Paul Deegan

respecting the defeat

2009-10-22T19:49:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year I spoke to some of the cast and the students touring with Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam at the Royal Albert Hall. Afterwards, I swapped stories with members of the troupe over dinner at Food for Thought.

I’ve often said that Cirque is one of four companies that I'd consider quitting my vocation to work for.

Well, Cory did just that. In the 1990s he saw Quidam as a spectator. The first act on stage was the German Wheel. At the end of the performance, Cory turned to his father and said, "I’m going to do that."

Cory left his job in special effects in Los Angeles, attended circus school, and applied to Cirque. He was offered the German Wheel on Quidam.

Cory made his Quidam debut 10 years after he first saw the show. The gymnast who had performed the German Wheel on that night was in the audience, cheering him on.

I asked Cory if his performance ever goes wrong on stage. He told me that on one occasion the wheel fell flat on the floor. No rocking or twitching, just splat. "I really respected that defeat," Cory told me.

Cory’s attitude has given me a whole new way of looking at failure. Instead of blaming ourselves, our tools, or other people, what would happen if we embraced defeat and treated it with the same reverence as success? If we know in our hearts that we gave everything of ourselves in the moment, then surely being beaten – by the elements, by an opponent, or in Cory’s case gravity – is nothing to be ashamed of. If the shortest cut to success is to fail quickly and often, would appreciating our losses help us to learn more from them?

an expedition for the mind

2009-09-15T11:54:00.000-04:00

I spent the first weekend of September at the Do Lectures in Wales. This amazing event (now in its second year) brought together 80 people from all walks of life to hear an eclectic series of short talks in a wonderful teepee. The presentations, many of which had an environmental / sustainable theme, were designed to inspire every member of the audience to go and do the thing they really want to do.

Topics covered by the speakers ranged from inventing waterproof concrete to creating a solar economy, from cycling around the world to building the 8th wonder of the world, and from defending the rights of indigenous communities in the Amazon to protesting against genetically modified crops in Britain.

Yet these inspirational talks were only one aspect of what made the Do Lectures a special experience. Every component of the weekend - from the locally grown, incredibly tasty organic food to the wood cutting and doodling workshops to the geodesic dome accommodation - all contributed to the spirit of Do that pervaded fforest [sic], where the lectures were held.

Although capturing the magic we created is a physical impossibility, the next best thing is currently being produced by the filming team of Sean, Sam, Steve and Rob who are beavering away to produce videos of every presentation. Meanwhile, Simon is editing a documentary of the whole event and Soup is revamping the website.

I will be writing about some of the speakers as their talks become available online in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can enjoy some superb images of the Do Lectures from a cohort of talented photographers, including James Bowden, George Bridgeman, Jonathan Cherry, Oli Barrett and Naomi Calvert. And I've just spotted that there are yet more pics over on the flickr pool.

Leonora Oppenheim bravely fought off a debilitating illness to interview every speaker for Treehugger. And Neil Cocker's four comprehensive blog posts convey a flavour of what took place both on and off stage.

I was blown away by the heroic lengths that some people had gone to in order to take part in the Do Lectures, including Helen Harrop who produced a beautiful book whilst she was at fforest. Helen has dedicated her creation to the people who enabled her to attend. Helen is planning to auction the book off to the highest bidder to help raise funds to enable her to attend next year's Do Lectures. Now that's what I call Do-ing.

I’d like to express my gratitude to the founders of Howies, David and Claire Hieatt, for creating the Do Lectures and for inviting me to attend. Congratulations to Claire Margetts and Ben Bowen for successfully turning the Do Founders' vision into reality, and also to Andy Middleton from TYF who did an amazing job of compèring the whole event. Thanks too to Andy Kirkpatrick for introducing me to the Do Lectures team.

I’d also like to mention the chefs, suppliers, supporters and volunteers, as well as the fforest staff. They all worked like Trojans to ensure that everyone was able to relax and thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Most importantly, I would like to thank everyone who attended for making the Do Lectures so special. I learnt more from you than you'll ever know.

