Leveraging My Skills

     Much of the travel that I've done this year (and will be doing next year) has been as a "resource speaker" for the organization known as Vistage.  Vistage is a CEO peer group organization that provides CEO's of mostly entrepreneurial companies with opportunities to learn new material, to solve some of their biggest challenges, and to have a source for accountability. Through Vistage, I've been speaking to groups all over the country, teaching their members how  to build high-performance cultures.  While I'm paid to do these talks, occasionally I'm asked to offer my expertise for free, and I try to oblige when I can.  This morning was one of those times.

     Vistage was putting on a marketing event in collaboration with Smart CEO magazine.  The event was designed to introduce area CEO's to the Vistage model and to give them an experience of a "mini" Vistage meeting.  My role was to give them a taste of what a Vistage speaker/program is like. Based on the reactions, it certainly seemed like a great success.

     It's been fun this year to be able to help people not just through the kinds of stories I've so often written about here, but also through using the knowledge and skills I developed professionally.  When I see people's faces light up as they understand, often for the first time, the pathway to building the kind of team they really want, it's very rewarding.  By impacting the CEO and his/her approach, I ultimately impact a large number of other people in a positive way.  It's funny in a way, that we so often neglect to consider how to leverage our best gifts and talents when thinking about opportunities for service.  Sometimes these opportunities have the greatest impact of all.

     

Thanking a "Sponsor"

     In an earlier blog I wrote a few months ago, I mentioned the CEO peer group organization, Vistage International.  It's an organization that puts together primarily CEO's for the purpose of providing executive coaching and peer support.  I've spent quite a bit of time so far this year speaking to Vistage groups all over the country, and I have many more already booked throughout the rest of the year.  It's been a great opportunity for me, and one that began with the recommendation of a friend/client.  Today I sent a thank you note to that person letting them know the impact they had.

     There's a book my wife read last year (I can't remember the name) by a guy who wrote a thank you note every day for a year.  Apparently it had an enormous impact on him and his outlook on life.  Thankfulness, or gratitude, in fact, is often mentioned as one of the "secrets" to a happy life.  As a part of this kindness project, I've been trying to increase my awareness of gratitude and trying to remember to express it more frequently.  Thank you notes are a good step in that direction.

Paying It Forward

     Many years ago, I was introduced to a man who ran a very successful and innovative employee benefits agency in Seattle.  He was kind enough to invite me out for a visit and to freely share with me virtually everything he was doing.  I was deeply appreciative of his generosity, and my way of paying the debt forward has been to be as generous with others as he was with me. Whenever possible, I've tried to go the extra mile to share whatever knowledge, wisdom, and insights I may have gained - without being overly concerned about how, or even if, I was going to be compensated.  While I, of course, can't always work for free (especially since I'm now doing consulting in an "official" capacity), I still try to share as liberally as I can.  This morning was one of those times.

     A good bit of the traveling I've been doing lately has been related to my role as a "resource speaker" for an organization called Vistage.  The world's largest CEO peer group organization, Vistage is set up around groups of 12-18 members who meet monthly, in cities throughout the world, to listen to speakers and share business challenges and advice.  As an approved resource speaker, I deliver 3-4 hour workshops to many of these groups.  Based around the material in my book, I teach CEO's how to develop a high-performance culture in their organizations.

     This morning, some of the local Vistage chairs held a marketing event to give prospective new members an opportunity to experience a small "taste" of what a Vistage meeting is like.  I was asked, on a pro bono basis, to deliver a 45-50 minute program that would demonstrate the value of Vistage membership.  It was my pleasure to say "yes" and I conducted that program this morning.   From the comments I heard afterwards, I was able to hit precisely the mark that Vistage was aiming for.  

     This kind of sharing almost always become a win-win.  While members get great take-home value from my talk, inevitably some good things end up occurring for me.  I think, in some perhaps unexplainable way, this is the world's way of keeping things in balance.  As has been said in so many different ways by so many different people, the more you help others, the more you get in return.