I was about to start blogging about the fact that when you have a wife and children, suddenly you seem to become more successful. I first came accross this theory when Vernon Lord a then finance director at Granada jokingly commented that he disliked me, there is always a little truth in the jest. He said, “you have no wife, kids, loan repayments, school fees, ex-wives. You have nothing that ensures you have to perform.”

I reminded him that I’d never missed my target and that I was his most consistent performer. “That’s another reason, you have messed up my theory!” he said.

And actually, during the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year, I am reminded that my theory is completely inaccurate. Merely a coincidence. There are millions of unsuccessful parents as well as successful ones. I have the association of this,  just like Veron, because over the years I have seen people step up when they have children.

So yes, becoming a father or mother  is a driving force, but it doesn’t guarantee success and what about the individuals who are well on their way to success long before they settle down?

They announced the winner of the Life Time Achievers Award, David Beckham, he is a great example of someone who was inspired from an early age.

In fact Beckham optimizes real inspiration, and its something he has had since his childhood. Are the qualities you find in a David Beckham character the same ones required in someone who is successful in business? Absolutely. They are one and the same. However where sport has some great personalities, it concerns me that on the very same channel, we are spoon fed Sugar as the equivalent role model for the business world. Sorry Mr Sugar, I am sure you are a very nice man off camera and all aggressive finger wagging is just for TV, however you are no David Beckham. It does make me think we need better role models in business.

I remember hearing a comment from a senior official in the IOD (Institute of Directors) the year I was kindly awarded, Young Director of the Year, it was explained to me that the then Alan Sugar, (prior to his first title of Sir) was setting a very bad example in the manner he was conducting himself in the boardroom, saying “your fired.”

I have to agree on the basis that really you’d find yourself in an employment tribunal if you really behaved like that with your staff, so for young business people who are aspiring to be entrepreneurs, Sugar is not someone I’d recommend emulating. There are much greater leaders out there.

John Timpson being one of my favourites. Another man who is a massive fan of Timpson, is a friend and client James Kight of Printerland. He is a good example of one of those driven characters too, a Beckham of the online world.

Gail pointed out that 2 of Alan Sugar’s directors joked that neither had ever had a compliment in the 14 or so years they’d worked for him. I find this extraordinary and actually quiet intriguing. My real concern with Sugar is his lack of humility and if you have any doubt, look at the chair he uses in his boardroom. It is higher than all the others, almost throne like.

If you want to gain the respect of your team members, work along side them, yes direct, but do not “Lord” things over them.

And bending back to Beckham, it is lovely to see a grown man, a real celebrity genuinely humbled when picking up his well earned Lifetime achievers award.

And here is the difference, during his speech he talked about everyone elses hard work, he never mentioned his own commitment, not once. Great leaders take it on the chin and  blame themselves when things go wrong, but you can really spot the best leaders by their lack of appetite to take the glory. They reflect praise and credit others when they are complimented on their success. Beckham stands out as one of those greats, and his speech was a pleasure to watch.

Described by Sir Alex Ferguson as someone who hung back after training to carry on practicing, a joy to watch. You can only imagine the work he put in. He was 16 when he joined the men at Manchester United. If that is not praise enough, I thought HRH Prince William summed it up superbly, when he credited his “*skill, passion and dignity.”

Are these not the essential ingredients I am hunting down? Whatever walk of life you want to be successful in, I think this is as succinct as you can put it.

If there is one other thing that amplifies success and I know is true in my case, behind every successful man there’s a strong woman. Victoria Beckham may not be the most popular person in showbiz, but who can deny her strength of character. Victoria is a formidable woman and an exceptional business person in her own right. It is great to hear a modern day living legend like Beckham speak from the heart and credit his wife saying “she truly is an inspiration to me every single day.”

So maybe a wife is needed afterall?

Have a great Christmas and thank you for reading.

