The Power of Knowing What You Can and Can’t Control with Martin Gibson

It’s nice to think that we can achieve anything we set our minds to, but the truth is, there are a number of things we just can’t control. Oftentimes, it’s a struggle to let go of things we don’t even have power over. We hold on to them relentlessly in hopes that it will all work out in the end. However, it’s essential to accept our limitations and focus on what we can change in order to find success. This will help you reach greater heights with ease.

In this episode, Martin Gibson shares the three proudest moments that shaped him into the superhuman he is today. He talks about navigating his military background and the values he learned from it. Martin then paints us a picture of how he brought these principles into consultancy. He also highlights the importance of creating human-level connections. Finally, he spills the secrets to his approach to achieving success.

If you want to adopt the mindset behind achieving massive outcomes, this episode is for you! 

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

  1. Find out how you can build resilience when faced with challenging times.
  2. Discover the importance of creating human-level connections.
  3. Learn an approach to achieving massive outcomes.

Resources 

Episode Highlights 

[05:32] Martin’s First Proudest Moment

  • Martin’s first proudest moment was living through and overcoming some of the most challenging periods in his life.
  • He took up a master’s in defence administration (MDA) for two years while working in the Royal Air Force.
  • Many changes and challenges with his family and job came about during that period.
  • He made it to the other side, finished his MDA and moved on to another job post.
  • He’s proud of how his family helped him get through that time.

[08:06] Finding Resilience

  • Martin’s family worked together as a group. Fitness was also a key factor for him.
  • Don’t let everything around you weigh upon you.
  • There are things you can and can’t control.
  • “Just going with it” is his way of dealing with his career over the years.
  • He also built resilience and understanding from his high-pressure military background.

[11:26] Graduating with an MDA

  • Martin’s graduation was one of the things that inevitably got photographed into his mind.
  • He wore a cap and gown over his military uniform on his graduation day.
  • His family was there to celebrate with him.

[12:35] Martin’s Second Proudest Moment

  • Martin was deployed in Iraq as a Senior Engineering Officer in a helicopter squadron.
  • His second proudest moment was when he overcame an incident with a couple of helicopters.
  • That moment was the culmination of all his military training. He was the senior person everyone looked up to at the time for leadership.
  • Everything came together as an engineer, officer, leader of men, and a person wanting to achieve an outcome.
  • They had to move on quickly after the incident as operations were still underway. In retrospect, Martin feels content with how they handled it.

[18:49] Taking His Military Background into Consultancy

  • The key is role modelling in working together to achieve outcomes.
  • Consultancy is working alongside clients to bring them to a place where they can do a certain thing themselves.
  • Leaving the client not knowing more than they did at the start is a failure.
  • Role modelling played a big part for Martin in his role in the military and in the world of consulting.
  • We need to be serious in moments that require it, but some moments require light-heartedness.

[23:19] Martin’s Third Proudest Moment

  • Martin’s third proudest moment was working together and delivering a massive outcome for a client in the service industry.
  • They worked in the catering and restaurant business.
  • They worried that the team would not engage in the process, but the opposite happened.
  • The whole team was involved, making it easier for ideas and suggestions to come in.
  • Tune in to the full episode to hear more about Martin and the team’s story!

[26:23] Getting Clients to Understand the Full Journey

  • One thing Martin learned in his consulting career is to not assume people know things.
  • You have to understand the circumstances of every individual in your team.
  • Some people are not doing wrong; they may just not have an understanding of the full situation.
  • The full journey is what the customer goes through from the point they think about and receive the service.

[29:04] Creating Human-Level Connections

  • Technologies work well when applied correctly.
  • It doesn’t matter how much you spend on technology if you don’t understand how it works with your process.
  • Everything has a human dimension behind it. You will lose out if you don’t understand and build around that.

[31:32] Martin’s Secret to Success

  • Martin breaks down what he needs to do to get to the challenge. He goes for opportunities.
  • He identifies who he needs to talk to, what he needs to do and learn, and who he can bring in.
  • Bringing the right people in is key to moving forward and building outcomes.
  • He always finds a path to get to the outcome he wants to achieve.

5 Powerful Quotes

[08:49] “There’s things you could control and things you should worry about, and you need to do something about. Other activities, other issues, you don’t have control over. And I think, again, people can let those build up on, where you have no — there’s nothing you can do about it.”

[19:35] “We aren’t in consultancy that is purely about, ‘Well, we’ll come and do it. We know it. We’ll leave you not knowing anything’ — that’s a failure for us.”

[21:24] “We absolutely need to be serious, and we can be serious in those moments that require it, but the world had put enough of that.”

[22:35] “We want to have a life and be a person outside of this thing called work.”

[30:09] “Everything has got a human involved in it. And if you don’t understand that or bring that to the fore and then build around that, you’re going to lose out.”

About Martin

Martin Gibson is the Managing Director of Consulting at Gobeyond Partners, a business management consultant firm part of the Webhelp group. He is a decisive executive with strong management skills and a wealth of wide-ranging experience within the realm of financial services consultancy. Throughout his career, Martin has built a proven track record of impeccable, strong leadership and driving improvements in performance. 

Martin also has experience in operational military service and had worked at the Royal Air Force for 22 years.

You can learn more about Martin by visiting his LinkedIn profile.  

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To meeting inspiration,

Angela