The crowd was 18,000 strong. And after a rousing rendition of our National Anthem by Grammy Award winner Jason Crabb, the throng was graced with the well-rehearsed existential musings of Krish Dhanam of the Zig Ziglar corporation who bestowed upon the crowd of 18,000 this painfully accurate maxim;
“We overcomplicate things so we can blame the system when we fail”
Also in attendance was Southwest Airlines former CEO, Howard Putnam who reminded us that, “Turbulence is inevitable. Misery is optional,” and that “When the time to perform arrives, the time to prepare has passed.” Putnam went on to encourage us to “hire attitude and teach skills”-not vice-versa.
Later, Rudy Giuliani took the stage, and after a candid and entertaining string of personal anecdotes about his stint as Mayor of the Big Apple, he boiled down personal growth to 4 simple tasks to practice daily and one golden rule to live by.
- Read about what interests you
- Listen on purpose and learn from others
- Write down your goals
- Think and reflect
- And the rule to live by— “Be there for others when things go wrong.”
Then came the General and former Secretary of State, Colin Powell who with all the charisma you’d expect from a man who once worked in The White House, taught us all that good leadership is about focusing on followers and realizing that they are the ones who actually get the job done. And, if you want results, you would do well to:
- Give them a sense of purpose and a mission
- Convey to them their value
- Equip them for success
In parting, General Powell recalled someone saying to him once that, “You know you’re doing a good job when people follow you, even if it’s only out of curiosity.” The message? People will follow people they trust, even if they don’t know where they’re going.
Following The General was retired football coach Lou Holtz. With his upbeat demeanor, small stature and speech impediment distilled his rules for life down to having the right attitude, having dreams and making good choices. His encouragements?
- Do the right thing
- Do your best with what you have
- Show people you care
Listening to the words of these leaders, it becomes clear that whether serving co-workers, employees, team-mates, players, fellow soldiers, troops, clients or customers, the keys to being an influential and driving force are inside of you. And, the only way they can unlock your potential as an organizational or industry leader is to reach deep down inside, grab them and give them away.
