Thoughts from "Get Motivated"

Myself and 5 co-workers traveled up to Key Arena yesterday for the "Get Motivated" seminar and had the opportunity to hear from some of the country's top thinkers and most inspirational men and women. It was a pretty remarkable day, sitting so close to some true world leaders, live and in person. I wanted to share some thoughts.

• After sitting on I-5 for 45 minutes trying to get into Seattle, I think I prefer Gig Harbor.  

Oh, wait. I meant to share some thoughts from the speakers.

• First up was Steve Forbes. Forbes, who is one of the most brilliant business minds, shared some amazing thoughts about our country and free enterprise. I was left wondering, "How is a guy like this not listened to in government? Why can't ideas like this be implemented."
• Next up was Laura Bush. Great lady, not much of a public speaker. It was pretty fascinating hearing stories of the presidency from a familial perspective. Sometimes it's easy to forget that there is a real family living in the White House.
• We then had a little sales pitch from a guy that was intruiging in some ways, annoying and transparent in many others. We didn't buy.
• Colin Powell was one of the highlights of the day for me. Just a great individual with some fantastic thoughts about how to lead. The main take away for me was in order to be a great leader, those whom you want to follow you must feel valuable. I get the impression that Colin Powell treats everyone he comes across with dignity and respect.
• The overall highlight of the day was Krish Dhanam. Never heard of the guy. Didn't know he'd even be there. He spoke of the difference between frivolous communication and feeling communication, and I believe that the more our culture dives into frivolous communication the more danger we'll be in.  

Overall it was a fantastic day. I left at lunch (traffic and long days indoors are two things I can't handle), so I missed giants like Dan Rather, Bill Cosby and Rudy Giuliani. If anyone stayed up there to hear those guys, I'd love to hear your thoughts.