Measuring Value in the Coaching Relationship

Article Strategic HR Review: Metrics.
20 February 2011

Aticle and Magazine available here:

Measuring Value in the Coaching Relationship
The world of coaching continues to gain apace, with growing momentum and credibility in the eyes of corporate purchasers of talent, L&D and Leadership solutions. We have seen in the past 10 years the steady increase of coaching as a critical people, talent and leadership intervention.

But the corporate landscape isn’t the entire picture: increasingly the tentacles of coaching are moving beyond just the corporate landscape and out into society and the world at large. As we do so this challenges the overemphasis on financial metrics as the most important form of success measure.

In society, do we place the same level of significance and financial value on the coaching when we are working with under-privileged young people who are looking to find their first job, a more meaningful existence or simply some sense of personal confidence in their future? Of course the answer is no, why would we be interested in measuring such an arbitrary set of measures when a real life is at stake? So this begs the question, do we need to rethink what it truly means not just to value an employee and their personal values, but also the values of the organisation.

Responsibility and Values in Organisations
There is no doubt that the recent financial, political, ongoing ecological disaster(s) and human crises are merely a sign of more to come. We need to be able to start looking at our world from a fresh perspective, and one that doesn’t place all value on short-term shareholder and financial metrics (although these are important as a form of value exchange).

Due in part to a combination of our human psychology, a need for external validation and our past industrial age, many of our organisations are still left with a predominance of financial measures that are growth-focused, logical and masculine in their emphasis.

In my opinion there is a shift that needs to happen and fast. We need organisations that measure their global and social impact in a more balanced and rounded way, and this will mean increasingly more human/humane feelings, values and feminine measures must emerge to balance out the masculine energy.

Force for Good in Our World

Organisations will increasingly need to become a force for good in our world. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will stop being a nice brand exercise and instead will become part of an organisation’s DNA reinforced by its culture, leadership/management behaviours, the measures it uses to see the value that it brings and ultimately in the behaviour of its people, and us more broadly as consumers of its products and services.

This isn’t a utopian vision, and we still need to maintain a focus on the numbers in order to ensure that we create value and a sustainable organisation that is able to support its multiple stakeholders’ needs. I fundamentally believe that we need to move beyond a short term emphasis on hiking up shareholder value at the long term cost of people, resources and ultimately our home (earth).

It’s a practical and pragmatic response, as currently we are consuming more resources than this earth is able to withstand, our human population continues to expand at unprecedented rates, CSR is no longer sufficient, and we need to reach out to ensure as individuals we are taking Individual Personal Responsibility (InPR) to make a sustainable, lasting and positive impact in our world.

A good place to begin may be something like strategy for sustainability a great initiative that has been started by Adam Werbach of Saatchi.

So how does Coaching play its role?
For me coaching is a profession that is focused on supporting individuals, communities, organisational and political leaders in going deeper to unearth their meaning and purpose, to explore who they really are and what it means for them to be on this earth. This level of deep personal enquiry is much needed in our world, especially in a corporate setting.

As a coaching community we have access to the gifts of closely listening, holding the space for deep enquiry, supporting an individual or group to consider their meaning, purpose, values and the value that they bring to their customers/clients, shareholders, stakeholders, community and society as a whole. It’s time that, as a community, we challenge ourselves to be bolder and to see our influence, impact and reach beyond simply short-term financial goals and instead begin to broaden our measures out.

How to measure value and success of coaching?
Measure how engaged the individual person is before the start of the coaching, during and at the end of the coaching. Employee Value Proposition solutions are coming to support organisation and individuals to understand their likelihood of leaving and how engaged they are.

Measure how often a person uses their talents, gifts and strengths on a daily basis to complete their role. All of Gallup and Marcus Buckingham’s work highlights that people who do this are more productive. Coaching can enable people to do this.

Measure how engaged an individual is as a leader or manager, and go deeper to explore how engaged team members are. All of the research highlights that typically, people tend to leave bad managers rather than bad brands.

Conduct live 360s with the leader/manager’s boss, peers and direct reports to build up a picture of what is working, what is not, what could be better and what people say about them when they aren’t in the room.