Back in 2011

Best wishes from everyone at UKFast

Lawrence

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* “His contribution to football during his 18 years in the professional game has been exceptionable. As a player he has served loyally as England’s captain for many years, providing us fans with some of the most memorable moments of English football for a generation. During his career he has had highs and lows, but has always remained determined committing himself fully to his Country, his team mates, and to his fans when he is on the field to play. Most importantly, he is an example to young and inspiring footballers of all ages and stages of their career of how to play the game with skill, passion and dignity. Many congratulations David, a well deserved award” HRH Prince William

“Indeed it was a great pleasure to play with David Beckham, a great joy. He is a great footballer and I think even a better person.” Zinedine Zidane

Yet there are those amongst us who feel the need to talk about their goals. What they are going to achieve and what they nearly did. I am talking of the ones that you have a sneaking suspicion are “all talk.” Yet, they keep talking and that is all they seem to do.

And on the journey because of their gregarious nature and confidence they have a tendency to land great jobs and rise through the food chain. Yet they never take the plunge themselves.

I know a few people who fall into this category. I dont need to name them as my aim is not to embarrass them. It is something that intrigues me however.

One person in particular on the out side, has all the skills necessary to run a business, yet for some strange reason cannot take the plunge. Even when offered all the cash necessary to set up a business in a sector where they previously have a very successful record, this person chose the easy option. A slightly higher salary and share options (Fake shares as I call them!) over a slightly lower basic, true  50% ownership and zero cash investment from themselves.

Why does some one take what at first seems the easy path, yet it is a path they have trodden before only to find it leads to redundancy and ends in tears. Once the business is established you are a very expensive luxury and extremely expendable.

After selling my first business to Granada TV once I had integrated the 2 businesses and I had trained all the staff I was no longer needed. I was quickly squeezed out. It was a lesson that meant I could never work for another organisation again.

So why do they never take the plunge. Personally I believe it is because they are not true level 5 leaders. What is a level 5 leader? It is a person who shows the correct set of skills and characteristics to lead a business of any type through all seasons.

Yet a level 5 leader is not the sort of person that traditionally gets the job of the MD or other directorships in the UK and US. We seem to employ the loudest, most confident, best communicators, yet ironically these are never the best choice. Yet they rise to the top becasue they are more pushy than their fellow colleagues.

Often these sort of people want to take the credit for all the good that happens, yet when there is a problem, they are quick to point the finger and blame anyone but themselves. A level 5 leader is more likely to apportion luck to their success and be relatively shy when it comes to public speaking or taking the credit.

I suppose it is also about  what makes people tick. Their “significance” as Tony Robbins puts it. The person I am referring to in this article is very happy to have the lifestyle, the clothes, watches all the trappings of a senior director, yet does not want the responsibility or real control of the whole business.

So if you are put off by becoming a businessman or woman because you are not as confident as others, this is not a bad thing. In fact you are in good company.

A great friend of mine, Dan Innes has finally set up and gone it alone after a decade of growing someone else’s business in London. His new business Innesco is already super successful as he has a long client list of those strong relationships he has spent years developing. Dan merely needed the confidence to make that final push.

I gave up ranting and pushing him, knowing he needed to find his own feet in his own time. Last year at his wedding in Bath I said to my wife, “there you go, he will be self employed with in a year from now.”

A great man like Dan simply needed a great woman at his side. When you have someone you love to this extent, being in business suddenly becomes easier. You have someone to work for, someone to build a future for.

If you are not destined for the madness of entrepreneurship however, do not let this stress you out. I do not think any the less of my friend who prefers to work for other people than himself. Definitely not. When the businessman sits at home worrying about the bank, the tax or the detail, the managing director or senior manager is still able to switch off!

One thing I can say though, for Dan embarking on this new journey, “It is a lot like the day when you set off and rowed across the atlantic. You had a goal and a purpose. To that end, you achieved what you set out to achieve. The same applies in business. Set your goals out clearly and stick to them. Revisit them regularly, take nothing for granted. Have fun on your journey and good luck to you sir.”

If you are considering being in business and going it alone, take a pen and paper. Draw a line down the centre. On one side write down all the reasons why you want to be in business, and on the other the reasons why you have not done so yet.

If you find yourself procrastinating  and looking for reasons not to, seek help, but never give up. It’s easy.