In this little black page-turner-of-a-book, Ian got my attention from line one – and kept me to the end. His short, sharp, compelling words of wisdom resonated at every point. He had me drooling as I scribbled copious notes and wonderful reference points that have already proven their worth. Changing What’s Normal – as we shift, and we are shifting, every home, office and handbag should have one!
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Susan Furness, CEO of UAE-based Strategic Solutions, a global Edgewalker and guide for Conscious Communications.
Please read comments from more readers of my book here.
I was thrilled to be interviewed about my book and philosophies recently by Alicia Curtis, the Founder of Revolutionary Lives. This interview is 27 minutes and you can access it here.
My book and companion online vault package is for you if you are passionate about:
Creating organisations people really care about
Being the difference you want to see in the world
Doing something pioneering, breathtaking, and truly innovative
Change where everyone can win
Leaving a legacy for your children and their children
Change people can actually believe in and make happen
Changing what’s normal for the good of people, our planet,and for profit
In my Changing What’s Normal book I explore 58 sparkenations for you to act on in your own way in order to change what’s normal, thrive on the challenges of change, and to co-create change where everyone can win.
Sparkenation: a spark that ignites passion that leads to action that changes what’s normal.
Ian’s story-telling method is very engaging. He invites the reader to consider things, in contrast to telling us what we should believe and do.
As someone who has made a difference in his own life, he encourages us to make a difference as a leader or an employee, whether as an individual or an organisation. In a society where conformity and shallowness are ever more the norm, he challenges us to be different.
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Reg Polson, Polson and Co.
What you will learn?
Changing What’s Normal will sparkenate you to:
Close the gap between what you know and what you do
Ensure history is not your story
Discover your life’s work
Live the lessons of your life’s defining moments
Be a person of character
Step up to your personal significance
Have what you want without losing who you are
Compete with yourself
Collaborate successfully
Be a hero in your own home
Be a fully alive human being
Find the deep reason of why you do what you do
Create an executable strategy for a sustainable and profitable business
Future-proof your business
Ensure high levels of engagement with all your stakeholders
Do things every day that amaze you
Fulfill your promise
Changing What’s Normal is not like any other book about change
Most business books tell you what to do, or relate case studies about how some icon or guru made millions. My book doesn’t do any of this. Who am I to say that what works for me, would work for you! I prefer to partner with you to solve your challenges in your own way.
When I review books I look for two key things: An idea big enough to create change and a way to implement it. This book has both in spades. It's filled with potent insights you can apply to make your future come true.
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Geoff McDonald, BookRapper.com
In each sparkenation I state what I feel/think is normal and then I explore some ways to change what’s normal. I end each sparkenation with a possible actions section and encourage you to do your own unique work, because what I have written is not important. What you intend, feel, think, and ultimately do, that’s what’s important.
Changing What’s Normal is also more than a book
Changing What’s Normal has a companion online vault that contains links, downloads, tools, tips, templates, & techniques for your contemplation and to help you take action in your own way.
Just $34.97AUD plus postage and handling. Please click on Order Now.
e-book version Just $19.97AUD
To purchase the ebook version and companion online vault of Changing What's Normal for just $19.97AUD, please click on Buy now. You will be able to download as soon as your purchase is complete.
a further option
Join the changing what's normal Torchbearer tribe. You receive my book and companion vault and so much more. Details here.
What you get (Order and Buy Options)
You receive a copy of my book Changing What’s Normal and 24/7 access to the online vault.
Ian’s book is full of a wide range of wonderful insights and anecdotes that really cause you to stop, think and reflect. I found myself fully engaged with Ian’s challenging questions from the start to the finish and I am confident that you will too.
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Gary Ryan, Founder, Organisations That Matter
The status quo is no longer something we want at work or in politics or in any organisation we care about. says Seth Godin.
I couldn't agree more.
I share stories of several defining moments in my life.
We each have defining moments. When we live the lessons we learn through these moments we change what’s normal and inspire others to do the same.
The best story isn’t my story or your story; the best story is our story. says Mark Sanborn.
Therefore the best stories we tell are those other people recognise themselves in.
As you recognise yourself in my stories my request of you is that you will reflect and then decide to be more of who you are capable of becoming. The world needs the best you have got right now, today.
Most people know the phrase 'what got you here won't get you there,'so why is it many still can't 'get there'? It's because they are not changing what's normal. I will be forever indebted to Ian for sharing his insights with me and guiding me through the journey of Changing What's Normal. Straight talking and no bull (what do you expect from an Aussie!)
We live in an abnormal world and being normal won't get you a seat at the table. Changing What's Normal is your key to a new world of contentment and of being valued and loved by those who love what you do. Changing What's Normal helped me to move from the 'how to' guy to the 'go to' guy.
