Theresa Behenna

With millions of  TV viewers and a stadium of thousands ya’  think there was a teensy bit of pressure to perform at peak level?  Even half-time super star Madonna admitted she was the most nervous she’s ever been about a performance.

Pressure to perform = fear of failure.

In my keynote speeches on Extraordinary Performance I explain how fear, passion and money are great motivators for success……but success doesn’t come overnight. Mix passion with persistence, the right attitude, helpful people and focus for around 10,000 hours and poof! You win. (Ref : Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers)

Football players, rock stars and billionaires all started out with one thing in common. They had a passion for what they do that triggered the discipline to do whatever it takes.

Are you doing what you love? If not, why not? Skip the excuses about the economy or you don’t have the resources and take one small step daily towards living your dream.  Amazing things happen when you take action vs. wishful thinking.

Top performers never give up.

Just ask Eli.

                                                  Speaking to a group of bankers

As a high performance speaker and professional pianist I’m supposed to walk my talk or lose credibility. If you’re an executive assistant, real estate agent, banker or project manager you need to be efficient, organized and professional or you could be replaced.

So what do you do when things don’t go your way?

Recently I was hired to play piano for a wedding ceremony in one of Houston’s most exclusive venues. To compliment the elegant decor the piano was an antique cherry wood instrument with curved legs and a high polish. There was no piano bench. Instead there was an old chair that sat so low I had to raise my hands six inches to reach the keyboard. To add salt to the tacky wound the piano hadn’t been tuned since the earth was cooling.

What would a top performer do?

Unbeknownst to the wedding party, I consulted the catering director and asked for folded tablecloths to be placed on the chair that raised me up to the level of the piano keyboard. Since there was nothing to do about the tuning I began playing promptly in time as guests were arriving. Bride and groom were happily married and rode off into the sunset.

The point?

When you don’t have the right tools to do the job –  compensate without complaint. Complaining breeds distrust and spreads negativity. It’s totally counter-productive, destroys a good team and in the end, YOU”RE the one that looks bad. Be part of the solution by offering suggestions vs. a Debbie Downer.

Extraordinary performance is what it takes to thrive in today’s economy and stand out from the crowded competition.

Ignore Charlie Sheen‘s idea of winning (not!)  Pay attention to your words at work.

As a motivational speaker with wacky humor and an Aussie accent I’m often asked to emcee special events  but none was more special than on stage at the Wortham Center in Houston recently.

The Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation (TWEF)  hosted the 5th Annual International Financial & Leadership Summit featuring four days of workshops, seminars,  a  Million Dollar Roundtable, top keynote speakers including Les Brown and Paula White with attendees from around the world. The summit ended with a black tie leadership awards banquet with yours truly as mistress of ceremonies together with Dr. Bennie Lambert from Lone Star College who had an equally wacky sense of humor.  Together we made the good times roll into the evening of honorees, awards and good people doing great things.

And then HE walked in…

An icon in the speaking industry and a world renowned expert on leadership,  John Maxwell entered the room to a standing ovation that lasted three minutes.  Have you ever stood in the presence of greatness? Did you feel the power that gives you goose bumps? It’s awesome. And so is he.

After being introduced by Pastor Joel Osteen‘s mother Dodi, John spoke  on how success is about helping yourself but significance is about helping others. He talked about the power of  ’we’ as a team and what a difference one person can make referring to TWEF’s founder Dr. Deavra Daughtry.  John Maxwell was all about connecting with the audience of 600 and leveling the playing ground between us and his celebrity status. He SO succeeded with his personal stories, down to earth humor and words of wisdom relevant to all.

I got to visit with my new BFF John in the green room  and for ten minutes he asked questions about my speaking business, commented on how much he loved Australia (where he’s spoken many times) and made me feel like I was the only person in the world he wanted to talk to. He was humble, gracious and charming despite the fact he had just flown in from Palm Beach on his private plane with an entourage of staff and had a ton of folks wanting to talk to him.

His success as a speaker/author with 19 million books sold worldwide is obvious.  His significance as a human being is beyond great because he’s all about helping others.

John Maxwell is a giant of a man who walks his talk and genuinely cares about people.

Are you successful or significant? Reach for the stars - go for both.

So what’s the problem?

Impact.

As the kickoff convention speaker for the Georgia Association of Healthcare Underwriters recently (GAHU) I arrived the night before my keynote was scheduled. This group has been through the mill the past three years dealing with the Health Care Reform Bill (ya’ think?) and other major industry changes. If anyone needed uplifting it was definitely this group!

Having dinner with several attendees was priceless. During the course of conversation one of the convention sponsors happened to mention a new product they had available that perked much interest from agents at the table. Several fried shrimp later there was an atmosphere of renewed hope that seemed to permeate the whole group.

