Warren MacDonald is an incredible change agent, with an inspiring story....one of patience, persistence, hope and overcoming fear and obstacles to climb mountains (literally).

Warren MacDonald- professional speaker, author and transformational leader!

Warren Macdonald's life's boundaries were redefined in April 1997 in an accident on North Queensland's (Australia) Hinchinbrook Island. Climbing to the Island's tallest peak, he became trapped beneath a one-ton slab boulder in a freak rock fall. Two days later he was rescued, only to undergo the amputation of both legs at mid thigh.  Just ten months later, he climbed Tasmania's Cradle Mountain. 

Warren discovered that he had choice, not necessarily in what happened to him, but to how he coped and accepted his new reality.. he decided that being beaten by life’s circumstances and being a victim paralyzed by fear was not a choice for him, so he chose to change his perspective and live life as a survivor.

In the coming days, he realized how many huge life changes would need to be made however, he reclaimed his life and moved on. He learned to ask for help. He learned patience, perseverance, and not to be afraid of change. All great lessons for organizations and the teams that work so hard to fulfill a company mission. If you don’t view change as an opportunity, you lose your power, said Warren. The process of dealing with change really involves three steps, according to MacDonald: Acceptance, Responsibility and Crisis. When you create challenges for yourself, your team, you push through the discomfort to success.

Warren’s tips for leaders , business owners and team members around dealing with change included:

- Asking for help

- Having a common goal that s clearly defined

- Leaders inviting perspective shifts to embrace change instead of fear it



Asking questions is a great way to find out where a team is at. Warren suggested that leaders question their mission and actions. Here are a few questions to get you started.

- Why do we do what we do?

- Why does our business/service/product, etc. matter?

- What are we doing and why?

- Where are we going?

Then check in on actions and results. Are they congruent to the answers for the above questions. We are in an important time. What really matters in teams? Here is what Warren and I have both seen as important:

- Transparency

- Engagement

- A mission outside of work

Warren gave an example of one team who volunteered a shift at the local soup kitchen. Another assembled a bunch of bikes without knowing why, until a crowd of young children from a local organization burst through the doors. What a great way for a team to be connected together and to be connected to a purpose or mission outside of the work functions.  You can listen to Warren share this and other stories on our interview  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/06/20/guests-jill-lublin-and-warren-macdonald


Feel free to share the link with your colleagues and in your team. A great message worth sharing.

Also, check out Warren’s book at


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Don’t Quit…You are almost there!

Far too often I see individuals and teams quit (a project, solving an issue, building a team) when they are almost at the finish line. Giving up certainly impacts your ability to Bounce Forward and be more resilient. I frequently saw team members who had given up on trying solving an issue just before they resolved it. Or, they compromised too early, as a solution instead of working a little harder to really resolve the challenge and move beyond it. People also give up on their goals. With the new year approaching, and knowing that individuals and businesses often set next year goals, I wanted to share a few thoughts about persistence and sticking with it to the finish line. I recently had the opportunity to hear an incredible speaker, Warren MacDonald talk about finding opportunity in adversity and succeeding through change. This gentleman modeled resilience in the face of fear, and is a great example of a person I believe has Bounced Forward™.

11 years ago Warren set out on a backpacking trip to Hinchinbrook Island, off the northeast coast of Australia and this day would change his life forever. During his climb to the summit of the islands tallest peak, he became trapped beneath a one-ton boulder in a freak rock fall. “Warren’s “test of will” lasted two days before a helicopter arrived, and he was rescued. The accident would cost him the loss of both legs, amputated at mid thigh” (credit Warren MacDonald website). Since Warren’s rescue he has been climbing mountains, ice climbing and inspiring millions around the world with his story, and powerful lessons of courage, perception, overcoming obstacles, and not giving up.

Warren shares a similar belief as me, the way you see something is everything. I have often said in my presentations, that sometimes it is the way we look at a situation or perceive a problem is in fact the problem. Warren reminds us to pay close attention to how we perceive a situation, because how you look at an obstacle determines how you move through it, or around it.

As you move forward into a brand new year, take a close look at your goals, you may be much closer to success than you think. If your perception is stopping you, take time to change your perception and create a different plan to bounce forward. In my latest book, Bounce Forward, I also talk about the importance of taking daily action towards your resilience. The more resilient you are, the better able you are to cope with life’s challenges.

To find out more about my incredible friend Warren MacDonald, please visit his website at:

http://www.warren-macdonald.com