Posted March 9, 2016

 

One of the honors I have covering this industry is hearing a wide range of speakers. Over the last 20-plus years, I’ve witnessed hundreds of presenters, dozens of whom could be placed in the “motivational” category – some OK, some dynamic and some so insightful and good at what they do, they inspire you to want to become the best “you” you can be – starting NOW.

 

This week, I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Gerald D. Bell, founder and CEO of the Bell Leadership Institute and professor at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. He keynoted the Leadership Conference portion of the Annual Meeting of INDA, the Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics Industry, in Cary, N.C. Having never heard of Bell, I didn’t know what to expect.

 

After two hours, the audience and I were mesmerized, motivated and moved by the information he dispensed. His topic: leadership principles. But, leading up to that subject, he delved deeper into the human experience. Bell didn’t go about imparting this wisdom in a histrionic, excited, in-your-face style, but rather, a calm, soothing, grandfatherly manner that had all of us experiencing a number of “a-ha moments.” And perhaps even a few satori (sudden enlightenment) moments.

 

By the end of his talk, DING … Bell had rung our bells. Or, rather, turned on our inner light bulbs. Many of the pearls of perception, really, are right in front of us but we’re either too busy or too shortsighted to recognize them.

 

Now, I won’t endeavor to relay them in this short space, as justice would surely be left unserved. But here are a few quick takeaways:

 

• Life is difficult. Once you realize that, things get better in life. When you realize you’re going to have problems, you might as well work to solve them. Once you start to solve them, you begin a life of happiness and success.

 

• The older you get, the bigger your problems.

 

• You need problems to be happy because you’ll get satisfaction out of solving them.

 

• The best gift you can give your children is to teach them how to solve problems. Don’t use your money to solve your kids’ problems.

 

• To avoid burnout, give 100 percent at work every day, but no more. Anything else is too much, if you want a happy life. Working 70 hours a week is not a badge of honor. You think by working longer, you’ll do better, but that’s not true. Pace yourself, like a marathon runner.

A Bell-ringing experience