Leaders of Change: The Future of Entrepreneurship

In my last post, I cracked the moral whip, taking a zero-tolerance
stance on “how-to experts” who earn a living sharing their expertise,
without ever learning the expertise of teaching. I made it clear
that I find doing so irresponsible and glaringly out of alignment with
their professed intention of wanting to help others. No one is being
helped by an expert who doesn’t know how to successfully transfer
knowledge. And I ruffled a few (not many, but a few) feathers,
clearly hitting a nerve.

So, let’s leave morality behind and get practical. Teaching power-
fully is the difference between a message sticking, and a message
evaporating into thin air. Teaching effectively is the difference between
your viewers, readers or listeners taking the action you want them
to, and slipping away into oblivion. Teaching well is the difference
between their buying on the spot, and procrastinating. Contributing,
and making excuses. Participating full-on, and sitting on the bench.
Telling others about you, and remaining silent. If you got triggered
by my wrist-slapping the other day, you can certainly agree with the
common sense fact that teaching well is good for your reputation,
your business and your intention to stimulate action.

But I believe there is a critical purpose to teaching effectively that is
greater than the moral value and the benefits to your business—and
it has to do with the historic times we find ourselves in, and what
they mean for the future of entrepreneurs.

Have you noticed the once-incomprehensible changes that are happening
on the planet right now? Upheavals of almost every kind abound, and
with them come growing fear and uncertainty. And whether you realize
it or not, your role as a business owner is changing, too. Where once,
you were in service to your individual markets—now, you’re in service to
the planet. Your role as entrepreneur is being upgraded to “leader of
change.”
I met an 85-year-old woman the other night who was terribly
excited about the GET ON YOUR FEET2011 movement I’ve launched,
and she added a new word to my lexicon: world-citizen. In these times,
we are being called to world-citizenship as businesses.

Which means we will be called forward to lead–on platforms we’ve
never stood on before.

And we must be worthy of that leadership. We must communicate
so potently and effectively, that our words of insight get through, and
move people to change with these changing times. It is essential that
we not waste a breath speaking, unless it impacts. As a leader of change,
everything we convey must count. And that is the most important
reason to teach with powerful effectiveness. Not just because it’s morally
responsible (which it is), or because it will make you more money (which
it will)—but because you are here to achieve something and become a
part of something bigger than you, and its success is imperative.

The “new world” we are so quickly inhabiting will require powerful new
leaders with new-paradigm qualifications
. Teaching with excellence
will be just one.

On Thursday, February 24 at 4pm EST, I am doing something I have
never done. (You’ve heard that one before, right?) I’m serious, though. For
years, I’ve taught a revolutionary public speaking training based on brain
research in memory and learning
. Secrets of Impact and Influence
has been an enduring and highly acclaimed signature program—that I only
give live. Outside that training, I have never so much as whispered to any-
one the secrets I teach there—and all of my attendees have been sworn to
the same code of honor.  But on Feb. 24, I am opening up the Secrets of
Impact & Influence
manual and teaching page 13: The 10 “Don’t-Bother
-Teaching-Without-These” Factors of Deep and Rapid Learning
.

And because I’ll be using all 10 factors, The Inspired Speakers teleclass is
going to be unlike ANY free call (or paid call!) you have EVER experienced.

If you’re an expert, you cannot miss this. If you’re an entrepreneur, this
is your future
: leaders of change must know this information. So go now,
read all about it and sign up!

A Rant About Today’s Experts

I just returned from a meeting with the principal of my
daughter’s high school. Great guy. Just love him because
he is student-centered, not teacher-centered. At one point,
we got to talking about the poor teaching that occurs across
the board in our district (despite its being one of the most
affluent in the state) and he asked me for any insights I had.

He didn’t know that I teach adults how to use brain-based
learning in their presentations and seminars, so he was
surprised, to say the least, when I rattled off many things
these teachers are not doing that they should. Things that
are brain-antagonistic. These are trained teachers who do
not know how to maximize learning. These are professionals
who are paid, yet do not know how to maximize learning.

And I have a problem with that. I have an extreme problem
with state-trained teachers of our children not knowing how
to teach. But I have just as big a beef about ANY professional
getting paid to ”transfer knowledge” without knowing how
to teach
. How to get clients/students to learn. At least
trained teachers go through a system that supposedly prepares
them to educate our kids. They at least get some guidance
on effective teaching practices. But what business professional
does? Virtually none.

Meanwhile, they proclaim they can teach you how to write
a book in thirty days; how to save on your taxes; how to get
media publicity; how to optimize your website; how to make
love with your husband; how to talk to your teen; how to
meditate; how to lose weight; how to write a proposal; how to
use XYZ software; how to market your business, etc. etc.

My ire really gets up here and I say, how dare you! You have
never learned how to teach, how can you POSSIBLY think
you can?? Do you know how intuitive teaching is? How much
of an art it is? How you must score extremely high on empathy
tests to teach well? It does not come naturally to most of the
population. Just because you know how to do something does
NOT MEAN YOU CAN TEACH IT. And shame on you for
taking money from vulnerable, unsuspecting customers when
you have not learned (and then practiced!) how to maximize
learning
.

For this very reason, it is appalling that that the information
industry is a trillion-dollar industry. There is no excuse for
trained teachers, who get paid, not to know how to tap the
brains of our students. Equally so, if you are getting paid to
teach anything–via the internet (especially), or in books or
information products (especially!), or in live seminars—
then learn how to teach first!

And student beware! If you are about to learn from a million-
aire, STOP! Ask them what they know about learning. I
took a course from a billionaire that was so bad, I could
barely contain myself. She made a lot of money off of that
training—but it was a deplorable effort and she did not
deliver results. But she led everyone to believe that she could
teach them “how,” just because she had been successful.

After witnessing too many of these accounts, as well as the
insane proliferation of on-line study programs, I am going
back to the basics and again centering all of my programs
around teaching best-teaching skills–which translate to
best leadership skills. If you’re leading, you MUST know how
to effectively convey your message. If you are on this planet
to make real change for the planet, you must transfer your
knowledge effectively. And it just won’t happen if you don’t
know how to teach! Specifically, to the brain.

So, if that describes you—a conveyor of information, a leader of
change, then stay close. You don’t want to miss out on the
direction I’m going and the brand new programs I’m offering.

� 2011-14 Inspired Leaders Academy. All Rights Reserved.