(2024-08)
I believe that inspiration and learning is improved through direct exposure to leaders in a particular field. I’ve been very fortunate to meet many masters in the self-development field. In high school, one of my first dates with my wife was to see Norman Vincent Peale (author of “The Power of Positive Thinking”) speak. I know what you’re thinking – how romantic!
I’ve been interested in personal development for a very long time. Norman Vincent Peale was one of the first self-improvement authors that I read. I read six of his books while in high school and college. I can’t remember how I found out he was speaking in New Orleans, but when I heard about it, I asked Julie if she would go with me. I still can’t believe she agreed to go!
Dr. Peale didn’t stay around after his talk, so I didn’t have the opportunity to interact with him one-on-one. I was young, bold, and brazen, so after a while I went to the hotel he was staying at and asked to speak to him in his room (this was back when you could get a hotel operator to connect you to the room directly). Dr. Peale’s wife answered the phone and graciously turned down my request to speak to her husband. She was very nice but held firm to giving her husband time to rest after a very long day. I’m still shocked that I went this far to meet him.
I’ve also had the privilege of meeting the following masters and authors in the self-development field:
- Zig Ziglar: I worked for a company that published two of his books. His book “See You at The Top” was quite impactful to me. I read it in either 11th or 12th grade. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Ziglar later when the publisher released the book “Confessions of a Happy Christian.” Mr. Ziglar was a very nice person – very friendly and easy to talk to.
- Scott Adams: I know he’s not known as a self-development expert, but his office humor was very popular early in my career. I met him at a conference. After his talk, he signed books. I bought four of his books and got in line for his signature. When I got to him, he asked me “How do you like working at Chevron?” I asked him how he knew – he pointed out the Chevron pen in my pocket and proceeded to tell me that when he worked at a bank in downtown San Francisco (then the corporate headquarters of Chevron), the bank gave the tellers instructions that if anyone had a Chevron pen, that was all they needed to cash a check! Great story, and I was impressed with how friendly he was.
- W. Edwards Deming: I’ve told in another one of my posts how I met Dr. Deming at one of his four-day seminars. Despite his grumpy stage persona, engagement with him was easy.
- John C. Maxwell: If you know me, you know that John Maxwell is my favorite leadership author. I got to meet “my friend John” at his house in 2010. I attended a certification session and got to have dinner at John’s house. I went straight to Charlie Wetzel, John’s writing companion. I wanted to meet Charlie because I read in one of John’s books that he graduated from my alma mater, the University of New Orleans. As Charlie and I talked, we found out that we graduated the same year – an amazing small world experience! Charlie then personally introduced me to John and the three of us spoke for a while before John had to speak to all attendees. John Maxwell is an amazing leadership guru and it was a pleasure to engage him. He truly lives out one of his books – “Everyone Communicates but Few Connect!”
When I look back on meeting these fine people, I realized a few things:
- Fame doesn’t affect humble leaders. Zig Ziglar was an incredibly humble man. He gladly took time to talk to a young idealistic young man. Even the gruff Dr. Deming was approachable. Indeed, all the five masters I mention were very nice, enjoyable, and easily engaged.
- Growing and learning are important and pay dividends. I started my personal development journey in high school. It’s been a fun ride. I continue to focus on developing my strengths and learning new things. I want to add value to others. To do this, I must remain relevant.
- Everyone, even the masters, enjoy positive feedback. I’ve been fortunate not to have been “star struck” in any of my encounters with famous people. I also found that a simple statement of appreciation for their work is well received. I’ve learned to prepare at least one sentence to say, because you never know when you’ll get the opportunity to interact. This paid off particularly when I met Scott Adams.
Who are your personal heroes? Have you ever met any of them? How did that go?
I’ve learned (and John Maxwell exemplifies this) that I should never stop learning and growing. Do you have a personal growth plan? If you don’t, please send me an email if you’d like help developing one. I can be reached at [email protected].