Mar 04 2025 37 mins 3
What does success look like beyond the traditional indicators of achievement? In this episode, Kevin interviews Adrian Kelly to discuss the complexities of success, the common misconceptions about it, and how leaders can redefine success for themselves and their teams. Adrian emphasizes the importance of resilience, learning from failure, and the idea that success is often a collaborative effort rather than an individual one. Kevin and Adrian also examine the role of balance in leadership, the risks associated with groupthink, and the concept of viewing setbacks as opportunities for learning rather than failures.
Listen For
00:00 Intro: What is Success?
00:34 Welcome to The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
01:22 Kevin’s Latest Book: Flexible Leadership
02:17 Introducing Adrian Kelly
03:28 Adrian’s Background: Law, Sports & Psychology
05:09 Growing Up in Ireland: Challenges & Motivation
08:08 Why Write The Success Complex?
10:14 Defining Success: A Subjective and Fleeting Concept
11:27 Success is a Team Sport
13:02 The Invisible Forces Holding Us Back
14:25 Self-Transcendence: The Highest Form of Success
16:08 Balance: The Key to Sustainable Success
17:45 How People Lose Their Way
18:43 Stress, Resilience & The Role of Recovery
20:33 Growth Through Challenge: Pushing Limits
22:47 The Danger of Groupthink & Surrounding Yourself with the Right People
23:37 Never Lose Again: The Power of Learning & Growth
27:27 Increasing Your Luck: How to Create Opportunities
31:46 Storytelling & The Power of Examples in the Book
32:42 What Does Adrian Do for Fun?
33:11 What is Adrian Reading?
34:34 Where to Connect with Adrian Kelly
35:30 Kevin’s Final Challenge: Taking Action
36:42 Closing & Next Week’s Episode Teaser
Adrian's Story: Adrian Kelly is the author of The Success Complex: Ancient Wisdom, The Building Blocks of Life, and Your Path to Sustained Success. He is a recognized sports and performance coach, award-winning lawyer, and a sought-after guest speaker. He has lectured and been an external examiner at the Law Society of Ireland, where he is currently undertaking a master’s degree in psychology. Adrian is keenly interested in promoting sport and well-being and is the current Chairman of the multi-million euro and award-winning Peace Link Sport Complex Clones in Ireland. With a broad spectrum of sports coaching experience, from Senior Intercounty Ladies Gaelic Football to amateur baseball both domestically and internationally with the U18 Irish International Team at two European Championships, he also works closely with a number of high schools, pioneering the Dragon’s Den programs and competitions for students and overseeing a college scholarship program. A former solicitor, ranked at the top of the profession by Legal 500, Adrian’s entrepreneurial journey includes working with high net-worth individuals and cofounding a rapidly growing renewable energy company, where he played a crucial role from 2008 to 2018. Following this he has been active as a business advisor and coach, assisting over 100 companies with his team across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-k-b28241
This Episode is brought to you by...
Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.
