I recently gave a keynote speech at a Higher Education conference with administrators from all over the country. It was a great opportunity to connect, engage, and challenge the attendees in the areas of clarifying identity, pursuing purpose, and seeking to make “it” better every day.
As with any keynote, I invest the first portion connecting with the attendees to provide them with a reason to listen and engage. Somewhere 1/3 of the way in, I gave an example of clarifying my identity and shared that following Jesus was the foundation of my identity. A few minutes later, I shared with them my example of living with purpose which is Matthew 5:16: “To let my light shine before others so that they may see good works and give glory to God.”
The talk wrapped up right up and seemed to go well. Feedback afterwards was encouraging. As I was about to leave, a man pulled me over away from the crowd and told me that he had been to conferences for years and had never heard anyone talk about their faith before. He went on to say that he was a Christian and that his family had been making small wooden crosses by hand for three generations. He not only showed me the one around his neck but took it off and gave it to me.
I wasn’t sure how to respond. He told me he was so moved by just hearing Jesus spoken of in a public setting, that he wanted to me to have that cross.
What an awesome gesture.
I never really thought about it. If I am going to talk about identity and purpose for that length of time, that’s just what I talk about. It’s who I am. I am not preaching a sermon or demanding a response, but I’m rather just sharing about myself as I engage with others to better understand themselves.
The odd thing was that one week later, I was speaking to another group and sharing my new book, The Greatest Leader Ever, when an attendee pulled me to the side. He said that he admired my courage for writing the book in a secular business world. He told me that it was a huge risk, but that he was so glad I took the risk.
I openly share that while it’s a book about leadership lessons from the life of Jesus, that it’s written for anyone seeking to develop as a leader. It’s not just for Christians.
I get it. Our society is afraid of being offensive to someone of a different belief, so we don’t talk or share about things important to us. Maybe there is some level of risk involved.
While I appreciate both men and their comments, these encounters reveal a great deal about society. They tell us a lot about how far we have gone in our attempt to appease or not offend someone.
As we seek to live out our identity each day, I would encourage all of us to:
· Be authentic but sensitive
· Be bold but humble
· Be honest but considerate
· Be truthful but patient
Not only can we, but we should live authentic lives sharing things that are important to us. We shouldn’t live in fear!
It’s a risk worth taking!
Oh, that small wooden cross will travel with me wherever I go now!
Doug provides professional speaking and coaching services to organizations and individuals. Whether you are looking for a speaker for your next event or a leadership coach to develop people and build a team culture, feel free to reach out to Doug at doug.strickel@gmail.com and learn more about PLUS.
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