The Power of the Room
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer

Last week I shared that I was recently in Orlando for the International Maxwell Certification (IMC). This semi-annual event allows me to expand my learning, collaborate with fellow John Maxwell Team members, and learn about programs that I can bring back to our community. Common phrases you hear at the IMC include “I was in the room,” and “Were you in the room?” When you are in the room, the energy is palpable. The teachings are relevant and can be applied almost immediately. Let me share a few more takeaways from my trip.

Move to the Center of the Wheel – Consider a wheel. As you move to the outside edge of the wheel, the wheel spins faster, and centrifugal force pushes you off the wheel. If you can move back to the center of the wheel, it is just a simple, slower rotation with little pressure. As we face the demands of life, by maintaining perspective and avoiding extremes, we can stay in the center of the wheel. This was such a simple example and yet so profound in a time of the 24/7 news cycle.

Skills & Giftedness – What someone can learn is a skill, and people may have an aptitude in a particular skill area. The top 20% of people in a given field have great skills. How far they can take that skill is based on their giftedness. The top 2% of people in a given field have great skills, enhanced by their giftedness. If building a team focused on achieving excellence, we need to find the top 20% in our field and then look for those who are gifted in the skill. Now it’s time to invest in them. Give them training, coaching, and mentoring, so they can achieve their potential. This isn’t a quick fix process. It takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. I recently heard former NFL Quarterback Tony Romo say that joy didn’t come from winning games. Improvement in his game brought him joy. He loved the feeling of the football rolling off of his fingers hundreds of times per day, seven days a week.

Building, not Branding – As I sat in one of the sessions, I heard John Maxwell say, “I am tired of people talking about branding. What they need to focus on is building something meaningful.” This comment stuck with me. How many of us are consumed with our image or social media presence? Even companies are all wrapped up in their branding and crafting an image. Imagine if we took that energy and put it into doing something meaningful that makes the lives of others better. If what we are doing makes a difference in the lives of others, our branding takes care of itself, and those whose lives have been touched become our best advertisement.

I was in the room, and I left changed. I thought thoughts that I would have missed. I experienced emotions that inspired me, moved me, and changed me. The experience was critical for me as I work to create and deliver content that can help change our community. Not everyone can go to IMC; thankfully, there are rooms much closer than Orlando where people are discussing leadership and growth. How about you? How about your team? Don’t you want to engage in the power of the room?

If you would like to hear more about this topic and other takeaways from IMC, please join Marisa Norcross and me for Episode 222 of The Next Page Podcast.

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