wise words

Last week I attended the All-Ireland Business Summit in Croke Park. In it's fourth year now, the event brings together an eclectic mix of businesses and sectors and a jam-packed agenda with speakers ranging from "Dragons" (of the Duffy, McCoy, Quinn and Nicholas variety) to the inspirational and very entertaining, Dr. Sinead Kane, to the absolutely spellbinding mentalist, Keith Barry (he can make you think a stiletto shoe is a teaspoon, I kid you not!).

​I scribbled some notes on the day for my own reference but thought perhaps someone else might draw inspiration from the wise words spoken. Obviously not written verbatim, but lessons worth considering from very wise men and women.

Lady Chanelle McCoy, Dragon's Den investor, Chanelle Medical

• Believe in your product. Believe in your service. Perseverance.
• Right people, in the right job, to do the right things.
• Resilience is like a muscle built over time.
• Millennials are motivated by making an impact on the business, not financial gain.
• Take calculated risks.

Brian McEniff, McEniff Hotel Group

• Hard work and a wee bit of luck.
• Everyday you learn. Wise men learn more from fools than fools learn from wise men. 

Pat McDonagh, Supermac's

• Adapt to changes happening. If the rate of change outside the business is greater than the rate of change inside, you're in trouble.
• Don’t ask staff to do anything you wouldn't do yourself – spend time on the ground. 
• The team kicking the ball in the same direction makes a difference. 

Owen Fitzpatrick, Psychologist

• Make sure the language you use is simple, clear and emotive.
• What are the 3 qualities you want to show of yourself to others?
• Focus on how you make people feel. Maya Angelou said "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
• Be authentic in business, be real, be yourself, it's so much easier than trying to be what you are not."

Ramona Nicholas, Cara Group

• Love it, Dream it, Believe it, Just do it.

Padraig O'Ceidigh, Entrepreneur

• Success is not what you have, it's who you are. Take the spirit of Croke Park home to your business and your life.
• Companies don't grow. People grow. Businesses need to foster this and embrace a very strong sense of culture.
• The difference between success and failure is how quickly you get back up again.

Niall Breslin, A Lust for Life

• 99% of people are sound but we only seem to hear about the 1% who aren't.
• You have to be compassionate to you. It's not about ego, it's about compassion for ourselves. We have to practice it. It has to become habitual. Starting with yourself is the first step in developing a culture of wellbeing in the workplace.

Dr Sinead Kane, Guinness World Record holder

• When you have the right team they will always support you.

Gerry Hussey, Psychologist

• The only day you have in your life is now.
• Great leaders are present in their message, speak from the heart and believe in what they say.

Keith Barry, Hypnotist & Mentalist

• Be excited by what you do….or change what you do.
• Using the unconscious mind to influence in business.
• Key tools in business - Body language, mirroring, anchor the yes, commit to change.

Finally, Padraig O'Ceidigh recited this poem by Dr. Kent M. Keith
​
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

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