Insight Personal Development

Mentors

Below is a list of mentors who have made a significant contribution to my personal development. I believe that finding mentors in the game of life is one of the 5 Paths to an individual’s success. I am truly grateful for the important contribution each of these mentors have made in my life by being both a living example, and willing teacher of, their values and personal philosophy. In chronological order they are:

My Big Brother

Anyone familiar with my story will know that I left home at 15 years of age after my mother had re-married. The previous 3 years had seen my parents divorce and I had no valid male influence in my life. After a “physical” argument with my mum’s new husband, my brother took me and a bag of clothes to his home that he had recently purchased. He had just turned 22 himself and had been in the Police Force for 6 years, (leaving home as a 16 year old cadet). He had every right to focus on his career and attacking his first mortgage but he made a major decision to focus on my development and become my first life mentor.

I spent the next 4 years learning how to develop the disciplines that would lay the foundations for my future success, under his roof. My brother taught me the important life skill of personal responsibility! When things would go wrong for me I would look quickly to shift the blame on anything I could. He would remind me that laying blame on others meant that I had no chance to rectify the situation…..but if I could take personal responsibility for the position I was in, I had the greatest chance to ‘right the wrong’ and “grow” through personal development.

In essence what he was teaching me was that to change the outside world I was living in, I first had to change my inside world that I was thinking in…..a very powerful lesson that I grasped immediately. I am proud of his achievements reaching the rank of Inspector in the Victoria Police Force, receiving a Churchill Fellowship from the Governor General of Victoria at Government House, (where the above photo was taken) for his work in counter terrorism. He has travelled extensively in his Policing/Counter Terrorism Role and has graduated from courses run by the CIA & FBI in the USA, Scotland Yard in the UK and the Israeli Security forces in Lebanon. Our busy schedules prevent regular ‘catch ups’ but we speak by phone weekly no matter where we are in the world! My best way of showing my appreciation to my brother is to live a disciplined life and he has told me on several occasions of his pride in my business and personal achievements. These accomplishments could not have happened without his guidance. I owe him a debt of gratitude for life.

Geoff Everett

I met Geoff in 1979, my first year at high school. Geoff was my year 7 Maths Teacher but quickly became a genuine ‘guiding light’ during my teenage years. I think that schools today are full of “teachers” but rarely do you find a genuine mentor. I was extremely lucky to find a great one in Geoff. He took an interest in my sporting accomplishments and showed me how to set school work up, (which I loathed) like a sport, (which I loved). My report card was going to be the “Score Board” he would tell me and I could score whatever I wanted….he had a great ability to take a complex lesson and make it simple to learn…. that really worked for me.

In 1981, Geoff became Vice Principal at a time when the State Government Passed legislation to have pupils involved in the running of schools through representation on their respective School Councils. Geoff “anointed” me that representative and so began his mentoring of my public speaking and networking skills with teachers, parents and the wider school community. I really enjoyed those School Council meetings because that meant that Geoff and I would grab a quick bite of dinner before the meetings were scheduled to start. Those meals were the perfect environment to talk about the things I loved most in life at the time…..sport and leadership skills. Geoff’s involvement in my development cannot be understated. He gave me a Public Speaking model that I still use today! He also lit the fire for my leadership pursuits and to have Geoff actively involved in my life today is something I truly value. Next to my brother he is the most significant male influence and I could not have asked for a better role model. Today, Geoff will keenly watch our sons playing sport on weekends and his devoted interest and involvement in our family on a regular basis is a real gift that both Gai and I treasure!

Chris Bell

I first met Chris in October 1990. He was the Director of Bell Real Estate in Belgrave and I arrived on his doorstep straight after gaining my “Sub Agent’s License”. I don’t remember what I said during that interview or what he saw in me but to my great fortune he liked something about our first meeting…. and gave me an opportunity to join his team. In reality he gave me a professional sales career.

Chris was a “hands on mentor”. Each day he would give me hours of his time. I would sit in his office for what seemed like an eternity revelling in his story telling. He was big on energy….he wanted me to “walk with a spring in my step” and always “look the part”. Chris was the first mentor who could see a bigger future for me than I could ever possibly have dreamed for myself!

