so Lord really I mean we're gonna have to start by you telling me a little bit about Naomi Campbell at 10 Downing Street I mean how do I get that picture it's a great picture and she was it was cool I mean and there's Naomi Campbell powerful black woman who has had to fight her corner um to to stand their ground to be recognized to fight a sister actually the the beauty system that looks down on women and uses Bill not knowingly Campbell and when I was speaking to one of her one of her friends I said I want to take them become water down in street so she could meet with the prime minister and I said to the Prime Minister Theresa may look I think powerful women should talk to each other they should support each other and she agreed and so the funny thing is is that when namik walks down the street everybody Knocks you know they had to turn and I introduced I said to the Prime Minister prime minister I want to introduce you to my super sister and she smiled and they chatted they chatted about empowering young women young women like yourselves so it was it was a great conversation of two powerful women and like like my like my good friend here I mean that this is what we do for me it's a great story that that when this young man I saw his talent we chose him and we we empowered him to say it's not just about you but it's about what you do and what you do for others and just look what he's doing you know what was interesting um I was in the there's a green room outside and now speaking to some of your ambassadors Sarah and Francis Francis said that one of the speakers that you had just blew him away she was so Dynamic she was a woman that worked challenging the police working with the police and he said it was Unforgettable and it inspired me to do great things so I said who was this woman and he said Katrina French Katrina French was on the same program we chose Katrina French to be a leader so you see how you see how the journey goes I was lucky I was inspired mentored by Reverend Jesse Jackson you know Reverend Jesse Jackson was on the balcony with Dr Martin Luther King when he was shot we run for the U.S presidency twice before Barack Obama 1984 1988 he was the best candidate by far but America wasn't ready for a black president he mentored me I mentored this man these mentors you Journey continues and what what I said what I said to pay him I said look when we chose when we saw his talent we saw his energy I turned around to him and others and I said look for him hear me now and hear me good I'm not asking I'm not asking for your success remember I'm not asking any he was like oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh I said I'm demanding it demanding it the way you're good with that we're good with that and you know he didn't know what he's doing now and I think that that when you you pass the bat knob gave young people like yourselves the tools tell me this here's a question for you how many of you have heard of Jason Hardy put up your hands Jason Hardy we had him as a speaker on the program last year thank God there you go he's a a mentee of mine when Jason Rd was 11 he couldn't speak you know that could not speak but he fought with it working class kid from a council estate in South London you know next week it becomes the youngest black professor the youngest at Cambridge University there's only four black professors I think is the only is that is this is the youngest and I think he's the only male black professor at my University and he's my guy foreign and if I didn't mention that in my introduction Lord Wooley is the first principal first had male black principal any Oxbridge College that's including Oxford and Cambridge run reports for that the both of you aspiring to all Spirits for those of you aspiring to Oxbridge I mean what what a contact what a contact for you so make sure you come up and ask a question at break time when you come to when you come to Cambridge when you come to Cambridge and many of you here Will sorry Francis sorry sir Hamilton College Simon Says but you know I wasn't supposed to be there I wasn't supposed to be there because because young men and women from uh Council Estates mine was in Leicester we're not taught to aspire to go to Oxford or Cambridge we're not taught to work in Daven Street we're not taught to be with supermodels foreign and you know because I was speaking to another Ambassador about the obstacles that you face because you're Muslim because you're black because you're a black woman I know the obstacles I know the challenges I remember I remember um I had another mentor Reverend Al Sharpton he did the eulogy for George Floyd remember the eulogy for George Floyd get off my knee get off my knee remember that and we brought him over 20 years ago Batman he was a barrel-chested activist fast talking sharp Suited we took him to Peckham in South London at a people referral unit and there was about 20 black kids with their hoodies looking a bit mean and Sharpton looked at them and they were looking at him what are you going to do what are you going to say to us that can impress us Mr Al Sharpton and he turned around to these young men and he said let me tell you this I know you're about it tough I know you've been excluded I know people have given up hope on you but I tell you about one thing if I knock you down that's on me knocking you down if I come back two weeks later and you're still on the ground that's on you and you saw these guys look at each other deep I can feel that what is what he was trying to do is turn that adversity into power instead of saying I won't be defeated I'm going to prove you wrong can't Define me I could do it myself and so for myself fast forward from a council house from a council house in Leicester to being in um this