Cracking the Code: Don’t just coexist; thrive
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Less than a week after Lynnda and I returned from Scotland, we were in the air heading to Influence, The National Speakers Association's (NSA) annual convention in Austin, Texas. What a change. When we left Inverness Scotland, the temperature was 64 degrees. In Austin, the temperature was 99 degrees. Normal for summer in Texas. In between we experienced a quiet evening on our back patio at a comfortable 72 degrees. We live in a very pleasant part of the world with rain, snow, floods, and occasional tornadoes. Fortunately, we do not have serious earthquakes and hurricanes. Europe is burning with hot temperatures. India is worried about drought. You do not want to have dinner next to a river in India since they are the sewers. Japan is an incredibly clean and beautiful country. In downtown Tokyo as far as the eye can see are high rise buildings. California has warm pleasant weather most of the time but has major floods and devastating wildfires. The Shale Crescent USA Region (OH, PA and WV) has very moderate weather compared to the rest of the world.
For Scotland, we flew out of Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C. Driving south on I-79 coming home, it felt like we were in a forest most of the way. West Virginia is an incredibly beautiful state. Its tree-covered mountains and valleys can easily be taken for granted. Our friends from Finland who selected Ohio told me they were surprised by all the trees in Ohio. One of the questions we get in Europe is, "Do you have any trees?" John Denver's song, "Country Roads" is sung by people all over the world. In its lyrics, trees are mentioned only once. The lyrics "Miner's lady, stranger to blue water, Dark and dusty painted on the sky,” send the wrong message. When the song was written in the 1970s that was true. Our entire region has changed dramatically for the better. We learned how to have energy, manufacturing and a clean environment coexist. Our neighborhood feels like an aviary and wildlife refuge. I just went for an evening walk and came face to face with one of our deer herds.
In Austin, NSA's Influence was energizing, uplifting and educational. Don Yaeger did the opening keynote, "What Makes the Great Ones Great." Don was a longtime associate editor of Sports Illustrated who interviewed hundreds of athletes and shared some of their stories. Champions are not always the most talented. They develop the talent they have. The great ones like Michael Jordon, hate to lose more than they love to win. They are positive thinkers who use adversity as fuel and don't make excuses. Many Olympic athletes are NSA members. We had an Olympic swimmer from Australia at our table for the closing banquet. She was humble, not volunteering her background. We had to ask. There were no excuses for not winning a gold medal. The great ones think differently. From my high school soccer coaching, I learned my players need to change how they think before they can start winning championships. It will require a book to describe all the changes, which I am writing. Champions expect to succeed and train accordingly.
Ross Bernstein followed Don Yaeger telling us, “Five things I learned surviving stage four cancer that will help you grow your business.” He described in detail the past year of his life from right after last year's Influence when he learned he had stage 4 cancer. It was an amazing and emotional journey. Ross decided from the beginning he was going to beat cancer. The odds were against him. He described all his chemo treatments and their side effects in detail. What amazed me, he continued to travel around the country and do his keynote speaking. When Ross had to miss a speech because of his illness, his NSA friends covered for him.
Ross' schedule was full without the cancer treatments. We have friends who have gone through chemotherapy and found it difficult to work much less travel and work like Ross did. Ross has the attitude of a champion like Don Yaeger talked about. He kept a positive attitude throughout. Ross had the prayers and support of countless friends and NSA members around the country. He kept his passion and purpose making his audiences feel like rock stars. Ross focused on others rather than his own challenges. Keeping busy helped him maintain his positive attitude. Looking at Ross on stage and seeing him around the conference, he looks great. Ross gave us an example of how to get through adversity in addition to how to grow a business.
NSA is a diverse organization made up of people from around the world coming together to help each other become better at their craft and make the world a better place. It is not about how someone looks on the outside; it is what is on the inside that counts. NSA has a strict code of ethics and professional behavior. Its core values are; abundant generosity, elevating excellence, intentional language, honorable innovation and uplifting humanity. NSA encourages positive change, inspiring audiences, and colleagues to be their best and foster diversity, equity, justice, inclusion and belonging. Members commit to engage in behavior demonstrating equity or fairness to all, regardless of age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, creed, color, sexual orientation, physical or emotional ability, religion, national origin, or other human differences.
These aren't just words. Prior to COVID, NSA was losing members and struggling financially. Diversity is a strength. Working together, problems were solved. Membership is growing. Our Ohio chapter more than doubled membership and meeting attendance. NSA National is strong financially and growing. Diverse viewpoints are a strength if people respect each other, effectively communicate and focus on a common goal not differences. NSA members who look different with diverse political views are friends routinely working together, like those who put together this year's Influence Conference. NSA members don't just coexist, they thrive together. We all can chose to do the same.
Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a masters in environmental engineering and over 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and many published articles.