Be the Change

A couple of weeks ago my company's diversity and inclusion committee brought in guest speaker Gina Rudan to share her insights and experiences as entrepreneur, motivational speaker and personal branding expert. I never really cared for these sorts of events - they sounded too self-helpish, aimed at those who were lost and confused, desperate even. But I got a couple of coworkers to give it a try with me, so at about 6:00 p.m. on a lazy Thursday evening a room full of 50 expectant employees got their fixing of wine and cheese and sat down for what would be one hour of gear-shifting introspection and self empowerment. Gina was fantastic and the event really got me thinking -- about my goals and priorities; strengths and weaknesses; passions and frustrations. Pondering these elusive and fleeting thoughts that for way too long were buried under the surface was like a shock of adrenaline. And it felt completely liberating. She spoke of her experiences and related them to ours; engaged and interacted through humor and candidness; educated, consulted and inspired. It was a full package, a 360-degree evening full of surprises and revelations, and her delivery was ON. Two things she said I'll never forget:

- Surround yourself with people you admire and find inspiring

- Lose the "transactional" talk (the cold and apersonal networking script we use to introduce ourself time and time again)

Such simple concepts that I hadn't really thought about before but she was right -- we can be proactive about choosing our own social circle. Why not handpick those we want to be surrounded by; those that inspire and motivate? Why not create a top-10 list and make it a priority to meet them all? And as for the transactional talk, she's dead on. It's BS - lose it! Introduce yourself with a personal story, like that time you built your first fort and conquered the next door neighbor's dog with water balloons. It's these details that make you real and unique. While it won't win over a new business deal in and of itself, it may capture your client's attention and serve as a great metaphor for your product. And if you're lucky it will inspire a personal reminiscence on their part. That's when you make the sale.

It is fascinating to me that Gina was able to elicit such a profound and immediate response from her audience, especially when I look at how I myself received her advice. It takes true talent and performance skills. She had an aura that captured people's minds and imagination and that made them believe they have the power to create a better life for themselves. She made me believe that there's no more excuses so that's the message I share with you today. Be the change you want to see.