The next morning during my presentation it was a hoot to see my dinner companions’ faces as I quoted fun scoop ‘n’ stuff from the night before. Using interactive exercises, live piano music and a heavy dose of humor, the energy level raised the roof as GAHU members laughed & learned more about each other, gained ideas to boost their business, sang along to Piano Man and kicked it up in a chorus line that ended in a standing ovation!

Connection. Communication. Impact.

Face-to-face meetings are essential to maximize impact and boost the bottom line.  Marcus Buckingham, one of the leading management gurus, says the biggest challenges for managers today is they don’t know their people. They don’t know what motivates and engages them because there are too many virtual employees and virtual meetings. Managers think they can lead through technology but it doesn’t work.

Meetings matter.

When are you meeting with your old client/new employee/difficult colleague?

Last Friday I was the lunchtime keynote speaker for one of the largest and oldest women’s associations in the country: The American Business Women’s Association (ABWA). The Katy chapter in Houston organized a one day conference with a great line up of speakers pictured here from left: Eleese Lester, Michelle Scism, chapter President Francie

Lockwood, Tina Gandy national ABWA President, guess who in blue? and Stephanie DeWagoneer.

Having spoken to numerous ABWA chapters over the years, it was a delightful surprise to be recognized by numerous attendees and in particular, Tina Gandy. Tina was in the audience ten years ago when I spoke at an ABWA symposium in Bryan, College Station. Tina and her twin sister Lina have a very successful marketing & graphics design company called TwinzCo. Ten years ago Tina was a self-described shy violet who ran from attention and was terrified of speaking in public.

Fast forward to now…

Tina Gandy just stepped into the role of National President of ABWA with thousands of members across the country. She gave an impassioned 40 minute presentation on how membership in this association has boosted her self confidence and contributed greatly to her success as a business woman through networking opportunities and educational programs. Powerful testimonial from a former wallflower!

As a professional speaker I am a member of the  National Speakers Association – Houston chapter (www.nsaHouston.org)  It was the smartest thing I ever did when I began speaking in the 90′s as it cut at least five years off my learning curve through its educational and mentoring programs. The second smartest thing I ever did was to form a mastermind group of peers within NSA. We met once a month to brainstorm challenges, speech topics, marketing ideas and trends in the speaking industry. Priceless!

By associating with more experienced colleagues, my level of competence on the platform improved dramatically. They challenged me, they encouraged me, they held me accountable.

Who are YOU aligning with for professional or personal development?

Be careful. Be picky. Remember: you’re guilty by association.

No need to grab your glasses…it’s really THE  Carol Channing!

We professional speakers get to live a charmed life with an occasional dose of glitz ‘n’ glam mixed with Eeeeks! I-have-to-do-what???

Last week I received a call from Patricia Horgan (pictured standing)  at the Huffington Center on Aging/Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. It was Wednesday morning 11 a.m. and one of the speakers for their 2011 Women’s Health Summit had just canceled.

The event was the next day.

Patricia said I would be the morning keynoter and that the lunchtime speaker was Carol Channing. Could I step in to save the day and possibly tweak my presentation to fit?

This was where No worries! & Eeeeks! meets with a heavy dose of I-don’t-have-time-to-customize panic. Thankfully the outcome was a standing ovation.  But here’s the thing: Carol Channing got a standing ovation before she even opened her mouth.

That’s a living legend.

Star of stage & screen for several decades Carol says she’s ”91.2 years old and never felt better.”  Best known for her leading Broadway  roles in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes‘, ‘Hello Dolly‘ & film ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie‘ she’s won three Tony Awards, a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. As if that’s not enough she’s recorded ten gold albums, written her best selling memoirs ‘Just Lucky I Guess’ and has been inducted into the Smithsonian Institute in D.C.

Can you spell a-m-a-z-i-n-g??? Carol Channing had us at hello. Her quick wit and fascinating life story was both entertaining and inspirational as she proudly told us of her 5,000+ performances of Hello Dolly and she never missed one – even when she was sick. She sang a little for us delighting everyone with her polished stage presence, endearing humor and enthusiastic energy. She is amazing!

 

Ms. Channing travels the country teaching, performing and gathering support for scholarships to place the arts in public schools through her and hubby’s Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts. In answer to the final question: “What’s the secret that keeps you youthful?” Ms. Channing replied: “Keep on dancing!”

What excites YOU? Do you have a passion for fixing things, playing music, collecting beer cans? Or are you one of those ‘Gonna’ people? (gonna do that soon)

Age is just a number when you exude energy & enthusiasm. How young are you?

Gotta go. Have to register for a Zumba class….