12:49.440 -> 12:54.560] off, you know, it's how you start. You know,
[12:51.600 -> 12:56.080] in a weird way life is about teaching
[12:54.560 -> 12:58.360] you that you don't know much but you've
[12:56.080 -> 13:00.360] got to be open to that possibility. For
[12:58.360 -> 13:03.040] instance, you know, I'm doing a lot of
[13:00.360 -> 13:06.440] interviews because Reacher has come into
[13:03.040 -> 13:06.000] Amazon Prime streaming television.
[13:06.000 -> 13:10.020] And before I was a writer, as you said, I worked in television, but you've got to know
[13:10.020 -> 13:11.760] what you don't know.
[13:11.760 -> 13:16.720] And to quote Clint Eastwood, a man has got to be aware of his limitations.
[13:16.720 -> 13:20.960] And my limitation, obviously, is I left television 25 years ago.
[13:20.960 -> 13:25.720] So and that is like five or ten generations of television since then.
[13:26.280 -> 13:33.400] When I left in or was kicked out in 1995, the Internet had barely been invented.
[13:33.400 -> 13:34.880] You know, nobody knew anything about it.
[13:34.880 -> 13:39.080] And the idea of streaming television was way in the future.
[13:39.080 -> 13:44.760] So if you're open to the fact that you need to learn, you're simultaneously open to
[13:44.760 -> 13:45.140] the fact that you don to learn, you're simultaneously open to the fact
[13:45.140 -> 13:47.360] that you don't know everything yet.
[13:47.360 -> 13:53.800] And I'm quite happy to say there is a quality to streaming television that I don't understand.
[13:53.800 -> 13:55.700] It was not around for me.
[13:55.700 -> 13:57.440] And so I need to learn it.
[13:57.440 -> 13:59.200] And I can't imagine living any other way.
[13:59.200 -> 14:02.760] I mean, whoever, at what age do you know enough?
[14:02.760 -> 14:03.760] You just don't.
[14:03.760 -> 14:07.000] I'm really interested to talk to you about process versus outcome, Lee.
[14:07.000 -> 14:11.000] Like, do you look at the new series of Reacher and think,
[14:11.000 -> 14:14.000] I want that to be the most streamed program on Amazon?
[14:14.000 -> 14:16.000] Do you look at your book that just came out here recently in the UK
[14:16.000 -> 14:18.000] and you want that to sell a certain number of copies?
[14:18.000 -> 14:23.000] Or have you understood the power of just the process,
[14:23.000 -> 14:25.080] writing the best book you can,
[14:25.080 -> 14:27.360] creating the best TV series you can?
[14:27.360 -> 14:28.680] Well, one follows the other,
[14:28.680 -> 14:32.000] that you've got to do the best job you can.
[14:32.000 -> 14:33.800] I mean, in terms of books, absolutely.
[14:33.800 -> 14:37.920] Yeah, I remember a very early thought that I had
[14:37.920 -> 14:39.760] when I was writing the first book.
[14:39.760 -> 14:41.800] I had an idea, I can't remember what it was,
[14:41.800 -> 14:46.240] for a move or a scene or a line of dialogue even,
[14:46.240 -> 14:50.480] and I thought, you know what, I could save that for the second book.
[14:50.480 -> 14:55.600] And then I thought, wait a minute now, if you don't give 100% to the first book, there
[14:55.600 -> 14:57.920] will not be a second book.
[14:57.920 -> 15:03.320] And so, that was very seminal for me that you got to live in the moment, you got to
[15:03.320 -> 15:08.600] give it 110 hundred and ten percent that day and I always took that approach that every book I
[15:08.600 -> 15:13.440] wrote I made myself think of it as the first and the last book I would ever
[15:13.440 -> 15:17.680] write. There was a very famous baseball player in America Joe DiMaggio and
[15:17.680 -> 15:22.360] people asked him you know why do you play so hard every day and he said
[15:22.360 -> 15:25.080] because you know there could be some kid
[15:25.080 -> 15:30.460] who's never seen me before and therefore I've got to be the best I can be every
[15:30.460 -> 15:35.300] single day and that is the only way to do it. Storing things up for the future
[15:35.300 -> 15:40.520] sounds like a great idea but in the arts or anything creative it's a very bad
[15:40.520 -> 15:43.220] idea. If you've thought of it then use it today.
[15:43.220 -> 15:47.840] And one of Jack Reacher's mottos that I've read you attributed to yourself again Lee
[15:47.840 -> 15:53.200] is that he hopes for the best and plans for the worst. Can you tell us a little bit about
[15:53.200 -> 15:55.320] the pros and cons of that approach?
[15:55.320 -> 16:03.320] Yeah, I mean I think it's obviously inspiring and personally important to hope for the best.
[16:03.320 -> 16:05.880] You've got to have a positive outcome in mind
[16:05.880 -> 16:10.560] otherwise what's the point of doing anything? If you're undertaking something
[16:10.560 -> 16:16.320] then yeah aim for a good target but you've got to be aware that you might
[16:16.320 -> 16:21.080] not reach it and if you don't then you've got to have a plan B and you
[16:21.080 -> 16:28.280] can't be caught out being unprepared and I didn't really do that as a young person.
[16:28.280 -> 16:31.680] I imagined life to be very linear.
[16:31.680 -> 16:34.720] You would start somewhere, and you'd go up and up and up,
[16:34.720 -> 16:36.600] and then you'd finish somewhere else.
