Secondly, you’re right on. I have been speaking for more than a couple years and I frequently have colleagues who are new in my industry, with next to no experienced, who want to take me out to lunch and “pick my brain” on how to get speaking engagements. My answer is always “be an expert first”.

Work with clients, get experience in your industry, DO THE WORK for a while and cultivate some good stories and a decent depth and breadth of actual (gasp!) EXPERIENCE in your field, before you stand up in front of a room and ask someone to pay you money for regurgitating information anyone could have read out of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

Jim, I also loved Outliers and believe the 10,000 hours thing.
Jeffrey, you’re cracking me up & I feel privileged to know you!
Mike, we’ve ALL done silly stuff. Ahhh youth… )

Scott, you’re top notch.

~Monica

Deep background and commentary are found at http://www.16-9.dk/2007-02/side11_inenglish.htm

Also, I did write a book and it had great content, but nobody bought it because I was discriminated against by the publisher who relegated it to 2nd & 3rd tier retail outlets like “Half-Priced Books”. I’m gonna be self-publishing from now on, so there!

As for speaking engagements, companies are just plain stupid for not hiring me to do their keynotes. I could really help them make a ton more money if they’d just listen to me. Heck, I walked on hot coals at my last seminar so I’m more than qualified to talk about finance, economics, market forces, sand-box building, or any future trends in any business. I don’t need to know how your business works to tell you how to revolutionize it. That’s just short-sighted.

You people should feel fortunate to just be able to hang out with me.

Lovingly yours,
Jeffrey

Yes, exclusivity is why professional baseball players are so fun to watch, and why people pay top dollar to enjoy plays ON Broadway in New York. It’s why there are only a handful of credible network news anchors and why some authors make the best seller list on the day their books release.

These “secret tips” schemes promise to help folks skip over all the incredible hard work required to become an overnight sensation; like taking steroids to accelerate muscle development.

Malcomb Gladwell wrote about the 10,000 Rule in Outliers – and it makes a lot of sense to me. The premise is that you can’t ever become really proficient at something until you’ve logged 10,000 hours doing it. And there’s no shortcut for the 10,000 hours. Some may learn a bit faster than others and some may be able to dedicate more concentrated time to their “training.” Gladwell estimates most people reach that 10K mark in ten years of intentional work.

If 10 years is the “magic time” then I am just about a year from hitting my 10,000 hour level as a Strengths consultant. And you know what? I can actually see evidence that the work I’ve put into my craft is beginning to mature; the investments are beginning to pay off. I’m on the verge of joining an exclusive club – and it is good to know I belong here.

Question for you – some folks probably join the “elite club” wanting to learn from the best. What do you think about some sort of apprentice level participation? Similar to baseball’s farm team arrangement?

Thank you so much for your kind comment, Jeb – I appreciate it. And, of course, you’re right…there HAS to be that balance you’ve suggested.

We should never confuse an effort to surround ourselves with success with a desire to recklessly (or prejudicially) exclude sincere contributors. The “smoke-filled room” is the classic example of a good practice gone tragically awry.

Trying to limit the length of an already-long post, I left out some points I should have included. Yet, I look at my long-time membership in the National Speakers Association and suggest that while the best ideas about any profession may very well come from a member who has not attained the level of success as the top people — they seldom arise from someone who has never practiced the craft.

I think it all gets back to sincerity of purpose. If you sincerely want to be a top performer, you’ll find ways to contribute in a manner that the successful will listen to and appreciate. If you just desire the trappings of success, the already-successful will tune you out.

Your post reminds me of the series of audio and video programs produced by your father — the remarkable, late Bill Brooks — and Jim Cathcart on professional speaking. I listened to every tape, watched every video, and learned at the feet of Masters on that program. These were true leaders sharing profound messages.

What I’m objecting to here is the movement that “everyone can join,” “everyone can be successful,” and “everyone can teach.” It’s just not true. If I’m going to listen and learn…it’s going to be from highly successful professionals sharing deep insights. It’s not going to be from some unknown promising a quick fix.