As a Futurist & Corporate Consultant what do you see missing in the Corporate Culture?

Emotional Investment. I do not see many people fully inspired, unleashed and encouraged to create, design and forge the new future. I see a lot of "stuck" companies.

How can a former Athlete connect with our company? Our meetings are expensive, our CEO expects results and we need to bring away content that adds value immediately?

There is nothing more embarrassing than an athlete tripping over his or her words trying to communicate to a highly sophisticated audience. Personally, I am not about funny sports stories. What I do think is enormously important and of tremendous value is how World Class Competitors communicated with each other in the face of impossible circumstances. This has nothing to do with being an Athlete - this has everything to do with breaking through barriers to winning market share. In corporate terms, this means creating pathways to do what has never been done before. To the CEO, this is very important!

Can anyone make a significant contribution in just one speech?

Encounters with excellence can profoundly shift thinking to create the opening for transformation to occur. So my answer would be, yes. This is what I endeavor to achieve. It takes a lot of work and experience; I've been doing this for 20 years. I think what makes a difference is that the audiences realize I have experienced what I am talking about. This is the short answer.

What is the long answer?

The long answer is about a bigger and more important story. When I take on an assignment to speak to a management group, sales group or executive team, the change strategy begins with the very first conversation. That is my first opportunity to enter the learning, language and culture systems that are distinct to each group. From that point on, every conversation is an on-going process of discovery. From this knowledge, and the Executive Coaching that occurs, a transformation strategy is crafted. This can take a few days or even weeks to prepare. Transcending the "denial" phase and into "owning of circumstances" requires gut level honesty and frank discussion. This is a real test of organizational integrity and commitment to an extraordinary future. This is a courageous phase for many companies. Few handle this well.

Our company has been through a lot of change. If I send you material will you actually review it?

I always request background material to study, i.e. Annual Reports, letters from the President, the 10K, Newsletters, recent internal memorandums, as well as doing my own due diligence search of my industry sources and, of course, the Web. This is just the beginning.

Can you "tailor" your message for our Senior Leaders? We do not want a canned speech.

I think the "canned" speech syndrome comes from those speakers who give good "speeches". This is not what I do. I am hired to create value. Speaking is simply one of the principle vehicles I use to share the thinking, best practices and disciplines of world class competitors and Championship Teams. Every conversation is part of the transformation process; the hallway debriefs, impromptu one-to-ones, and informal receptions all create vital discussions for building trust and establishing rapport. This is where the foundation of "expertise" is experienced. Speakers with "canned" speeches spend a lot of time hiding in their hotel rooms. They cannot stand up to questions because they do not have real world experience, as I do.

So, once you're at the meeting site what do you do?

When I show up, I begin to work. I am not one of those athletes who has to be lead around to meet people. I introduce myself; I engage people. I am clear about my responsibilities and I have every intention of exceeding the client’s expectations. My own standards have always been pretty high. Once I'm on-site, I make use of the valuable information gatherings to meet people and to ask questions. In doing so, I not only gain more information but create openings within the group for the message to be received in a much deeper, more powerful way. This is how you create sustainable change. You have to enter the Living System.

Brian, does your work stop there?

In some cases, yes; in other cases this opens a broader, more relevant conversation about helping to develop the leaders within a company and staying with them through the transformation process. In these cases, I am retained for 18 months as a consultant. Sometimes I work in front of the senior management, other times I am in the background working exclusively with the CEO, CIO, CFO, COO as their personal coach.

Brian, it's hard to believe you can put so much effort into each event. Is this really possible?

Each event, every handshake, every conversation is part of a larger, more significant and compelling legacy of what I stand for and the vision I am stretching to achieve. My quest for excellence and precision is not something that was just a part of sports; it is part of who I am as a person and is part of who we are as a family. When I take on a task I am a stakeholder. This inspires me. There's nothing that I enjoy more than watching emotional commitment and a passion to excel take a Corporation far beyond what was currently possible.

You've given me a whole, new and meaningful perspective on organizational excellence. Can we take a minute and talk about Winning in the National Football League -- specifically how do Championship Teams consistently outperform the competition?

There was a time when winning was associated with physical distinction, i.e. stronger, faster, smarter, better blend of talent. Winning is much more sophisticated than that. Let me reveal a well known, insider secret -- in the NFL, the talent level on every team is virtually the same. The plays are the same. The coaching experience is the same. The organizational structure is the same. The desire to win is the same. The key distinction is: Winning Teams compete from a completely different context; meaning one team will be on the field to win the game; the other team will be on the field to achieve perfection individually and as a team.

What do you mean? What's the difference? And, what does this mean for the Corporate Sector?

On the one hand, the team that is inspired solely by winning the game will spend enormous energy over-reacting in frustration, anxiousness and despair relative to the turbulent shifts and extreme changes which are part of every game. This is also true in today's global business community. As soon as this team wrestles some success in their favor and perceive they are winning, they will give their power, energy, and focus away to the other team. Their vision is short-sighted and impotent. I've witnessed this in the corporate sector. During up times, complacency sets in, internal conversations shift to gains, stock value, deals done and conquest. The vital internal flow of innovative, fresh, market responsive ideas stop, until one day the CEO wakes up and discovers they've lost 20% market share in 30 days. And, wonders what the hell happened!

You seem to speak as if you see a lot of this?

This is not the only dilemma. When the team is not winning, they respond in panic, and react to what has occurred as opposed to what's possible now. The crisis forces everyone's into "upset" and "overwhelm". Solutions are reactive, short-term and based on the past. Finally, the larger problem is that the positive results they gain from the dramatic response quick fix are then re-defined as "re-invention", or the "new way of doing business". A new box, new set of problems framed as winning, until the next crisis.

Fortune 500 Companies and Professional Sports Teams go from one "box" to another box searching for the right answers to what has already occurred. This is not competing; this is called survival. Which in today's turbulent economy means economic death over time. It's like racing to the future by looking in your rear view mirror -- a recipe for catastrophe.

So, What about Championship Teams? How are they different, and what do they do?

Championship Teams, operate from an entirely different context, and will hardly notice or react to the shifts and chaos,. Their energy is totally focused and committed to achieve perfection in the moment. Toxins like anger, resentment, blame, and resignation do not exist within their living system. Everyone is in the moment, innovating, sharing, learning, and fully releasing themselves towards achieving at levels never attained before.

What you’re saying is Championship Teams seem to operate on a totally different level than the competition?

Exactly. This is the focus of much of my work within companies. As we educate to leadership, corporate teams start operating from a higher context of shared values and shared goals. Vision is focused on the future, creating what currently does not exist. Everyone plays a vital role and is obliged to bring their "whole-selves" to the bigger game. This level of emotional commitment is powerful and meaningful. Language transforms. Expectations transform. Organizations transform. Lives are transformed. This is how you get to the future first.

This power is available to anyone.