[16:36.600 -> 16:40.600] And you'd get a gold watch, and then you'd be retired.
[16:40.600 -> 16:42.880] And then pretty soon, you realize life is actually
[16:42.880 -> 16:43.560] not linear.
[16:43.560 -> 16:47.520] It's maybe two steps forward, one step back or one sideways or whatever.
[16:47.520 -> 16:52.720] And so if you were unprepared, you're letting yourself down.
[16:52.720 -> 16:57.080] So yeah, you hope for the upside, but you've got to be aware of the downside and
[16:57.080 -> 16:59.160] know how you're going to deal with it should it show up.
[16:59.160 -> 17:01.720] And we have a lot of people listen to this who are teachers.
[17:01.720 -> 17:05.420] We have a lot of business leaders, employees and employers.
[17:05.420 -> 17:07.580] What are the processes that you go through
[17:07.580 -> 17:09.540] when you're writing or when you're creating anything
[17:09.540 -> 17:11.620] to make sure that you are operating
[17:11.620 -> 17:13.260] at the absolute top of your window?
[17:13.260 -> 17:15.420] Well, first a big shout out to teachers
[17:15.420 -> 17:19.980] because that is so key and so critical
[17:19.980 -> 17:22.980] and I'm sure you guys can quantify it,
[17:22.980 -> 17:26.580] but I bet every person who's got somewhere
[17:26.580 -> 17:29.420] has at least one teacher in their past
[17:29.420 -> 17:32.720] that has somehow inspired them or so on.
[17:32.720 -> 17:35.160] I certainly did one particular,
[17:35.160 -> 17:38.260] I mean, half a dozen in tiny little details,
[17:38.260 -> 17:41.800] but one particular teacher that kind of forms you.
[17:41.800 -> 17:44.000] My daughter had exactly the same experience,
[17:44.000 -> 17:45.120] one particular teacher that completely inspired her and shifted the course of forms you. My daughter had exactly the same experience, one particular teacher that
[17:45.120 -> 17:50.960] completely inspired her and shifted the course of her life. Teachers are very important, very
[17:50.960 -> 17:58.480] undervalued. And what you got to do after that is realize that you learned something, that your life
[17:58.480 -> 18:05.040] was altered and was shifted in terms of course, and then keep yourself open to that possibility.
[18:05.040 -> 18:06.480] It might happen again.
[18:06.480 -> 18:09.560] If at all possible, pass that on to somebody else.
[18:09.560 -> 18:11.700] It's like a two-way obligation.
[18:11.700 -> 18:13.600] Keep your mind open to the fact that there
[18:13.600 -> 18:17.280] may be another teacher that 20 years later will
[18:17.280 -> 18:18.920] change your life again.
[18:18.920 -> 18:21.680] Or it is, in fact, your obligation
[18:21.680 -> 18:23.600] to help other people if possible.
[18:23.600 -> 18:24.840] And everybody can.
[18:24.840 -> 18:28.840] Everybody can help somebody else pay it forward that's what I think is one of
[18:28.840 -> 18:32.640] the biggest obligations in life. So would you tell us about the intervention that
[18:32.640 -> 18:36.560] that teacher made on your life that you described? I was at high school and
[18:36.560 -> 18:40.040] he was the he was an English teacher but it was nothing to do with English it
[18:40.040 -> 18:45.440] was to do with the drama he ran run this drama club, like after hours
[18:45.440 -> 18:50.440] and super professional in the sense of,
[18:50.440 -> 18:53.920] you're a teenager, you're 16, 17 years old or something
[18:53.920 -> 18:56.280] and it's all about you.
[18:56.280 -> 18:58.760] And he was like, no, it is not all about you.
[18:58.760 -> 19:02.600] It is about the audience, first, second and third.
[19:02.600 -> 19:05.920] And that was life-changing to me.
[19:05.920 -> 19:08.000] You're serving somebody else.
[19:08.000 -> 19:11.240] You are, especially in this kind of business,
[19:11.240 -> 19:15.040] you know, so many writers are all about themselves.
[19:15.040 -> 19:17.400] They buy the leather jacket and the black polo neck
[19:17.400 -> 19:20.480] and this pack of Galois and so on,
[19:20.480 -> 19:22.420] and they think this is being a writer.
[19:22.420 -> 19:24.840] And it's not about you.
[19:24.840 -> 19:26.740] Is the reader happy?
[19:26.740 -> 19:29.100] Is the reader turning the pages?
[19:29.100 -> 19:30.700] Are they desperate for the next book?
[19:30.700 -> 19:32.580] That's the only measure of success.
[19:32.580 -> 19:33.420] It's an odd thing.
[19:33.420 -> 19:34.340] It's a juggling act,
[19:34.340 -> 19:37.940] because being a writer is monstrously egotistical.
[19:37.940 -> 19:39.820] You're sitting there saying,
[19:39.820 -> 19:41.980] I'm writing something that is worth
[19:41.980 -> 19:44.060] other people's time reading.
[19:44.060 -> 19:48.680] You know, which is a ludicrously egotistical thing to say, but you have to believe it.
[19:48.680 -> 19:52.080] Once you then have achieved that, you've got to remember it's about the reader.
[19:52.080 -> 19:53.080] It's not about you.
[19:53.080 -> 19:58.480] It's not about, you know, getting in the gossip pages or being famous or anything like that.