When I reluctantly returned from Wales last Monday, someone asked me what the Do Lectures were like. I said that the weekend had been "an expedition for the mind”. A week on and I still feel that way.

the power of 20 percent

2009-08-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

Regular readers will have guessed from my blog and Twitter feed that I really enjoyed the 40th anniversary celebrations surrounding Apollo 11 last month. Whilst delving into the multifarious space websites and blog posts, I came across a description of the Apollo 10 capsule that is currently housed at the Science Museum in London.

The Science Museum website states that "North American Aviation, the contractors for the capsule, estimated that some 20 percent of the 500 million person hours in the project were contributed as free overtime by staff."

This astounding fact reminded me of Google, which encourages its engineers to spend 20 percent of their paid time working on their own projects. Among the Google products and initiatives that began life as 20 percent projects are Gmail, Google News and the internet-equipped biodiesel shuttle buses that take employees to the Googleplex from San Francisco.

It seems to me that there's something magic about 20 percent. What would happen if we spent 20 percent of our working hours pursuing projects that we are passionate about? Or gave 20 percent of our services away for free to good causes? Or spent 20 percent of our spare time pursuing an otherwise neglected idea? 20 percent is not so much: it could be one evening a week and one weekend a month.

how do you make your decisions?

2009-08-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Earlier this summer I spent a week in the Pyrenees with a good friend of mine who is a pilot. One of our conversations revolved around decision making, during which he said, "People make decisions based on what they want to happen and not on what is actually happening."

He illustrated his point by showing me the first 45 seconds of a video in which a light aircraft is seen attempting to land on a runway.

As we watched the footage, I asked about the decision making process that resulted in the unfortunate ending. My friend explained that whilst the final approach (which would have begun some three miles out from the
landing strip) was too fast, the pilot had probably made a firm decision to land long before the aircraft reached the runway, without considering other options such as going around and trying again.

With the situation changing rapidly, the pilot would have been actively selecting the information coming at him or her through the windscreen and instruments panel to reinforce the original decision to land. At the same time, the pilot was probably ignoring data which indicated that the aircraft would not stop in time.

This video got me thinking about how often we put the blinkers on and make decisions based purely on internal factors without talking into account external factors. This pilot's misfortune has reminded me to look outside my own 'cockpit' to see what's going on in my world before I make a crucial decision.

whatever you think, think the opposite

2009-08-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

I don't play golf, but like many people in July I was spellbound by Tom Watson's performance at the Open. For 71 holes he hit shots that rolled back the years. Watson held his nerve at Turnberry right up until the final hole on the final round.

In 1977, the 18th at Turnberry had been the scene of Watson's greatest triumph, the famous 'Duel in the Sun' with supremo Jack Nicklaus. 32 years on and Watson just had to make par to claim his sixth Open at the unprecedented age of 59.

Before he teed off I would have bet my house on him winning the championship. If I had, I would now be homeless. Watson bogeyed the 18th, and in the subsequent four hole play-off with Stewart Cink, Watson went to pieces. He didn't need to say anything. You could see what-might-have-been writ large in his body language.

How could it possibly be that a man of Watson's experience was beaten by a player who had never won a major championship? Don't misunderstand me. Cink is clearly a terrific player, spending 39 weeks in the top 10 of world golf between 2004 and 2008. But still, I couldn't work it out.

As luck would have it, the book I was reading during the championship was 'Whatever you think, think the opposite' by the late advertising maverick, Paul Arden. One of the sections is entitled 'The age of unreason':

"Old golfers don't win (it's not an absolute, it's a general rule). Why? The older golfer can hit the ball as far as the young one. He chips and putts equally well. And will probably have a better knowledge of the course. So why does he take the extra stroke that denies him victory? Experience. He knows the downside, what happens if it goes wrong, which makes him more cautious. The young player is either ignorant or reckless to caution. That is his edge. It is the same with all of us. Knowledge makes us play safe. The secret is to stay childish."

This is good news if you're trying to push ahead in any field that is dominated by people more experienced than yourself.

record your achievement to inspire others

2009-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm writing this post whilst listening to the live transmission from Mission Control in Houston. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins are making the last of 12 orbits around the moon prior to the Lunar Module's descent to the surface. There are three hours to go before the Eagle lands and Earth is a long way away. Sure it's 40 years on, but it makes for a riveting listen.

