Blogger: Alyssa Holcomb, Central West Coast Chapter
Each speaker invited to lead a session at our annual FPRA conference is chosen for a reason – their skills in the workforce, their public speaking abilities, their knack for or influencing others with their experience are all part of the perks to attending each year. Josh Davies, CEO for Work Ethic Development, exhibits all of those qualities and more as evidenced by his fantastically lively presentation.
Handing out a piece of white copy paper to each attendee before the session began (which we later drew on during an activity), Josh engaged guests with great gusto and passion for the topic at hand. His “seven secrets” were supported by real world examples, interactive group work and the occasional Ice Cube rap reference (which I personally appreciated very much).
The main focus of the presentation was secrets themselves, along with key takeaways of what they mean:
Raise Your Expectations – For yourself as a leader, for your teammates, employees, etc.- Practice Authenticity – You have to be a better leader by being the best “you” you can be.
- Monotask – Find a way to do one thing at a time!
- Don’t Fear Failure – Sometimes things fail because it’s a bad idea. Sometimes it’s because the audience isn’t ready yet. Keep pursuing!
- Change Your Perspective – As a leader, find ways to figure out why people are coming from different perspectives.
- Trade Screens for Faces – Interact more in person, trading effectiveness for efficiency.
- Focus Higher – Don’t become as focused on the little things that will prevent you from being the leader you want to be.
Josh’s engaging and interactive session was, for me, a way to continually cultivate my passion for leadership. His tips and tricks inspired me to reflect on my own experiences thus far, both in my personal and professional career. This is the kind of session that makes FPRA’s Annual Conference stand out – the simultaneous focus on both the big and little picture is exactly what elevates its participants as communicators, professionals and – for all of us – leaders.
Josh Davies
CEO
