A client recently made a distinction about the type of speaking engagements she accepts.
She’s not interested in creating content and traveling to deliver a presentation to grow the knowledge of an audience. Instead, it’s only worth her time if she’s building the skills of audience members.
Which means at the end of one of her presentations or workshops, her audience doesn’t just know more, they know how to do more.
I love the clarity of that distinction—growing knowledge versus skill building— because it lets my client know with ease which speaking engagements she’ll say yes to and those she’ll decline.
But I also love the distinction for another reason.
My client is more than capable of delivering presentations that grow knowledge. But she’s taken the time to look beyond what she’s merely capable of doing to figure out the intersection between what she’s inspired by—building skills—and one of her superpowers—teaching.
While you may not be crafting presentations or delivering speaking engagements, this story still applies to you.
- What distinctions do you make and criteria do you use to say Yes and No with ease to opportunities that present themselves? It’s not the right opportunity unless it’s aligned with what matters most to you. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
is a great resource for clarifying what you want to say Yes to.
- What’s the intersection between what you’re inspired by and your superpowers? This intersection is where it makes sense to spend most of your time, so do what it takes to figure it out. StrengthsFinder 2.0
is a great place to start if you need help figuring out your special talents.
