Quotes about influence, influencing, influencers, and being influenced -- from National Speakers Association Conference INFLUENCE 2015. Featuring Chef Jeff Henderson, Verne Harnish, Jenn Lim & more -- by Denise Lee Yohn

1. 7 Influential Insights:
National Speakers Association
International Conference
July 2015
by denise lee yohn
7/26/2015 1
© 2015 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
(image credit: Bisma Rahman)
insights about influence, influencers,
influencing, and being influenced

2. © 2015 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
Recognize that you write a story…
anticipate edits.
When we meet someone, we begin writing a story about them. This is
OK, but we should be genuinely curious about them and want to learn
new information so our story can be more accurate.
-- Jessica Pettitt

3. © 2015 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
Leaders are readers.
Almost all great leaders practice the routine, “Always be learning.”
They read voraciously and set aside regular, large chunks of time to
read and think. To assess someone’s leadership potential, use a gating
question: “What have you been reading lately?”
-- Verne Harnish
(image credit: hoohirewire)

4. © 2015 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
People don’t
buy topics,
they buy
solutions.
Speakers often promote themselves with the topic they speak on; but
people who hire speakers are more interested in the problem a speaker
will help them solve. Same goes for consultants, job seekers, etc.
-- Kelly McDonald

5. © 2015 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
Become passionate
about your gift.
Most people think they should follow their passion. But you’ll be more
successful if you apply your natural, inherent strengths and develop a
passion for what you’re good at.
-- Chef Jeff Henderson
(image credit: i-square.us)

6. © 2015 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
Be an idea leader –
not a thought leader.
Thoughts are fleeting; ideas are the real currency of business.
-- Neen James

7. © 2015 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
Jenn Lim has worked alongside Tony Hsieh to build a culture of
happiness at Zappos. Their work is, as she puts it, “sucking the fluff out of
happiness” and proving the business case for it as a leadership principle.
Lessons learned from building a company
that delivers happiness:
1. Commitment – stick to your culture even when it doesn’t
make sense
2. Core values – personal and company values should be
aligned
3. Transparency – be true to your weird, authentic self
4. Purpose – be clear about why you do what you do
5. Relationships – make personal emotional connections
6. The Right Team – hire slow; fire fast
-- Jenn Lim

8. © 2015 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
Honor
We owe it to our clients to treat every engagement as if it were
the first time – and the last time – we’ll get to be with them. A
good philosophy for any relationship!
your
audience.
-- Mark Sharenbroich

9. © 2015 Denise Lee Yohn, Inc.
by Denise Lee Yohn,
keynote speaker and author of
What Great Brands Do:
The Seven Brand-Building
Principles That Separate the
Best from the Rest (Jossey-Bass)
http://deniseleeyohn.com
@deniseleeyohn