A Rainy Day in Monaco

The day after celebrating Prince Albert II's birthday, the principality of Monaco is quiet at this hour as shop owners get ready to peddle their wares and dog lovers walk man's best friend quickly through a light morning rain.

While here for the IAAF World Gala where the world's top athletes, past and present, will be celebrated Sunday night, one can't help but steal a little time to stop and take in the breath taking sites and sounds of Monaco.

Monaco or Monte Carlo (Officially the Principality of Monaco) is the second smallest city in the world (only the vatican is smaller) and can only be described as a city that has become a favorite for the rich and famous.

When walking to the IAAF press centre (my home for the weekend) I passed rolls royce and Bently dealerships.  (The working class can only afford to drive BMWs!!!)

Littered with shops and cafes, Monaco's most impressive feature is its architecture.  Amazing stone buildings overlooking the Mediteranean Sea.

Another thing that really catches your attention is the small of clementines and limes which grow on trees that line the streets of the city.

Monaco is beautiful place.  A place that can foster dreams.  A place that makes you feel at home even though you know you could never afford to live here.

I've travelled to many places in the world and this one rates near the top.  A place you would come back to for fun.  A place that will not soon be forgotten.

World Gala of Athletics

Day one of travel and preparation. It's been a while since I've been an active journalist - usually one of the folks assisting journalists and being on the other side of the microphone.

For those that don't know athletics, it's really the foundation for all other sports. The basics of run, jump and throw are the principles upon which all other sports are played.

In North America we refer to this sport as track and field (really the only place in the world to do so) and it remains a relatively new sport with a small and dedicated base.

In other parts of the world, athletics and football (our soccer) dominate sports pages and the viewing channels of armchair pole vaulters.

Events like this past summers World Junior Championships began to change that. People got a chance to see first hand how amazing these world class athletes are and how exhilarating these lesser known events can be.

This weekends celebration is the culmination of another successful year in global athletics - a year Moncton made a huge impact on the world stage.

Moncton is represented by familiar faces Bill Whalen and Ian Fowler, both played key leadership roles during Moncton 2010

In speaking with Moncton 2010 President Larry Nelson he was clear that moncton's presence in Monaco is the culmination of years of hard work and amazing results by hundreds upon hundreds of dedicated volunteers.

Over the next few days we'll share our Monaco experience. We'll talk to people about the Moncton experience and how such a small community (globally speaking) was able to put on the event it did. More importantly we'll look at future opportunities that might be available and what would need to be done to bring those to canada and, if all the stars align, New Brunswick.

If you have Moncton 2010 memories share them so we can share those with officials and athletes here.

Until next time keep running,jumping and throwing toward!

Mike Randall
Mike Randall Communications
(506) 878-3025
www.mikerandallcommunications.ca
Mike@mikerandallcommunications.ca

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Real leadership Comes from the Heart

President Barack Obama just finished his address to the nation from the oval office since becoming president.  Obama outlined several items that show just what a crossroads the United States and indeed the western world faces as we move forward in a global society with conflicting issues, opportunities and thoughts.

Agree or disagree with the President's positioning, you can't argue with the genuineness of this commitment to making the United States a better place.  A place of hope.  A place where everyone believes that better days are ahead.

The President is smart enough to know that people's spirits are down.  The economy is in the shitter.  Job creation is virtually non-existent.  People are struggling.  Yet he knows that people are resilient.  We are able to take a lot as long as we have "hope"

You can't fake the sincerity and belief that we can come together to do better.  You need to believe it, run our life like it and continue to inspire others to do it.

True leaders understand this.

President Obama couldn't have had a tougher time since becoming president.  he created so much hope that he forgot the key rule of managing expectations. As a result he is being blamed for all he inherited and not being able to fix problems that were created over decades in months.

Yet he still can deliver a speech of hope.  A speech that will inspire those who were willing to leave behind the rhetoric and listen.

Closer to home, while running for the Provincial government in New Brunswick is not comparible to being the leader of the free world, all those offering for political office should take note.

New Brunswickers are going through the same tough times.  Job creation is at a recent low.  The debt is rising.  The polls clearly show people are discouraged and fed up.

Now more than ever we need someone who can inspire, create hope and make us believe again that better days are ahead.

Now more than ever we need someone who is willing to drop the rhetoric and rise above.  We need a leader to step forward to say - "its time to turn a page"  Forget how we got here.  Forget whose fault this is and lets look forward together.

That's the leader we want.

It's the leader we need.

A Tough Decision

After a decade of serving on the board of the United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeastern New Brunswick I have decided to step down.

It was a tough decision and a lesson on why we do things and recognizing when our desires outlive our usefulness.

I joined the board 10 years ago when my boss at the time was chairing the annual fundraising campaign.

Since then I have worked and pushed and yelled and pushed and questioned and pushed - all in the name of moving the organization forward to a proactive community builder that responds to the real needs of our community.

I've been known as the dissenter.  The guy who couldn't let it go.  A dog with a bone.

My theory was this.  I believed we needed to change the way we approached giving.  No one could give me a solid reason as to why not other than we hadn't done it that way.  So I continued to push.

In the end the path is set and changes will continue to take place.  

I'm not saying it was me.  It was dozens of committed volunteers who ensured that we took the right path, considered all the elements and considered the impact on all the stakeholders.  They wouldn't allow my bulldoze mentality to run rampant and for that I have learned so much.  There were times, looking back, when I continued to push when it didn't make sense but I needed a win after so much opposition.

There were times when I acted inappropriately because my passion clouded what I know is proper decorum.

Stepping back I think my experience with this remarkable organization is a lesson we can all learn.

What's my role?  Am I contributing something worthwhile or am I impeding development and evolution?  Sometimes its a fine line and can be tough to determine.

My advice?

Follow you heart.

Know your community, your organization and the people who have committed themselves with you.

Know when its time to push more and when its time to keep your mouth shut.

Remember the rules you learned in Kindergarten about respect and listening before you speak.

Know when its time to fade off in the sunset - hopefully long before you have outlived your usefulness.

Finally - and most importantly - continue to give.

    

My ipad kind of life

So today is a day where I'm completely consumed by green envy. The
long celebrated and anticipated iPad launched in Canada today sending
future shop Shopping techies into a frenzy of gotta have it.

I've researched, know the model and accessories I want. I even know
the first 200 apps I would download.

Yet I can't for the life of me come up with a decent arguement as to
why I should fork out a cool grand on nothing more than a status
symbol. My mac laptop, iPhone and netbook can do all the things the
ipad can do. Yet I start at the pretty silver case and dream of
reading the great novels of the world while sitting in my business
class seat, flying to some exotic local.

It's funny how our mind works and how stuff defines us.

As a guy who lost all my stuff just over a year ago I've written and
preached about how stuff doesn't matter. It's the other things -
family, friends - that mean everything.

I think leaders of organizations, who prop up the myth that these
latest gadgets or social media channels will change your life, need to
redefine the why.

A colleague and popular blogger wrote in his paper column this morning
that he couldn't live without facebook.

My son tells me he needs the latest wii game.

I HAD to have the iPhone I'm writing this on.

We don't need these things and companies who sell them know it.
Instead of making me feel bad for not having it they need to consider
marketing to me the fun and pleasure I'll derive. it's more honest,
more compelling and probably more successful a marketing tactic in the
end.

Just in case you don't agree my birthday is coming and I still want
the iPad. Howard Stern has one you know. He says it's amazing!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone