(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)
“We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark”.
(Whoopi Goldberg)
Had an interesting conversation with a good friend today about why I consider myself a People Builder. My explanation comes down to this is something I was destined for—my purpose if you will. There it is—I’m a People Builder!
Got invited to speak with 3 Student Success classes at Tallahassee Community College in December 2019. The professor and I worked together at FSU years ago and reached out to see if I could energize her students. I never turn down speaking roles so decided to work on some new material to help students find the why in their studies.
The invite came the week prior to finals so most students were ready for the semester to end–then I enter the arena. Always love a challenge and the end of a semester provides plenty of them. Didn’t let this deter me as I prepared for my full day working on the TCC campus—I’m built for this! 😊
The main message I wanted the students to take away is they control their destiny.
Education and life are active endeavors and the more they participate, take charge and act the more empowered they will feel in all aspects of life. Wanted to ensure the students understood empowerment by having them create a life and educational why statement while I was with them. Some never heard of this concept but were quick to embrace it since the professor made this an extra credit project prior to finals—it takes all types of motivation. 😊
Had several students share their why statements with me during the class sessions—came away impressed with what they generated during our time together. Also introduced the concept of SMART goals (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to the students to help them with future educational and life pursuits. Leveraged SMART goals to help the students understand how written goals would impact their why statements.
The professor conducted a survey to get the students to identify what they took away from my visit. See a sample below.
Sample student survey results:
- What was your favorite part of the Leadership Presentation? My favorite part of the presentation was what Dr. Williams proved to us. He proved that all of us are leaders of our own lives. He made me believe that I am far more capable of doing great things than I give myself credit.
- What did you take away from the perception vs. reality part of the presentation? The perception of a person is how they carry themselves such as how they walk, talk, and dress. For example, Dr. Williams walked in confident, dressed in professional attire, and he was very well spoken. Yet he is a very introverted person.
- In your own words, what was Dr. Williams’s why statement? Dr. Williams’ why statement was simply that he wants to leave a positive impact on every person that he meets.
- What is your why for your education (including this class)? My why for my education is so that I can grow into a mature and responsible adult and to be able to become an officer in the United States Army. My why for this class is to help make a smooth transition into college which has been interesting.
- What is your why for life? My why for life is to recognize that I will not live forever but I want to create something positive that will.
- How long did it take Dr. Williams to learn his why? It took him 20 years.
- In your own words, describe what happens when everyone in an organization agrees on everything? Everyone stops learning, they all stop growing, and eventually all become complacent.
- How was the presentation helpful to you? It helped me realize the many things that I can do right now for my future. It was very eye opening and motivating. Thank you for having Dr. Williams come in.
- If you were a tree, what kind would you be? Explain why you would be this tree. I would be a pine tree because I may not be the toughest, but I am flexible and dependable.
- Share something you learned that you can put into action this week. I made a game plan of how I can get into ROTC at FSU. After class today (December 2nd) I made an appointment with the recruiter at FSU ROTC for tomorrow.
Happy to report most of the students I spoke with left with the same energy and got active making positive things happen. Several reached out to me on LinkedIn to stay connected for mentorship opportunities. Got invited to coffee recently for additional insight on goal setting—progress was made at TCC!
People building closely resembles being a superhero—Inspiration Man strikes again!
How can you become a People Builder? Who in your circle would benefit from a little construction?
“Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can”.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Walk Into the Future 