woman Westminster this this guy's called Nagata he does all the procedures for uh the House of Lords and he said um Lord Wally uh do you know where you want to be a lord of maybe of Lester or or somewhere and I turn around to him I turned around by him I said I'd like to be um Lord worthy of everywhere and he went uh no can you be more specific and I thought about I thought about my counselor stated Leicester it's got some Matthews except Matthew's house I thought maybe Lord wooly officer Matthews and I thought no I've lived in London I've lived in London for most of my adult life so maybe I'm going to be from my neighborhood in London you know where that neighborhood is anybody know Waterford Lord Wally of Waterford I thought to myself if it's good enough for Winston Churchill when Winston Churchill was prime minister he was the MP for Watford now under load of wood I'm not saying every Journey can be the same right what I am saying is at your own Journey with no limits is it a walk in the park definitely not in fact when it's not a walk in the park and you keep getting knocked down you get back up and you show them when you get to a place like Cambridge University and you're in charge now you know when I uh when we're at the graduation have a graduation in Senate house remember that Francis sir when you graduate you come to this grand hall in Ox in Cambridge and someone like me sits on the throne with a red gown on and you have to come to me a kid from the council estate and you have to kneel and we have to do a funny handshake and I bestow you your degree in Latin had to learn Nothing by the way I did not eat it uh secondary modern School in Leicester but we learned quick right without quick thank you love Willie I loved your point about demanding that we all Step Up and one of the things we ask our young people on this program too is at the end of the program they have to launch social action projects in the local community and they can Champion any social cause that they feel really passionate about and I got that lesson from you you know it's it's a privilege to be able to pay it forward and it's a responsibility you know we had 1600 applications for this program for 400 places and so just like Lord will you saw talent to me we saw talent in each and every one of you but that Journey does not end cannot end when this program ends your journey is just beginning and as a central part of that Journey your contribution to your community to Champion the causes that you're passionate about has to has to feature centrally in the work that you do that is built a privilege and a responsibility 100 here's the other thing too I'm leaving the rule over a hundred over 100 you should all know each other you should all support each other share your stories you see out there in the public schools in the Posh areas do you know what they have Networks where they support each other they open doors for each other they're given the Intel about what's going on your own Francis I'm sure that you're good imagine how he is when you're all together how many languages in this room think about that how many connected countries how many cultures how much knowledge is in this room now imagine if it's shed imagine imagine if I get a golden thread a golden thread and I sow it weave the golden thread you know what happens that the whole becomes greater than the individual Parts the whole this is how these networks you've heard any of you heard of the Bullington boys it's like a group of it's a group of Posh tourists and they looked after each other Boris Johnson David Cameron George Osborne wherever they went they looked after each other you need to look up to each other because you have a shared interest many of you are if not most of you are working class or not born with a silver spoon right you support each other help each other up the world your oyster and it's not just the people in this room this is why we mix you with the West London program as well but also our alumni Community this is what we have ambassadors we've had hundreds of kids go through this program over the last couple years that is your network those are your people who have a shared Journey a shared understanding but also are ambitious for their future and are passionate about change this is the family that you are now part of the Future Leaders family the Future Leaders family within the Future Leaders family how many of you are going to be politicians raise your hand please there's a few there do I see a mayor of London in this room come on put your hand up again don't be shy stand up please stand up stand up give a round of applause get my votes but unless you stand up and be counted we can't vote for you uh do I see a a business entrepreneur in the room please stand up entrepreneurs there you go one two three I mean I can't believe it's not more entrepreneurs that's where the money is they will see any more entrepreneurs stand up stand up stand up the entrepreneurs the entrepreneurs what do you think you might want to do as a thank you what do you think you might want to do as a as a business do you have any idea yet so art art you know Damian urst saw one of his paintings for 14 million uh they minus didn't get the money but the business entrepreneur did you see what about yourself technology oh my gosh Europe I mean we're all dealing with chat what is it chat AI there you go thank you my son would know 100 percent what about yourself young man oh there you go it's got Big Ideas this guy and why not and why not you know what I've always thought what about the black Amazon black entrepreneurs selling their ways with black Amazon what about yourself artists too good good what about uh thank you sit down sit down do I see do I see any doctors in the house yes sir