Our Time is Now Tony McGaharan – What we Learnt
Tony is a learning designer and founder of People Playbook a global learning and development consultancy that crafts and facilitates learning experiences which are fresh, engaging and interactive. Tony is our fifth and final interviewee for this series of ‘Our Time is Now’ video podcast
Here are a few of the things we learnt from Tony’s interview:
1.Travel opens your mind, broadens your horizons and helps you grow
“I learned a lot about myself in this new environment, launching into a new family, a new school, a new country, a new culture, everything. That really boosted my confidence, in a way that was indescribable and inspired me in a way I didn’t think would be possible. That I would start to see my life outside of Belfast. More globally.”
Tony highlights in his interview some of the benefits of living and working abroad in helping you to grow as a person. How experiencing different cultures, ways of thinking, working and living can teach you about yourself and your capabilities. This can make you more confident and more resilient as well as more open-minded.
2. Putting yourself out there and gaining experience will lead to opportunities
“The opportunity came up to apply for a head coach job. I had to apply. I had to take the risk.I put my best foot forward and got the job. It was such an incredible experience for me. So formative, taking on a leadership role at such a young age.”
Tony talks about his experiences of putting himself out there to gain experience by volunteering as a basketball coach. Through this he was then offered the opportunity to apply for a job as a head coach. This role gave him crucial leadership skills at a very young age. By putting himself out there and volunteering his time, he gained experience and skills and built his network and made connections that led to new opportunities.
3. Take risks and say yes to opportunities in order to grow
Throughout his interview Tony talks about his experiences of saying yes to opportunities, moving to America and Sweden. Dublin and Singapore and different job opportunities, coaching basketball and at Google. He shares how these experiences have shaped his life, built his confidence and skills and led to further success and unplanned opportunities.
4. Follow your own path and live life on your own terms
“The beauty of this life that we get to live is that you can do it however you want.”
During his interview Tony shares that he has always believed in living life on his own terms and that there are many different ways to live and that there is great joy in living your own life the way you choose.
5. Don’t be too fixed on what you believe is the path you are meant to follow
“I’ve always had hope and optimism that if this one thing that I think is amazing doesn’t work out there are a million other things that I could do.”
Tony talks about how his career path has transitioned from education to non-profit to global corporate tech business to starting and running his own business. His professional life has moved all around the world and shifted and changed directions. Tony shares his belief that we are all meant for so much more and that with hope and optimism success can be achieved in many different ways.
You can also listen or watch Tony’s full interview online now
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6QrjjelQZR8sQSIK2Z29hp
On Youtube: https://youtu.be/50nZ6pyLhkM
Or find Tony’s and all the other interviews on our website: https://www.blickstudios.org/our-time-is-now/
