7 THINGS I LEARNT THIS WEEK

Maybe that title should have the words ‘so far’ in it. There are (in this part of the world at least) two more days of the week to go.

Or maybe 7 things I learnt today would be even better (thought … might be a good blog or journal title).

Bottom line: this has been an awesome learning week because I’ve been hosting the online Global Impact Summit. All 7 speakers have been magical. So here are some personal takeaways that might be useful reminders for all of us.

1. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE SHINY NEW OBJECT

Daniel Priestley and Glen Carlson (Global Impact Summit session 4) nailed it: “Everyone we speak to wants to know what tech are you using, how are you using Dropbox, what should the landing page look like. All of those questions go round and round and round and for most people they’re completely irrelevant questions.”

And then Daniel told us why: “It’s what we call the ‘Singer versus the Microphone’ paradox. If you sound like Alicia Keys, then a microphone to amplify your voice is a very useful device. But if you DON’T sound like Alicia Keys then a microphone damages your brand, hurts people, makes the world a worse-off place.”

Daniel pointed out that every entrepreneur gets it…….for everyone but themselves!

2. IT STARTS INSIDE

Yvette Taylor (Global Impact Summit session 6) said the same thing a different way: “You build a business inside out. Nothing in nature grows from the outside in. And we have to learn from that. It starts inside. It starts from being totally clear on why you get up every morning.”

3. IT TAKES FOCUS

Dr. John Demartini (Global Impact Summit session 3) was as riveting as always. “Motivation is a symptom not a solution. If you have to be motivated to get up and do it, then it’s a symptom that you haven’t found the calling; you haven’t found what your real mission is. Once you have found your highest value, focus only on that and delegate everything else.”

4. ONLY DO WHAT YOU’RE GREAT AT

And from John again, “I haven’t cooked, I haven’t driven for 24 years. So your highest value is the most meaningful thing you could ever do with your life.”

5. GIVE

Glen Carlson told a brilliant story about not being able to make things work, not being able to get traction. Someone told him ‘give until it hurts.’ So with $10,000 in the bank, he committed to give $25,000. “That got me focused on a higher purpose. And it changed everything.” (And by the way, Glen’s giving now tops $100k a year.)

6. REMEMBER PERSPECTIVE AND INCLUSION

Fredrik Haren (Global Impact Summit session 2) really nailed perspective in a great ‘One World, One Company’ conversation. “There is another much more inclusive layer — for example, you don’t become less of an American if you also suddenly start seeing yourself as a human being.”

It’s not ‘Think global, act local’. It should be ‘Think Human, Act Humane’.

7. PLAY AN EVEN BIGGER GAME

We didn’t plan it this way, but as it turns out, Mike Handcock at Rock Your Life nailed it and set the scene in session 1. The Rock Your Life ‘strap line’ is ‘Play a Bigger Game’.

And John Abbott and Patrick Woodcraft in Session 4 amplified it massively with some graphic examples. John summed it up this way, “Once you decide to play the bigger game, once you get on track, THAT is where the magic happens.”

There are still 24 sessions of the Global Impact Summit to go. I do wonder where that will lead us.