right right that's it that's it doctors in the house you're not going to bat back can you help but you have to think big um thank you doctors thank your doctors in the house what about lawyers oh my gosh the law is in the room so politician lawyer that's okay that's okay that's okay Lord lawyers all right here's a question for you you want to be you want to build a defense lawyer or a prosecution lawyer defense but by yourself prosecution okay uh defense why why defense lawyer oh don't you just love that why do you want to be a prosecution lawyer [Laughter] maybe that's honest that's honest thank you thank you lawyers let me just say this whether you're a prosecution admire or defense lawyer entrepreneur politician you know what Future Leaders program seeks to do to give you values to give you integrity so yes you can make big money yes you can make big money in business but you need to do it the right way not to cheat people not to steal from people but to be creative uh I think when you go through leadership programs with the right values the right values guide you to make the right decision rather than the one that looks pretty that pays the highest salary you might say you know what thanks but no thanks because I don't agree with your ethics your morals Francis success the right way the the right way it is the thing about doing it the right way like this like this young man I say it's a young man because you don't even admit okay take it take it all day long you know when when you when you do things the right way it's not just about you um I feel privileged to to watch this man develop and just become a decent decent guy and I see him you know now is now he's chatting with the mayor of London and Theresa May and you know it's a big shot now right but he's not doing it for him he's doing it for you you see the difference how you can be successful you can Elevate yourself by doing for others and so now you know I'm in the House of Lords you know I walk around the house of Lords you've been there right it's like it's a gold it's a gold chamber the king comes there and sits once or twice twice a year I walk around and they say is everything okay my Lord see what are they talking about because I'm not I'm not used to it because I didn't want to be called a lord I didn't aspire to that I aspire to do good things and then good things happened to me I had to get on one knee too sorry but it was to be knighted by a magistered a queen and she took the coin out she was 93 I think it's 30 girl don't take my ear off I got up one day and she she United me and uh for a short one I was assignment so assignment like like I said El John or sir Mick Jagger Sir Sir Simon and I thought I can live with that I mean who wouldn't right it's a great honor but I've lost the title so when you become a lord you drop the sir because you get upgraded I don't know what's next but I'm I hope I did it for the right reason what I love about what you just said I don't know what's next you are Lord which is the highest rank in British Society but not really still thinking about what's next what a lesson there is in that always be thinking what's next for you never think that there's a limit there is no ceiling the only ceiling is in your mind and you're the only person that can break through it whenever you think I've done it I've got three A's that I love I've got my place at Oxbridge that's just the beginning what's next for you and what's after that and what's after that that's the journey we want you to go on it is it doesn't it doesn't mean to say that you're you're always waiting to be to feel success or to be happy because because that's her error too you know when I was maybe your age I'll say to myself when I got myself a Ford Capri and that was a flush call back in the day I'll be happy and then you got the car and then you think now oh well maybe I'm not maybe I've got to get something else no you can be happy tonight yeah with your friends with your colleagues in that learning process and in your future I think it's very very important in everything that you do to be present you know sometimes sometimes we put our happiness on hold we say well I don't want to get my house I want to get the flash card no be happy today find something that gives you Joy it might be it might be that you gave your mom a hug you gave your brother a sister a hug that's been present that's been joyous joyous now today yes you can plan for tomorrow read your books do your study study it but living in the moment is something we forget and this all around us all around us Beauty all around us is is joy um we just have to open our eyes and embrace it and I think I think when we are present in everything we do I think we do things much more for the right reason um because because we're present you know so for example sometimes you can beat a room and you're thinking who's the most important person in the room I only want to speak to them and ignore the person next to you well they may not be the most important person in the in the room today but there could be tomorrow and if you're present if you're present with them they will not forget that you look them in the eye that you listened to them by being present what I love what Lord police just said you have everything you need to be successful you may have less than others you may have more than some others but you have in this moment you have everything you need to achieve your dreams however much or little that is you know achieving it achieving some people get it wrong they think that actually getting the big house in the car is achieving you know what's achieving the doing think about Reverend Jesse Jackson he lost two presidential campaigns but in losing he won he won because he'd begun to change America of