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Kwai Yu, Founder and CEO of Leaders Cafe
My 58 sparkenations:
Action 1: Change yourself. All change is personal first.
Discover, Distinguish, Develop, Differentiate, Deliver. Sparkenations 1 - 23
Discover
Closing your knowing-doing gap
I’m not normal and neither are you
History is not my story or yours
Is your progress being delayed by dogma?
One solution to the world's pre-eminent problem
Discovering your life’s work and your shining eyes
Distinguish
Living our lessons from 9/11
When our worst triggers our best
Feedforward is often more powerful than feedback
Where have all the people of character gone?
Develop
Stepping up to personal significance
Crossing the discipline bridge
The Rise of the Social Entrepreneur and Intrapreneur
There are rarely rewards without first taking risks
Differentiate
The toughest yet most rewarding journey
Wanting and getting and having and giving
Grandpa’s Legacy and a key law for living a good life
Compete with yourself
Deliver
Just showing up isn't enough
Have an attitude of gratitude
A human being fully alive
Being indispensable
The pain and pleasure of being an exception
Action 2: Change Your Relationships.
Relationship change follows personal change.
Connect, Commune, Collaborate. Sparkenation 24 - 28
Connect
Networking with purpose - introducing Networlding
Commune
Be a hero in your own home first
Life/work balance is nonsense
Collaborate
The triumph of tribes
Only collaborate with people when you have achieved a shared view
Action 3: Change your organisation. The most powerful organisational change follows relationship and personal change.
Be aware, be clear, be inspiring, be attractive, be engaged, be authentic, be generous.
Sparkenations 29 - 58
Be aware
What is the purpose of business, really?
Management by Wandering Around
Is your story as compelling as nectar is to a bee?
Be clear
Do you have a Plan A for where you’re going?
Four key answers that may well determine your future
Is the co-operative business model one you could emulate?
What are you prepared to risk to fulfill your dreams?
Are you driven by enlightened self-interest
Authenticity and accuracy
Be inspiring
Why must come before how
When profit is a reason we confuse what we do with why we do it
Create a manifesto
Breaking your manifesto down to six words
Be attractive
Assumption: You know what your stakeholders want
Creating a supplier-customer chain structure
Stop recruiting and retaining the wrong people
Creating a snapshot of your strategy and your execution plan
Be engaged
Cascading strategy down to teams and individuals
Appraisals are dead; just not buried yet
Confuse people with their performance at your peril
Enhancing their gifts
Be authentic
Decisions must be made where and when it matters
Great service is normal - wooing and wowing is an entirely different matter
Ensuring change programs actually result in desired change
We get what we give
Other people don’t rule the world, you do
Business may be the last bastion of hope
Be generous
Are you a card carrying member of Generation G?
Do you do things every day that amaze you?
Change where everyone can win
Epilogue - Fulfilling our promise
I strongly recommend this book to people who share a passion for making the world a better place through collaboration, shared values, noble objectives and a desire to get the very best out of the people around them and as a consequence out of themselves.
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Terry McGivern, Smurfit Kappa United Kingdom
My 58 sparkenations have been gleaned from partnering with passionate and enlightened leaders in several countries since 1991, to change what’s normal for the good of yourself, other people, our planet, and for profit.
Begin your do it yourself journey to changing what’s normal now
My book Changing What’s Normal and 24/7 access to the companion online vault that contains links, downloads, tools, tips, templates, & techniques for your contemplation and to help you take action in your own way.
Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian
Still not sure if this journey is for you, please download the prologue and 3 of my 58 sparkenations here with my compliments by signing up for my fortnightly newsletter.
You can download Sparkenation 31 straight away here.
We are thrilled to partner with B1G1.
Buy1GIVE1™ or B1G1™ matches businesses with charitable causes right around the world so that every business transaction makes a difference somehow, somewhere, every second, every day.
But it doesn't just 'match' businesses with worthy causes; it does it at a level never seen before by matching every transaction in some way to a specific outcome.
And it does more than that too. Its adds a powerful branding and marketing 'engine' that actually builds business. And that simply means that businesses can give even more to make a difference.
Please click on Order Now to buy the book and 24/7 access to the companion online vault for just $34.97AUD plus postage and handling.
This book is full of valuable insights and thought-provoking questions that truly go beyond the normal business platitudes; and invite and challenge YOU to change what's normal in your life and your organisation.
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Gihan Perera, Business Strategist
To purchase the ebook version and companion online vault of Changing What's Normal for just $19.97AUD, please click on Buy now. You will be able to download as soon as your purchase is complete.
a further option
Join the changing what's normal Torchbearer tribe. You receive my physical book and companion vault and so much more. Details here.