Use Emotional Intelligence (EQi, ECi) related tools to measure a manager’s and leader’s emotional literacy at the start of the coaching, at the end and then go back in another 6 months or a year’s time to see what impact it’s continuing to have to ensure stability.

Check the individual’s physical health, stress levels, weight and dietary control to ensure that they aren’t part of the increasingly stressed and under-performing management and leadership population, where poor diet leads to poor decisions. We need to get better at regulating our food and exercise intake. The statistics speak for themselves. You only have to watch Jamie Oliver on TED Talks to hear how we are moving into an epidemic of obesity, diabetes and heart disease due to poor diet and exercise, and working excessively long hours. This is unsustainable and must be addressed.

Measure how clear the person is before they start the coaching on their personal legacy, meaning, purpose, life vision and values. In my experience there is no greater transformative experience than for a person to really connect with their deepest needs, wants and values.

If organisations want a deep shift in performance it’s not through working with a human being on a superficial behaviourist level by using external levers. It is by tapping into who they truly are and drawing from within and helping people to get clear on their intrinsic values, drivers and motivation.

About the Author

Darren Robson is on the Global Board of the Association for Coaching, and is Director of Strategy, Innovation and Partnerships. He is also the Global Social Innovation lead, championing coaching-led socially responsible initiatives that are making a positive, lasting impact in the world. He is the former Director of Innovation for Penna’s Board and Executive Coaching practice.
For further information visit www.associationforcoaching.com and www.darrenrobson.com.

Darren Robson
Director of Strategy, Innovation and Partnerships
Global Social Innovation Lead
Association for Coaching
tel: +44 (0) 7769 299223

http://www.associationforcoaching.com/

http://www.darrenrobson.com/

About the Association for Coaching

Established in 2002, The Association for Coaching ® (AC) is an independent, not-for-profit body with the goal to advance the profession of coaching worldwide. This includes promoting best practice and raising the awareness, standards and ethics of coaching, with members made up of professional coaches, trainers/providers of coaching, and organisations building coaching cultures.

To sign up to the AC Mailing and receive updated information on events and other developments within coaching, click onto “Mailing List” from the website at www.associationforcoaching.com/home/list.htm

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Modelling Successful People - in the Corporate World

CEO and High Performance Insight (Seriously, do you want to be the TOP DOG!?!)

Over the past couple of years and more recently in the past year, I've had the opportunity to interview and work with some real corporate high flyers. Here I share the first level of insight from my experience of working with them and listening to their stories and how they see themselves in the world.

Success is a habit forming behaviour, seeking to be the best that you can be (personal mastery and excellence) is what often drives these type A characters. Commercial and professional success isn't everything to everyone and so take what you like from this initial insight that I share here.

Most of all, love what you do, be passionate about it, find what makes your life flow and what gives you energy, life's too darn short to play around doing stuff that doesn't bring you happiness, stretch, confidence and a strong sense of purpose.

Lifelessordinary for me is about you/us/people living towards their purpose, passions and values, no one else can make it happen for you, people may help, but ultimately the responsibility sits on your shoulders, so enjoy the game of life.

Purpose – what are you looking to achieve in your professional and personal life, create a vision board that sets out what you are looking to do, build this either in your mind or physically so that you can create habit forming behaviours that keep you in your flow and help you to be successful on your personal terms.

Write out the things that you love to do (strengths, talents) and focus on aligning your behaviour to these. The things that you don’t love to do but have to, then build habit forming behaviours and actions that enable you to get these out of the way. Alternatively, where possible find people who have strengths and passions that you do not have and ask for their support, advice or help in getting them out of the way. It never ceases to amaze me that others love to do the things that I will find everything in my power to avoid.

Performance –what areas of your professional life do you need to have a clear focus, identify the critical drivers of your success and keep these measures in mind both in the short, medium and long-term, play the performance system game if you are in an organisation and if not make up your own rules and live by them!

Bottom line success doesn't come to you, you have to go to it! Find role models who can become mentors, get yourself a top executive or entrepreneurial coach who can partner in your present and future success. Find people, networks and resources where you can contribute to them and they can do the same for you. Nike, just do it, get out of your self-imposed comfort zone and limiting beliefs.

