This week, Lynnda and I were in Denver at Influence, the National Speakers Association’s annual convention. Sunday morning’s opening keynote speaker was Brian Bird, who presented, “The Breakthrough Formula.”
Brian stated, “All of you will get to break a board with your bare hands this morning.” I’m normally a very positive guy. But when Brian said that, two thoughts popped into my head: 1) What if I hurt my hand? 2) What if everyone else breaks their boards and I can’t? Brian wants us to get out of our comfort zone. He said breakthroughs require vision, personal responsibility and a team. They create a Window of Opportunity (WOO) for us.
To demonstrate, Brian picked Alison, a young lady out of the audience who sat at our table for breakfast that morning. Alison is friendly, short, attractive, but not a bodybuilder. Brian told her to get into a karate type stance. He gave her positioning instructions and told her to focus on his eyes, not the board, then thrust her hand forward shouting “WOO.” Brian held the board, Alison shouted “WOO,” thrust her hand forward and it went through the board, cracking it in two. Alison was thrilled. My belief increased. If Alison could do it, maybe I could.
We broke into groups of nine with a trained board holder. A woman quickly volunteered and broke her board. My confidence increased. I went second and took my stance. Our holder told me to focus on her eyes, NOT the board. I focused and thrust my hand forward yelling “WOO.” The board shattered in two. I barely felt it. It was exhilarating. The team hugged me. I had broken through my fear of failure. It was exciting.
Lynnda was last to attempt. I was concerned because, like me, she is very logical and probably thought of all the reasons she couldn’t break the board. Lynnda failed on her first four attempts. I was worried she might give up. Then the entire team started chanting, “Lynnda, Lynnda, Lynnda.” Lynnda focused on the holder’s eyes and thrust her hand forward, snapping the board in two. We both had tears in our eyes as we hugged. The rest of the team joined in the celebration hug.
We had all overcome fear and doubt to succeed. I learned our holder had not broken her board. I held for her. She focused, yelled “WOO,” thrust forward and snapped the board in two. What we all thought was impossible was made possible when we focused on our dream, took responsibility to believe and had the support of a team. This isn’t just about breaking boards. It applies to all areas of our life.
Over 700 people attended Influence. It was a very diverse group of men and women of all ages, religions, national origins, races and skin tones. I can’t tell race based on skin tone without knowing the individual. Within NSA are sub groups like Laugh NSA for humorists, NSA authors who have written books, health care speakers, Black NSA and Rainbow Speakers. In spite of all this diversity that can easily divide, NSA is unified.
Coming together, the focus is on helping members to grow their businesses. Members willingly share their experience with others. Cavett Robert founded NSA on the premise to not fight over the pie but to build a bigger pie so everyone can have a piece.
For five days, we didn’t hear anything about or care about one another’s politics. The focus was on helping people to build a better business and be a better speaker. We heard a lot about how we as speakers can bring people together and make the world a better place. The conference hosts Bruce and Jess planned an incredible meeting and worked hard to make it happen.
They couldn’t be more different. I know Bruce, a Hall of Fame speaker, runner, author, sales and branding expert. He is an old white guy. Jess is an emcee, diversity speaker and member of the Rainbow Speakers. She is much younger than Bruce and changes her hair color frequently. It wouldn’t surprise me if they vote for different candidates. That didn’t matter. Not only did they put on a great show, they became close friends in the process.
Why can’t we do that in Washington? It is called working for the common good.
NSA has a personal conduct policy and is committed to creating a welcoming, safe and productive environment, free from harassment, discrimination, intimidation and retaliation for all who participate in its sponsored meetings and events. NSA has fostered a culture of mutual respect. It works.
Human beings are far more complicated than a label like liberal, conservative, Gen X, elderly, environmentalist or racial and gender labels. It’s time to reject labels and get to know people more personally, rather than assume they fit into a box someone made up.
We can choose not to buy into the “divided nation” we hear in the mainstream media and from organizations who may promote it for their own benefit. Americans are strong when united. A house, team, organization or nation divided can’t stand. The only way American democracy can be defeated is if we allow ourselves to be divided by labels. People are complex but not that different. They want peace, to feel safe, have a job and provide for their family. They want happiness.
Successful companies, sports teams and organizations like NSA focus on common goals that unify rather than things that divide. This helps them to solve problems. They find leaders who are capable of unifying rather than sowing disunity. We can demand leaders who understand diversity of all types and know open, respectful communication is the path to success. Unifying people can be challenging and requires leadership skills. Like breaking a board, all things are possible. NSA, other successful nonprofits and sports teams understand how to use common goals to unite. We can do likewise and demand politicians do the same.
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Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a Masters in Environmental Engineering and over 40 years experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and many published articles.
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