I remember fondly a night at his home in 1992 where he mapped out the next ten years of my life. He felt certain that I would eventually lead his sales team and he was even more confident that I would one day run my own real estate office. He could even describe the car I would be driving, (a Mercedes Benz). In so doing Chris taught me the value of “Visualising” the future I wanted. Long before the book “The Secret” simplified the concept, Chris shared with me the idea of walking, talking and acting like a millionaire at a time when I was $10,000 in debit on my commission card. He told me to study successful people and observe their manner in all things…their handshake, their vocabulary…their presence and then model it exactly.

I have had the great fortune of meeting some of the best real estate professionals on the planet but I am yet to find Chris’ equal for energy, charisma and innovative thinking. His significance in my life was such that we named our second son after him. Our son Chris already displays many of the character traits of his name sake and I know that Chris Bell is proud of that fact. And finally on Chris…...I did chuckle that summer day when I drove my black Mercedes sports car home for the first time.

Peter Gilchrist

In 1993 I signed up for a 3 day real estate course run by a New Zealand trainer who no-one knew anything about. 12 people were booked in but on day 1 only 3 people turned up. Peter said he was happy to refund the seminar fee due to the alarming lack of numbers….to which the other two people said “fair enough”. I doubt he was ready for my reply. I told him that I had cleared my schedule for the next 3 days and that I expected him to give me the very best three day seminar he could….clearly I was on ‘good terms with myself’. By lunch on day 2 Peter was grilling me under intense role play situations…..I think that was a bit of ‘Kiwi payback’ for my Aussie arrogance the day before! By the end of day 2 we agreed to end the formal seminar…. and start our friendship. He was now my Real Estate Coach. He would soon become my life coach. I considered myself fortunate to have access to Peter long before his mentoring skills were well known throughout Australasia.

We stayed in touch when he flew back to NZ and agreed to work with each other going forward. Over the following 5 years I would help him organise training opportunities in Australia and in return he would stay at our home and long into the night we would cover major life issues. Peter introduced me to the concept of Balance! “This business is not your life; it just funds your lifestyle” he would repeat time and time again. Peter’s recipe for work life balance was simple. When you’re at work…..work and when you’re at play….play….and don’t mix the two! He told me that I could have it all because I already had it all…..a beautiful wife, awesome kids and a clear understanding about my life’s destiny….without Peter’s guidance I know that the lifestyle I enjoy today would only still be a “pipe dream”. Peter started my passion for reading and every one of his recommendations has been life changing! His ‘one on one’ coaching is still the very best I have experienced to date….and I am truly fortunate to have had Peter as one of my life mentors.

Anthony Robbins

If you have been to a Tony Robbins event, you will no doubt agree with me that he is the most charismatic platform speaker in the world. The impression he made on me in late 1994 when I attended his one day Strategic Influence Program at the old “Glass House” in Melbourne was the most dynamic of any speaker I had heard up to that point, (and I would go as far as to say ever since). He turned a regular business seminar in to a Rock ‘n’ Roll Sporting Extravaganza using music, lighting and visual affects that left me in total awe. His presentation style really resonated with me for its natural delivery and use of humour. I remember calling my wife Gai during the lunch break and saying that I have finally seen the model of how I would deliver my own educational programs when I got the chance.

I immediately signed up for his 3 day Unleash the Power Within Weekend to be run in Sydney in 1995. By the last day of UPW I had signed up for Tony’s Mastery University, a $12,500 program, (not including airfares to the US or living expenses) when we didn’t have $12.00 in the bank! I still remember Gai’s reaction when I called her to tell her that I wanted to do the program…….no surprise that she said “no way”…..but when I told her that “I had to do it” she said: “Well that’s a different story….if you have to do it we will find a way”. The ‘person I became’ arranging my scarce resources to attend Mastery University over the course of the next two years was a far greater reward than anything I could have learned at Mastery itself.

I have had the great fortune to connect with Tony personally. His ability to teach life strategies and Emotional Intelligence is as good as it gets. He coached me in a manner that allowed my competitive instincts to work for me in the business arena, but never to show up on the home front…. (Gai finally got to win one of our rare arguments thanks to Tony). If there is one mentor that has helped me make significant advances in my Life Strategies it is Tony. My diet, vocabulary and passion for all of life’s events both positive and negative have everything to do with Tony’s mentoring. I have no doubts that had I not completed Mastery with Tony in 1997 that today I would most probably be a rich man monetarily speaking, but definitely morally, spiritually and personally bankrupt!

