Robin Sieger Blog

I have been in India for five days now, and will be returning home in two days. During this visit I have been impressed time and time again by the industriousness of the local business people. Especially the street vendors, who sell food, trinkets, tourist gifts, cigarettes, t-shirts, coconut juice in fact anything that may find a market, someone is selling to that market. However, the marketplace is very, very competitive, and yet within two days of arriving, I had found my regular restaurant for dinner, a regular taxi driver and a regular mid afternoon beach café.

I don’t know if all these local business people read much management theory, or books on personal development, or books on how to get rich, but I do know they all knew how to engage prospective customers, and once they have become customers keep them.

Business is simple most the time; maybe sometimes in our search for the next new fad, we miss the basics, which I have seen here in abundance.

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I am off to India tomorrow, to meet my friend Patrick. He and I went to school together. After university, as would be hippies, we hitch hiked from Scotland to Sri Lanka, and on the way stayed for three weeks in Goa in India.

Patrick works for third world charities and spends much of the year in very remote places, setting up social recovery programmes for children of wars. He takes four months off every year and wanders the world. For 20 years I have promised to join him at some point only to cancel when work overtook me.

This year Pat went to India and will be returning to Goa after a break of 29 years. So I have promised to meet him for a few days. I suspect I will not recognise the place, and being an old hippy at heart, will seek out the road less travelled by the big commercial tour operators, who have taken over so much of the beach front. When Patrick and I went there 29 years ago, we buried our small travel packs in the ground, then slept on the beach for two of the three weeks we were there, I suspect age and a general softening of my hardiness will see me make a bee line for a hotel with a comfy bed and air conditioning.

I will be in Mumbai for a meeting on the 13th, if any of the readers are in Mumbai, please get in touch, and let’s try to meet up.

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I have set the date for my personal retreat as the 24th and 25th of March, 2007 at Latimer House in Buckinghamshire, England.

I try every year to spend time thinking and reflecting, and this year have decided to open it up and make it a two day event. As those who have been following the announcement will have observed, it is free, as I want to try some new sessions and make it much more participative.

I have run courses for two and three days with corporate groups (and still do), yet I feel at times I need to give them a shake up, and I don’t. I cover the material agreed and hope that they can use it in their lives. The challenge in corporate development, is not delivering material, or even dealing with attendees, (who let you know, that not only do they not want to be there, but they think the whole exercise is a waste of their time) the challenge is connecting with people in a meaningful and significant manner, enabling them to reflect on who they are, where they are and what they want to get from life.

Within the confines of a business scenario people rarely let their guard down, myself included at times, however, as I get older none of it seems quite so important so I am happy to follow my heart.

So for those of you who expressed interest in attending the retreat, you will be getting (or should have already received) an e-mail with all the information.

If you would like to attend drop me an e-mail robin@siegerinternational.com, and I will send you the details.

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I was sent this in an e-mail last year. Thought you might enjoy it too.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned to complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups, of porcelain, plastic, glass, and crystal - some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When each of the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup, itself, adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, the "nicer" cup is just more expensive; and the more impressive cup may come to appear more important than what it contains. What all of you really wanted was the coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… and then began eyeing each other's cup.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of the Life we live. If we concentrate on the cup, we may fail to enjoy the coffee."

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The other day I spoke at a conference, to 1400 members of an international organisation. I arrived the day before to do a technical run through. As it turns out the crew were world-class and the run through was very straightforward.

The next day I arrived and went backstage, met the crew and did a final check. The microphone was fitted and when my presentation was announced, I walked onto this very large stage in a huge auditorium. So far so good.

The one thing I had forgotten to do at the technical run through, was to have the lighting shown to me. As it was they had turned the house lights down, then out came two powerful spotlights on me. They felt like old World War II aircraft searchlights, and I was dazzled. I began my presentation, and could not see the audience other than as dark outlines in front of me.

I have given hundreds of keynote talks around the Western world, and always like to be able to look into a person's eyes as I speak, it really helps me connect with the audience. For the first minute or two it felt as though I were alone, and then the audience began to laugh at some joke I cracked, and I then moved to the front of the stage, where I could see some faces.

In our day to day lives it is important that we connect to others, regardless of who they are. And the best way is to look them in the eye and let them know you are giving them your full attention.

