Month: September 2024

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Courage is Contagious

It’s time to tell a story. A story about two women leaders who are speaking a great deal this week about topics which are top of mind for many Americans. 

I had to the privilege and honor to see, hear, and meet one of these speakers in person at an event at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona. I was left inspired and motivated to spread the word of her important message and call to action. While only 24 years old, this elite athlete was one of the most impressive presenters I have seen in years. The clarity and focus of her message were strong and effective. Riley Gaines shared her story and experiences in the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championship competition with poise and grace. She left me with a memorable mantra: Courage is Contagious.

As someone who has been focused on improving my communication skills for the last 30 years in Toastmasters, I tend to analyze and evaluate every public speaker I listen to. I notice and silently grade aspects of an orator’s delivery, speech structure and audience impact.

The second female leader I heard speak this week was 35 years older than Riley Gaines but left me feeling unsettled and confused. Her message was light and airy with words like opportunity, unity, dreams and aspirations but the delivery was distracting and unprofessional for someone of her experience. I suppose I have very high standards and expectations for the communication skills of an attorney and a politician who is running for the office of President of the United States. But alas, Kamala Harris left me scratching my head trying to understand what she meant with her lofty words and rehearsed phrases. She left me with no memorable mantra or call to action. 

The stark contrast between these two speakers was felt in my head, my heart and my gut. 

As Riley Gaines courageously fights for fairness in sports for women and girls by presenting at U.S. congressional hearings, on cable news shows and in countless public events around the country, Kamala Harris is talking with Oprah Winfrey in a staged and inauthentic manner. Riley is rallying to protect Title IX while Kamala is focused on hot button topics and ideas that a good portion of the country is opposed to. 

When evaluating a speaker’s presentation, I strive to separate style from substance but in this side-by-side comparison I would have say that the young champion swimmer won hands down on both delivery and content. 

During the Q&A at Riley’s event which was titled “An Evening of Sanity and Satire”, I asked a question about self-censorship and her reply was “Don’t be afraid to speak the truth- it’s the easiest way to thing to say”. I believed her and will continue to share my thoughts, ideas and experiences. 

As I reflect on the impact of words spoken by Kamala Harris and Riley Gaines this past week, I can’t help but think that simple truth and clarity about strongly held beliefs connects and resonates more deeply with an audience than generalized concepts of how things could and should be. 

The Courage to Communicate is the subtitle of my book, Strong Words and Simple Truths, and I wish our elected officials would have more strength and conviction to verbally express their true values and ideas. Authentic expression and storytelling are a powerful ways to reach and connect with others and this speaker comparison illustrates that point as clear as the starting bell.

Steve Smull, Riley Gaines and Brenda Smull in Prescott, AZ

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Will We Ever Learn?

Do human beings learn from their mistakes?

It doesn’t seem so.

I’m observing that many people on this earth are continually repeating negative patterns and unproductive behaviors.  There doesn’t seem to be much adaptation or changing of course when mistakes are made.   Learning from our mistakes and adjusting how we approach a situation is not a common occurrence today.  Perhaps it is because we humans tend to base our decisions more on feelings and emotions rather than logic and facts.   Can you ever really “learn” from a feeling?

I wrote the blog below ten years ago in May 2014 and I’m sad to say the sentiment is still valid today.  The title “Leadership Challenges in Non-Profit Organizations” is a continuous issue for another who volunteers or is elected to an Officer.  

My observations and recommendations on these phenomena also apply greatly to our local, state and federal leaders.  

Leadership Challenges in Volunteer Organizations.  

Published online on May 30, 2014.

Strong leaders are critical to the success of any organization- be it a non profit,  a corporation, a military unit,  a church or a bicycle club.   I believe that successful leaders can be developed and nurtured through mentoring, coaching and training but I have recently witnessed how unchecked power and bloated egos can corrupt leaders of volunteer groups.   Over the last 20 years, I’ve been a member and/or officer in numerous nonprofit and corporate organizations and have seen a negative trend in leadership ethics.

Since college I have had the honor and privilege of serving under many inspirational officers, managers and executives who truly embodied the values of respect, humility and service.   These altruistic and motivational men and women were my role models and taught me the importance of recognition, encouragement, honesty and integrity.   They taught me to stay focused on the team member’s needs above my own.

In the past few years, I have become concerned by the increase in the frequency and negative impact that “corrupted” leaders are having on their organizations (this is across the board in society-  from the local nonprofit and school board to the state and federal governments).   There are more power-influenced leaders today and fewer selfless ones. There is more Me and less We and that’s not the way it should be!  Another disappointing theme I’ve observed recently is a misplaced focus where the officers of organizations are more concerned about their own power, titles and agendas with little priority or attention given to the actual members.

I recently wrote a speech and created a presentation entitled “Leadership Challenges in Volunteer Organizations”  where I outlined issues, impediments and possible solutions to address membership growth and retention concerns in non profit groups like Toastmasters and the VFW.   I sadly will cite the destructive and non-collaborative behaviors of power trips, politics and petty personal attacks as key factors negatively impacting the morale and growth of many well meaning, non-profit groups.

Solutions to these issues are often difficult to implement in a broad sense since they need to come from within the individual leaders however,  a positive organizational culture coupled with strong team agreements can go a long way toward improving a group’s leadership challenges.   An unwavering commitment to the organization’s  core Mission, without compromise, is also a critical to ensuring that ethical leaders are rewarded, encouraged and attracted.

Here are the Mission Statements of two organizations I am a member of:

“Provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills.”

 “ To serve our veterans, the military and our communities.  To advocate on behalf of all veterans.”

Notice that nowhere in the statements above does it mention the role, power or importance of the leaders or officers of the group.  They are solely focused on the members of the organization.  Losing sight of this simple fact is what I believe is causing many of the leadership issues we see in our volunteer organizations today.

Perhaps this message and blog can reach others and be shared in order to make a positive impact in our communities and non-profit groups.  I hope so!