History has inevitably focused on these three individuals. But I'm just as interested in the 389,997 other people who contributed to the Apollo program.

Last winter I visited the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral for the first time, where all the Apollo launches took place. It's also home to one of three remaining Saturn V rockets, which I had been desperate to see ever since my chat with Buzz.

Sitting beneath the rocket was one of the Apollo engineers, who was there to answer questions from the public. I listened awhile to some of the Q & A, all of which revolved around the astronauts and the business end of the Saturn; where they sat, how powerful it was, how fast they flew. He answered politely and comprehensively for someone who must have been asked the same questions hundreds if not thousands of times in his life.

I took a different tack and asked the engineer what his role in the Apollo program had been. Suddenly, he burst into life, full of animation and enthusiasm. It turned out that he had been one of the people responsible for the television camera that relayed those legendary black and white images of Neil Armstrong stepping down the ladder and onto the moon.

He explained to me that the reason why you don't see Armstrong put his feet on the lunar surface is because the mechanism that lowered the camera out of the side of Eagle froze in place when it had only partly deployed.

Being responsible for the successful transmission of the most famous television images in history must be incredible. Because without any kind of record of an achievement, it's difficult for other people to become inspired by it. And we all need a little bit of inspiration every now and then.

is striving for perfection a waste of time?

2009-07-10T08:39:00.000-04:00

Trying to achieve perfection in any endeavour is a bit like looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The closer you think you are, the further away it gets.

A friend of mine recently suggested that I read Skunk Works, by Ben Rich. The Skunk Works was an offshoot of the giant Lockheed Martin aircraft corporation (it’s now been re-branded as Advanced Development Programs). The original Skunk Works team made up their own rules, did things their own way, and fought tooth-and-nail to keep their projects small, innovative and profitable. The secret aircraft they produced (including the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 Nighthawk, and the U-2 Dragon Lady that Top Gear's James May recently scored a ride in) have changed the face of military aviation.

In the book, Rich talks about the dangers associated with striving for perfection. This seemed counter-intuitive to me: shouldn't combat aircraft be perfect? Not according to the author:

"Having today's high-speed computers would have accelerated the design process and simplified much of our testing, but perfection was seldom a Skunk Works goal. If we were off in our calculations by a pound or a degree, it didn’t particularly concern us. We aimed to achieve a Chevrolet's functional reliability rather than a Mercedes's supposed perfection. 80 percent efficiency would get the job done, so why strain resources and bust deadlines to achieve that extra 20 percent, which would cost as much as 50 percent more in overtime and delays and have little real impact on the overall performance of the aircraft itself?

"As it happened, we achieved 70 percent efficiency [on the Blackbird project] within the first half year of our work, but to tweak it above that to our target of 80 percent took an additional fourteen months."

Just think about that for a moment. Six months to reach 70% efficiency, and an extra fourteen months to improve everything by 10%. Now we are talking about an aircraft here and not a book or a presentation or a blog post but I’d wager that the ratio remains the same.

Later in the book, Rich remarks: "We cannot enjoy total product perfection and really don't need it. The only areas where the final result must be 100 percent are safety, quality and security. That final 10 percent striving towards maximum perfection costs 40 percent of the total expenditure on most projects."

Before I read Rich's book I always believed that anything less than perfection was unacceptable. But if I really am investing four out of every 10 hours just tweaking my work to make tiny changes then it might be time for a re-assessment. Rich's observations have got me seriously thinking about which parts of a project are worth spending that amount of time on. And which aren't.

leave a little room for improvisation

2009-06-02T12:37:00.000-04:00

Last year I attended a superb presentation by Cirque du Soleil's Richard Oberacker, in which he encouraged people to leave room in their presentations for improvisation.

I was reminded of Richard's advice last night whilst watching Ray. It turns out that Ray Charles' most famous song, What'd I Say, was conceived at a gig in 1958. Charles, his orchestra and his backing singers had finished their routine. But they were contractually obliged to continue playing for another 12 minutes.