Image – (Brand), ask people what your personal and digital image says about you. Ensure that you are consistently voicing the same messages. Look right for the role that you are playing. People make judgements very quickly on your look and then with time your behaviours, ensure that you are associating with the right people to move your life and theirs forwards, look for mutually beneficial relationships and if not understand that sometimes in life people simply want a transaction rather than a relationship.

Network – focus on the 5% of the people who make your life feel happy and then successful. Find the communities of interest that you want to be part of and add to the conversation, most people are observers so choose to be a leader in your space. If you are in an organisation identify the clients, direct reports, peers and leaders that you need to influence. Outside of the company ensure that you are part of the professional or industry groups that are really making a difference and moving the agenda forwards.

Exposure – put your brand out there, being good at marketing yourself and finding others who will do the same is vitally important, word of mouth is still the best form of introduction. Ensure that you have a clear brand message and focus on building your personal voice, ask your coach to ask people what they say about you when they are not in the room.

Sustainability – ensure that you build balance in to your life, ensure that you are looking after your physical health and well-being, you don’t want to fall ill to realise how precious your body is, one of my recent CEOs suddendly found himself having a triple heart bypass! (PQ)

Emotional, make sure that you spend time being around people who give you psychological air and who feed your creative energy. People that you can trust, who have integrity and whose values you align with, understand their agendas, needs, beliefs and vision that drives them and support and be supported (EQ).

Mental, ensure that you are suitably challenged, those who succeed appear to have an inner driver to be always raising the bar that little bit higher, they consciously choose to soar, rather than swim or sink (ocean metaphor forgive me) (IQ).

Purpose and Meaning find it in your life, understand the things that you love to do and make sure you spend time doing them or being with them, go to places that inspire you, find people who do the same and have fun....love your family, they will stick with you long after others have left!(SQ)

The truth is that sometimes you have to work with, influence and be around people that dont energies you, consider ways to change that. If you don't fit the culture or model the behaviours the organisation is looking for and rewarding (cultural norms), make a conscious choice to adapt or move on!! Life's too short and I hear too many people bitching about work, grow up, be an adult and take responsibility for your life in all areas.

All the best D

India and Mumbai Calling

"In a better society, with more understanding people, nobody will change you. Everybody will help you to be yourself — and to be oneself is the richest thing in the world. To be oneself gives you all that you need to feel fulfilled, all that can make your life meaningful, significant. Just being yourself and growing according to your nature will bring the fulfillment of your destiny." Osho [quote inspired by Ushma thnx]

I’m reading up on Mumbai, well it’s about time that I did some investigative research and understand the region and place that I am visiting. I’m reading up on its heritage, culture, landmarks, history, architecture and infrastructure or at least that’s what the book is laying out for me.

What’s interesting to note is that I am looking for a different experience that goes beyond the external sights, I’m heading there in part for the inner journey so often romanticised about and with less personal focus on the history and architecture.Mumbai and India currently represent a personal opportunity to explore the human, humane, cultural, poverty, diversity and emotional architecture that lies beneath the surface. Often for holiday makers this lies unseen, unnoticed and hidden.

I have a sense that India is to become a place for me, somewhere that I’m able to be me, express my creative thoughts and journey, learn, explore, make a difference and grow. I have a childlike innocence, intrigue and interest in the place, a sense of potential naivety…….. I don’t think so, more a case of playing in the natural child space, that place for all of us that enables us to play with ideas, create, if you like the zone within us that allows for purposeful play.

India may well represent my cathedral thinking space – regardless of the outcomes, I know that this journey is set to align with my personal version of a lifelessordinary a journey of a 1000 miles. These next 20 days represent an opportunity for me to venture on my own personal quest, to understand my truth and truly find my authentic voice, whilst living towards my purpose and vision.

Looking forward to the exploration, to see, feel, touch and be touched by the contrast of this beautiful country, see and meet people who survive, thrive and grow in this challenging environment….It is a rapidly developing country that in many ways is on an explosive growth trajectory with all of the growing pains you would expect.

The bottom line is that I am seeking to get under the skin of Mumbai and equally allow its voice, rhythm and experience to permeate, seep into and through me, I want to know, feel and experience it – journeying through the full range of emotions of love for a place and its people to loathing aspects that relate to poverty, deprivation and social injustice.

