Kathy Garland | Transformational Leader | Innovative Speaker | Business Coach | Kathy Garland International

Tonight I am in Austin for a Public Speaking Workshop at The Wizard Academy, www.wizardacademy.org. Even though I’ve been speaking for 10 years, I am very excited to learn from someone who charges $25,000 (yes that’s right) per speech. Think there might be something here for people who want to speak?

For me to get the most out of the workshop, I need to enter the classroom as though I know nothing about speaking. I can’t show up and pretend to be what I’m not. I am going to have the attitude of a beginner.

If I go in the classroom tomorrow holding all I know about being a speaker and my 10 years of speeches, that will shut out the possibility of me learning and experiencing something that could greatly improve my speaking and success.

In the past, I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking I have to have all the answers and have it perfect. If you can identify with this, think about it because you may miss opportunities by already having the “right answers.” There are times we need to have the mindset of a beginner so we don’t shut out possibilities to big breakthroughs and insights. A beginner is curious. A beginner has an empty slate. A beginner has no baggage from past history.

The beginner’s mind can absorb more than a mind filled with the best way to do this and the right answer for that. The beginner mind is pliable, moldable, open.

There are times it is advantageous as a leader to have a beginner’s mind. With problem-solving, a beginner’s mind helps eliminate the “we’ve done it before” syndrome and can lead to innovation.

A leader with a beginner’s mind can see solutions from different perspectives and involve her team in developing answers to problems.

It seems contrary to common wisdom, however, to empty your mind on a subject matter you feel you are an expert in and put yourself in the shoes of a beginner is a powerful exercise.