[19:58.480 -> 20:02.880] It's keeping the reader happy, which boils, comes back to the Birmingham thing, doing
[20:02.880 -> 20:04.720] your job, do it right.
[20:04.720 -> 20:08.220] I think it's brilliant. Was that also driven home to you when you worked in the theaters
[20:08.220 -> 20:11.480] when you were kind of operating in the shadows really learning about the fact
[20:11.480 -> 20:15.000] that it's the audience first it's the colleague second whatever happens you
[20:15.000 -> 20:19.040] know the show must go on yeah the show must go on absolutely that that is about
[20:19.040 -> 20:24.040] respecting the audience but along with that in the theater is this truly
[20:24.040 -> 20:27.520] joyful hypnotic thing of putting on a show.
[20:27.520 -> 20:29.520] I'm a total sucker for that.
[20:29.520 -> 20:33.280] The idea of getting together and putting on a show,
[20:33.280 -> 20:36.440] which is a separate, unique joy, really, with the theater,
[20:36.440 -> 20:38.040] because you're doing it live.
[20:38.040 -> 20:39.600] You're doing it there and then.
[20:39.600 -> 20:43.000] What you do is instantly reacted to by the audience.
[20:43.000 -> 20:44.640] Television, typically, you know,
[20:44.640 -> 20:50.000] there's reviews of the previous night's TV in the paper, so that's like 12 hours
[20:50.000 -> 20:55.040] delayed. If you're doing a book, it's possibly a year delayed by the time the
[20:55.040 -> 20:59.080] book comes out and by the time the mass market has read it in paperback, it could
[20:59.080 -> 21:04.320] be two years. So the theatre is magical from that point of view, that it is
[21:04.320 -> 21:05.920] instantaneous.
[21:05.920 -> 21:08.040] You can, the hush of an audience,
[21:08.040 -> 21:10.840] the in-drawn breath happening in real time
[21:10.840 -> 21:12.420] is a fabulous thing.
[21:12.420 -> 21:14.640] And it's therefore quite a quick introduction
[21:14.640 -> 21:16.560] to what works and what doesn't.
[21:16.560 -> 21:19.160] And doing things in collaboration with other people
[21:19.160 -> 21:22.400] and the communication with the live audience
[21:22.400 -> 21:23.900] was a wonderful, wonderful thing.
[21:23.900 -> 21:24.740] I love that.
[21:24.740 -> 21:30.920] As a consumer of theatre too, I mean, I've seen some shows that are hysterically funny
[21:30.920 -> 21:37.800] and there is no sensation on earth like being one of a thousand people literally helpless
[21:37.800 -> 21:38.800] with laughter.
[21:38.800 -> 21:40.600] You know, that's just a wonderful feeling.
[21:40.600 -> 21:43.000] A bit like why I like going to the football.
[21:43.000 -> 21:44.360] You know, I like football as a sport.
[21:44.360 -> 21:48.000] I like it as a, you know, to observe the technique and the athleticism and all
[21:48.000 -> 21:52.200] that kind of stuff. But what I really love about football is the madness of
[21:52.200 -> 21:57.560] the crowd when you score, especially in a tight match or an important game. When
[21:57.560 -> 22:03.940] you score, that hysteria in the crowd, 50,000 people simultaneously hysterical
[22:03.940 -> 22:08.320] with joy, is one of those feelings
[22:08.320 -> 22:13.040] that's probably never existed before because in most of our evolutionary history did we ever have
[22:13.040 -> 22:19.120] 50,000 people experiencing the same thing at the same time? Probably not. So it's almost a new
[22:19.120 -> 22:26.160] discovery that is addictive. My problem is I'm a villa fan, so those euphoric moments are few and far between.
[22:26.160 -> 22:27.680] Try being a Norwich supporter.
[22:30.720 -> 22:36.560] As a person with a very deep voice, I'm hired all the time for advertising campaigns. But a deep
[22:36.560 -> 22:41.680] voice doesn't sell B2B, and advertising on the wrong platform doesn't sell B2B either.
[22:41.680 -> 22:45.520] That's why if you're a B2B marketer, you should use LinkedIn ads.
[22:45.520 -> 22:50.720] LinkedIn has the targeting capabilities to help you reach the world's largest professional audience.
[22:50.720 -> 22:57.280] That's right, over 70 million decision makers all in one place. All the big wigs, then medium wigs,
[22:57.280 -> 23:02.080] also small wigs who are on the path to becoming big wigs. Okay, that's enough about wigs.
[23:02.080 -> 23:06.800] LinkedIn ads allows you to focus on getting your B2B message to the right people.
[23:06.800 -> 23:12.180] So, does that mean you should use ads on LinkedIn instead of hiring me, the man with the deepest
[23:12.180 -> 23:13.600] voice in the world?
[23:13.600 -> 23:14.600] Yes.
[23:14.600 -> 23:15.800] Yes, it does.
[23:15.800 -> 23:20.280] Get started today and see why LinkedIn is the place to be, to be.
[23:20.280 -> 23:23.560] We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign.
[23:23.560 -> 23:26.760] Go to LinkedIn.com slash results to claim your credit.
[23:26.760 -> 23:29.040] That's LinkedIn.com slash results.
[23:29.040 -> 23:31.120] Terms and conditions apply.
[23:31.120 -> 23:32.760] Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile.
