The marquee event at the Olympics is the 100m sprint. But, traditionally it is the marathon which headlines the games as the last event.

Just like any concert or performance it is the last act that creates the climax and therefore is considered the main event. In F1, there is the Sprint Race but the Grand Prix is worth a lot more in terms of points and prestige. Staying with racing, the 24 hour Le Mans to this day is the crowning achievement for any manufacturer as the ultimate endurance test of man and machine. In cycling, the Tour De France is held over 23 days and is the one and only event any non-cycling enthusiasts care about and once again is the most prestigious event in the sport.

Over the past few years I have led a few boards and exec teams through my Strategic Facilitation process to deliver a three or five year Strategic Plan for their respective organisations.

The ostentatious and deliciously funny Kieran Flannagan is one of Australia's most renowned and sort after Professional Speakers in Australia. So, it was more than exciting to be mentored by her in my own Professional Speaking journey late last year.

Mud.

I live in a bizarro world.

I deliver strategic workshops to Executives using frameworks and tools I taught first year students at University over ten years ago. I work through my own systems and frameworks with junior, middle, and senior managers of all descriptions. It is the same stuff, but the context, language, and lens delivered through is tweaked for these various audiences.

What does a CFO of an education facility, a COO of a childcare business, a Sales Manager at a national utilities company, and a Manufacturing Department Head at an auto-motor company all have in common?

In the mid-naughties, I found myself somehow working as a floor manager in a high-end-big-box Salon Spa for Aveda (the American natural ingredients salon brand) in Covent Garden, London. It housed over 80 staff from more than 20 countries spanning three floors offering spa, salon, and education services. It was (and still is) a global centre of excellence.

It struck me in a workshop I was a participant in late last year.

As a presenter, I was going deeper into the importance of message, clarity of message, and finding ways to articulate this better in my speaking work. I filled notebooks with thinking, discussed my ideas one to one with colleagues, talked it out with instructors and practiced in front of the group. It was difficult, awkward, embarrassing and draining. But, then it popped.