The other lesson I have learnt is always check the lighting state in the auditorium, and don’t assume it will be ‘just how you like it’.

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As some of the regular readers of my newsletter will be aware, I have decided to run a two day retreat before the end of April this year. The weekend will be free, with attendees having to cover all their own costs.

I have done this for two reasons, firstly I want to change the format I have used in the past which was semi classroom based with workbooks and exercises, and I want to move to a less formal and more free-flowing experience.

The date and venue will be announced in the next three weeks. So far about 18 people have expressed interest, if you would like to be included in the e-mails relating to this event send an e-mail to robin@siegerinternational.com and in the subject box write RETREAT.

I will not be advertising this on my website as it is open to subscribers only.

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I have to admit that once I have a book published it would be fair to say I never read the book again. I think the fact is that I have been living with it 24/7 for months and in the edit and re-write process, I must reread it 6 or 7 times.

Sometimes people will write to me to ask a question, or sometimes people tell me they have seen an extract quoted in a book or magazine.

I am currently eating healthily. I have decided to go alcohol free and having as much regular exercise as I can, and I was in the bookstore browsing, looking for inspiration, when I saw my book '42 Days To Wealth, Health and Happiness'. I picked it up for the first time in about a year, and as I flicked through realised, this was exactly what I was looking for. So I have gone back onto my own regime to rebalance my lifestyle: daily exercise, meditation, reflection and goal setting.

I obviously would recommend this book, but what it also made me realise is sometimes the solution to the challenge we face is right under our nose. I asked myself why I hadn't immediately thought about my own book? And when I picked it up I realised why. It’s hard. It is not a miracle short cut instant fix; it requires great discipline, commitment and willpower, and I guess I may have been looking for the quick fix!!

If anyone would like a copy (signed) you can buy one via www.siegerinternational.com

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I went for a long, early morning cycle around 6am today and for some reason as I was thinking about the big things I wanted to achieve this year, (apart from the usual list of finding the cure for cancer, banishing Third World Debt, losing 15lbs and buying Microsoft for cash) I kept coming back to three ideas which floated about my head as I was trying not to go too slowly up a hill as joggers were in danger of passing me.

The three thoughts were Love, Joy and a Positive Attitude.

So I determined this year I will act with love, be joyful and maintain a positive attitude at all times.

Now hold on, I hear you say, we all know this stuff, and so do I, yet too often I have found myself being angry, grumpy and negative over things which don't matter, yet I have chosen the worst option available to me.

Sure I may be tired, the people I am encountering are being very difficult and I may well be feeling sorry for myself. (Sound familiar?) Well my bike ride woke me up.

So this year my thoughts to be guided by in life are Love, Joy and Positive Attitude, and I have to tell you, so far, so good.

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After the quiet period of Christmas and New Year, I find myself looking at my 'to do' list which has doubled in the first four working days of 2007. It is easy at times to think that we can give it all up and run a beach bar in a tropical island. In fact I never think that, I always see myself living in a shoreline cottage with stormy winters and long nights in front of a crackling fire.

We all have our places where we can escape to, though I have no doubt within 48 hours of moving into my fantasy cottage by the sea, I would quickly be complaining about the stormy weather and the long nights. I only mention this as a number of people I have spoken to don’t like New Year, it makes them aware of how little they have achieved in the past year.

If you have a chance today over a coffee, write a list of all the things you achieved last year, big or small, but things you are proud about, then write a list of all the things you meant to do and didn’t, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

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I am off to Spain today to spend a week resting and indulging in my favourite sport of skydiving in Empuriabrava Spain. There are lots of former and current national champions who will be at the airfield. One of the great things about the skydiving community is that it is very inclusive. We are an extended family, and as a beginner with 96 jumps, I can ask a person with 9000 jumps to show me some moves to advance my in air skills. Chances are not only will they immediately help you, they will jump with you too. Can't see that happening in many other sports especially golf. "Hi Tiger, you don't know me I'm a 12 handicapper, and am having trouble with my short game…any tips?" You would be knee deep in bodyguards I suspect.

If the weather is too poor for jumping I will continue work on my new book. So either way I will have lots to do.

Happy New Year to you all.

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