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[25:37.720 -> 25:43.000] mint mobile for details. So the benefit of that feedback loop that
[25:43.000 -> 25:50.000] you described Lee that the theatre offers you that immediate feedback to whether a line lands well or a play is going down well, who
[25:50.000 -> 25:54.720] provides you with the feedback loop when you're writing to say, this is of the usual high
[25:54.720 -> 25:57.600] standard of your previous writing?
[25:57.600 -> 26:01.320] You have to do it yourself, obviously, because it's a completely solo job.
[26:01.320 -> 26:05.400] You know, to be technical about it, obviously there are publishers and there
[26:05.400 -> 26:09.600] are editors and there are booksellers and all that kind of stuff. So there is ultimately
[26:09.600 -> 26:13.840] a team involved at some point, but while you're actually creating it, it's the loneliest job
[26:13.840 -> 26:18.320] in the world. And so you've got to have, there are two halves to your brain by this point.
[26:18.320 -> 26:24.120] One is the writer half and one is the reader half. And you don't become a writer unless
[26:24.120 -> 26:26.840] you've previously been a passionate reader and an extensive reader. And you don't become a writer unless you've previously been a passionate reader
[26:26.840 -> 26:28.640] and an extensive reader.
[26:28.640 -> 26:31.680] And you've got to learn to let one half of your brain
[26:31.680 -> 26:33.020] comment on the other half.
[26:33.840 -> 26:36.200] In a lot of ways, it directs it.
[26:36.200 -> 26:37.760] I never write with a plan.
[26:37.760 -> 26:39.800] I never have a plan or an outline.
[26:39.800 -> 26:43.840] Every next line is an invention that is based,
[26:43.840 -> 26:47.200] I came to realize, based on me as a reader,
[26:47.200 -> 26:50.000] kind of telling the writer half of me
[26:50.000 -> 26:51.760] what you need to do now.
[26:51.760 -> 26:54.000] It's like having this voice on your shoulder saying,
[26:54.000 -> 26:55.640] yeah, we need a cliffhanger here,
[26:55.640 -> 26:57.520] we need this, we need that.
[26:57.520 -> 27:00.400] And so the feedback comes from yourself,
[27:00.400 -> 27:03.640] but it's a kind of different version of yourself.
[27:03.640 -> 27:06.760] After all this success, after all these book sales after this incredible
[27:07.160 -> 27:13.100] Journey and remarkable story. What is it that drives you now? It's a kind of contract that
[27:14.000 -> 27:20.160] That changes over the over the years because when you start out your it's a sort of financial thing
[27:20.160 -> 27:24.260] You're trying to make a living it so therefore it's a financial contract then when you do become
[27:24.160 -> 27:24.800] you're trying to make a living, so therefore it's a financial contract. Then when you do become
[27:31.440 -> 27:36.320] successful, it's purely an emotional contract with the reader. The reader gives you something, and I'm not particularly talking about the money because books are so cheap, you know, that
[27:37.280 -> 27:41.440] if a reader reads a book and doesn't like it, it's not the money that I worry about,
[27:41.440 -> 27:45.160] it's their time. they're giving you two or
[27:45.160 -> 27:52.160] three days of their life that they can never get back and that is a huge
[27:52.160 -> 27:56.360] responsibility so it's an emotional contract not to let the reader down
[27:56.360 -> 28:01.520] that's what really motivates me now. So just to conclude then Lee we normally
[28:01.520 -> 28:08.600] finish our podcast interviews with a series of quick-fire questions so if you'll permit us to do that the first one is what are
[28:08.600 -> 28:13.240] the three non-negotiable behaviors that you and the people around you have to
[28:13.240 -> 28:20.920] buy into? I think number one is get over yourself in other words understand that
[28:20.920 -> 28:31.360] you are if there's three people there you're a third of the equation. It's not you and two extras, you are an equal part. Number two would be, therefore,
[28:32.480 -> 28:36.400] treat people with the same respect that you would like to be treated yourself,
[28:36.400 -> 28:41.760] which does not mean necessarily exaggerated courtesy or deference or anything like that.
[28:41.760 -> 28:48.320] But if you like people being pleasant to you, then it's your obligation to be pleasant to other people and I can't think of a
[28:48.320 -> 28:52.720] third I mean I think those two really just about cover it. Are they good enough?
[28:52.720 -> 28:57.420] They can cover for the third. Lee if you could go back to one
[28:57.420 -> 29:05.000] period in your life where would you go and why? I would like to go back to about 1969, I think.
[29:05.000 -> 29:09.280] I was about 14, 15 years old.
[29:09.280 -> 29:12.120] And if I have one regret in life,
[29:12.120 -> 29:14.520] it's that I didn't pay enough attention.
[29:14.520 -> 29:16.000] Those were magical years
[29:16.000 -> 29:17.520] with a lot of great things happening,
[29:17.520 -> 29:22.200] music, politics, society, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
[29:23.400 -> 29:24.440] And I had plenty of that,
[29:24.440 -> 29:29.360] but I do remember thinking, oh, I can catch up on that next year or something and
[29:29.360 -> 29:35.080] you never do so in my generalized regret is I didn't pay enough attention so I
[29:35.080 -> 29:40.400] would pick a great year like 69 and go back and just live every minute of every
[29:40.400 -> 29:45.400] day fully open and fully aware to it. What's been the biggest sacrifice you've made
[29:45.400 -> 29:47.040] in your journey to success?
[29:47.040 -> 29:51.480] The biggest sacrifice is purely just juggling time.
[29:51.480 -> 29:54.620] You have to give up doing certain things.