Jim Rohn

If I could have only one mentor for my kids to access in the game of life then Jim Rohn would be it! I attended Jim’s “5 Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle” Program at the original Melbourne Casino, (now the World Trade Centre) shortly after seeing Tony Robbins at the Glass House. All I knew of Jim was that he was Tony Robbin’s mentor and I thought ‘how good must this guy be?’ I arrived early and was waiting for the lights, music and Rock ‘n’ Roll environment I had witnessed at Tony Robbins, but was shocked that after a very low key introduction, this stately looking man in his early 60’s stood at a lectern and presented stories from his journal, much in the same vein as a University lecturer might!

Once I got over my initial surprise at the lack of razzamatazz, I immersed myself in the stories Jim was regaling from the lectern. I found myself ‘spell bound’ by the simplicity of Jim’s message. The greatest single impact on how someone’s life turns out he said was their Personal Philosophy; not their educational standard or economic situation ….their philosophy. The notes I took away in my journal that night included…. “Work Harder on yourself than you do at your Job”….if you work hard at your job you earn an income but if you work hard on yourself you create a lifestyle! And one of my all time favourite quotes: “Your income rarely exceeds your Personal Development.” He said your income could take a lucky jump but if you do not ‘grow’ to match this increase it will surely return to its original level in due course.

Later when I met him in person he told me that life puts some of the greatest rewards on the top shelf and to access them you have to stand on the books that you have read…. “Leaders are Readers young man”…he would declare! In the next 2 years I would read every book he recommended. I also became a messenger between Robbins and Rohn during this period. To my surprise they had not spoken for some years! Jim would say: “When next you are speaking to Tony tell him all this walking across hot coals he gets people to do at his seminars does not impress me. Tell him to call me when he can get people to walk on water”…. “You tell Mr. Rohn that it is a ‘graduate program’ and I will surely let him know” Robbins would retort. Later after more than a decade, the two personal development icons reunited over dinner in LA. Jim Rohn is a master teacher and for me to have spoken with him at conferences is one of the major highlights of my career!

Dr. Dennis Waitley

The “Glass House” in Melbourne was fast becoming my favourite venue. It was there that I first saw Dr. Denis Waitley present at the Success Congress in 1996. I had learned about Denis’ work from Jim Rohn and there were three things that attracted me to him instantly. Firstly he was a Doctor of Psychology and I was a keen student on mind powers. Secondly, he had worked on the Apollo Moon Missions having failed in the last cut of the Astronaut Program, (my love of the moon missions drives Gai crazy). He then became a simulation trainer for the Apollo Astronauts that walked on the moon. Thirdly, he was the first non physician to work as a sports psychologist with the US Olympic Track & Field Team. Carl Lewis was one of his many pupils.

Denis Waitley’s work in the field of Peak Performance is truly outstanding. His “Psychology of Winning Audio Series” hasn’t left my car’s CD player in 5 years. I have spoken along with Denis twice at two major conferences and got to spend some quality time with him in close quarters. His incessant knowledge of the Apollo program is worth tracking him down for alone if you love that pivotal achievement as I do. His high performance strategies remain some of the best I have learned.

Denis is also a master teacher who has risen to prominence as a key member of “The Secret” faculty. One of his best quotes is: “If you can conceive it & BELIEVE IT, you can ACHIEVE IT”. One night we were enjoying a meal and as Denis was talking about his friendship with President Ronald Reagan, the waiter would be pouring him an ice water, or placing a fresh bread roll on his plate…..each time, Denis would stop talking and turn to the waiter and say, “thank you….I appreciate it very much”. Later he would articulate to me; “Rik if someone is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, they’re not a nice person”…. To have shared the “head space” of an Outstanding Individual such as Dr. Denis Waitley is truly a gift I am forever grateful for.

