Leadership Matters

CHAPTER 1FOCUS ON RESULTS, NOT EXCUSES

There will always be a reason to decide not to do something, and there will always be people who offer up excuses. My advice? Focus on results and let others focus on the excuses. When we embark on a journey that truly feeds our soul, whatever that might be, it's funny how often we find a way to succeed despite the thousands of reasons, logical and less so, why we shouldn't.

When Gill, a colleague from the Thames Valley Police in the UK with whom I worked during my third rotation into Thailand, asked me if I wanted to help support a group of kids in Thailand who were without family or home, saying ‘yes’ didn't seem that big a deal to me. To be honest, it probably didn't make much sense given the personal circumstances I found myself in at the time, and even on reflection it doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'm glad I did it.

During my tours to Thailand in 2005 my marriage had come to an end and I found myself living a financially challenged life. We had three kids in private school and a decent mortgage without a lot of excess once the bills were paid. So adding the rent and running costs of a second home without a change in income was at best an exercise in creative accounting. After the bills were paid I was left with $80 a fortnight to live on, which included feeding the kids when I had them. I was still working in the police full time, and due to my rank as a Police Inspector I no longer had the opportunity to earn overtime, so what ...