Spending five days in West Palm Beach, Florida in April was something I was really looking forward to. Sunshine, beaches, great restaurants and a relaxed attitude all sounded terrific and hey, I deserved all of that! 🙂 Add to that setting a conference featuring hall of fame speakers, world renowned authors, business legends and about 200 people who believe that putting others’ interests first is a great (and profitable) way to live and you have last week’s Go-Giver Retreat.
What didn’t meet my hopes and expectations was the weather in Southern Florida last weekend. Thunderstorms, cool temperatures and high winds. However, what exceeded my expectations was the energy of the Retreat. The learning, insights, sharing, stories, experiences and importantly the caring all surpassed what I had hoped for…and I had very high hopes.
My purpose here is to share the wealth…to share at least some of the true nuggets I received during the Retreat. I realize that I can’t possibly share everything I learned without writing my first book. Short of that, I will be writing several blogs in an effort to do justice to the speakers, the information and the attendees.
Thursday was dedicated to Go-Giver coaches. It was a very full day of learning from Bob Burg, exchanging ideas and sharing successes with all of the other coaches. The Go-Giver coaches have very varied backgrounds and business models. We include a former nurse, a real estate expert, former corporate employees, an IT expert, business consultants and many more. But what the coaches share, to a person, is the mindset that stratospheric success is achieved by putting others’ interests first. Had I left after Thursday’s day long session I would have gone knowing I was a better coach and a better person. But of course I stayed.
My dear friend Dondi Scumaci was the first speaker on Friday and she was as dynamic as ever. She’s authored several books and offers “Mentor in a Box”, but what I’m really excited to explore is her newest work “52 Ways to To Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem”. A key message from Dondi was that “Influence is an exchange of value”. Here are two questions she posed which will help you in your business (and in life).
- How can I become a greater resource for the people that I serve?
- How can I make it easier for them to do business with me?
Have you ever read, seen or heard Larry Winget? Do yourself a favor and check him out. His message is direct and no nonsense as you might guess from one of his book titles “Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life”. While he isn’t everyone’s ‘cup of tea’, I very much enjoyed his talk as I happen to appreciate his style and his humor. My primary takeaway from Larry is his rather succinct, yet effective, three step process to reaching your goals.
- Determine where you are.
- Determine where you want to go.
- Determine what you are willing to give up to get there.
Whew, so much to say, so little blog space :). The second installment will be forthcoming and I hope you come back as I share more of the wealth of amazing content presented.
Coach, International Speaker and Thought Partner - Bill’s mission is to add value to the world – one brand at a time. Bill guides individuals and companies alike in building what he refers to as a ‘fearless brand’. This is the process of discovering, embracing and delivering their greatest value – which allows them to realize greater profit. Read More
Great post Bill. You are right, the retreat was awesome. Looking forward to your next posts. So easy to forget all that wonderful stuff we learned so the reminders are great.
P.S. You are a true Go Giver.
Thank you Bill! It was a fantastic weekend with the most amazing people. I loved being there with all of you. Extraordinary things happen in a Go-Giver crowd. Looking forward to your next installment my friend.
Love this post. So much that resonates with me and a great way to revive such a great time, learning and meeting amazing people.
Thank you for sharing Bill.
Bill,
Thank you for sharing the wealth! You captured beautifully the spirit and energy of the three days.
I’m looking forward to the next installment. 🙂
What a great post – evoking the spirit of the weekend immediately and capturing the essence of the talks. Looking forward to the next installments….. and most definitely the book! 🙂
Like the others said, I’m looking forward to your next post. Great sharing here 🙂
You bit off a big bite and are working through it in an admirable manner! Love the takeaways. I think we’d have all come away richer just from hanging out with the audience, the speakers were a boat load of icing 🙂 I know people learned a lot from you.