Adrian Webster - Polar Bear Pirates and Their Quest to Engage the Sleepwalkers: Motivate Everyday People to Deliver Extraordinary Results

Adrian Webster is a real life example of what his book is all about. I first travelled to London to see Adrian speak at an external conference having just read his book. I was blown away by his energy, emotion and delivery of what is a fantastic outlook on how to become successful in todays complicated social and economic world. Since then, Adrian has delivered three outstanding workshops and each time, my teams have gone on to deliver breakthrough performances. What sets Adrian apart is his energy, pace and passion in bringing to life the genuine accounts of his own road to Fat City. I defy anyone to attend a workshop of Adrians and not be emotionally moved and motivated to start their Quest!

Martin C Bowmer

UK Head of Sales, Business Banking, Insurance and Investments, HSBC Bank Plc

Adrian spoke at our company conference in 2005 and 2010 (outstanding). I recently found my 19 year old son John Pattison (just started a marketing job he seems to love) furtively reading Polar Bear Pirates. The next morning I found a note written by him to him before work FAT CITY HERE I COME. Thanks Adrian from two generations of Pattisons.

Paula Pattison

Senior Commercial Manager UK & Ireland,Hertel UK Ltd

Everyone here is still buzzing ever since Adrian spoke at our conference, we are now completely focused on getting those TNTs right and inspired more than ever to continue making a very real difference to the lives of others.

Meenakshi Sharma

Change Manager, Merlin Housing Society

This edition first published by Capstone Publishing Ltd (a Wiley company), 2011

2011 Adrian Webster

Registered office

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Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

9780857081278 (paperback), ISBN 9780857081629 (epub),

ISBN 9780857081636 (emobi), ISBN 9780857082398 (ebk)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This book is dedicated to all those who every day climb their own mountains to help others.

I would like to thank Louise, Seb, Harry and Rosie without whom none of this would have been necessary!

My thanks also to Richard for waking me, Phil for his wonderful creativity, the Capstone Wiley team for all their fantastic support and James, Gordon, Jill, Mark, Dave and Hendo for continuing to be such good travelling companions.

In memory of my brother Stuart Webster.

Introduction

Fat City is where the winners live. Most people who live there came from Rock Bottom. No one has ever moved there from Complacency, thats where The Norms live. To get there, you carry on doing what youve always done.

My first book was very much about self motivation and finding true success, what Polar Bear Pirates call Fat City. It was also about combating a range of negative characters in the workplace that we all come across on the road to Fat City, no doubt youll probably recognise a few of them:

Neg Ferrets are little warriors of doom who spend their lives macheting their way through all things positive to find just one little negative. Theyre like little indoor rain clouds, they have a problem for every solution and light up the room when they walk out.

Bloaters are Boasting, Lazy, Obnoxious And Tediously Egotistical, Reptilian Saddos. They have degrees in hindsight, they possess the answers to the universe and have an opinion on absolutely everything. Whatever youve done, theyve done it, but much bigger and better than you. You name it, theyve got the tee shirt.

Sinkers are disciples of your pear shape who are desperate to pull as many people down as possible into the boat of failure where they reside. Having never really achieved anything themselves, they despise other peoples success and will do their very best to torpedo anyone elses attempts at reaching Fat City.

Head Treads are the most insecure of all enemies. They live on the outskirts of Fat City having only just made it there through brown nosing, knife throwing, toadying and luck. Terrified of anyone coming along with real talent, they are the ladder pullers of Fat City.

Given half a chance, all of these enemies of success will do their utmost to slow, hinder, block or puncture your progress along the road to your Fat City. To avoid repetition for those who have read my first book, I will collectively refer to them in this book as The Pothole People they are best avoided!

In their fight against negativity Polar Bear Pirates have a very loyal ally. Betty Back Room is the dedicated, behind the scenes, limelight shunning, unsung linchpin heroine of any great team. The Bettys of this world are the keepers of sanity who get things done, they hold their teams together, keep the ship on course and manage their boss.

Dont mess with Betty B!

There is however a much greater and far deadlier enemy out there. A most deceptive enemy that today, more than ever, poses a substantially graver threat to those travelling on the road to Fat City than all of the Pothole People put together. As far as Polar Bear Pirates are concerned Planet Complacency is public enemy number one.