We should never cease to forget that our liberty, access to education/money/options and personal freedom are fundamental human rights shared by all and yet I have a sense that I will prize them with a deeper sense and see them as even more precious after my Indian adventure.
Some compelling stats, well if you are like me, you may find them interesting:

• Whilst the Indian economy continues to boom, so to do the predications of increasing numbers of children from low income families dropping out of school to support the families meagre income
• India has the largest number of diabetes sufferers with predications estimating that the figure will be over 100 Million in the next few years
• 1996 was when Delhi became Mumbai officially
• Slum dog millionaire was filmed in Dharavi slum, it is estimated that 60% of Mumbai’s population live in shantytowns and slums
• Dharavi covers 1.75 km and is home to over 1 million people. Its not all bleak news with many people showing entrepreneurial flair and it’s estimated that the annual turnover
• Many of the families living here have done so for generations
• Mumbai has over 5000 Dabba-Wallahs (tiffins) delivering lunch and food all over the city, it estimated that 200,000 are delivered on a daily basis through an intricate colour scheme, many of the people who do this are illiterate – estimates are that a mistake is made once with every 6 million deliveries
  
  Anyway, food for thought peeps Best wishes D

Passion Killers........Please close the door as you leave!!

I went along to the Chartered Management Institutes book prize event last night, a nice event and some really noted authors and industry figures were present, etc....

What was most interesting about the event was a conversation I had post the event with a very senior leader in the publishing world (who will remain nameless). Here is someone who in his younger years followed his heart, his passions and his purpose and then some 30yrs on I stumble upon him over a glass of red wine. His message to me, enthusiasm is enough, most people in work aren't passionate, there just there to make a living and then go and do something more interesting.

I felt truly inspired by this conversation!! as I am sure we all would be, curb your enthusiasm came to mind as the conversation went along. Here was someone who has reached the top of his tree and is now stuck, bored, uninspired and a little downbeat on the world of work...hmmmm interesting.

Yet the very same person 10yrs ago would have been running on oxygen that was without doubt fuelled by his passion, purpose and love for the industry at that time....my thoughts.....time to change and do something more refreshing kind Sir and lets keep it upbeat in the world of Media.

Yes the stats for under 25 are shocking at present time, Yes it’s frightening how easily this government is choosing to make university an increasingly class and privilege based social engineering process and YET…every generation has its challenges, lets seek to objectively see the positives and opportunities here.

SO…………………………….

Can I buy into the story that people with ordinary lives, careers and a solid life shouldn't look to have passion in their working life.....I simply can't!!!

We have to find a way to love what we do, find the passion, purpose and our true meaning of what it means to be in service of something bigger than ourselves. Life without a sense of service doesn’t feel like a life that I want to lead, its not aligned to my version of a lifelessordinary.

THEN Today…………………
Life’s messages come in funny packages. Today with this conversation still running through my mind I exited from London's Liverpool Street station to be presented with these 2 ladies dressed in giant yellow condoms oops, I mean sleeping bags…..no boiler covers – advertising the services of the AA.

What made me smile? that here in the centre of London were 2 ladies running around in the middle of the drizzling, dreary London weather with a pretty horrendous job of attempting to gain a seconds acknowledgement from Londons commuters, no mean feat – these 2 girls put a smile on my face and demonstrated that no matter what we do, we have choice, passion is a feeling and yet more than that it’s a bloody mind-set and one that I think in the UK and the world over we will need to draw on for a very long time to come.

With passion comes fun, ideas, creativity, novelty, collaboration, insights, ideas, energy, laughter and ultimately innovation and we all know that we need more of all of this in life today!

The Internal Voice

A Beautiful Mind


Our mind is a wonderful and strange vessel all in one. One moment the internal dialogue stands to support you, telling you to push forwards, make it happen, independence and freedom align with your deepest needs, wants, values and purpose.

AND then like this morning I wake up with gnawing anxiety of someone who doesn't have a structure and routine imposed (self or by others). I awake in a slight daze wondering SO what am I really DOING here. And yet, Thursday I have a meeting with a potential publisher to discuss the book, I'm about to book the flights to India. I've been blessed with a number of people kindly sharing their contacts in India and saying get in touch with them.....