The sound they created to fill those minutes subsequently became Ray Charles' first gold record. What'd I Say is credited for inspiring many musicians, including Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Van Morrison. 45 years after its release, the song was ranked at number 10 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 greatest records of all time.

What could you create, influence or change with 12 minutes of improvisation in your world?

your next 100 days

2009-04-29T12:49:00.000-04:00

Today marks the 100th day of Barack Obama's presidency. It's a tradition to analyse what the new incumbent has achieved at this first important milestone.

Which got me thinking: what have I done in the last 100 days? More importantly, what will I have achieved in 100 days' time?

What will you have accomplished by Friday 7th August?

become your own ideas coach

2009-04-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

Wherever I look these days, sportspeople are talking about how they learn from other disciplines to help raise their own standards. In 'Tackling Life', rugby star Jonny Wilkinson's co-author, Steve Black, writes:

"Ideally there would be a forum, or better again, it would be part of the team culture, to share ideas and information from which everyone can benefit. I believe at the senior professional clubs there should be a new position created for a knowledge / ideas coach; someone who accesses information and inspirational stories from a wide variety of outlets – other clubs, in other countries, other sports, business, academia, conferences etc. The list of sources is endless. And each seed gathered has the potential to add something new and exciting to the team. The better the knowledge of the team then the better the foundations on which the team can achieve great success."

Meanwhile, over at Fulham Football Club, coach Roy Hodgson has been modeling his team's effective defensive on U.S. basketball tactics.

You don't have to be an athlete to take inspiration and practical advice from other spheres. We can all become our own ideas coach. I've been inspired to develop and enhance my public speaking by the creativity and professionalism of artistes like Jérôme Le Baut and Anna Vicente in Cirque do Soleil's 'Quidam'. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of giving a talk to the students and some of the performers whilst this show was in residence at the Royal Albert Hall. Afterwards, I chatted to Jérôme about his craft. I'm not planning to do handstands at the podium anytime soon, but Jérôme's dedication to giving honestly of himself to his audience during every performance, and of working hard to remain 'in the moment' on stage rather than simply going through the motions, really resonated with me.

"some people have crazy ideas"

2009-04-14T05:33:00.000-04:00

Seven years ago I interviewed Leo Houlding about his adventures. During our conversation, Leo told me that he was experimenting with a flying suit. I thought he was winding me up. He wasn't.

Today, wingsuit flying is at the cutting edge of extreme pursuits. One of the sport's leading proponents, Ueli Gegenschatz, took to the stage at TED earlier this year to explain the evolution of this breathtaking form of travel, and why he does it. Ueli's honest explanation of his motives is one thing, but it seems that nothing could prepare the audience for the film of his jaw-dropping aerial projects. Stay tuned for the hilarious Q & A at the tail end of this video of his presentation.

walking with a sewing needle stuck in his backside

2009-04-07T05:27:00.000-04:00

Last month my friend Martin Hartley was really suffering. As part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, he'd been enduring temperatures cold enough to crack the enamel on his teeth, dealing with excruciating frostbite on his toes, and attempting to get some shut-eye in a sleeping bag with all the insulating qualities of a sorbet. As if that wasn't sufficiently unpleasant, after a week of stabbing pain in his backside he discovered a sewing needle sticking out of his salopettes. Accidentally left in his custom clothing by a seamstress, it was finally extracted with a pair of pliers. Ouch.

Martin summed up his mood by writing "I can think of 20 million things I’d rather be doing than this." I know Martin well, and that really didn't sound like him. To say such a thing meant that he was feeling uncharacteristically despondent. That said, I know that there has been a time on every expedition when I have felt exactly the same.

In a blog post on the expedition website, I attempted to paint a picture of what goes on inside one's head during a long expedition. A few days ago, the expedition's consultant psychologist, Mark Lewis, explained in a follow-up post that these mood swings are called 'reversals' in psychology literature. Mark said that "These reversals can occur predictably and slowly, or very quickly depending on whether the stressors are chronic (acting over a period of time), or acute (momentary)."

The good news is that in his most recent update, Martin is sounding a lot more cheery. He's now got croissants and bacon sandwiches on the brain. Which sounds a lot more like the Martin I know.

new hillwalking advice films online

2009-04-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

When Al Boardman and myself originally set out to make a series of films to share knowledge and information about the outdoors, we teamed up with a great partner, Cotswold Outdoor.

