I am a member of NSA – the National Speakers Association. The ones who speak – not the government NSA, the ones who listen! It is always cool for me when clients get recognized by their associations for contributions to industry and for building excellence.  Whether it is project of the year recognition or an innovative approach to recruiting and marketing, this peer recognition confirms they are doing something right.

In July I will be delivering a session at my national convention. Not my first time, but it has been a few years. I will be talking with fellow speakers about the importance of a peer group; at NSA we call it a mastermind. Life and business is hard, you really cannot do it alone. We all need partners, collaborators, advisors and support. (Do you have these in your life?) The selection process is rigorous and only a small percentage of those who want to speak are selected. I am proud to be selected and eager to make a contribution to the trade. Speaking at NSA is a bit like being a Marine watching a parade. Everyone in the stands is looking to make sure everyone in the parade is in step. There will be those in my audience who will critique every move, gesture and volume change. So be it. I would rather be the man in the arena. The words of Teddy Roosevelt from early in the 20th century remain inspirational today.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Social media provides plenty of opportunity to criticize and share outrage over some perceived insult or behavior. Don’t get sucked up in that. Unsubscribe if you have too. Take care of yourself so you can take care of your team. Your people want positive and inspired leadership. Surveys show our nation is more anxious and uncertain than ever. This means you have an opportunity at work to create an environment where trust is a given and consistency a certainty. Leading means you are already in the arena. There will be some tough days but the rewards far outweigh the downside. Stay Inspired..

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 30th, 2018 at 12:40 pm and is filed under Articles, Excellence, Leadership, Life balance, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.