This could change your life! And it is not only for sales people. Currently, and for the foreseeable future, the general sales environment for companies is extremely challenging and it is vital that they respond by giving their sales teams appropriate sales development training. And you need to take ownership of your personal sales training.

In the sporting world, teams are trained towards a clear purpose, whether their goal is to win matches, league titles or championships. The goal is clearly defined, the team members are assessed in terms of their skill levels, and the team’s overall competence is evaluated in the light of its ability to achieve the desired goal.

Charisma, or in common parlance the X-Factor - a personal attractiveness or interestingness that enables one to influence others - is an attribute we apply to high profile figures such as JFK, Barack Obama, Richard Branson, Warren Buffett, Nelson Mandela and Meg Whitman, generally with a positive spin. However, charisma is not the sole preserve of popular individuals. This powerful leadership characteristic is also possessed by controversial figures such as Michael O'Leary, Tony Blair and from earlier times Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill. While deeply unpopular in many quarters, they used their powerful charismatic personae in the achievement of resounding leadership successes.

All of a sudden, life and business coaching has become the latest fad. Good counsel is invaluable, but it appears to me that much of the current coach offering is shallow in the extreme. This shallowness is often due to the absence of the most important criterion for the selection of an advisor – experience.

I have checked, and neither Nostradamus nor Old Moore has predicted the full impact of Ireland's current economic mayhem. Nor have they identified the actions that a business should take in response. GOW didn’t predict it either so the 3 amigos are in full agreement there, but here is a view on what most Irish SME companies should do now.

Passionately play to your strengths – Don’t obsess on your weaknesses