Today marks the 90th day that I’ve been grounded by the global pandemic. Some of you may know that I annually deliver 50-60 global speaking engagements.
My last keynote on a stage was Feb. 22nd in Dallas for friends at Samsung. When the global economy shut down, so did the meeting and events business! My heart goes out to friends and colleagues in the travel and tourism industry who have been hurt by this economic crater.
It’s also a reminder that none of us can ever stop learning, growing, and adapting. If those attributes were a luxury 90 days ago, they’ve all become a necessity today. To remain relevant, you must be:
- Willing to be bad at something at first
- Commit to doing the incredibly difficult work necessary to become world-class, by becoming an intentional student
- Practice, rehearse, fail, learn, test, prototype, try, try again, and continuously perfect your skills, knowledge, and behaviors! That’s how you learn how to teach it to others.
Today is also the 50th time I’ve delivered a (hopefully) highly engaging and interactive virtual session in the past 90 days on Digital Etiquette, Crisis Leadership, Crisis Resilience, Agile Alignment, and Strategy Visualization. I quickly saw that if I wasn’t going to be on a stage anytime soon, there had to be a different way to share, engage, and influence audiences.
So, I embarked on a journey. One of learning, discovery, trial, and error. Long hours? Sure. Long days and weeks? You bet. Investments in hardware, software, video equipment, coaches, colleagues, and collaborators? Better believe it. That’s where growth comes from.
Research has led to new insights. Vulnerability and curiosity have led to newfound discoveries. The inquiry has led to experiments. Prototypes have led to new engagements, clients, and really interesting work. Along the way, new friendships, new collaborators, and a new appreciation for those who are authentic about giving as much as they take (and vice versa).
Today’s session was hosted by Steve Kinsley from Kinsley Meetings who invited me to share ideas and perspectives with the Meeting Planners International (MPI) Rocky Mountain Chapter. I spoke there back in 2012 on Relationship Economics. I’m grateful for their gift of time and I hope they found my content and delivery style of interest and value.
Links to replays and downloadable content in our newly created Nour Forum. Join us and jump into the conversation.
Best,
Nour