Fancy that. A GPS for life...it's Kia Ora New Zealand.

This story was originally published in the business section of the New Zealand Herald website by Diana Clement - Climbing to success requires plan of action. Rowdy will be making a television appearance on Tuesday the 27th April, tune in to see him broadcast live across New Zealand! Only 5 tickets remain to see him live at the Get Real seminar in Auckland - register here now or contact the Get Real crew for more information!

McLean gets hot under the collar about the "cotton wool society" we live in and how it holds people back from success. People also handicap themselves by listening to the "dream stealers". These are the people that say: 'it can't be done'. They're the people that said Mt Everest could never be climbed. Then they said it couldn't be done without oxygen. And when that failed a woman couldn't do it, and nor could a blind person. If everyone had listened to this defeatism talk, Everest would never have been climbed.

He's full of good practical advice for people who find themselves held back in their career or life. For example, procrastination and perfectionism are poison in Rowdy-speak. "People say 'I can't do it today', 'I will do it when I get time', or 'it has to be perfect'. The trouble is we live in the fastest generation ever." McLean believes instead in going ahead and testing ideas.

Another Rowdy-ism is to ditch your labels. Just because you have a label for not being dedicated or even being a whinger, it doesn't mean you can't ditch them, by either moving on to a new workplace and starting afresh, or simply reinventing yourself in the existing one. "We go through a process with people of unpacking their backpacks and repacking them and getting rid of all the stuff they are carrying around, which is not useful."

McLean was brought to New Zealand by the relatively fledgling local branch of Thought Leaders - a community of people who exist to 'inspire thinking and facilitate conversations that shift thinking on the planet'. The theory of Thought Leaders is that there are few platforms where talented individuals can develop or share their great ideas.

"Original thinking rarely comes from collectives. And, although inspired thinking often happens in isolation, it rarely happens in a vacuum. An idea needs an audience, like fire needs air," the organisation says in its marketing material.

McLean, who has been a member of Thought Leaders in Australia for six years says he finds the members a great network of people to brain storm with. "The reason I am part of Thought Leaders is it stretches my mind and keeps me growing and developing. The Thought Leaders mindset looks at something and says: "yes and ..."

It's not a touchy feely organisation, says McLean. Rather "being clever and commercially smart as well". "It's about the motivation and inspiration of people in business to raise the bar." Members come typically from two areas:

Individuals who want to develop their intellect - most likely in a commercial area

People in industry who are looking to position themselves with a unique point of difference.

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