what black success Black Talent looks like if it wasn't for King and Jesse Jackson there couldn't have been Barack Obama sometimes when you lose your win sometimes when you fail an exam you think I failed big no no no no no no no no no no okay I didn't do my best at this exam I'm gonna learn from that so it's being being present and allowing you to see and even when you get things wrong it's a learning process allows you to think most things that you do can be valuable thank you everybody I just want to go back to something you said earlier on adversity to power adversity to power so if we were to take a step back and just just go to the start of your journey and mentioned growing up in a council of State no doubt a life that is filled with adversity like many of our young people will be facing so what advice could you give to our young people about what they should do in the face of adversity and how do they overcome that and not not that hold them back it's a good question um and it might be multiple multiple layers to it but overarching those layers I would say try and be smart know when to let things go somebody calls you a black B you might say to yourself you can't touch me can't hurt me you know what's that David Guetta Titanium right all right uh other times you other times you may want to point the finger and say behave yourself behave yourself have the judgment and I think my judgment when I am I'm in those situations you know what I say to myself I'm in control so if I want to say something back to you it's because I want to say something back to you not because you've provoked me because if I act upon your provocation You've Won already right there let me give you another example of that how many times have you been in the car with your dad your mother your friend and the Connex next to you is at road rage screaming you're thinking what what and your instinct is to scream back why would you do that I always say to myself when I see people with road rage you be careful mister you be careful Mrs at some point you're going to meet yourself and it's not going to be pretty my thinking is I don't know you you can't touch me with your poison so I'm just going to let it slide you can rant and rape it in your car as much as you want I'm not taking the banks sometimes when you have to stand up to protect your family protect your friends you need to know the difference and sometimes I've got it wrong you know I've been too emotional you know I used to I used to go to um friends houses if I would and I would hear somebody say something stupid something racist something awful I remember I was in a posh dinner in the city and I think as I think as minorities you try and make people feel comfortable so I was in a room with white people making these people feel comfortable they got so comfortable they started to splurge their racism laughs this woman turned around to me she said oh uh Mr Willie what is it with these black kids what is it with these black kids and their their attitude and behavior in school what is it with them you forget who you're talking to I've made you so comfortable that you can talk like that to my face and so I'm thinking now how do I deal with this and I'll turn around and I've said the funny thing is back 50 years ago a lot of men at the same attitude towards women in schools that they were useless that they couldn't learn the woman started to cry give me a break sometimes that you have to let it go and other times you just Raging Raging Raging another example and I would argue a slightly funnier example was that I went on the training once I think it was an overgrown train on Liverpool Street to Tottenham and I get on the train there's two seats there and two seats there there's a couple sitting in front so the Train's pretty packed and I get onto to sit on the empty seats and these two one person in front of in front of me says in Spanish I hope this black guy doesn't sit facing us can I just hear that yeah I speak Spanish so what do I do what do I do of course I sat down and now I'm seated in my country these two people from another country are telling me that I shouldn't sit there all right let me I'm I'm trying to translate and think what I do what I do what do I do what do I do I'm thinking if I say to the woman I know what you say I know what would happen oh no I didn't you got it wrong you've got a chip on your shoulder uh why are you attacking me I become the villain in the situation but if I say nothing my heart's gonna burn for the injustice for my defense lawyer what do I do what would you do what would you do Sarah she's got it you know what happened you know what happened from her from but you can't speak in Spanish just to yourself otherwise they think you're crazy I swear to you somebody was looking out for me because my phone rang my phone ran and I picked up the phone and said with you he was like what were you talking about that for but the other two in front went like this got found out I swear to you it was a picture I said nothing to them but I watched them squirm I watched myself a bit two stops later that got off the train they just couldn't bear the humiliation of being found out so be smart be smart and and choose your balance I want to talk a little bit about operational life progress as I said at the beginning uh ladies and gents the purpose of operation blackboat is to give a platform to to people from Minority backgrounds and and not really as you know our work on Future Leaders program harp is about supporting these young people secure their next steps whether whatever they may be the other half is to empower them to be advocates for Hawaii and diversity so we do sessions on Black History Month we do sessions of islamophobia anti-Semitism LGBT rights and