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      This edition first published 2017

      © 2017 Michael Nicholas

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      ISBN 978-0-857-08702-7 (hbk) ISBN 978-0-857-08701-0 (ebk)

      ISBN 978-0-857-08705-8 (ebk)

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      Acknowledgements

      Looking back over my 30-year career to this point, there are countless people who have contributed to my professional growth and development, and many more who have profoundly shaped my personal journey. Without them, I could not be doing what I do, living a life I love full of meaning and purpose. They include family and friends, my coaches, thought leaders I've had the opportunity to learn from, colleagues and clients. I have huge gratitude for them all.

      I'd like to acknowledge several key teachers who have had a profound impact on my thinking and progress: Tony Robbins, for accelerating my personal development and awakening me to my own potential for transformation; John Maxwell for the many insights he provided about what it really means to be a leader; Daniel Goleman, who first got me thinking in new ways about how we can maximise relationships, influence and impact; Deepak Chopra for helping me to understand how our minds and bodies are interconnected, and for the huge impact he has had on giving my life meaning; Eckhart Tolle for deepening my understanding of the power of present moment awareness; Dr. Joe Dispenza for his insights into how we can evolve our brains, reshape behaviours and proactively transform our results; and my meditation teacher, Bhante Bodhidhamma, who inspires and helps me to become a more caring, compassionate and joyful person. Last but definitely not least, Sir John Whitmore, who sadly recently passed away. My introduction to coaching was with him around 20 years ago, and it literally changed the course of my life – without him, it is most unlikely that I'd ever have been in a position to write this book.

      I'm also indebted to the publishing team at John Wiley & Sons. Without your encouragement, this book would never have become a reality. Particular thanks go to Annie Knight for her willingness to adjust the publishing schedule to match my writing speed, and to my editor, Pete Gaughan, for constantly challenging me towards higher standards.

      A special thank you to my partner, Angela Howe Missen. You must have heard more about the trials involved in birthing this book than anyone should reasonably have had to bear, as well as having to accept the impact that it had on your life, yet you never wavered in your encouragement and support. This would have been so much more difficult without you.

      And finally, huge gratitude for my family. Thank you to my parents, Ian and Marion, and my sisters, Sarah and Debbie, for your endless support. You mean the world to me. And finally, thank you to my two wonderful children, Amy and Hannah. You light up my life, provide a constant source of love, and inspire me to be the best version of myself that I can be.

      About the Author

      Michael Nicholas has spent his career either as a leader himself, or in helping other leaders to transform their impact, influence, creativity and adaptability. He constantly challenges himself and others to question conventional wisdom and to revolutionise thinking and behaviour. With a track record of delivering results in multiple challenging environments, Michael understands and has learnt to manage the pressures his clients must handle to meet performance expectations in the face of uncertainty, time pressure and shifting goal posts. More importantly, he has a proven ability to convey what he's learnt to others. This enables the barriers to, and requirements for, high performance to be addressed at root cause, creating high-quality, lasting change and sustainable improvements in results.

      Having started his training business in 2004, Michael has become a highly-experienced coach and award-winning professional speaker. He specialises in decision-making, emotional intelligence and employee engagement, with clients ranging from leading FTSE companies, through small and medium-sized enterprises, to dynamic entrepreneurial businesses. His insightful, results-oriented training is grounded in 30 years' of real-world experience gained through working with leaders from a wide variety of industries, holding senior business positions, serving on active duty as a military officer, and completing the rigorous scientific training required to become a chartered engineer.

      If you would like to find out more about Michael and his work, or to connect with him, you may do so at www.michaelnicholas.com.

      Introduction

      Decisions are of considerable importance in practically every aspect of life. Professionally, they are arguably the thing that makes the difference to the level of success we achieve, because they determine how well every other talent or capability that we have can be applied. Our decision-making capability also determines the size and type of problem we can solve, and is therefore strongly related to how far we can progress and how much we will thrive.

      There is no reason to think that the importance of decision making will reduce any time soon either. While I was writing this book, the World Economic Forum released its list of the

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