The Power of Leadership: Opening Session Challenges Audience to Be Excellent and Ready to Compete

“This conference is not about dressing up, taking notes, and handing out your business card,” he said. "It is about what attendees do after the conference – review the notes that were taken, think critically about what was heard, decide how it applies to them, and take steps to move forward.

Drawing on his personal background – high school dropout, living in abandoned buildings – he offered the following advice:

• Know why you do what you do – what motivates you? 
Although his pastor and pastor’s wife continuously encouraged him to get his GED, it wasn’t until his girlfriend at the time – and now his wife – announced that she was going to college and he had to get his GED to go with her that he studied for and received the high school degree.

Thomas pointed out that his choice in his career was not about money and that money should not be the reason career decisions are made. Whether it is being able to send your children to college, enable them to study abroad, or make a difference to others, focus on goals other than money to stay motivated to keep learning and growing.

• Don’t rely on your degree – be ready to compete
Educational degrees alone will not move anyone up in their career, said Thomas. “There will always be someone like me – someone that is hungry – who will be there at 4 a.m. if the meeting starts at 8 a.m.,” he pointed out. Degrees will get someone an interview and maybe the first job, but to move up, everyone needs to be prepared to compete with others who are more motivated and more committed to reaching their goals.

• Add value to your company or industry
Find a way to fill the gaps, suggested Thomas. Look for opportunities to provide expertise, knowledge or leadership that is not already present. He started his company during the recession and found that Monday morning messages of hope and advice shared via YouTube quickly established his reputation as a motivational speaker. Thomas urged the audience to be excellent. “This is bigger than just a job,” he said. “We need not to be average, and it starts with personal development.”  At the end of the session, he had the entire audience on its feet shouting, “I can, I will, I must.”