When I was younger, I used to dislike leadership conferences they’d make us do at school. It just seemed like a waste of time, sitting in an assembly room, listening to motivational speeches. All I wanted to do was go home and take a nap, because the guest speakers would put me to sleep anyway, so I might as well do it on my bed. Besides, I thought, how much could these motivational talks and social mixers teach me that I didn’t already know?
Now, as an adult, I realise why that was my perspective. It takes time, maturity, and humility to truly realise the benefit of leadership conferences. And now that I’m older, I understand that they are there to make me a better person, and that’s a goal I always want to achieve day in and day out. I’ve learnt that the moment you appreciate leadership seminars for what they are is also the moment you can start accessing the fruits of wisdom contained within.
That’s why now, I attend as many leadership conferences as I can, because I understand the value in them. In fact, all the leadership events I’ve attended pushed me to hold our own annual conference, the Fullerton Leaders’ Summit, which garners over 800 participants from across the ASEAN every year. I wouldn’t get to that point if it weren’t for the lessons I’ve learned from the conferences I’ve been to.
So, if you’re still skeptical, here are four reasons you need to attend more leadership conferences:
1) Learn from the Best
Being someone who organises his own leadership conference through the Fullerton Leaders’ Summit, I can tell you first-hand that organising one often takes a lot of logistics, and believe it or not, a lot of the funds towards it goes to securing guest speakers.
Now, of course, like you, sometimes I wish the budget were used on better food instead, but ultimately, a good guest speaker is a wise investment for a leadership conference. After all, the event is only as good as the lessons it imparts. Obviously, the best way to manifest those lessons is through credible, established guests.
This is where you, the conference attendee, come in. When a leadership summit puts all this effort into securing guests you’re sure to learn from, your part becomes infinitely easier. All you need to do is listen.
So be a sponge and make the most of the privilege of listening to skilled and talented guest speakers. You never know what you’ll pick up from experienced leaders, but for sure it’ll be something you can apply when you lead as well.
2) Develop Connections
Let’s face it, a lot of people attend leadership conferences to network and make connections. To some, this might seem disingenuous, but the truth is, it’s only that way if you perceive it to be that way. Developing connections is a massive aspect of leadership because it’s about bridging ideas and absorbing perspectives.
That’s why the part of the Fullerton Leaders’ Summit where participants get to engage, network, and share ideas is often one of the most highly rated parts of the event. When you’re able to make genuine connections with others and synthesise what you learn from them, then that’s what networking is all about. The benefit it gets you for your business is merely secondary because the real reward comes in absorbing ideas from as many places and as many kinds of leaders as possible.
You can’t lead if you don’t know how to communicate, and the networking parts of a leadership summit is one of the best places to figure out how to do that.
And on the topic of communication…
3) Get Confidence to Share Your Own Ideas
But of course, networking isn’t just about the connections you receive, but also about the value you can give in exchange. That’s all there is to networking – you build connections based on who you think possesses formidable skills and personalities for a mutually beneficial partnership.
Attending a leadership conference means you have a chance to stand out and offer value to other leaders. You can trust in your ideas and develop the courage to share those ideas to others. Even if you’re worried that you have nothing of value to share, well, that’s exactly what conferences are for. You can use them as practice to grow your confidence and learn to trust in what you have to offer.
A good leader trusts in their ability to do things, but that confidence is something that’s often learned and built over time. And leadership conferences are some of the best places to do that.
4) Leadership Isn’t About You in the First Place
You read that right, leadership is never about the leader. This is something that’s often reiterated by speakers in our annual Fullerton Leaders’ Summit as something every leader needs to keep in mind when they take on roles of responsibility.
If that’s a new idea to you, then welcome to a fundamental aspect of leadership. Leadership is always about the people being led, not the leader.
When you choose to lead, you’re making a choice to absorb responsibility. Everything you do, through actions or words, reflects on and towards the people you’re leading. That’s what makes leadership so difficult, because despite the prestige of the title, you’re still ultimately there to make decisions for the betterment of others.
So, what do leadership conferences have to do with this? Well, they are a great place to develop humility. Like I said in the previous points in a leadership conference, you’re learning valuable insights from both esteemed speakers and talented peers. That means you’re blessed with the opportunity to hear different and, sometimes, better perspectives. When you develop this ear for listening, you can start doing the same in your place of leadership and integrate the different perspectives of individual team members to push the whole team forward.
To your success,
Mario
[Visit www.mariosingh.com now to enjoy a FREE e-book of my latest “37 Essential Principles for Massive Success” when you subscribe!]