[29:54.620 -> 29:56.920] When I worked in television, you know,
[29:56.920 -> 30:00.920] long irregular hours, and so I missed a lot
[30:00.920 -> 30:02.280] of my daughter's life.
[30:02.280 -> 30:04.840] Because it was shift work, I saw a lot of it
[30:04.840 -> 30:09.520] that other guys didn't see who worked nine-to-five but overall yes the
[30:09.520 -> 30:14.840] sacrifice of time that and you look back again and you think yeah well you know
[30:14.840 -> 30:19.880] next week I can catch up or whatever but you never do those days are gone so the
[30:19.880 -> 30:27.280] sacrifice you make is if you do A you're not doing B. How important is legacy to you?
[30:27.280 -> 30:28.280] Really not important at all.
[30:28.280 -> 30:32.340] I mean, I think that is such a kind of highfalutin thing.
[30:32.340 -> 30:37.320] Like I said, I'm a Brummie and, you know, if you start talking about your legacy in
[30:37.320 -> 30:39.720] Birmingham, they're going to look at you really peculiar.
[30:39.720 -> 30:42.840] So I think that's the joy of life actually.
[30:42.840 -> 30:48.840] It doesn't matter, you know, if people are enjoying what I'm doing now, that's fantastic.
[30:48.840 -> 30:50.960] I think it would be absurd and bizarre
[30:50.960 -> 30:54.520] if somebody was studying me in college 100 years from now.
[30:54.520 -> 30:57.480] I mean, that would just be ridiculous, not gonna happen.
[30:57.480 -> 31:00.560] So I'm completely indifferent to legacy.
[31:00.560 -> 31:03.160] I would like to be remembered for a few days
[31:03.160 -> 31:06.640] as a nice guy who did his best and a week
[31:06.640 -> 31:08.960] later I don't care if everybody forgets about me.
[31:08.960 -> 31:13.160] And what advice would you give to a teenage Lee just starting out on your journey?
[31:13.160 -> 31:16.080] I would say don't panic.
[31:16.080 -> 31:20.360] You know you're looking at a guy who eventually hit his stride at the age of 40.
[31:20.360 -> 31:26.280] So I think there's a lot of pressure on teenagers, especially our system somehow demands
[31:26.280 -> 31:28.000] that they narrow down their choices,
[31:28.000 -> 31:29.360] they narrow down their studies
[31:29.360 -> 31:31.280] and they got to develop a target.
[31:31.280 -> 31:33.600] And you got to realize you're gonna be stuck in that track
[31:33.600 -> 31:36.160] for 50 years possibly.
[31:36.160 -> 31:38.840] So if you can't think of it,
[31:38.840 -> 31:42.680] if you're not making a good start to it, do not worry.
[31:42.680 -> 31:44.780] Something will happen sooner or later.
[31:44.780 -> 31:45.680] I think we'd all be better
[31:45.680 -> 31:51.200] off if actually we didn't have to do that, you know, just maybe if you want to be something,
[31:51.200 -> 31:56.560] do something else completely different deliberately just to broaden up your experience a little bit.
[31:56.560 -> 32:01.440] And the final question, Lee, what would be your one golden rule, your one final message to people
[32:01.440 -> 32:05.120] that tune into this podcast for them to live a high performance life.
[32:05.120 -> 32:10.680] The golden rule is it ain't a dress rehearsal. You gotta, this is the only life you get.
[32:11.000 -> 32:18.760] So just get on with it. I've got two mottos. Do it once and do it right. That's probably the best bet and
[32:19.680 -> 32:22.760] you can fix some things later, but other things you can't fix.
[32:23.480 -> 32:28.400] Pay attention and stop and smell the roses sometimes.
[32:28.400 -> 32:31.280] You know, that's what a lot of people regret not doing.
[32:32.280 -> 32:37.600] So if you can put all those three together or four together, don't panic if you can't decide what to do.
[32:37.920 -> 32:40.720] Have fun day to day, but take it seriously.
[32:40.720 -> 32:42.120] You're not going to get a second chance.
[32:42.400 -> 32:44.080] Lee, absolutely brilliant.
[32:44.080 -> 32:48.440] A really insightful way that you've lived, the way you've operated, devoid of any ego.
[32:48.800 -> 32:52.920] Um, but I think a great reminder and probably the biggest lesson for people is that nothing's
[32:52.920 -> 32:54.160] fixed, nothing's permanent.
[32:54.200 -> 32:57.080] You know, you lost your job at a time that was really difficult to you.
[32:57.080 -> 33:00.280] And here we are all these years later and it's possibly the greatest thing that ever
[33:00.280 -> 33:00.640] happened.
[33:00.840 -> 33:01.440] Sure is.
[33:01.760 -> 33:02.480] Thanks guys.
[33:02.960 -> 33:03.240] Thanks.
[33:08.000 -> 33:12.000] Damien, Jake, it feels to me like there's a lot to unpick there, isn't there?
[33:12.000 -> 33:18.000] Yeah, so much. I think the starting point is almost the invisible nature of humility in him.
[33:18.000 -> 33:23.000] When you think of the achievements and the successes and the fact that he's got this new series coming out
[33:23.000 -> 33:26.800] and yet so how down to her and humble he was,
[33:26.800 -> 33:28.920] I think is a superpower in its own right.
