Norman Drummond speaks to AGSM MBA students

AUTHOR: Ben Hutt   DATE: 02.09.05   ISSUE 2, 2005
Members of AGSM’s community recently attended a Breakfast Briefing given by Norman Drummond at the Kensington campus. Norman has held a wide range of public leadership roles and assumed high responsibility at a comparatively early age within the Church, Secondary and Tertiary Education, Public Sector, the Media and latterly within Business as an Executive Coach and Social Entrepreneur.

In 1997 Norman Drummond founded Columba 1400, the UK's first ever purpose-built International Leadership Centre, specialising in helping young people from underprivileged backgrounds to become leaders.

Norman suggested a challenging but fruitful technique to better understand ourselves, and our impact on the community.

"Only by understanding one’s self, may we ever truly be happy with our place in the world."
Norman Drummond

For me, and certainly some others in the audience, the presentation was both moving and compelling. The overwhelming premise was that we live in a corporate world plagued by mediocrity, bureaucracy, and greed. These pressures cause people to under-perform, and often miss the core purpose of their daily activities. He used the example of over-measurement in the UK School System, which forces teachers to comply, rather than innovate. This clearly reduces the quality of teaching, as well as the quality of life of teachers and students!

Norman was talking to us with the aim of expressing how we, as MBA’s and future leaders and employees, must be aware of the traps that lurk, and really be creative in our approach to life. The aim for us, he said, was to allow our ‘Selves’ to shine. To be determined and focussed yes, but through shining and really ‘being’ ourselves, we could enable others to do so also, and thus lift performance and well-being.

While in Australia Norman promoted his new book, Spirit of Success. Spirit of Success focuses on three questions as a way to facilitate better self-understanding and awareness, and suggests that we can all be happier and more productive if we give each question some thought from time to time:

“Who are you?”

“Why are you living and working the way you are?”

“What might you yet become, or do with your life?”

These thoughtful questions were framed with a fourth to add significance, “How are you going to feel when you die?”

Norman suggested that by reflecting on these questions, a better sense of Self could be gained, and that only by understanding one’s self, may we ever truly be happy with our place in the world. We can build an attitude to work that says “I get to do this today……….”, rather than the more usual “I have to do this today.” The classic half-full / half-empty truism restated.

He said that we must take all of our Self to work, and that without it there can be no real integrity in our actions. People constantly deceive themselves, and consequently others in the process. Only through a balance between life, work, and meeting the needs of the Self, can we ever have a positive and lasting effect on our community. Clearly through Norman’s techniques there is hope for all of us to become better citizens, and positively influence the world around us.

"We must take all of our Self to work, and that without it there can be no real integrity in our actions."

I asked Norman how we could practice this thinking in the Real-World! He responded with one of the most heart-felt and sensible suggestions I have ever heard. He drew a picture, rather like an archery target with concentric rings. He explained that we most often live and work in the bulls-eye, at a frantic pace where no time for Self, or reflection is possible. This is usual, but to ponder his questions, and listen to the Self, we must take ourselves out to the outer edges of the target, where peace, relaxation, and reflection are possible. Whilst periods of intensity are inevitable, we must all attempt to take ourselves out to a quiet emotional place as often as possible.

Norman travels the world with a hectic schedule, but he confessed to insisting on 2-3 days with a good book every week or two. I must say the technique seems to work, as Norman is in fine health, seemed happy and vital, and had a wonderful sense of peace and energy about him.

"Whilst periods of intensity are inevitable, we must all attempt to take ourselves out to a quiet emotional place as often as possible."

I leave you with a few parting words of Norman himself, and strongly encourage you to read Spirit of Success, potentially a real life-changer. If you can’t do it for yourself, then do it for your family, your co-workers, and your community.

“We all possess gravitas, poise and presence, but we must occasionally stand away from the crowd to pause and reflect. We must have the courage to be honest, and ‘put things on the table of life’. Above all we must be humble, intuitive and authentic.”

If my headstone contains all or any of these adjectives, then I will certainly be happy.

Ben Hutt. President AGSM Student Society – Full-time class of 2006.