Motivational Speaker Blog

Softtek is a global provider of IT solutions with 30 offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Softtek teams with CIO's to continually increase the business value of IT and bridge the digital gap.

On February 9, 2019, I am a motivational speaker for the Davis Duehr Dean Winter Blues Seminar.

Award ceremonies are a great way to recognize people for outstanding achievement or length of service. Organizations come to rely on them to appreciate people and celebrate success.  

I emcee several award ceremonies a year and have seen some good ones and bad ones. If the awards are meaningful and the function is kept short, they will have an impact. Everybody thrives on approval and recognition, however, not everybody wants to be recognized in public.

Here's a hard truth: No matter how great you look on paper, you’re not the only highly qualified person applying for your dream job. In fact, you may not even be the most qualified. If a job is desirable, it’s going to be competitive. Standing out and impressing hiring managers takes more than simply having the requisite education, job experience, and skill set. Here are the most crucial things you need to know before you begin the application process.

People come to a conference for two reasons, the networking and the speakers. The educational content that builds an event will make or break it's success. 

Do you ever wake up in a bad mood? Where you roll out of bed knowing that your colleagues at work expect you to be positive, upbeat and productive. Next, you groan at the thought of fighting traffic to get to a job where you are overworked, overwhelmed, and unhappy. Sound familiar? 

According to a Gallup Study, 85% of people hate their jobs. If this is true, many people routinely wake up and dread the rest of their day, and it hasn't even started! Forbes magazine reports most people to find their work to be a source of frustration, not fulfillment. 

The need for extra money is a constant during the holidays for many people; traditionally, that has meant going to work for large retail chains. The good news for people who need a little extra cash for Christmas is that opportunities for holiday work are much broader these days; hotels, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues are just some of the employment opportunities for people seeking seasonal employment.

The tedium of planning a meeting is challenging, stressful and engaging all at once. It often feels like planning an event takes over your life, whereby the rest of your life has to be put on hold so that you can design an epic event. 

When you are there at a conference, it is a real adrenaline rush. It is one of the few careers where you get to see the fruits of your labor. Because watching people interact, learn and grow is so rewarding, to know that you made that happen even more meaningful.

When it comes to team building, cookie-cutter programs don't cut it. Trying to force fit a generic training program on a specific business problem can just frustrate people and trivialize the problem. At the same time, fun meeting energizers are key to keeping energy levels up, endorphins flowing and help people retain information.

I was recently a speaker for the Construction Owners Association of America. I met another guest speaker, Brent Darnell, who is a popular keynote speaker at construction events.