Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.
Today I welcome Brian Smith author of Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
VH: Hi there Brian, at what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?
Brian Smith: Right now – I’m in a great space right now. Yes – Getting married (not the divorce); the birth of my son and the birth of my grandchild are all happy moments and great memories for me. But right now – I’m truly happy – I love what I do. I can’t see myself doing anything else. I love teaching – I love travelling around the country speaking at events and facilitating workshops. I love working with young people who want to own or manage a business some day. I love working with up and coming managers, team leaders and supervisors – teaching them what skills they’ll need to be successful managing in the 21st Century. I love coaching individuals – helping them formulate and implement their game plan to become more successful at what they want to do or prepare for that all important sales meeting or job interview. I love spending time with my grandchild and son. (My grandchild Chloe is now 2 years old – she’s growing up quickly and talking to be the band). Life is truly what you make it. It’s not easy – it’s never easy but it sure beats the heck out of the alternative. I love being me.
VH: After a difficult day what do you do to recuperate? Does it work?
Brian Smith: Me-time - Spending quiet time with myself. I love coming home to a quiet place, pouring a glass of red wine and thinking about the day. Asking myself - What went well? – What didn’t go so well? And what I’m going to do tomorrow to be better and do better? (Yes – I talk to myself all the time) I don’t mind being alone – matter of fact I prefer it most of the time. I’d have no problem living alone somewhere in the country – away from civilization. I can picture myself in the not-too-distant future having a small cottage in the rural country side where I can spend me-time and just listen to music and write. I like my own company. I talk for a living – teaching, coaching and facilitating workshops so by the time the end of the day comes – I need quiet time to re-charge my batteries so I can do it again the next day. I cherish my weekends. (I do a rare Saturday workshop now and again) I’ve now gotten into baking. It’s a great way to relax. Chloe and my son love my oatmeal with raisins and cranberry cookies. I bake decent banana bread as well.
VH: If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself?
Brian Smith: You are going to be a father one day – and when that time comes – don’t worry about your career, don’t worry about making money, that is all secondary. Just work at being the very best father you can be. Spend time with your child – build that bond – develop that relationship. I have a relationship with my son but we aren’t as close as I’d like to be. He rarely comes to me for advice and when we are together - talking with each other doesn’t come easy. (Cat’s in the Cradle – Harry Chapin) My son did not take the divorce well. He and my ex (his mother) have always been very close – their relationship is more like a friend to friend relationship not a parent to son relationship. I was not my son’s favorite person during and after the split. It’s getting better – we do talk and hang out some times – but it’s not as close as I would like – but it’s better than it was so I’ll keep working at it. The career will come and go – and so will the money. At the end of the day – it’s the relationship you’ve developed with your child that will give you the most joy. Your number one job as a parent is to teach your child what he/she needs to know – so they can be a better parent for their son or daughter one day. You can’t be teaching them those important life lessons if you are spending all your time building your career and working to make money.
VH: Good point Brian. Really great to meet you.
Brian Smith – Speaker, Author and Educator is a behaviorist by training and a leading authority on soft-skills training and leadership development. Brian works with people who want to learn how to communicate and interact more effectively; and who want to discover how to get the best out of themselves and others. He is the author of “Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak – The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them” a personal / management development book. Brian understands the challenges managers face – having spent over 40 years as a General Manager for a major corporation and an award winning entrepreneur. He wrote this book in the hope that managers, team leaders and supervisors might gain some valuable insight into what it takes to be an effective and efficient 21st Century manager.
“The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them” are woven into the ten chapters of this book. Each chapter is dedicated to one of those sins. And yes – Brian’s committed each one of those sins at one time or another so he knows from his own experiences what doesn’t work and more importantly what does work when it comes to communicating and interacting with others. Today’s’ manager needs to do three things very well. They need to be able to communicate, educate and delegate effectively. Brian’s book will teach you how. Brian is a member of the faculty and professor at Algonquin College’s School of
Business where he teaches entrepreneurship, skills for success and professional selling. When not in the classroom he travels throughout North America delivering speeches and facilitating workshops and seminars on the challenges facing managers today.
To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization or to purchase a copy of his book “Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak – The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them” visit his website – http://briansmithpld.com – Have a question or comment? You can contact Brian directly at briansmithpld@mail.com
“The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them” are woven into the ten chapters of this book. Each chapter is dedicated to one of those sins. And yes – Brian’s committed each one of those sins at one time or another so he knows from his own experiences what doesn’t work and more importantly what does work when it comes to communicating and interacting with others. Today’s’ manager needs to do three things very well. They need to be able to communicate, educate and delegate effectively. Brian’s book will teach you how. Brian is a member of the faculty and professor at Algonquin College’s School of
Business where he teaches entrepreneurship, skills for success and professional selling. When not in the classroom he travels throughout North America delivering speeches and facilitating workshops and seminars on the challenges facing managers today.
To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization or to purchase a copy of his book “Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak – The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them” visit his website – http://briansmithpld.com – Have a question or comment? You can contact Brian directly at briansmithpld@mail.com
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