A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.
~ Unknown
In this week’s edition:
1) Why the man who broke the four-minute mile wasn’t the real hero.
2) BigLittleStory video: the power of mentorship
3) My mentor Bob Burg interviews one of his mentors
4) Feedback on ‘What’s your story?’ and ‘The Psychology of Success’
You may have heard the story of Roger Bannister. He was the first man to break a four-minute mile. Most people call Bannister the hero, I’m not so sure. See, before it happened, people thought a four-minute mile was an impossible barrier. The closest anyone had got was 4 minutes, 1 second, and that was nearly a decade before. There were doctors who said pushing the body below four minutes would kill you. Not even Bannister thought it was possible, but one day, before a race, his coach, Fritz Stampfl said something that changed his mind, he said, “You can do a 3:56 mile.” A good coach sees you not as you are, but as you can be. When you trust that person and internalise their belief in you, miracles can happen. Bannister said everything changed after he heard his coach say those words. That comment broke him through the real barrier, the mental barrier. Not only did he beat four minutes that day, now that people knew it was possible, not long after, ten other runners did it too. The way I see it, the real hero of the four-minute mile was Fritz Stampfl who made one man see that the impossible was possible. So, who is your Fritz Stampfl? And who sees you as theirs?
2) BigLittleStory video
Many of my clients realise that the way to perpetuate excellence is through fostering mentorship. It’s a simple formula: let the young learn from the old, the inexperienced, from the experienced. When it works amazing things can happen. Watch this video we created for Eskom to see it in action: The power of mentorship. Don’t have Youtube at the office? Go to www.biglittlestories.com and click on ‘corporate stories’.
3) My mentor Bob Burg
I have never met Bob Burg in person but I consider him a mentor. He is a New York Times bestselling author and his books have had a major impact on my life. Bob and I have spoken a few times but mostly I email him when I need some guidance, amazingly, given his busy schedule, he always responds within twenty-four hours. I read only two email magazines mine and Bob’s. You can sign up for his at www.burg.com Today I want to share an interview he did with a great lady who’s book, ‘The Triangle of Truth’ is being put into the hands of every United States senator. I think it should be put in the hands of anyone who has to sell, lead, persuade or negotiate. To listen to the interview go to Bob’s interview with Lisa
5) Feedback
Feedback from Bytes Managed Solutions on Justin Cohen presenting ‘What’s your Story?’
‘Justin really made his presentation relevant to our organisation. This was the best guest speaker engagement we’ve had in ten years.’ Dirk Eksteen, Executive Director
Feeback from Wild and Marr on Justin Cohen presenting ‘The Psychology of Success’.
‘I have seen many speakers over the years, including Stephen Covey, I’d put Justin at the top. That was incredible, thank you.’ Joe Copans, Managing Director
Go to your destiny!
Justin
Motivational Speaker and Author