[33:28.920 -> 33:31.520] I love the fact also that it's yet another person
[33:31.520 -> 33:32.960] who's joined us on high performance
[33:32.960 -> 33:35.580] and it's not all about the great moments
[33:35.580 -> 33:36.900] and the high points and look at me,
[33:36.900 -> 33:38.240] I know all the answers.
[33:38.240 -> 33:41.800] You know, he's really someone who obviously,
[33:41.800 -> 33:43.820] like the key was that moment where he believed
[33:43.820 -> 33:45.520] good things were gonna happen to him. But actually, it's all about recovering from a setback yw'r un sydd yn y moment lle roedd yn credu bod pethau da i'w gael,
[33:45.520 -> 33:49.520] ond mewn gwirionedd mae'n ymwneud â chael ymdrech o'r gynnyrch, ac rydyn ni'n clywed y tro
[33:49.520 -> 33:52.480] ac yn aml eto gyda'r gwestiynau ar y podcast hon.
[33:52.480 -> 33:56.880] Ie, dyna oedd y peth sydd wedi fy ymdrin â mi yn ei hanes, y ffaith ei bod wedi gweithio
[33:56.880 -> 34:01.920] ar Granada Television am 18 mlynedd, a yna fe wnaeth e'i gwneud yn ddi-ddiogel
[34:01.920 -> 34:09.400] ac yn gael y prosbect o ddechrau eto, ac mae hynny'n ymdrech i unrhywun, ond fel y dywedodd e, gyda'r ffraint a'r plant yn y cymdeithas
[34:09.400 -> 34:13.880] a'r ffyrdd i'w penderfynu, mae'r pwysau hwnnw yn anhygoel pan ydyn ni'n meddwl amdano.
[34:13.880 -> 34:17.840] Ond fel y dweud, mae'n unig yw ymdrech i'r dealltwriaeth
[34:17.840 -> 34:19.840] fod e'n mynd i gwneud cymorth o hynny,
[34:19.840 -> 34:22.560] mae'n ddarn y gall unrhyw un o ni ddweud ymlaen a'i ddefnyddio.
[34:22.560 -> 34:26.160] Wel, dydych chi wedi gwneud llawer o waith yn y ddinas hon,wch chi, yw, rydych chi'n gwybod, y bobl sy'n credu
[34:26.160 -> 34:27.680] y byddant yn gyffrous,
[34:27.680 -> 34:30.560] yn gyffrous oherwydd eu bod yn gweld y cyfleoedd
[34:30.560 -> 34:31.680] y gallai'r rhai eraill ddod o'n.
[34:31.680 -> 34:33.440] Ie, ac felly mae yna llawer o llwybr ddiddorol
[34:33.440 -> 34:34.320] sydd wedi dod allan yn ddiweddar
[34:34.320 -> 34:36.400] yn enw'r effaith gofyn ar hyn,
[34:36.400 -> 34:38.960] sy'n siarad am placeboau
[34:38.960 -> 34:41.520] mewn meddwl, lle mae astudiaethau
[34:41.520 -> 34:42.800] yng Nghymru wedi'u hyrwyddo
[34:42.800 -> 34:44.080] bod placeboau yn dod
[34:44.080 -> 34:46.000] mwyaf effeithiol fel y pil bywydau yng nghyfraith astudiaethau, ac rhan o'r ymdrechion yng Nghymru, lle mae ymdrechion yng Nghymru wedi'u cymryd y bydd plaseboedd yn cael eu cymryd
[34:46.000 -> 34:48.000] yn unig fel y pil o bywyd real,
[34:48.000 -> 34:50.000] o ran ymdrechion.
[34:50.000 -> 34:52.000] Ac rhan o'r rheswm yw, oherwydd y gwybodaeth
[34:52.000 -> 34:54.000] o'r gofyn, y byddwch yn teimlo ei fod yn gwneud chi'n well,
[34:54.000 -> 34:56.000] ac mae'r pŵer o'r meddwl yn ddifrifol
[34:56.000 -> 34:58.000] o ran y pwysau y gall eu gael.
[34:58.000 -> 35:00.000] Felly rwy'n credu, y ffaith bod
[35:00.000 -> 35:02.000] y gwybodaeth hwnnw o sicrhau
[35:02.000 -> 35:04.000] y bydd yn gwneud ei gynnwys,
[35:04.000 -> 35:09.400] yn dechrau agor y gynllun y bydd yn ei ddangos i'w moddau, yn hytrach na'r eangau, sense of certainty that he's going to make a success of it starts to open his brain up to possibilities rather than probabilities, to opportunities rather
[35:09.400 -> 35:14.800] than threats. And I also enjoyed the conversation where he just said when I
[35:14.800 -> 35:19.920] was 20 I knew nothing you know and now he sits there with a much more
[35:19.920 -> 35:23.680] experienced head on his shoulders and you know we often get messages from
[35:23.680 -> 35:25.320] people who are in their late teens,
[35:25.320 -> 35:26.400] they are in their early 20s,
[35:26.400 -> 35:29.560] they are really desperate to be successful,
[35:29.560 -> 35:33.320] they live in this world where everything happens instantly,
[35:33.320 -> 35:34.560] whether you're ordering a pizza
[35:34.560 -> 35:36.280] or whether you're watching a movie from the cinema,
[35:36.280 -> 35:39.920] you can get it in 10 seconds time at your house.
[35:39.920 -> 35:42.680] And he's a good reminder that some things take time,
[35:42.680 -> 35:43.960] you know, even writing a book
[35:43.960 -> 35:45.720] and having to wait a year or two for it to come out
[35:45.720 -> 35:49.000] and be released and be successful is a very obvious example.
