The Amazing Gifts of Family
As the crowd stood and cheered for my daughter’s dancing, and then my boys’ ventriloquist act, Mommy and I beamed with true joy. To watch our little ones succeed, be amazing, and appreciated by others for their efforts and willingness to share their talents is quite the thrill. Let’s ask ourselves: How do we, […]
Scout Camp & Your Work Team
Prior to the flag ceremony in front of one hundred other scouts, we faced a harsh reality: Our boys weren’t quite sure how to run a flag ceremony this new way Our boys weren’t in the proper uniform, nor were shirts tucked in Our boys hadn’t even practiced the cheer we encouraged them to […]
The Promise of Rock Star Leadership – Appreciating The Team
Do you remember the last time someone told you that you were great at something? Sitting in my office, the female executive sat wondering what might be her Signature Move. It had been manifest our entire conversation, yet even in her fifties she couldn’t place it. When she asked me if I could see what […]
Kindness
This week I was asked to speak to nearly 1,000 youth about kindness in kicking off “Kindness Week”. The event was in honor of a young man who had been in a severe accident, now in a wheelchair, learning how to walk and talk again, named Garrett Webb. An inspiration to everyone for his […]
How Keynoting for Keynote Speakers Almost Killed Me
“You think you’re a ‘Speaker’? You think you’re a ‘Keynoter’? I’m sorry to break it to you, but you have no content, no message, and no one considers you a Speaker from what I just heard you do up there. You are an ‘Entertainer’, you are ‘After Dinner Entertainment’, that’s it! Don’t try and be anything […]
America’s Got Talent: My Audition
In 2007 my office received the first of many calls from America’s Got Talent to request I come perform on their show as a contestant. My fellow corporate performer acquaintance, Terry Fator, singing impressionist and master ventriloquist, had just won, receiving a multi-million dollar Las Vegas headlining contract, ultimately replacing the legendary Danny Gans at […]
Commitment to Joy: I Am A Speaker!
CONFESSION: Since I was a kid I wanted to be Zig Ziglar, Les Brown, and Tony Robbins more than Jim Carrey, Billy Joel, or Michael Jackson. However, the vehicle to which I knew I must get noticed, to make smiles, and to be heard was via entertaining. I freely admit I used comedy, voices, music, […]
Commitment To Joy: Ernie Johnson
If you know anyone with cancer and what they go through, you can understand why someone would GIVE up a great honor in order to honor another. In Keith Olbermann’s words, “A unicorn appeared at the Emmy’s the other night in the form of Ernie Johnson.” No way to say it better, because what just […]