REASONS To Be Cheerful – those of a certain age will recall those words from a 1979 song title by the late, lamented Ian Dury, and his Blockheads.
To be cheerful where ISIL, Cyber and Global Meltdown are concerned, that is!
Because Martin Clements, one of the sharper minds working for the British Government in recent years, will bring this theme to the table as an esteemed guest speaker at October’s Naked Leader Conference (book here).
Martin’s field of expertise is security, having worked for 30 years in this sector, reaching the highest levels of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He served overseas in Europe and Asia, participating in several of the post-9/11 conflicts, entering Afghanistan with the British military in late 2001.
His role in life has been to work with others to make things better. In his words: ‘It’s only when individuals build strong and enduring organisations that they can change the world.’
Martin met Naked Leader founder David Taylor when David began leadership coaching in the Foreign Office.
‘Since we met he has been a loyal and challenging adviser to me personally, helping me out in particular when I have got stuck,’ reveals Martin.
‘David’s books, his talks and the Naked Leader philosophy are so valuable and impressive, yet the thing I value most about this extraordinary man, is his unique talent for cutting through to the core of a problem and coming up with advice that actually works. Yes, David’s advice works. He’s an exceptional coach.’
Well, it takes an exceptional man to know another, and Martin sees his role at the Conference as payback. ‘The least I can do after all David has done for me – and for his country – is give him a little support.
‘I’m looking forward to being on the same stage as David because for once there can be no comparison between different speakers. I feel rather like the warm-up act for the Beatles!’
It will be a privilege for David too as he listens to Martin’s talk, which is bound to be a fillip for delegates present because Martin’s is an upbeat message.
‘I have a few things I do want to get over to the business leaders present,’ he adds. ‘I spent my career dealing with messy, intractable problems around the world, often in tricky places and working with tricky people. I was surprised when I got home at how pessimistic we all are. I wanted to grab people and say, “hey, this is as good as it gets; this is a great place”. ‘And in trying to help other countries get to where we are in the UK you quickly understand the fundamental importance of the organisation – in government, civil society or business – to making things better.’
Martin’s sense of humour and engaging style is bound to resonate and he added: ‘So that’s it then. ‘No need to listen to my talk now. The rest is a bunch of anecdotes about warlords, terrorists, cyber criminals and corrupt politicians. If you’d like to hear those, then I will enjoy telling them.
‘See you on 13th October.’
That sounds like an invitation – what are you waiting for?