Hans Falkenburg, the company's Managing Director, appreciated that we wanted to make advice-based films rather than advertisements. Cotswold has only ever been mentioned in the films when it has felt natural to do so, and we've never been put under any pressure to push any products or brands.

Cotswold has just released the third series of films. We're really proud of them. They're on the subject of hillwalking, and cover a range of issues from demonstrating why the layering system is so important through to the correct way to use a survival bag in an emergency. One of the films has received the backing of the Mountain Rescue Council of England & Wales, which we're especially pleased about.

Producing these films is a team effort. Thanks to Vicki, Michael, Donna, the staff at Cotswold's Royal Oak and Covent Garden stores, Cotswold’s warehouse brigade, JB, and our soundman Elliott Forge. I still haven't worked out how Elliott is able to walk alongside me whilst I'm speaking, yet not appear in any of the footage. I think he must be a Jedi.

sir ranulph fiennes' antarctic april fool

2009-04-01T03:32:00.000-04:00

Sir Ranulph Fiennes describes what became known as the world's longest distance April Fool hoax, which was organised and executed during the 1979-82 Transglobe Expedition.

have fellowship, will travel

2009-03-16T06:04:00.000-04:00

Applications for Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowships have just opened, and continue until October.

Amongst the categories is one for 'Adventure, Exploration and Leaders of Expeditions'. People like Felicity Aston and Glenn Shaw have successfully applied for fellowships in previous years. If you have a great idea, and if it meets the criteria, why not apply?.

Interviews for short-listed candidates will take place in January 2010. Expeditions need to take place between April 2010 and February 2011.

top adventure films come to london

2009-02-18T15:23:00.000-05:00

The very best adventure movies from last year’s Kendal Mountain Film Festival come to the Royal Geographical Society in London on the evening of Tuesday 24th March. Films include a speed flying descent of South America’s highest mountain, Aconcagua, and Alastair Lee’s award-winning 'On Sight'. Tickets are £10. Proceeds from the evening will go to Porters' Progress.

are you in your element?

2009-01-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

I spent last week in New York, where amongst other things I attended a talk by Sir Ken Robinson at Barnes & Noble. (If you're not familiar with his work then this TED talk will put you in the picture, and is well worth watching.)

Sir Ken was promoting his new book, The Element, and drew a large crowd. Some of us had deliberately sought out the event. For others it was a spur of the moment decision: one attendee who I spoke to was walking past the bookshop on her way home from an unsuccessful job interview and told me afterwards that she "found his talk encouraging on a very discouraging day".

If you want to be similarly encouraged, catch one of the remaining events in the USA or UK over the next couple of weeks. (Tip: arrive early if you want a seat.)

simplify like steve mcqueen

2009-01-05T21:12:00.000-05:00

In Christopher Sandford's comprehensive biography of Steve McQueen, the author reports that whilst filming Papillon, co-star Dustin Hoffman "…began one speech babbling at McQueen at warp speed. Steve stopped him with a curt chop of his hand and the great advice, 'Less man. Less. Toss that s*** out, you don't need it. Keep it simple.' "

This quote came to mind at the weekend whilst I was trying to figure out what to do less of so that I can get more done of the things that really matter.

Serendipity being what it is, I found myself waiting for my Mac to chew through some files and – as I often do during such downtimes – clicked onto a folder full of eBooks that I collect for just such occasions. This time it was the turn of Getting Real. Turns out this superbly written book is all about simplification, and the advantages of doing so. Highly recommended.

no more new year resolutions

2008-12-30T06:02:00.000-05:00

Why do so many of us wait until New Year's Day to resolve to change an aspect of our lives? Is it because making a resolution on January 1st is traditional? If so, breaking a New Year resolution seems pretty traditional too.

If we really want to change something in our lives, why delay? Why not begin straightaway?

Would a daily resolution be easier to keep than a yearly one? 24 hours is a lot more achievable than 365 days. Even if the same resolution needs to be re-stated day after day after day.

