13 May
Hi there
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Paul McGee, seasoned speaker and author of the bestselling book ‘Shut Up, Move On” (Sumo). This incredible book has remained on the bestseller list for 19 years and has been translated into 13 languages – an incredible nod to the insights in his book.
Essentially, Sumo is born from the fact that we can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond and shape the outcomes. His foundational formula of Event + Response = Outcome, (or E+R=O) underpins his 6 core principles that focus on self-improvement, resilience and effective communication – all critical skills for successful leadership.
In his mid 20s Paul was struck down with chronic fatigue syndrome. He quickly went from a high-flying graduate management trainee to relying on a walking stick and welfare benefits. These days he is a behavioural and social psychologist, and his health setback was a pivotal moment in the development of his core principles.
We deep dived into three principles during our chat:
1. The Beach Ball
This is all about understanding different perspectives. Our own perspective may be different to someone else’s, so it’s important that we seek to understand before we seek to be understood. It’s the basis of effective communication. To do this, Paul recommends we ask ourselves four questions:
- What is going on in this person’s world?
- What’s important to them at this time?
- Am I listening to understand or listening to defend?
- Have I clearly communicated my own perspective?
2. Hippo Time
One of my favourites, this principle acknowledges that sometimes we need a minute before we can simply ‘Shut Up, Move On’. Hippos wallow in mud, and it’s natural to need a bit of time to wallow before we can move forward. The key to this though is to acknowledge this is a temporary stage and we shouldn’t spend too much time here.
3. Change Your T-shirt
This principle emphasises avoiding the victim mentality which stops us from moving forward. Even when negative things happen to us, we can still take action to improve a situation and change how we view ourselves. We often hear that humans don’t like change, but that’s not strictly true. We will embrace change, but only when we feel in control of what that change is. This is what changing your t-shirt is all about.
Paul’s insights are simple and relatable. Insights that can be used across both our personal and business lives.
Before wrapping up our chat, I asked Paul what are 3 of the key life lessons he has learned over the years, and he told me:
- Changed behaviour is the only real apology
- The most influential person you’re ever going to talk to is yourself
- The quality of your life journey is dependent on who you journey with
For more inspiration and guidance from Paul, you can google ‘The Sumo Guy’ – you’ll be glad you did!
Until next time.
Stay connected,
Sadhana Smiles
CEO, Real Estate Industry Partners