This voice is exactly and simply just that a voice, you have to push beyond the shadowy figure and tones of this voice, acknowledge its positive intentions and YET seek to go with your FLOW anyway....trusting both your INTUITION and also that the universe, your friends, family and professional network will be a supportive and encouraging network.

Lesson here I think when the shadowy voice of the saboteur/gremlin emerges, by all means listen to it, but don't obey it's message, see it as a trick of the mind to keep you small and boxed into a self imposed/limited prison.......

India: A Journey Less Ordinary

So I'm planning out my journey to India and it looks like I will be visiting southern India on this trip. I will be visiting Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai during the course of this trip. I'm going to be interviewing individual social entrepreneurs and organisations that are out there supporting these inspiring individuals.

I love the purpose of the organisation Kiva and their story is inspiring Jessica Jackley shares how the organisation began, just do it comes to mind......she went to Africa and spent time with real people, learning how they were being entrepreneurial, she learnt about their needs and then she simply went back to the US and with her business partner she began raising money to serve their needs.

I'm looking to hear from anyone who knows a great organisation in India and beyond who have a social purpose that is making a real difference to peoples lives.......contact me via Darren@darrenrobson.com.

Have fun!

Love your path. Without this, nothing makes any sense

picture reference: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcobellucci/3534516458/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Welcome to 2011,

An interesting article from Paulo Coelho's blog http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2011/01/01/manual-for-conserving-paths/ and I like the final rule about loving your path.

Having decided to leave the relative safety of a good organisation, in 2011 I've put myself out into the wider world. I've been here before back in 2003 - 2005 I ran my own small niche consultancy and in the end it didn't work for me........SO what I ask myself will have to be different this time. How will I ensure that I feed the family, keep myself sane, stay on the creative edge, connect with the right people and not find myself wasting my time on interesting conversations.....although of interest. How will I deal with my own failings, the fear of being rejected and the loneliness that is often associated with the start up phase of creating a new idea, organisation or seeking to find a new way of living your professional and personal life.

I think the fears, concerns and issues that I talk of above are a common part of going on the entrepreneurial journey, your authentic journey, where one follows their version of a truth, often called authenticity and what Tim 'Mac' Macartney http://www.embercombe.co.uk/calls the invisible path. This is about finding yourself, if like me you know on some deeply personal level that you need to start sharing your voice and ideas and that you have to get out there to really experience the world, then I hope this blog may become a resource.

Over the course of the next year I'm intent on sharing my warts and all story, the success, my failings and 'failures' or lessons. February see's me heading to India to interview, meet, observe and experience real social entrepreneurship in action. It's a risk that I personally have to take, without such a journey I'm always going to be left questioning and wondering what the hell has this journey been about, knowing intuitively that you aren't getting the most out of life or even giving enough back to life in the end it has to become the motive force, it has to challenge us to be our bigger self, to be more than we were yesterday and to find your new way.

We've heard that its about being the change that you want to see in the world...I think its time we evolved this insight to say that you have to lead the change, being and being alone is impotent it lacks the necessary action, drive and determination that it takes to make real change happen!

My original organisation was named 'lifelessordinary' and 2011 feels like it's about really understanding what that means for me and my life.......it's no longer simply about money alone, this year has to be about finding deep meaning and purpose in my life, conceiving a vision, having the balls to move towards that vision and then using your energy and discipline to focus to make something change and real in our world.....

The invisible path is not easy and then again the road less travelled would never be if it was always going to be easy......!

Self Discovery and Growth

In my role as a leadership facilitator and coach I am often asked by many people from different walks of life what resources I use and recommend and so a quick list of recommendations:

Strength finder leadership http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strengths-based-Leadership-Landmark-Leaders-Reasons/dp/1595620257/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1282726501&sr=1-1-fkmr0
Emotional Capitalist the new leader http://www.amazon.co.uk/Emotional-Capitalists-The-New-Leaders/dp/0975829009/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282726443&sr=1-2
Drive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1847677681/ref=sr_1_1/277-1117112-0826665?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282726334&sr=8-1
Clever http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clever-Leading-Smartest-Creative-People/dp/1422122964/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1282726573&sr=1-1-spell
8th Habit http://www.amazon.co.uk/8th-Habit-Effectiveness-Greatness/dp/0743206835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282726697&sr=1-1

Same Same but Different

Post the fun and adventure that I experienced just last week on the BHF London to Paris off road bike ride [ED give it a rest, but well done and huge thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped raise over £1000 and counting] I've found myself feeling a little tired of the tread mill and in need of a new challenge. That or more likely that I'm well overdue a break and a good job that France is just around the corner!
What strikes me is that its time to change the record of same, same but different message that I see and experience in organisations that actually are SAME SAME and NOT DIFFERENT.

I'm looking for ideas and organisations that are looking at the world from a different perspective and that are treating customers, employees and wider stakeholders as important as shareholders.

I found this great blog entry from

Bill Taylor on Youngme Moon who has recently released her first book DIFFERENT, I've added it to my list of must purchase in the next few days. But what strikes me about Youngme Moon and NO it's not simply her vcool name (how unique is that), but more her candour about having to find her voice as an academic, to start to trust her intuition and to go with what it meant for her to be authentic......before this time she was part of the me too crowd of Harvard, too afraid to stand out and yet as she explains in her website as she started to speak her truth over time she was identified as someone who stood out SAME SAME but DIFFERENT........the challenge for individuals, organisations and communities is to find their voice, take their space and be courageous to stand out and speak their authentic truth.

What was it I was saying about feeling tired......suddenly I'm starting to feel refreshed and alive again.....good job that I am off to an entrepreneurs conference for 3 days to harness this new found energy.

Have fun!

D

London to Paris July 3rd to 5th

http://original.justgiving.com/darrenrobson

Some time back in May I decided that I needed a new challenge, a quick search on Google and I was signed up for the first ever British Heart Foundation London to Paris Offroad adventure!

I couldn't persuade any pals to join me in this little adventure and so I turned it over to Diana in BHF and she soon connected me to Mark 'Comedy' Meredith and Volker 'Dodgy Knee' Konietzko.

[Ed - one very knackered Mr R at the Palace of Versailles!]

A week before we were due to head off on the trip we finally all managed to coordinate our busy diaries to meet in a pub in Greenwich. A couple of drinks later and all of the logisitics were sorted - well in truth Volker and I delegated, outsourced or generally ignored the need to organise ourselves and instead simply left it to Mr Organised Mark to sort out logisitics.

I recall being slightly worried at the first meeting as I heard how Volker often spends weekends cycling up the side of K2 on his bike and that Mark sleeps with his bike chained to the end of his bed.....here I was having just purchased my first bike in 20 years, surrounded with members of the tour de France fan club! I had managed one very long and winding 35 Mile practice run with my little Sis a few weeks before - yikes!!!

Day 1 Hampton Court Palace

The 3 Muskateers as we had decided to call ourselves as a homage to the wonderful childrens TV programme the 3 muskahounds - now showing my age!

Needless to say Mark and I turned up late fully expecting the Big V to be waiting there in stereotypical German time keeping style.....needless to say 5 mins before the photo shoot Vulker finally turned up and his language was more East End than East German.....we were not amused with the directions!

So our motley crew who were un supported were finally all together and what a team! We were surrounded with Team GAJ whose collective 3 bikes costs more than mose people's mortgages, there they all were with their full kit and every type of support you could ever require, taking in the view I realised failry quickly that the 3 Muskateers could well be out of their depth with over 41 other cyclists all raring to go.

30 mins after the start we finally headed off down the river path and on our way past Guilford and heading to the shoreline of Brighton. It was fairly evident that the bumpy terrain was not what Vulker the mountain goat had expected and unfortunately the lack of suspension on his bike soon meant that he was struggling.

I couldn't help but point out that I was noticing that Vulker was not finding the terrain to his liking to which he offered the reposte 've vill see how you are doing on Day 2 and 3' - long story short Vulker never made it to the end of Day 1 unfortunately it turned out that the terrain had led to ligament damage to his right knee. To his personal credit he battled on for almost 60 miles before it became evident that he wouldn't be able to continue without damaging himself!

