Paddy has been the fitness trainer for both the South African cricket team and the Western Province rugby team. Having worked and travelled extensively with the players, Paddy has a fund of stories and insights to share with his audience. Paddy is an eloquent and highly effective communicator who is comfortable in front of any size group of people. He aims to make his communication both relevant and accurate according to the audience expectation and to the client's brief. This is accomplished by doing 'homework' prior to the event; an ability to read the audience before/ during speaking; and being sufficiently flexible to adjust content and delivery accordingly.
Cricket
Management for Peak Performance : The S.A. Cricket Team under Hansie Cronje and Bob Woolmer
At high levels of sport or business, the difference between success and failure is often minimal. Analysing the highly successful SA cricket team and the management of it, Paddy explores the elements of that team's success or lack of it. This includes preparation, understanding of self, learning the opposition and implementing a strategy based on this knowledge. He looks at events leading to the unfolding of this unit, and also how these may apply to any organisation. The talk is sprinkled with humorous anecdotes.
Reflections and a deeper understanding of Hansie Cronje
Hansie was a true leader of men. He had abilities and leadership qualities well ahead of his time. This chat represents Paddy's personal view of Hansie the captain and Hansie as one of 'the boys', prankster, diplomat, and 'blooper'. Included are possible scenarios in which Hansie may have found himself, from the day/ night of the first bribery approach, (where Paddy was present), to when offers were turned down, the time the first bribe was taken, until when the bribery was unveiled. Paddy relates his philosophical overview of subsequent events. This chat is insightful, humorous, comforting, and possibly controversial.
The social and emotional dynamics of fame and/ or touring in a professional cricketing context (as they might relate to business)
Equipped with superior cricketing skills, an ordinary person, possibly with inadequate intra- or interpersonal skills is thrust onto an international stage, along with pressure and expectation to perform, long periods away from home, and always in the public eye. An international cricketer quickly finds himself rolling in the lush playground of the ego, lavished with material reward and human temptation. Paddy explores the social and emotional dynamics of touring, as it relates to team spirit, love relationships, sex and drugs. He discusses how some individuals survive or succumb, either during or after exiting this stage. Except possibly for the media attention, this scenario is not too far removed from the situation of some business people. Insightful and eye-opening.
Street Children
How do street children land up on the streets in the first place, and what keeps them there? What really goes on 24 hours a day in a Street Child's life? Where/ what do they eat, how do they get money, who impacts on their lives, how YOU impact on them, where and how do sex, drugs, glue, alcohol and gangs fit in? What is the difference between a 'day stroller' and a streetkid, and how does our system manufacture the latter from the former? What do we do when we encounter a street child/ traffic intersection beggar/ glue sniffing little urchin. Insightful, humorous, deep.
* Note that this is chat not presented from a 'pull the heart strings', 'please feel sorry for them', 'your audience must feel responsible or guilty' perspective, but rather a more objective perspective that will resonate with a street child lover or hater alike.
