My wife, Jean, spoke to me about Niall Quinn’s interview with Brendan O’Connor on his radio show after dinner the other evening.
In the interview, Niall spoke about his first trial with the English club Fulham and how he was told by the manager that he was just a long drink of water and would never make it as a footballer at the tender age of 14. When you listen to the interview, the manager’s actual comments are not suitable for repeating here.
Niall told us how his confidence was shattered and that he came home with his tail between his legs.
Luckily, he was persuaded to try again, and at 16 he joined Arsenal, having received encouragement from the manager, Terry Neill, from Northern Ireland.
The rest is history!
Resilience is essential for anyone striving to achieve a goal, as it fuels the confidence to persist despite setbacks. I am sure you could list the names of famous sportspeople worldwide whose talents were not initially recognised.
Thankfully, someone close to them provided encouragement, and they had the resilience to turn up and try again.
On a personal note:
My daughter, after a difficult COVID, told me some months ago that she was thinking of buying her own home. This seemed impossible—a young single person buying her own home.
Some months later:
Over recent weeks, we have been helping her to put up shelves and hang curtains in her new A-rated home.
Belief:
When people ask what I do? After many years of trying, I have found a very simple way to answer that question:
I capture your business story and give you the confidence to tell it!
Usually, this leads to a conversation about how their confidence was deflated by someone in authority who gave them what they believed was constructive criticism. E.g.:
You mumble, speak too softly/loudly, do not make eye contact, wave your arms too much/little, or have an accent.
If you are not confident when speaking in public, I am sure you can add the comments that did not help you.
Like Niall Quinn and many others, success often comes from resilience and from the support and encouragement received along the way. Both were crucial.
Do you have someone who can fill that role?