Disability Rights movements rights Etc and the hope is that they gain an education and feel a sense of civic responsibility to be active upstanders we've done some work on how to be an upstander as well so my question to you is why was it important to you all those years ago to start operation black vote and what are the barriers that you think people from Minority backgrounds continue to face and how can we overcome them so well when I was I guess your age I I wanted the money too and I got a job in town and I was earning this money I bought a flat I bought a flat here in in Woodford in South Woodford in fact and then a little sign hold on to that thought but a little decide that um I bought a flatness about 21 I got lucky and one day my washing machine broke down and I was coming out the house with a dirty bad washing and I'm walking down the street two police cars came by and uh and they drove by screeched and reversed back reverse back up jumped out the car and then just headed towards me and I said what what they said where you going I said I'm going to the laundrette they said oh there's been some burglars around there what you doing around there I said I lived there that's where I live they said if you got the ID I said you don't need ID to go to the laundrette I can get you some ID okay go and get me some ID so I went into into my house turn the gay went into the house and the policeman was following me I said where you going he said I'm coming with you I said no you're not you're not invited into my house you wait here and as I went in he rushed in jumped on me dragged me out arrested me look me to my lock me to the gate to the gate and said we think you're going to run through the house or run off and and then knocked on my neighbor's houses not on my neighbor's houses and said does this man live here they went yeah that's Simon and now there was enjoying the humiliation they knocked on two other people's houses and then uncovered me uncuffed me and said right you're free to go I was I was seething but I thought to myself I'm not going to get mad I'm not going to get mad I'm going to get evil I'm gonna get powerful I'm gonna be I'm gonna be after you someday trust me on that and so I think in my mind I kept thinking to myself uh having money is not not off of it you need to understand power how it works because it's not just about me this happens to black kids all over the place we need power where we're not asking for for justice of equality we're demanding demanding it so I said to some activist I said look you know this young black man going into police custody fit and healthy and coming out debt and no one's held accountable we need power we need black power so we started 30 years ago operation Operation black vote and back then as you said before there were four uh black Asian minority ethnic MPS Bernie Grant God Rest his soul super sister Diane Abbott Keith Vaz and Paul botan uh now there are 60 65 black Asian minority at the campus but what we did was is that first of all we said look we might only be 10 percent uh 12 nationally but in places like London Leicester Birmingham Manchester I actually we're concentrated and so if we register to vote and vote you can stop making demands it was brilliant because before operation Blackbird politicians won't care about black people when we said we could decide who has the keys to demonstrate the old knocking on my door Simon can we talk I remember back in before you were born we got I got a call from Jack straw he was the Home Secretary or the Shadowhunter secretary and he called me up and he said Simon um can you organize a press conference I want to make an announcement to my colleagues in the office because we're all volunteers and we're not none of us are getting paid I said oh Jack school on the phone the shadow Home Secretary yes Mr straw what can I do for you so we held a press conference I know this press conference he said Mr wallet if black people black and brown people a vote for labor we will ensure that you get a public inquiry to the death of Stephen Lawrence who made that he made that promise to us and and delivered they didn't do that because they love black people no they knew we had power they knew we had the power to either vote them in office or out of office and this is what this man is trying to do for you he's trying to give you the self-belief that you can do great things but collectively in a United Way do extraordinary things think about that you know I often say to you demand those spaces in those places when we talked about Oxbridge or not being comfortable in a corporate environment when you when we took you to Amazon Etc I've said to you demand those places in those spaces because you deserve them I I borrowed that from Northwest so good because when I was on my leadership program that's what normally said to us demand those places in those spaces because you deserve it I probably started from somebody else doesn't matter you pass it on pass it on you say it's your turn it's your turn to it's your turn to flourish and the thing about it is is that is that uh when Francis goes on this success sorry for many of you that you will say I was supported this guy took me to the places that I should be at this self-belief and I'll tell Katrina French about what she did for you because that's how we keep passing that positive vibe onto the to the Next Generation you talked about the importance of network and that's one of the greatest gifts you gave us through Pathways to success so many of the alumni have been on this stage and spoken to these young people including Katrina and so many more and this is the power of network so many of the speakers that we've been able to bring to put in front of you I met through my network and now this