.....do as many meetings in an hour as some do in a day I met Allan in Paris at the France/Brazil World Cup and later had a mentoring session with him. He's the businessman who started at Mars, helped turn Asda around before its sale to Walmart, went on to hold a string (dozens in fact) of senior board roles, and is now back as Asda’s executive chair. I remember being struck by one of his habits: eight-minute meetings. Some meetings had no chairs, just high tables. The thinking was simple: sit down and people get comfortable; stand up and they’re more likely to stay alert and focused. It made me think about how casually we book an hour. “Have you got time for a meeting?” “Of course. I’ll put an hour in.” Then we sit down, settle in, chew the fat and sometimes spend more time talking around the issue than dealing with it. An eight-minute meeting makes you prepare. You need a clear point to discuss, a decision to make or an outcome to agree. Everyone needs to know why they’re there. Eight minutes won’t suit every conversation. But for a quick catch-up, a decision or a focused check-in, it can be plenty. Think how quickly a diary fills when every conversation takes an hour. Before long, there’s little time left for your key team members, customers, prospective employees, loved ones—or yourself. With eight-minute meetings, you could fit seven focused conversations into an hour, with a little time between them. That takes a shift in behaviour, but it can sharpen your focus, protect your diary and give you time back. We all get the same 24 hours. You can make more money; you can’t buy back an hour that’s gone. How we use our time shapes our future, our legacy and the difference we make. What could you get done in eight minutes?

What an amazing week, possibly one of my best for a long time…. https://lnkd.in/p/eJUFeEBf I explain it best in this Linkedin post, as to round off this week, after meeting HRH Princess Royal and now nominated and being recognised as Founders Choice for overcoming resilience and adversity. I post this to share, that life (and business) can be a rollercoaster and to have the highs and lows is all part of this rich tapestry called life 👊 Thank you @Dr Mike Greene DL and the community for all their support through what has been one of my toughest periods.

Morning, The Board Community! Inspired by one of the calls, we are now entering the Great Eastern Run on Sunday 11th October, 2026, starting with a discussion with @Betsy Wong (Thank you for stepping up). We already have a commitment from me in the wheelchair, @Scott Dwyer @Betsy Wong @Dr Mike Greene DL @Godfrey Muneri @Debbie Dorans @Daron Harvey and calling on any community members who want to join our team. For those who want to join, this is a team effort; however, to be clear, you run your own race. We are out there to finish, have fun, and enjoy the day! This is a closed road event, with a 3hr 30mins cut-off where they re-instate the roads, but Mike worked out the timings, and this can be achieved with a walk/jog idea. For those who possibly don't want to join, your efforts towards our combined charity endeavours would be amazing, please (!) and a link can be found below. Mike may have more to say on this.... 😀 I have set a team page for Little Miracles Charity based in the Peterborough area and covering East Anglia. To apply, please go to the APEG Great Eastern Run website - greateastern.run and hit the REGISTER NOW button. Once you have registered, please let me know, and I will invite you to our JustGiving page. As a team, I have set up a page - https://www.justgiving.com/team/scottlittlemiracles with a combined £2,000 target, but I do hope we raise much more. This charity helps support families of children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions, which is obviously dear to my heart, considering what I have been through over the past four years. One of the Little Miracles T-shirts will arrive by post shortly, and I aim to "sell" the space (not my body) to corporates and raise as much money as we can, as this worked for me last time for Magas and it raised over £1,500! Anyone can let me know, and I will then create race T-shirts for our team to wear on the day, and I will have your name put on them.

What a wonderful afternoon in and amongst the community, thank you so much to @Dr Mike Greene DL and Jules for a fantastic time! The food, music and company was outstanding and so pleased just to chill out for the afternoon, talking to a large number of the guests, sorry if I didn’t get to say hello! @Debbie Dorans was on fine form, even playing rounders with my crutch which was highly amusing, and @Jeff Dorans subtly mentioned Debs is a pansy killer! I am sure there is more to the story, but let’s just say it were right funny! The team is shaping up nicely, with five confirmed for the Peterborough Half Marathon, @Betsy Wong @Dr Mike Greene DL @Godfrey Muneri @Debbie Dorans @Daron Harvey and me @Scott Dwyer , and we have a combined Just Giving page for Little Miracles and we are 10% of the £2,000 target 🎯 If you would like to promote your company on my shirt for the day then let me know and kindly for a donation to the charity, your company logo can be on the shirt and then on your socials! I will send Mike the sheet, and he mentioned he will post out, in the meantime the link is here - https://www.justgiving.com/page/scott-dwyer-2026?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL Great to see everyone! @Samit Hathi @Sam Davis @Katie Humphrey @Kate Ashley-Norman @Neville Wright @Ian Brent @Howard St John smith you were funny man, and if you ever try to steal my wheels off my wheelchair ♿️ again you will be in trouble. Oh and you wanted my tie, tell you what, I will swap you my tie for a week in Bali, how does that sound? 😎🤣🙏👊👍

I’ve always loved Apple’s iconic line: “Think Different.” It’s an idea that resonates with me, particularly when I look at the mentoring industry. Too many coaching/mentoring companies draw people in through a prominent founder or recognisable face. Once you’ve joined, however, you’re delegated to a day-rate trainer who may have achieved little more… and often less, than you have yourself. You might receive the occasional token hello from the founder. If you’re lucky, you’ll be invited to a corporate dinner in a stuffy hotel… an event designed more for appearances and social-media photographs than for creating genuine connections. That has never been my idea of mentoring. I love bringing mentees together properly: A lunch at the House of Lords, A breakfast at the Jockey Club in Newmarket, …or my annual family barbecue for mentees and VIP members of our Skool community. The garden Party/barbecue has no business agenda. It’s simply about enjoying one another’s company. Families meet, friendships are formed, relationships deepen, and the children have fun. I’ve created this kind of culture within the companies I’ve owned for decades because I believe business should be built on lifelong relationships. It should involve caring as much about the person as you do about their business. Of course there’s a commercial element… we’re all in business. But when the relationship goes deeper than the transaction, it becomes real. It becomes worthwhile. That’s what mentoring means to me. And it’s why I continue to do what I love.