The last two weeks have been a flurry of activity from the recent annual convention of ISPA in DC to the Thanksgiving Holidays. Through it all, I found myself constantly thinking about all the good things in my life. Could it be that the holidays just tend to make people celebrate their blessings? I’m sure that’s part of it. But could it also be due to all those wonderful speakers we were treated to at ISPA? Every day, the general conference featured Keynote speakers of very different styles and material – sharing one common thread – Inspiration.
Filmmaker Eric Saperston in tandem with multi-platinum recording artist Edwin McCain spoke on the first day. I think most of us in the audience were skeptical. The guy seemed entertaining enough but what was with the accompanying guitarist/singer? Before we could even begin to analyze it, the duo engaged us with their unique story-telling performance about Eric’s journey: a cross-country adventure in a 1971 VW Bus along with his golden retriever and three other friends. Although he initially set out to follow the Grateful Dead and work a ski season in Aspen, he ended up interviewing and having coffee with some of the most influential people in the world such as Jimmy Carter, Governor Ann Richards, Billy Crystal, Henry Winkler, Jerry Garcia and picking their brain on how to live a fulfilling and successful life. In 90 minutes, he injected some powerful vignettes of wisdom that he picked up on his journey such as “ Your most important trip in life might be when you meet another halfway” or “Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today”. ”Many great ideas have been lost because the people who had them could not stand being laughed at”. And one of my favorites: “To know the road ahead, ask those coming back”.
The second day was another pleasant surprise. 2009 CNN Hero Doc Hendley dreamt up the concept of raising money to support water projects around the world while he was bartending and playing music in Raleigh North Carolina. The first fundraiser was held in 2004 and shortly after, he lived in Darfur, Sudan to install water systems for the victims of the government supported genocide. In 2007, after working two jobs and volunteering his time over three years, he founded ‘Wine To Water’. This man whose only real world job experience came from bartending now heads a non-profit organization that focuses on providing clean water to needy people around the world. Not to sound like a gushing fan, but can I even tell you how down to earth and sincere this man is? On that stage, he echoed Saperston’s words “If you think you’re too small and insignificant to make a difference, you’ve never spent a night with a mosquito in a tent”. And we took it to heart. That evening, a few of us were having dinner when we spotted him at another table with his family. My friend Jim Chenevey decided to pick up his tab. He came over with his wife and two kids to thank Jim for the gesture He was as real and as genuine as I imagined. And Jim felt that he contributed in a small but significant way.
After two days of wisdom and inspiration, I wasn’t sure how Marcus Buckingham would compare. I almost forgot that I was gifted with an autographed copy of his book as one of the first people to sign up for the conference. Obviously, I had not read it yet and I’m glad I didn’t. Watching this man in person will make me enjoy reading his book even more. The English accent and the boyish looks definitely helped, but it was his quirky humor that totally won me over. I’ve been to several leadership seminars but this is different because the concept is simple and realistic. With a world that tends to focus on weaknesses, he suggests that we ‘play to our strengths’ and those of others as well. He narrates how he used to stutter as a young teen, and one day was forced to speak in front of an entire audience at his school. He readied himself for the laughing and the ridicule but to his amazement, as soon as he stood on stage and started speaking, his stuttering disappeared. He realized that he LOVED speaking in front of big groups – the bigger, the better. On the flipside, he ‘loathes’ the small talk at parties. But he loves interviewing people. So instead of trying to build a weakness or avoiding parties, he imagines every person he talks to at a party as someone he’s interviewing. Presto! The key is to identify strengths, champion them and minimize occasions that you will need to utilize your weakest traits. And more important, we need to do the same for those around us at work and in our personal lives. In Eric Saperston’s words, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”.
