I help leaders tell strategic stories. To board of directors, to employees, to clients. Everyone has a story. But somehow, when we put on our professional persona and follow all the rules of what we’re supposed to say to influence others, our stories lose their soul. Why is that?

Because we do not inspire.
And if COVID times have taught me anything, is that what is most important in our interactions with others is inspiration. Our teachers, in school and in life, move us to go beyond what we think we’re capable of. They don’t just share information; the internet does a much better job of that. Only people who inspire are the ones we need and should want in our lives. And only real time face-to-face interaction can shine a light to illuminate us forever.

When the lockdown started, I was reminded of my first yoga class when I was told to just breathe and let go of all thoughts. Well, we know that the more someone tells you not to think about something, the more your mind focuses on just that.
So for weeks, my thoughts were on the past. Soaking up that special energy on the streets of New York, unplanned strolls to the supermarket without ever worrying that there may not be any food or paper towels available tomorrow. Eventually, my thoughts turned to the people I missed in places that once were my back yard– France, Italy, Argentina, Mexico and today feel like unreachable planets. And with all the debates around online education and the impact on this generation and society for years to come, I was reminded of my teachers in Paris and Cambridge and what education at its best is really about.

We may be trained in the gavel, the balance sheet, and the algorithm, but are we truly educated?
Are we given all the tools to be the best possible versions of ourselves during our formative years? And in our work lives, do our corporate leaders invest in our professional development so we can keep pushing the boundaries of the possible, or do they push us instead to take 21st century risks with 20th century mindsets?

In the world today, there are millions of teachers teaching the same subjects to millions of people.
Wouldn’t we create more value in society if everyone simply had online access to the very best thinking in any particular subject? Wouldn’t the investment of time in school and in universities pay greater dividends if teachers shared their unique insights, their intellectual and creative technology with the sole purpose of cultivating our individual assets, and make that modality of education a way of life?

I have not given much thought to the economics of education which may be ripe for innovation. I am still reflecting on the professional educators and regular human beings who create and inspire and who have transformed my life.

What do we need to change in our society to make more of those? A new, real breed of much needed influencers?