is your network right I mean you think about it for a second uh think about what Martin Luther King could have done if you had WhatsApp you know that's not doors better March up the streets you've got it all on your phone to be connected to give support you've got to use that use it not just for not just for tick tock likes with bounces I mean I'm not against that's trust me on that one but you could you could you could use you could use that power then you've got your hand folk for greater than Tick-Tock dance likes is my point thank you literally um so ladies and gentlemen we've got about 10 minutes left so it is over to you an opportunity to ask Lord Willey any question that you would like so before before you do think about your questions because the because I think they're going to give you a lot of books who ask questions but I'm going to sign two books now one book here and one book for the other group so the best question will get a signed copy tonight and find people that you and I got to choose which is the best question it's all you've ever believe but I I will support it absolutely so really think about the quality you have to have a signed copy and uh please start with your name in your school I'll take that information down and we'll make sure that uh you get a book Miss core there has a mic so please wait for the mic um so it's uh in the recording and uh all right first question sorry I mean could you turn the mic on there's a close closer to you yeah there we go now it's time so it's starting out please hi my name is Amina I go to Isaac Asian Academy in Norfolk um recently I've been accepted to the Oxford summer school but I still don't feel like that I deserve it so how do you deal with imposter syndrome I love that I love that question you know I've got to get you away from the Imposter syndrome you go in there because you're brilliant in the standard and when you go into those those schools that have been around for about a thousand years you know what you have to say to yourself it's my turn the people on the water are dead it's about me now I can show respect but I have to be present oh by the way Simon Says Simon says I have to be brilliant don't have the because the Imposter syndrome you can't shine if you're afraid to be there I'm not saying I'm not saying you have to be arrogant but just say I'm here for a purpose and then you smile at the dead white men it says my time oh man demand that place in that space and also I mean congratulations for being selected from Lima everything you learn you'll have to share with all of us all right well done next question please let's stand up please when we ask our questions and names cool and uh next question please so my name is Zara I go to Trinity and I'd like to ask only you spoke about when should you like react when somebody says something provocative to you and I still find the kind of hard to deal with that sometimes so I'd like to ask how exactly do you choose because you said it's a question of either reacting and given the reaction that they want or standing up to Injustice it's a great question you make that call and I think the thing is is this is that if you feel that you will kind of lose it or be out of control then you've lost if you are if you are smart enough to think you know what you're an idiot you're an idiot and you're probably going to be an idiot for a long time and you don't even deserve a response and then there's other times where you just say to yourself yeah yeah you know what you're out of order but it it's difficult for me to fully explain how you have to learn that until for when to say I'm going to point the finger or I'm going to let it slide because you know what you're not worth it um most most of the time these people are not worth it some of the time you want us you just want to point the finger back off behave you may want to say to a friend you're better than that we're better than that sometimes you can you can kill people with kindness really really better than that but you choose all right thank you I'd also like to ask something else really quickly what did you study at University and let's go with them with no a levels and no power levels and I did a GCSE GCSE back in the day and I think I was smart I don't think I was encouraged or inspired that maybe I like football and girls too much but but I still didn't realize that I needed education and so I went to I've been I was like I think it was about 26. because you know I wasn't stupid and bought a flat but I know I needed education so I said to my boss is it rank films in Wardell Street I said to him look I can do this job I was a Salesman selling films on the cinema adverts on the cinema I said I couldn't do this job in my sleep let me let me do it for two days a week and then we got back to school to get an O level and he said what are you talking about you're a top guy here early big money I said I need education I need it so he said you have to choose so I got my keys out to the company car and through a trip said I'm out of here and I went to Epic College it was a it was a it's called an access to education learning how to learn and then I went to Middlesex University and I studied you had to study a language did a language and history and politics and then because I've been a language it meant I could go to Latin America or to Costa Rica for a year never learned to never learned a sentence of Spanish because everybody wanted to speak English when I came back they said you can major in Spanish but you have to go back to a Spanish-speaking country so you know I went to Colombia that was crazy there nobody wanted to speak English I had to learn I had to learn Spanish and salsa of course but so so Spanish history and politics politics in Latin America