[35:49.000 -> 35:52.720] But actually, I like the way he spoke about the fact that,
[35:52.720 -> 35:56.000] you know, life is not a linear journey.
[35:56.000 -> 35:57.440] It has its ups and downs,
[35:57.440 -> 35:59.080] and you have to kind of allow it to run its course,
[35:59.080 -> 36:01.520] even when you feel like you're in a tricky spot.
[36:01.520 -> 36:03.840] We've used the metaphor before on the podcast Jake
[36:03.840 -> 36:05.120] around the Chinese bamboo, that you can plant it, and it might take five years before it grows. yn leiaf anodd. Rydyn ni wedi defnyddio'r metaforaeth o'r podcast jake o gwmpas y bamboo Cymru
[36:05.120 -> 36:10.320] y gallwch chi'n ei plantio ac efallai bydd yn cymryd fyth mlynedd cyn i'w gwella, ond y cwestiwn yw pan ddigwydd y
[36:10.320 -> 36:15.760] gwella honno, yw e ar y llyfr y cwm, neu yw e ar y chwe blynedd yn ymwneud â'r gwella
[36:15.760 -> 36:21.840] sy'n digwydd mewn ffordd ychydig ddim yn gallu ei weld? Ac rwy'n credu y stori y gafodd Lee ar gyfer
[36:21.840 -> 36:26.120] ei ddarlithwr, dim ond yn ei gwybod nad yw e i chi, mae'n ymwneud â phobl eraill, ac felly The story that Lee gave us around his teacher, just reminding him that it's not about you, it's about other people,
[36:26.120 -> 36:28.440] and therefore putting other people
[36:28.440 -> 36:30.760] at the center of what you're trying to achieve
[36:30.760 -> 36:32.880] and growing in that way,
[36:32.880 -> 36:34.800] it was dynamite for him.
[36:34.800 -> 36:36.160] I think if you break it down,
[36:36.160 -> 36:38.920] he suffered a setback and overcame it.
[36:38.920 -> 36:41.160] He was in a really difficult period in his life
[36:41.160 -> 36:44.640] and he chose only to look at the positives.
[36:44.640 -> 36:50.140] He has absolutely zero ego and he focuses on the process not the outcome. I know it
[36:50.140 -> 36:53.700] wasn't a very long interview of Lee but actually if we were to go through all of
[36:53.700 -> 36:57.220] the things that make up the common traits of our high performers well
[36:57.220 -> 37:01.820] there they are. He's given it to us in the most succinct form. I think one again
[37:01.820 -> 37:04.900] one of the things around Lee was that when he left school he went on and
[37:04.900 -> 37:09.200] studied law but he never did it with the intention of being a lawyer. He said he wanted to learn
[37:09.200 -> 37:15.120] about clarity of expression, being able to communicate in the most accessible way possible
[37:15.120 -> 37:19.920] and you've just given a brilliant summary of what he shared with us in 30 minutes.
[37:19.920 -> 37:21.280] Brilliant, I really enjoyed it mate.
[37:21.280 -> 37:23.040] Yeah it was a privilege, thanks Jake.
[37:23.040 -> 37:23.600] Thanks mate.
[37:30.280 -> 37:34.660] It was a cool episode wasn't it, a cool episode of the podcast and thanks once again this week for everyone getting in touch Do you know I'd like you to do before I am share some of the messages after last week's episode
[37:34.660 -> 37:36.940] I would love all of you to think right now
[37:37.280 -> 37:43.780] About one person who you could share this episode with one person who perhaps needs to hear those messages one person
[37:44.120 -> 37:49.360] Who maybe you haven't spoken to for a while and you might not even know that maybe they need a bit of help in that direction
[37:49.880 -> 37:51.760] Just have a think
[37:51.760 -> 37:55.600] Because passing on this podcast is the single most valuable and powerful thing that you can do
[37:55.600 -> 37:59.760] So whether it's sharing it on your Instagram or on your social media channels
[37:59.760 -> 38:06.200] Whether it's putting on LinkedIn using it in the whatsapp group at work or just sending it directly to one person saying give this a listen
[38:06.200 -> 38:08.200] I would love you to do that
[38:08.800 -> 38:13.440] Thank you so much for all the comments after Carl Loco joined us last week if you haven't listened to that episode
[38:13.440 -> 38:16.680] He's a former gang leader in Brixton turned businessman
[38:17.600 -> 38:20.080] Matt on Instagram said a great listen. I loved Carl's
[38:20.840 -> 38:27.380] Articulation and the trauma romance part was a real insight into that conundrum the things that he must have faced in that environment what a pleasure to
[38:27.380 -> 38:32.540] listen to this today Mona Lisa maybe not a real name but who knows says amazing
[38:32.540 -> 38:35.980] story with car great interview this gentleman shows you with his life that
[38:35.980 -> 38:40.660] if you want you can change anything I'm impressed and Sean says thank you so
[38:40.660 -> 38:43.220] much for the thoughtful questions in this conversation I felt like they
[38:43.220 -> 38:48.080] allowed more meaningful responses from such an eloquent person some sincere wisdom
[38:48.240 -> 38:51.600] Was shared there and a few people that have joined us on tour as well
[38:52.040 -> 38:54.800] Sarah said thanks so much for hosting a great show in Birmingham
[38:54.800 -> 38:56.840] We loved what you had to say
[38:56.840 -> 39:02.520] And we wanted to hear more from you and Damien at the end of the show the answers to your questions were super interesting
[39:02.880 -> 39:09.080] Simon came with his 16 year old son to our live show and said last night was fantastic to hear the inspirational stories and how you
[39:09.080 -> 39:13.700] Can work towards leading a high-performance life and Danny on Instagram? Hi, Danny said what a buzz
[39:13.700 -> 39:19.680] I wanted to cartwheel when I got home last night, and we've also got a question that's come in from Liam
[39:20.600 -> 39:27.100] Liam says a question. I'd love your advice on is what six values or characteristics do you feel are most important for children?
