“Everyone is blessed with a set of talents. Only some people realise the full potential of those talents. Marc did. His story is one where adversity spurred him on to reach his personal best and achieve more than most people could dream of. If you have any interest in reaching your personal best, this book is a must read. Thanks Marc for the inspiration and guidance.” Jeremy Dale, EMEA Regional Vice President of Retail Sales and Marketing, Entertainment and Devices, Microsoft “Marc is one of the most inspirational speakers I have ever heard and his story is one of great courage, determination and compassion.” Baroness Sue Campbell CBE, Chair of UK Sport and Youth Sport Trust “He can swim and he can write. Not many people can say that.” Daley Thompson CBE, Double Olympic Champion “Marc is a master story teller and the stories he tells have powerful parallels to the work place.” Jon Emms, Pfizer European Specialty Care B.U., Marketing Head “Marc is an inspirational, insightful and highly amusing speaker who ably draws out valuable life and business lessons from his personal story in a thought provoking, challenging manner. I can safely say that everyone who heard Marc’s story left the session moved, inspired and motivated to work that little bit harder. To connect with people is a difficult skill, but to connect, move and emotionally involve is beyond that, and Marc is one of those rare speakers capable of this.” Chris Daniels, Head of London 2012 Activation, Wholesale Division, Lloyds TSB “An astonishing blending of tactics and ethics, of quietly inspirational exhortation without heavy salesmanship. What the reader comes to realise is that Marc achieved his golds (and goals) entirely through self-motivated hard work. His focus and goal-setting can be envied, but they are also learnable and can be emulated.” Professor David Mayer “Marc Woods’ personal story of achievement in the face of adversity is hugely inspiring. His great skill lies in communicating the lessons he has learnt in a way that entertains but also challenges.” Simon Featherstone CMG, British High Commissioner to Malaysia “Marc is one of those rare people who has the gift of inspiring people of all ages. His visit to Malaysia was invaluable. He motivated ministry officials, journalists and school kids to reflect on what really matters in life and encouraged them to achieve their goals to the best of their ability.” Mandy Johnson, Director of British Council Malaysia “Initially we invited Marc to speak at our conference as a one-off. We asked him to bring to life the challenges and rewards of being a Paralympian for our colleagues as part of Sainsbury’s sponsorship of the games. His inspirational and engaging session was one of the highlights of the day and his impact so far reaching that we have been working with Marc since then. We have created our own Sainsbury’s version of this book because it applies to all of us, individually and as a business as we all try to win our game of inches.” Justin King, Chief Executive, J Sainsbury Plc “Marc Woods is a great sportsman with a compelling story to tell. You will be moved and motivated by this book, in which you will find courage, determination, inspiration and equality – the core values of the Paralympic Games – admirably exemplified by his extraordinary life and journey. And if you get the chance to hear him speak – don’t miss it!” Nick Fuller, Head of Education, The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd “Marc Woods has been the inspiration behind many of my team’s successes over the last 5 years. Both his personal presentations and his outstanding book “Personal Best” have shown my team not only what can be achieved, but more importantly how personal and business success comes from within.” Chris Brindley, National Sales Director, British Gas, Winner of Sales Leader of the Year and Britain’s Best Boss. “Marc is a truly inspirational speaker. I personally was humbled as I listened to Marc’s experiences and was elated by his triumphs. It was a delight to listen to Marc and a pleasure to share some time with him. Marc is a truly wonderful person who has overcome huge set back but retains an inspirational view of the world. Our Award ceremony was enriched by Marc’s motivational speech.” Carolyn Nixon, Head of Communication and Engagement, UK Power Networks “Marc is an example of how an individual overcomes real adversity to become an elite athlete. His authentic story shows how determination, challenge and a constant desire to improve makes dreams come true.” Steve Cooper, Managing Director, Barclays, Business and Personal Banking Solutions PERSONAL BEST For my Mum and brother who are always there for me, for Petra and Evie who make home the place I yearn for, and for Dad who continues to inspire us all. Personal Best How to achieve your full potential Marc Woods This edition first published 2011 © 2011 Marc Woods Registered office Capstone Publishing Ltd. (A Wiley Company), The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com. The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data (to follow) 9780857082664 (paperback), ISBN 9780857082718 (ebk), ISBN 9780857082725 (ebk), ISBN 9780857082732 (ebk) A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Set in 11/14 pt ITC New Baskerville by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited Printed in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall. Contents Acknowledgements ix Preface to the second edition xi Introduction: What if? 1 1 Living Proactively: Don’t let life happen to you 9 2 Personal Responsibility: The best you can be 31 3 Goal Setting: Ever onwards 61 4 Motivation: What gets you out of bed? 81 5 Teamwork: All or nothing 105 6 Communication: Loud and clear 129 7 Adversity: Going under? 155 8 Role Models: A helping hand 185 9 Prejudice: Challenging misconceptions 207 10 That Little Bit Extra: What does success look like? 229 11 Resilience: Hanging tough 251 Afterword: A call to arms 271 About Marc Woods 275 Contributors 277 Notes 281 Index 285 Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to say thank you to Holly Bennion and her team at Capstone for suggesting we produce a second edition of this book. For their generosity in sharing their knowledge, experience and insights, I am indebted to the contribu- tors Jeanie Baker, Dave Bunting, Richard Davies, William Deeley, John Dunne, Professor Tim Eden, Donna Fraser, Jason Gardener, Lesley Garside, Matthew Heath, Kumar Kamalagharan, Georgina Lee, Jo Price, David Thomas, Bob Watts and Etienne de Villiers. Particular thanks must go to Lars Humer, whose support, insight and energy in creating ‘Coaches Corner’ has been fabulous and helped to breathe new life into each chapter. As ever, Steve Coomber’s input has been absolutely invaluable. His ability to ask the right questions, make sense of my answers, and understand how it would all fit together, has helped me keep my sanity. Receiving emails from Lars at the crack of dawn, before he headed off for morning training, and from Steve in the middle of the night as he burnt the midnight oil, brought its challenges and I must thank my wife, x · ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Petra, for understanding that my occasionally ‘pulling an all-nighter’ was a necessary evil if I was going to meet my deadline. Finally, I would like to thank my Mum, Dad and brother, without whom I would have never understood the concept of striving for my own personal best. Preface to the Second Edition “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” Sir Edmund Hillary xii · PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION A lot has changed in the five years since the first edition of this book hit the shelves. For a start, I’m five years older. And a little wiser. I have been pleasantly surprised at how well the first edition of this book was received. It sparked many an interesting conversation, and on more than one occa- sion someone has reached into their bag and pulled out a copy to make their point, usually referring with clarity to something that had, over time, become somewhat blurred in my mind.