Latin America was on fire with itself Civil Wars everywhere I saw people dying for their cause when I came back to the UK I thought to myself I'm not going to get shot I'm not going to get kidnapped I know there's injustices I've got to play my part so that's what inspired me great question thank you I'd like to do history in politics as well there you go you speak you speak a foreign language yes what do you speak Romanian there you go how many how many others speak two languages here where's your own believable it's unbelievable three languages four languages look at this there so much talent in the room are you kidding me thank you yeah young lady yeah hi my name is Mariana and I go to Knoxville school earlier you spoke about the importance of being present for people but he was present for you that show my mother my mother she put her arms around me when I was a kid um younger than you younger than you 've been Leicester as kids we were all Sharp and always trying to turn turn a shilling earn some money back in the dive him and so me and my friends 11 12 years of age you know what we should do was to be ticketed house outside of football matches so little kids and uh we get the tickets from players like Gary lineker Gary lineker was when he was like a similar age he was getting tickets because he was playing for leicester's school kids so we would buy a complimentary ticket so they would get and resell them and so they called I was like this size they called me the big man the big man because I was buying tickets off the 12 year olds and then reselling them and then we go out and buy some clothes and then sometimes I go back and I give my mouse some money and she turned around to me and she said she was present for me she said I don't worry about you you're gonna be fine thank you good question okay heads up nice and high so I can see please nice and hot let's come to the frontier Miss thank you okay in the corner sir start up so um this book about doing many things and and oh sorry I followed potato running um I'm Pedro I'm from LSC later sexual College um you spoke about doing many things and you went through a lot during childhood and I wondered uh what kind of skills you pick up and from your earlier days that you integrate nowadays it's a great question from a young man speaking four languages I wish I could speak four languages I'm on three were two and a half although my school teacher would say no you speak good gibberish I said I when when I was like um 11 and coming to school or always late it was a little bit late and I walk into the classroom and I'd say so you never guess what happened on the bus so I was getting on the bus and then the bus driver about to get off because of the tire was flat and then something Simon sit down sit down with your gibberish um but what was the question again so what kind of skills did you pick up from your earlier oh yes yeah it was it clearly it wasn't remembering you know this I think the greatest skill that I learned was um judging people uh I had it I learned to have a good antenna about people um when you know being a ticket towel or being a salesperson you have to you you have to get a connection with the other person and so reading people listening to people listening to them watching their body language I think is a is a great skill I would go as far as this that I would say many of you have that skill but you don't even acknowledge it so think about this for a second often you can walk into the room a woman can walk into the room and you're the only woman in the in the room with with young men or a black person can go to the Roman they're the only person in uh a predominantly white space this skill that we don't even talk about is that you walk into that room and you know you want to make people feel comfortable about you so it might be your demeanor it might be how you speak and you're you are knowingly having to make people feel comfortable in the room for you to be accepted that's a wonderful skill if you acknowledge it I call it a superpower and when you know that you're doing it in your conscious of it then you can say now I've read the rule now you feel comfortable about me and about my presence now can we do business so it's a it's a wonderful skill read the wrong listen understand someone's sensibility understand someone's anxiousness you can have people go into the room and they're talking over them not listening just worrying about themselves oh my gosh here's the thing when you when you have that antenna to to to to read a room when I give a speech 99 times I don't have a script I I just I think I know what I want to say and it might may Meander I might forget a few things but I can't talk without looking at you I can't talk without feeling the energy because otherwise I'd be talking to myself so read in the room feeling the freedom the presence of the rule is a skill that I've learned I wasn't born with it I've learned and the sooner you learn it the sooner uh you can be in spaces and function at your best thank you thank you uh everyone I know there's more questions I I do want to stop here just so you have a break before your next session starts at 7 30. if you didn't get a chance to ask your questions come and join us on stage and I'm sure nobody will be happy to answer your question uh before we finish don't really it is such an honor and such a privilege to have you here on this stage you know the program's been running for a few years but it feels more complete today than it ever has to have you on this stage and I feel like I'm back on that leadership program and back learning and learning by listening to you you have shared such wisdom today and I am so grateful ladies and gentlemen I'm sure you want to join me in a round of applause