On any day of the week I am often in front of an audience of leaders either facilitating, training or coaching in various areas and topics of leadership.
Think on this, an idea of any size can take off and have a large impact in a short amount of time.
A friend and colleague expressed a concern that in his experiences as of late he felt there was not enough diversity, not just of race or gender, but also of thought and expression in those presenting in similar events.
That got me to thinking as we sometimes hear in the south.
So…in these events and sessions of facilitating, training and coaching I began to introduce the various audiences to various fellow facilitators, trainers and coaches.
What did I ask these friends of mine to do? You guessed it.
Provide 99 seconds of leadership, on any topic that would resonate with the audience that was in front of them.
It went over very well both in live events and in virtual events.
So we expanded this experiment to expose the audience to voices and leaders outside of their normal orbit and the expected course and content of training.
What happened then?
It worked again.
So…I bounced this idea off of two friends which I consider two of the most rational voices in my head and not only did they encourage me in this experiment but became part of the experiment, also providing 99 seconds of leadership in multiple settings.
This is me encouraging you to experiment with something similar…call it whatever you want, except don’t call it 99 Seconds of Leadership, because, I already have a trademark application submitted and then we will have 99 days of litigation and 99 packets of Tums consumed as we await the jury’s deliberation and then 99 attorney’s waiting in line for their piece of flesh.
(Sorry, saw a shiny object for a second.)
Why 99 seconds?
Three reasons.
- A well prepared leader can deliver a bite size helping of inspiration and tips and tricks all in 99 seconds.
- Each of the leaders you select will find it to be a positive challenge to stay within the time frame.
- Nine is a special number to me personally. Years ago, my youngest daughter, Suzanne, now 26, sent me a text that was supposed to read, “I love you.” However, she had a typo and it read, “I live you.”, which impacted me immediately. I live you is an even deeper level of commitment between friends, family, lovers and even those we serve in a professional capacity throughout our lives. To give one’s life away to another and take upon themselves the responsibility of the love and life of someone else is true servanthood. Suzanne and I from that point forward would end a lot of our text communication with these nine words, “I miss you…I love you…I live you.” Two nines empowering each other’s life, heart and soul, becoming one…thus the 99.
99 seconds of leadership…you can change the course of someone’s life and even history in 99 seconds.
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