David Knox

In 1996 I attended a workshop that our local real estate Institute held in Melbourne. The speaker was renowned American sales trainer David Knox…..not that anyone knew who he was in Melbourne! By the end of the first session I truly believed that I was in the presence of the greatest real estate trainer on the planet! After meeting David and his beautiful wife Candice we struck up a friendship. In later years I was gaining a regular speaking slot at the AREC Convention and the organisers asked me for a recommendation for a Key Note Presenter. The person they were after had to be dynamic but relevant to 1,500 practicing agents seeking cutting edge dialogues! I immediately thought of David and made the approach. By the end of the AREC conference that year, David rated top of the speakers and my previous thoughts about his status as a “genius communicator” were validated. David is a tremendous speaker; a talented educator and basically a very funny guy! I have had the great fortune to introduce him twice at the largest real estate convention in the world, NAR in Orlando Florida in 2000 and Las Vegas Nevada in 2007. The time I spent as a guest in David and Candice’s home in Minneapolis was a genuine pleasure! We talked all night about the various influences in our lives and I doubt that either of us was surprised when we had so many consistent mentors. If you are in the professional selling arena you MUST access David’s material. davidknox.com will be a valuable addition to your educational resources. David has spent more than 30 years developing his training products and whilst David’s lifestyle will not get affected if you access these items or not……yours most certainly will. He is without exception the greatest real estate trainer/speaker on the planet and worth any entry fee to any conference to see for yourself. I look forward to the day when David introduces me at NAR.

George Hateley

In 1996, Michael Jackson was in Melbourne on his HISTORY World Tour. My brother had worked with George, a former Special Operations Group Member that had recently left the Police force to run his own security company. He provided protection for Jackson’s Australasian concerts. George supplied premium tickets at “face value” for Gai and I and we were amazed that we were front row dancing with “MJ” in front of 60,000 fans at the MCG. The next day I wrote a thank you note to George showing our appreciation for the premium seats….I closed with the words; “Whilst we have never met you we just wanted to say thanks. I’m sure you get thank you notes all the time”. George responded by phone days later; “This is actually the first time that anyone has thanked me for getting any tickets….free ones or paid ones as you guys had done” he shared.

George had been in the Police Force for almost 18 years when he decided to retire from “the job”, despite being only a short term away from a major payout. Desperate for a change, he opened up Victorian Ranges Indoor Rock Climbing and Pistol Range…..keeping it afloat by working security at night time whilst trying to establish a business that was suffocating in debt and struggling to establish a following. Over the years he was able to grow both the Range and his Gold Star Security Company to a point where no major star, head of state or key business person would visit Australia without having George by their side providing close personal protection.

Many years earlier, George was jogging near their home with his young daughter Bree when they passed the prestige property known as “Gellibrand Croft”….. “Wouldn’t it be great to live there Dad”…..Bree exclaimed….at a time when George was tucking his hand down the back of his couch to find loose change to buy bread and milk. A few short years later, the Hateley’s moved in to Gellibrand Croft. The story of how that was achieved all revolved around a Thank You card that Paul McCartney had written to George after he handled his Australian tour. No wonder he responded so well to my thank you card a few years later!

George is a very successful business man and has the most amazing relationship with his kids. He is one of the best parental mentors anyone could access! His passion for life and ability to mind map solutions is awe inspiring! George is an outstanding mentor who lives a fulfilled life and by example, proves that nice guys do come first in the important arenas of family & home life.

Bob Wolff

Easily the hardest working individual I have ever known. In 1997 the Australian Real Estate Conference, (AREC) was first held at the ANA hotel in Sydney and Bob was a key note speaker from America. At the end of his 90 minute presentation there was a 20 minute morning tea break! As the room emptied for the coffee break, I was compelled to stay and meet this energetic realtor from Southern California. We hit it off straight away…..so much so that two short weeks later I was a guest in his home going on appointments with him in Southern California.

Bob is a genuine “giver” in the game of life. He has a wonderful energy that is wildly infectious and his wife Karen shares his giving nature. Bob taught me a powerful lesson on valuing myself and what I do….. “The reason why most agents don’t get higher fees is because they don’t value themselves or what they do highly enough”. Lift the value you offer and you can lift the income you receive! I got the honour of speaking with Bob at AREC and it remains one of my fondest conference memories.

