Csaba Toth, Founder of ICQ Global, Developer of the Multi-Award-Winning Global DISC™ & Author of Uncommon Sense in Unusual Times
Csaba Toth is a British/Hungarian entrepreneur, researcher and speaker based in the UK. And the founder of ICQ Global, a people development organisation with licensed partners in 34 countries.
Csaba is the developer of the multi-award-winning Global DISC™ model and the best-selling author of the Uncommon Sense in Unusual Times hybrid book published with Marshall Goldsmith and John Mattone (Steve Jobs’ former coach).
He also has 15 years of experience in setting up and scaling up start-ups and working with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, entrepreneurs and certifying over 60 coaches and consultants globally.
Tell us about your current role and what you like about your career/role or areas of focus.
I am the founder of ICQ Global, author of the Uncommon Sense in Unusual Times hybrid book and the developer of the multi-award-winning Global DISC model which is now available in 34 countries through almost 100 licensed partners.
My focus is on creating awareness about why relying on common sense, and good intention can majestically backfire and why investing in outdated and incomplete solutions might do more harm than good.
The goal is not to tell people what to think, but to help them question the status quo for the right reasons so they can use some purposeful doubt to check if their best practices are still serving them or maybe hurting them.
What inspires you, motivates you, helps you to make each day count?
It would be hard to imagine a more fulfilling profession. Too many opportunities are lost, and way too many relationships are ruined because of friction with people who think and behave differently or friction with ourselves.
Giving people the blueprint to turn those differences into synergy and seeing how they start breaking down barriers within and between them is what really motivates me. Smart people learn from others’ successes and mistakes… I had a fair share of both.
Outside of your professional work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Keeping fit is needed; however, the most relaxing time is when I can spend time with my fiancée and my cats. Other than that, my personal and professional lives overlap as I really love what I do.
When it comes to your life chosen career, is there a phrase, quote or saying that you really like?
You cannot wake up somebody who is not asleep.
What are you most proud of in your life?
Coming to the UK from a small Hungarian village with nothing and building a global business based on what I have developed.
Now I work with some truly amazing people who make a real difference in the world, and we are really smarter together!
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
This is a dangerous question. It is too easy to get lost in the past. I believe that everything happens for a reason and our job is to know “what” and “why” we want it, but the “how” is not up to us, we just have to do our best and persevere.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles?
The really smart people who can change complex ideas into practical and uncomplicated.
I do admire the ones who are willing to serve their clients instead of just pleasing them: I.e. Jordan Peterson, Tom Bilyeu, Steve Chandler, Marshall Goldsmith, The Rock.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Mindvalley as they create high-quality and enjoyable materials about practical and important topics.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
“You don’t rise to the level of your ambition, but you fall back to the level of your habits.” It is very similar to Jocko Willink’s famous saying, discipline = freedom.
What drives or motivates you each day in a work environment?
Our vision statement sums it up pretty well: Having 1000 passionate partners who transform at least a million leaders that would positively impact tens of millions of people at work and home.
What are your thoughts on the future of social media?
Having watched the Social Dilemma documentary, I am not sure.
The people who are passionate about the freedom of speech when they criticise someone are equally motivated to try to silence the ones who disagree with them—such a weird paradox.
Everybody wants freedom without its price, responsibility.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Maybe it is quite old-fashioned, but I like LinkedIn for business, Facebook for hobbies and contact, TikTok to remind me of never letting myself become as bored as those people on it.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever been a mentor to anyone?
I don’t have a mentor in its classical sense, but I do have a coach who keeps me blissfully uncomfortable.
I also coach coaches, I am not sure that would qualify as being a mentor to them. There is no clear dividing line if we are also partners.
How do you network? What is your prefered way to network?
Networking is not my strength at all, so it happens mostly online, or at conferences, I do not go to networking events, and I don’t play golf either…
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work?
Learn the basics before trying to reinvent the wheel and get into this field for the right reason.
The world does not need more wannabe gurus, it needs educated, and fearless coaches and leaders with integrity and a purpose and vision others can get behind.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Lack of clarity. Most people know exactly what they don’t want, so they fight it constantly, but they are not sure what they want instead so they could channel all that energy into building that.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience?
To me, success is not exactly the freedom to be able to do what I want, but the freedom from having to do what I don’t want.
Balancing the “good enough” with “it is not perfect yet” is hard, both options sound logical, but they might prevent you from becoming successful and constantly switching between the two extremes can drain you more quickly than you realise.
What skills do you feel have helped you to become successful?
Never-ending learning. Listening to everyone, but doing what I consider right.
Wanting to find a solution instead of wanting to be right. Being interested in others instead of trying to talk about myself.
Is there anything new that you are working on or involved in that you would like to share?
The Uncommon Mindset course, my absolute favourite.
It is 4 x 90 minute long sessions over the course of 4 days. One of the biggest challenges is to make clients realise cultural intelligence is not about pointing out statistically average national differences to widen the gap, but it is the foundation of understanding ourselves and others better.