And there's another thing. Why is it that I end up thinking about New Year resolutions for less than 10 seconds at one minute past midnight on January 1st? Surely resolving to change one's life (presumably for the better) deserves more time, thought and energy than that?

I'm done with New Year resolutions.

people ask me why i enjoy public speaking

2008-12-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

This is why:

“Hi Paul. You attended my daughter’s school in November. I wanted to say a big thank you. We both enjoyed your speech. My daughter went on a couple of weeks after your speech to apply to the Headteacher to attend The Oval cricket ground to present a speech. She was chosen. My daughter had to speak in front of 150 adults. I was so proud of her. She now knows she can believe in herself. I have been trying to teach her this. You helped her believe in herself. She now believes she can achieve anything. So once again a big thank you.”

do you think there is there nothing left to explore?

2008-12-04T07:56:00.000-05:00

There's a rare opportunity to hear about genuine exploration on Tuesday 8th December in London. Doug Scott, Julian Freeman-Attwood, Stephen Venables and Mike Searle will be speaking about contemporary exploration in remote corners of Tibet, where little has changed since the time of Sven Hedin a century ago. If you think there is nothing left to explore in the world, think again.

‘Journeys To Auspicious Places’ will take place at the Royal Geographical Society. Tickets, £20, are available on the door. Proceeds from the evening go to Community Action Nepal. The presentations begin at 7pm; a cash bar will be in operation from 6pm. The speakers will be introduced by AA Gill.

find out how clarkson met his match

2008-11-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

Tim Emmett will be flying in (so to speak) to the Royal Geographical Society on Thursday November 27th to present the annual Porters' Progress lecture.

Tim's built a strong reputation as a phenomenally talented climber who is helping to take the sport to a new level through para-alpinism.

He's perhaps best known for racing Jeremy Clarkson up the Verdon Gorge with Leo Houlding in an episode of 'Top Gear'.

The bar opens at 6pm. Tim's presentation begins at 7pm. Tickets, £10, can be purchased online.

what's your 2009 expedition going to be?

2008-11-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

If you've decided what expedition you want to do in 2009, and are looking for some expert advice, why not head to the Royal Geographical Society for Explore, the annual expedition & fieldwork planning weekend?

And if you want to lead or join an expedition next year, but can't decide where to go or what to do, then you'll definitely want to attend. With around 100 expedition leaders and outdoor experts on tap, it's a unique opportunity to get your next adventure or field research project off to a flying start.

Explore begins on the evening of Friday 21st November with an illustrated lecture by Paul Rose and the team behind the new BBC flagship series, Oceans. See you there!

pole-to-pole coverage with new satellite 'phone

2008-11-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Iridium, the satellite network of choice for many expeditions because of its unique pole-to-pole coverage, is launching a new 'phone this month.

The 9555 is lighter and smaller than the existing 9505 and original 9500 models. As well as an internally stowed (as opposed to rotating) aerial, the 9555 also has USB compatibility.

Interesting, the supplier of the new compact aerial, Sarantel, is stating that its ceramic filtering aerial reduces signal radiation absorbed by the body by up to 90%.

strategy and tactics

2008-10-27T03:37:00.002-04:00

I attended Seth Godin's presentation on his new book, Tribes, last week. In addition to being a superbly organised event at a great location in New York, Seth came across as a person who is every bit as passionate about his subject matter on (and off) the stage as he is on his blog.

Seth’s new book is all about leading groups of people, whether that be in a commercial marketing context (his home territory) or in the wider realm of organisational change, charitable concerns or passionate causes (such as expeditions).

The three hour non-stop event (which included more than an hour of Q & A) provided me with 12 pages of useful notes to implement.

One of the biggest revelations for me was Seth's concept that as a leader of a group, you get to lay down the strategy, but the individual members decide the tactics. By sharing this insight, Seth provided me with the missing piece of a puzzle to a project I've been mulling over for some time.

The slides that Seth used in his talk can be viewed online, and I've uploaded the audio if you want to hear what you missed. (I edited out the live performance by the talented Jen Chapin who played for us mid-way through Seth’s presentation.) The Tribes book is available on audio too, for just a dollar through iTunes. A bargain.