Bob sends out a weekly email to thousands of friends, clients….anyone whose email address he gathers in his travels. You won’t find any request for your business in those emails……simply 4-6 positive quotes and the standard sign off offer: “If I can ever help you in anyway, please do not hesitate to call”. “Giving Starts the Receiving Process” he would often recite to me during our regular talks. One simple strategy he gave me was to send out 5 thank you notes a day! 5 cards thanking 5 different people for their clientele, friendship or simply for supplying great service! 5 cards per day 5 days per week = 25 cards per week or 100 per month. “Rik I must share with you that if you sent out 1,200 cards a year with positive messages your business would increase despite of you!”

Bob’s mentoring involves understanding that you have to have a dream. You have to have a goal…..and ultimately you have to have a plan. If those three things are not in play, you cannot do the easy stuff…One thing you must always do in Bob’s presence is SMILE…. “Smile Rushton”…..Thank you Bob for being a gracious giver!

Frank W Abagnale

George Hateley had booked us in to a breakfast seminar with the world’s greatest con man, Frank Abagnale on Tuesday the 31st of March, 1998. I remember the date exactly as it was our son Christopher’s 5th birthday and I had no intention of going anywhere on such an occasion! After much persuasion from George, I reluctantly attended the breakfast to listen to the escapades of a man whose life had been immortalised by the 1980’s book, “Catch Me If You Can.”

Frank’s life story is simply amazing and has since been made in to a full length Hollywood movie directed by Stephen Spielberg and starred Leonardo Di Caprio as a young Frank…..Tom Hanks had a major role also. But in 1998 the best way of learning about Frank was from his own lips…..and 45 minutes later I was shaking his hand and craving to learn more about his incredible life. Later that day I sent him an email to say thank you for his wonderful speech…….again I was shocked to learn that he found receiving such a note a rare thing. We stayed in touch and like all amazing individuals who cross my path, we became good friends.

Frank’s life story was the ideal plot for Hollywood….Left home at 15; impersonated amongst other things, a Pan Am Co Pilot flying around the world free, a lawyer, a Medical Practitioner and a University Lecturer with absolutely no qualifications whatsoever. By his 21st birthday he had passed more than $2.5million in fraudulent cheques and was wanted in just about every major city in the world. But that was not the “take home message” about Frank. After serving his incarceration and near death prison experience in a French Jail, Frank returned to the US and ended up working for the government in the fight against organised crime. Today he is the World’s leading authority on secure documents, Identity theft and “E Fraud”. Can I also add that he is the best role model for men in the world today!

He can define the characteristics of “what makes a man, a man” better than anyone I have seen or heard! His parenting and mentoring skills are world class and I am blessed to have had the benefit of his wisdom on a personal level. The results after implementing his Personal Relationship Strategies in my own life have been simply outstanding. My family life today is so fulfilling after “catching” those notes on that March morning in 1998 and I will be forever grateful for George’s persuasion that lead to our initial meeting with Frank!

Diane Bednarz

I met Di in the summer of 2003/04 when I was coaching her son in the local junior cricket team. When summer gave way to winter we reconnected again when I took on coaching the footy team. It was clear from the start that Di would be a great fit for our business! She wanted to work closer to home in an environment that was “family focused”, (which we had in abundance) and she had some exceptional finance skills, (that we urgently required). She took over the running of our company in 2004 and we have never been in more secure hands financially speaking.

You could be forgiven for thinking that I list Di as a mentor for her financial acumen. Whilst there is a strong case for that, it is her emotional intelligence and ability to focus with clarity on the ideal outcome, not the daily negativity that can come from life’s experiences, that I respect the most. It is hard to stay focused on work obligations at the best of times, however to remain actively involved in our business whilst fighting breast cancer was a real life example of Di’s outstanding Mental Toughness. Until that experience, I had read about mental toughness; studied it at length but never saw a more perfect example of it than displayed during that period during Di’s personal battle!

I have had the great fortune to learn from some of the world’s master teachers and there is no doubt in my mind that Di could easily sit in that esteemed company. I think any speaker/trainer or coach can talk about success principles in times of comfort and joy, however it’s in times of challenge; indeed extreme personal confrontation, where the true character of a person is displayed. And there can be no tougher battle to fight than one’s own mortality. I see the ability to share the same office space on a daily basis with Di as a true gift…..one I will hopefully enjoy for many years to come!