This will surprise none of you who know me well, but here it goes: I am competitive.
⚡️I began my career as a high school speech and debate coach. For 12 years, I coached the Desert Vista High School team. We took a group of about twelve bad-news-bears competitors and transformed them into a state-wide and national perennial powerhouse. 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
There were a LOT of leadership lessons that I implemented and learned while leading a team of 15+ coaches and 150+ students.
🚨Spoiler Alert: Treat people well (that means pay and job flexibility), hold them to high standards, know them personally = great teams.
🤫 But there was only ONE practical lesson, or “secret” as social media likes to call it, that I implemented right away that was the key to our success.
Before I tell you that, I will confess two things to you:
1️⃣ I was under-qualified for the job.
2️⃣ I was NOT the most talented coach.
This isn’t me being hard on myself: it was just the truth. I came from a small high school program and competed for a small college program.*
I had learned a lot but didn’t know how to run a LARGE-scale team, much less build one. So what did I do? What was the key to our success?
🏋🏽♂️ We outworked everyone.
That’s it.
I had a rigorous practice schedule and HIGH rehearsal expectations. Every competitor had to perform in front of a coach at least three times before they could attend the competition. It got us a LOT of results and even some national attention.
😡 Other teams were furious when we were successful. They called us cheaters (and protested against us). They said we had unfair advantages because we had so many coaches (which we fundraised and paid for). They even changed the rules to get us to score less points.
🤦🏻♂️ They blasted me for keeping my “secrets” to myself, which was funny. Whenever someone commented about our “advantages,” I would show them our practice schedule.
🏋🏽♂️ I have taken the same rigorous approach to my professional speaking career. I have not always been the most experienced OR qualified, but I work and outwork to ensure that my audiences get the product from a PROFESSIONAL speaker.
Honestly, I am not where I want to be in my speaking skills or career. I still have some adjustments to make with each of my keynotes, but I am incredibly proud of my speeches; my hard work has inspired, motivated, and equipped others.
So I will keep working and outworking until I get to where I want to be. Thanks for being on this journey with me, and remember, I am here for you to inspire, motivate, and equip if you are also one who works and outworks.
Keep speaking up your story,
ENCORE: MORE TO EXPLORE
WHY SPEAKERS (AND LEADERS) SHOULD ALWAYS RECORD THEMSELVES
Recording yourself isn’t tough. It’s watching the playback that can be cringe-worthy. But here’s the hack – you are your best public speaking coach. Yes, I know that’s bad for business, but the more you record (and watch) your speaking, the more you will improve. Click on the link below to find out more!
SO YOU WANT TO BE A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER?!
A reality check for aspiring professional speakers, emphasizing the importance of investment, clear messaging, and visibility through real-world speaking opportunities.