Day 1 was drawing to a close and as we came over the South Downs it became failry evident that we would soon need to take on the hills before Seaford - our final destination.....I was pretty exhausted and then finally we hit the hill and what a hill.....the photo below was taken after I arrived at the top! At the end of Day 1 we crashed down in sunny Eastbourne for the night ready for an early start and the feery to Dieppe!

Day 2 - New Haven, Dieppe and then somewhere in France!

The day started with a 6am start to ensure that we got to the ferry terminal in plenty of time. A snooze on the ferry was a welcome break prior to the briefing rather than the planned 40kms day we opted to add an additional 30kms on to the route that was to prove a smart move in the long run and and a pain in the backside - quite literally on this day.

The first 40kms was on paved cycling track and flew past in just over a couple of hours. I was feeling bouyed at the end of the first part of the journey and thought that the next 30kms would be as easy - oh dear! this is when the cycling route designer clearly demonstrated a sadistic streak as I got my first experience of really off roading in France.

We were tracking along pathways, river beds, farm land and hoping at all times that the locals hadn't decided to change the little BHF arrows that I would soon grow to love every time that I saw one!

Time was getting on by the time that we were arriving at our end destination. We finally arrived at just before 9pm, dehydrated and exhausted.

The colonel was there to meet us and ensure dinner was served and his troops were suitably stocked up ready for the next day. End of Day 2 and we finally got our heads down at 11.45.

Day 3 - Final Destination Palace of Versailles - 120KMS day

Up at 6am and not due to the alarm, an emergency call from Jane (one of the BHF support team) 'where are you guys the Colonel is losing it you should have been here 30mins
ago'. Needless to say we were up and out in 5mins flat...you dont want to cross the Colonel!

My legs were vheavy and I was thankful for the 45 min drive to get us to the kick-off. The first 40kms went by fairly well and that's about as good as it got.

This image is at the 40kms mark, i could have stopped at this point. Trust me the start from this point was a nightmare my legs were vheavy and the track went from relatively smooth riding to arable farm land and forest tracks.....needless to say by this time it felt like I was sitting on a hedghog.

Mark pictured here with my headed off, I was slowing him down too much. This left me to travel with the skid marks a team of 3 19 year old students who had only signed up to the course 1 week before - needless to say we were now the determined backmarkers.

At the 2nd and final stop we decided to stop for steak and chips, trust me the best ever and the seats had cushions a very welcome break from the bike seat. The final 40kms were simply a nightmare, every time that you thought that you had reached the most challenging peak another one came along...trust me France is not flat!!!!

Some 12hours after we headed off we finally arrived at the gates of the Palace of Versailles and I have to say it was a welcome sight!

One knackered muskateer and 3 very fresh faced skid marks.

Needless to say I was feeling lucky that my hotel d'Angleterre was only 200yrds from the Palace, quiet frankly I couldn't handle any further to walk.

Next Steps - A year on

Will you find me taking this challenge on again, absolutely! I can only improve on this performance and now have a bench mark for just how unfit I am.......250 kms feels like a fantastic achievement and its time to get back on the bike and get a few more KMS under my belt.

If you would like to support the BHF then please make a donation here http://original.justgiving.com/darrenrobson

Many thanks for reading and supporting!

D

Mindset of the CEO

I'm pleased to say that after 9 months of interviews we are now releasing the first set of interviews from the Mindset of the CEO series (http://www.mindsetoftheceo.com/).

It's been fascinating to get to meet with some top CEOs and to hear what makes them tick. Over the course of the next few months we will be releasing answers to the questions and providing further insight pieces to hightlight the learning from the first of the 30 interviews.

What is interesting to note is that all of the CEOs have a focus on driving through the business success, they were less interested in the wider impact on society and the Earth. Not suprising in many ways they had a clear focus on ensuring they have a sustainable business, short sighted in some ways due to the potential impact this has on talent, society and the planet upon which all short, medium and long term success will be dependent upon.

We need new forms of CEOs and leaders who see the wider interconnectedness of the system and can bring together all of the factors for a sustainable planet, profit and people focused model.

More to come. D