Last Friday Chester Elton and I spoke to the International Association of Speakers Bureaus—a group that helps meeting planners find the right content and presenters for their conferences.
After we finished speaking, Wolf Blitzer of CNN took the stage to interview speaking industry legend Don Walker, CEO of the Harry Walker Agency in NYC.
As background, Don’s 60-year-old agency is number one—representing such figures as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bono, Freakonomics authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, and other household names. After listening to Don for about three minutes, I grabbed a Fairmont Hotel pad and started scribbling notes. What he had to say was that good.
Don believes his industry is in the “marketplace of ideas.” And when is the need greater for the free-flow of thoughts and innovation than during a downturn in the economy? He said this meltdown might just make our businesses stronger in the end; yet he recalled the words of Winston Churchill, who after being told that losing an election might be a blessing in disguise, muttered, “Well, it’s well disguised.”
Don stressed the importance of working together with competitors to climb out of the morass, to continue attending association meetings and conferences to share best practices. He punctuated this point with an African saying, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Finally, Don reminded us that continuing education will help us become experts in our respective fields. “You don’t know who’s swimming naked until the tide goes out,” he quipped. And right now, the tide is out. The economy is clearing the beach of pretenders. Only those who are serious about their crafts will remain behind.
The moral of Don’s message is this: Don’t abandon your friends. Attend your industry meetings, conventions and education sessions. Be an active part of the marketplace of ideas and you just might thrive.
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