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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajiving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul

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<v Speaker 1>fella Aledo. Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute

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<v Speaker 1>Leadership Podcast. It's episode three twenty. Let's talk about trade

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<v Speaker 1>shows and you know, the drill giant hauls rows of booths,

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<v Speaker 1>free pens, bad coffee, and more lanyards than a badge

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<v Speaker 1>printer can handle. But let me offer you a different

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<v Speaker 1>lens to look through the next time you step onto

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<v Speaker 1>a trade show floor or attend a conference, because in

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<v Speaker 1>my experience, one of three things always happens at a

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<v Speaker 1>trade show or a conference. You either learn something, have

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<v Speaker 1>an awakening, or you understand the context of something that

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<v Speaker 1>you've been missing. So let me just break these down

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<v Speaker 1>real quick for you. Number one, you learn something, and

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<v Speaker 1>this one's the easiest to recognize. You sit through a

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<v Speaker 1>seminar or stop at a booth and boom, new technique,

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<v Speaker 1>new technology, or a new shortcut to something that's been

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<v Speaker 1>a pain point for months. Maybe it's a new staffing

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<v Speaker 1>tool that saves you hours a week, or maybe it's

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<v Speaker 1>a better way to deliver your next training module. That's learning.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you go into a trade show hunting for

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<v Speaker 1>this kind of gain, you'll leave with a notebook full

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<v Speaker 1>of information to bring back to your team. But here's

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<v Speaker 1>the key. You can't just absorb the info. You have

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<v Speaker 1>to act on it. Otherwise it stays as trade show trivia,

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<v Speaker 1>not a leadership tool. And the second thing that can

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<v Speaker 1>happen is you have an awakened. This one's deeper. It's

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<v Speaker 1>not about discovering a new product, it's about discovering a

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<v Speaker 1>new perspective. Maybe you see a speaker who challenges the

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<v Speaker 1>way you've always done things, or you overhear a conversation

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<v Speaker 1>from someone in a different market and realize we're stuck

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<v Speaker 1>in the past. That's the awakening. It's that jolt in

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<v Speaker 1>your gut when you realize something has to change. It's

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<v Speaker 1>not always comfortable. In fact, most of the time it isn't,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's the kind of moment that pulls your leadership

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<v Speaker 1>out of neutral and in to drive. That awakening can

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<v Speaker 1>shift your entire culture if you let it. And the

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<v Speaker 1>last thing is you understand the context of something. Sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>the trade show doesn't give you something new. Instead, it

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<v Speaker 1>gives you the missing peace to something you already know.

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<v Speaker 1>You've been hearing about community paramedicine or AI in scheduling

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<v Speaker 1>for a year, but it never fully clicked until now,

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<v Speaker 1>the right conversation, the right speaker, the right vendor, and

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<v Speaker 1>then it all locks into place and you leave the

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<v Speaker 1>show and say, now I get it. That kind of

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<v Speaker 1>understanding gives you clarity, gives you context, and as a leader,

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<v Speaker 1>that context turns you from someone who repeats buzzwords into

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<v Speaker 1>someone who can drive real change. And I will tell

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<v Speaker 1>you that I just returned from a conference a few

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<v Speaker 1>days ago and for me, I had an awakening. I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't really learn anything new, but I sat in on

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<v Speaker 1>a cyber security and cyber insurance discussion and the awakening

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<v Speaker 1>that hit me over that information was what inspired me

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<v Speaker 1>to write this episode. So here's my challenge to you.

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<v Speaker 1>The next time you attend a trade show or conference,

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<v Speaker 1>don't just go for the swag and the CEUs. Go

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<v Speaker 1>with intention. Ask yourself, well I learned if something, have

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<v Speaker 1>an awakening or finally understand something that's been unclear, and

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<v Speaker 1>don't wait for it to happen to you, go after it.

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<v Speaker 1>Ask the deeper question. Sit in on the sessions that

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<v Speaker 1>are outside your comfort zone. Talk to the vendors you

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<v Speaker 1>would normally walk past. Your seven minute leadership habit for

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<v Speaker 1>that day, Go find your one thing because trade shows

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<v Speaker 1>aren't just events, they're proven grounds for leaders who are

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<v Speaker 1>willing to grow. This has been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast,

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<v Speaker 1>and I thank you for listening. For more Paul Fell

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<v Speaker 1>of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com