Sneak Peek: GSAE Annual Meeting Speakers

Not only are the keynote speakers for GSAE's Annual Meeting great to listen to, they also contribute articles to publications and their own blogs. Take a peek at a few of their recent articles to get a sneak peek of what to expect from these great professionals.

Last week I was presenting a keynote program at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. Since I arrived early and had some free time, I decided to go to their "beach area" and get in a quick half-mile swim in the pool.

As I was walking back to the building, I passed one of the cocktail waitresses, and noticed a rather extensive tattoo on the exposed part of her back.

She turned around and saw me looking at her. Quickly, I explained myself: "Hi - I'm not staring, I was just admiring the detail in the tattoo."

She explained that it was a summary of the first 18 years of her life. I asked if they were good years, and she said, "No, it was actually a pretty bad time. That’s why it's drawn on my back - because that’s all behind me now.

There are events that have happened in our lives that are truly out of our control. But it's not so much the hand we're dealt that determines our success, but rather the decisions we make and the actions we take to move forward.

You probably don't need to chronicle your past failings with a tattoo on your back, but you should acknowledge them for what they are: learning experiences to help you grow and realize your full potential.

Ron Rosenberg is a nationally recognized, award-winning expert on marketing and customer service. Get free marketing tips, tools, and tactics at www.RonsBusinessCoaching.com. For more information on Ron's speaking and coaching programs, go to www.RonRosenbergSpeaker.com or contact us at 800-260-0662 or by e-mail at info@qualitytalk.com.

I’m a huge, huge, huge fan of TripIt, the travel tool that keeps your reservations and itineraries straight. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I don’t think I could function without it now that I’m on the road to 60+ engagements a year all over the country. But even if I was just an occasional traveler, TripIt would be incredibly valuable.

It has been said that influence is the foundation of leadership. I was recently reminded of the essence of influence and how to create it as I watched some rather magical balloons float up to the heavens.

I was grabbing a bite to eat on the lovely terrace outside the Terrace Café at Shands Cancer Hospital here in Gainesville. It would be an almost 13-hour day at Shands working on our Kids Kicking Cancer program, and it was nice to just take in the view of the sky, the clouds, the trees, and the Fountain of Hope, all of which were in clear view as I ate my dinner.

Suddenly, the view changed as I noticed two balloons floating up in front of me, only 20 feet away. I’m not sure if they were released intentionally or by accident. Maybe it was a bit of both.

They floated up rather quickly, but I noticed as they rotated in the breeze that both balloons read, "Get Well Soon!"

Almost as if the balloons were intending to do so, they headed over towards the windows of the patient’s rooms. And, as if to further give the impression that these balloons were somehow magical, a couple times they seemed to pause for a second or so as they floated in front of a patient’s room.

I could only imagine how nice it must have felt for a person sitting in a hospital room to receive such a lovely gift – a magical balloon that seemed to be meant just for them, wishing that they be well.

This is a gift that we can give each person we meet, which just might also be one of the most important things we can do as leaders, whether we have a title or not.

Influence is the essence of leadership. If we are unable to influence the behaviors of others, then we are not effective as a leader. Some people still think fear is a good way to influence behaviors, but most of us know that it doesn’t work very well, and certainly isn’t sustainable.