Beware of Dangerous Motivational Speakers
By leadership author and keynote speaker Ross Shafer
I’m on a rant today and want to warn you about motivational speakers – the ones who are dangerous. This is no joke. Hi everybody I’m Ross Shafer and I want to thank you for finding the Relevant Leaders Club where I post new videos every week to help you grow your business and your career. Today, I want to warn you about dangerous motivational speakers; which pains me because as a business author and speaker, my clients think of ME as one of those guys. But I don’t ask my audiences to physically risk life and limb to prove a point. That’s why I’m disgusted by Tony Robbins and what happened in Dallas last week where fifty people were burned and five were hospitalized because Tony’s seminar urged hundreds of attendees to walk on red-hot coals. Why? To prove they could overcome their fears. And how do you get hundreds of people to do that? Peer Pressure and crowd manipulation! Tony and his team actually deride the followers if they don’t do it.
The most dangerous motivational speaker EVER was James Arthur Ray who in 2009 charged 50 people up to $10,000 to come to his five-day spiritual warrior retreat in Sedona. And you know what happened? He built a sweat lodge that reached temperatures around 200 degrees. He told his disciples that the sweat lodge would take their lives to the next level of transformation. Three people died and James Arthur Ray went to prison. Look, there are some people who have tremendous charisma, and by their sheer enthusiasm, you want some of that to rub off on you. But beware of motivational speakers who are not just charismatic to you… but charismatic to themselves. Self-charisma makes some people delusional. They get so intoxicated by the chanting audience and they believe “I just convinced a crowd of strangers to walk on coals” or “I got 50 people to get into a 200 degree sweat lodge, I must have a gift they need.” For your own good, if a motivational speaker asks you to do something that defies common sense or puts you in physical danger, get up and walk out of the room. That person doesn’t care about you. They only care about the money or their personal agenda. The best motivational speakers are specialists. They motivate you to ignite your understanding, not your feet. I have a Top Ten list of my own: I like Cam Marston for generational insights; I like Larry Winget for Personal Accountability; Peter Vidmar for superior performance; Mark Sanborn for Leadership; Jeanne Bliss for customer engagement; Joe Calloway for branding; Scott McKain for differentiating yourself; Eric Chester for workforce ethics; Nido Quebin for standards of excellence; and Scott Klososky for technology. Do you see the difference? These people will motivate you because they are specialty experts and they will leave you feeling comfortable and confident, not hurting or hospitalized. Put another way; don’t go to a podiatrist for a heart bypass.
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