Leon Taylor
Leon Taylor
Leon Taylor snatched Olympic silver at Athens by inventing the World’s most difficult dive he continues to keep himself busy since hanging up his Speedos professionally with the publication of his first book this summer, titled ‘Mentor’.
Speaker Topics
Leon Taylor speaks on the following topics:
After Dinner | Motivation | Teamwork
Fate smiled on Leon Taylor when it made him a hard to handle hyperactive child. Doctors despaired but his parents took on the challenge and found as many activities as they could to mop up his endless energy. Swimming and athletics proved to be his favourite pastimes and before the family knew it he was heading for sporting greatness, first as a junior champion and finally, an Olympian!
The man who snatched Olympic silver at Athens by inventing the World’s most difficult dive, had every reason to be grateful to his parents for never giving up and not taking the medication route which many families think is the only option.
Fate has smiled once more with the publication of his first book this summer, titled ‘Mentor’. His ‘how to do it’ study comes as British businesses face the loss of the Business Link Advisory network which has been a prop since Michael Heseltine launched the notion of a one stop support network.
With the Government favouring ‘Big Society’ style mentoring as the way forward for businesses fighting recession, his book could end up becoming the new business bible. He has had plenty of practice with the “forgotten art” since retiring from diving in May 2008, mentoring young Olympic hopefuls heading for London 2012 including diving star Tom Daley, who was grateful for his gentle support and diving advice. So do a string of FTSE 500 executives and even comedian Justin Lee Collins, who credits Leon with helping him get over his swimming fears.
No wonder Sir Clive Woodward, Head of Elite Performance with the British Olympic Association is pleased that Leon has put down his mentoring thoughts and guidance on paper, based on his own experiences as a mentor and mentee.
“It is a fantastic read and I would recommend it to any parent, coach, business person or athlete who is interested in learning more about how to motivate and communicate effectively in this ever important role as a mentor,” says Sir Clive.
His personal mentors helped him keep focused, especially when injuries and surgery threatened his chances at the Commonwealth Games. Knowing good from bad mentoring is an essential element of his book which has plenty of tips on mentoring best practice. He came unstuck with one mentor whose criticism was troublesome
Leon continues to keep himself busy since hanging up his Speedos professionally. Apart from being a regular BBC sport presenter, he has become a skilled Yoga instructor and is now setting up his own studio. His experiences will figure in his business coaching in the coming months.
Never one for standing still, Leon recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Once again he had to keep himself mentally as well as physically focused for the project in aid of the Village Education charity project, which works with local communities in Kilimanjaro to build, renovate and assist government primary schools in the region.
Leon is a popular speaker in businesses, schools, colleges and universities where he talks about:
• Perfect Mentoring
• Winning Against Odds
• Effective communication
• Setting up a small business
Leon in the press:
“An uplifting and motivational address which inspired the audience…” to challenge their own perceptions of what’s achievable through a combination of clear goal setting, hard work and determination…Leon’s presentation was one of the high points of a very successful conference”
Royal Bank of Scotland
“I am writing to you to express my thanks for your motivational speech that you gave recently in Dublin . The members of Million Dollar Round Table and the LIA in Ireland are a well motivated bunch of people anyway, so for you to get the attendees excited and motivated is a reflection of the quality of your speech and the presentation of it. It was done with a natural flair that involved what was obviously a lot of preparation and professionalism.
“To any one reading this who wants to know if Leon is suitable as a speaker I want to recommend him highly..”
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