[39:27.100 -> 39:32.000] Especially in primary school to develop and focus on my initial thoughts surround resilience
[39:32.460 -> 39:38.860] Curiosity and kindness as well as if there's a motto that you could suggest to encompass all of them. It's a great question, Liam
[39:38.860 -> 39:44.760] I wish once again that our professor Damien was with us sadlyism as I'm sure you know
[39:44.760 -> 39:49.620] He's lost his father in the last few days. So he's having a bit of time out. I would say that
[39:50.480 -> 39:57.240] IQ is not as important as I can and I think if we were to instill one message in our young people
[39:57.240 -> 40:00.580] It's I can is so much more important than IQ
[40:00.580 -> 40:04.640] I believe we test young people in totally the wrong way in a class of 30 kids
[40:04.640 -> 40:09.680] Why should they all be asked the same questions on the same subjects? Why are science and technology
[40:09.680 -> 40:16.880] and English and maths at the top of the class? Why is drama and art and dance and music down
[40:16.880 -> 40:21.520] towards the bottom in the education system? Why are some considered more important than others?
[40:21.520 -> 40:27.640] It makes no sense to me. We're all creative and if anything I think that knowledge is less valuable than ever before
[40:27.640 -> 40:32.160] I understand that when the current education system was created we lived in a world where
[40:32.540 -> 40:36.760] Young people had to be taught things because there was no other way of finding out that information
[40:37.200 -> 40:39.740] But hey the Internet's kind of changed the game
[40:40.320 -> 40:46.540] Like I do maths with Florence and if she stumped on a question, she says hey Alexa, what's 47 divided by 3?
[40:47.280 -> 40:53.500] And she gets the answer and I'm not saying that we shouldn't teach young people maths or English or science or technology
[40:53.500 -> 40:55.320] but what I am saying is
[40:55.320 -> 41:00.720] We now live in an era where information is at our fingertips as on our phones. It's on our smart devices
[41:00.720 -> 41:06.000] It's there we need to spend more time working on the emotional intelligence of our young people,
[41:06.000 -> 41:08.040] not just on their intelligence.
[41:08.040 -> 41:11.120] We need to teach them that I can and I will,
[41:11.120 -> 41:12.960] is better than IQ.
[41:12.960 -> 41:14.520] We need to make sure we get to their heart,
[41:14.520 -> 41:15.440] not just their head.
[41:15.440 -> 41:16.960] We need to develop young people
[41:16.960 -> 41:21.960] with genuine resilience, empathy, love for one another.
[41:22.360 -> 41:23.800] I've said on so many occasions
[41:23.800 -> 41:26.420] that opinion is the lowest form of knowledge.
[41:26.420 -> 41:28.420] Empathy is the highest form of knowledge.
[41:28.420 -> 41:30.320] We need to develop that in our young people.
[41:30.320 -> 41:33.020] But I would just say, if you want one thing
[41:33.020 -> 41:35.520] for young people to tap into at the moment,
[41:35.520 -> 41:40.260] is to focus on I can and I will, rather than IQ.
[41:40.260 -> 41:42.780] I think you can't go far wrong in that respect.
[41:42.780 -> 41:44.120] Listen, thank you very much for joining us
[41:44.120 -> 41:46.160] for today's episode of the high-performance podcast
[41:46.160 -> 41:50.460] I hope you've got loads from it. I hope you've learned if you want to get more than just delve back from the
[41:51.220 -> 41:55.560] 100 plus episodes that we've recorded so far and you can also get more from us as well
[41:55.560 -> 41:58.300] If you go to the high-performance podcast calm
[41:58.340 -> 42:03.480] We've got a members club where you will get exclusive podcast episodes before anybody else. They're all ad free
[42:03.520 -> 42:10.000] You can watch them as well. You'll get a newsletter. You'll get exclusive podcast episodes before anybody else, they're all ad free, you can watch them as well, you'll get a newsletter, you'll get access to exclusive discounts and
[42:10.000 -> 42:13.600] brilliant businesses that we think will be helpful for you and loads of other stuff.
[42:13.600 -> 42:17.480] All you need to do is go to thehighperformancepodcast.com.
[42:17.480 -> 42:21.440] Thanks very much to the whole team for their hard work, Finn Ryan at Rethink Audio, to Will,
[42:21.440 -> 42:25.160] to Hannah, to Eve, to Gemma, the whole team on the High Performance podcast,
[42:25.160 -> 42:27.240] but most of all, thanks to you.
[42:27.240 -> 42:30.280] Remember, there is no secret, it is all there for you.
[42:30.280 -> 42:35.120] Be your own biggest cheerleader and make world-class basics your calling card.
[42:35.120 -> 43:04.200] I'll see you next time. At Fred Meyer, shopping with pickup and delivery is the same as shopping in-store.
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