I am the curator of TEDxUniversityofNevada. It’s one of the extra things I do in my role as an employee of the University of Nevada to try to be a good organizational citizen. Our third event was held on January 23, 2015, and it was a huge success – maybe our best effort so far. The program covered a wide variety of topics, e.g. the manipulation of media messages, dealing with addiction, LGBT issues of faith, medicinal cannabis, preventing gun violence, and achieving intimacy in a shutdown world.
Owen Roberts, the General Manager of Microsoft Licensing, gave a fantastic talk on change. It’s really a brief version of his personal path to leading a workforce of thousands of employees. Owen’s testimony is that real success can only be achieved by being willing to learn, choosing to take chances, and never being comfortable with safety and security. Most people will choose the route that is safe and secure because that is the normal choice. Normal, expected choices lead to a very normal life and career. A remarkable career is available for everyone willing to give him or herself permission to choose the unexpected and deviate above the norm.
In my brief few months working with Owen as he prepared his TEDx presentation, I can tell you that he walked his talk. He is an accomplished leader and experienced speaker, so he could have dismissed our challenging preparation process and simply said to us (like too many do) “don’t worry, I got this.” Instead, he approached me and my team with integrity and engaged in the process beyond our expectations, despite his ridiculously busy travel schedule. The result, in my opinion, is a TEDx talk he should be proud of.
Please take the time to watch the video above! You will learn some things about change and see a well prepared and executed TEDx talk. After you watch the video, please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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