for all, she didn’t learn the business of
speaking until after she learned to perform
her music. “Dad didn’t start speaking as a
profession until age 55, after retiring from
the practice of law,” Lee says. “He was at
the height of his power and influence and
fame at the age of 72. ‘There is no excuse
for anyone to say I am too old for anything,’ he’d say. ‘You’re just wet behind the
ears when you’re 55!’”
THE POWER OF NO
Success has a way of putting speakers in a
position of wanting to say yes more often
than perhaps they should—particularly
because it’s such a long process to develop
a speaking business. As such, while Lee
enjoys mixing music and speaking, invites
come with a caveat. “Being a communica-
tor can be a funny business, and one that’s
addictive,” she says. “That makes learning
how to say no one of the hardest things.”
For Lee, declining an opportunity isn’t
about staying healthy or in balance: It’s a
matter of what her father extolled about
following your heart and serving people.
That principle can be applied to saying
no to a topic that’s not your gift, or to
that one extra engagement for which you
don’t have the energy to give the audi-
ence what they deserve—even though
you could use the money.
“If all you’re trying to do is make a
buck, then the bucks will run through
your hands like water,” Lee says. “But if
you’re interested in using your talents and
constantly developing them to serve other
people, then the dollars will hang around
your back door, begging for your attention
just to see what kind of person you are.”
sense of humor and anecdotes reminiscent
of her father’s. While some speakers tell
stories in a dramatic way, others use poetry
and even physical movements to bring a
similar effect. “What we’re really trying to
do is capture the eye and the ears of our
audiences,” she says. “There are so many
ways of bringing their attention back, and
of capturing their eyes and ears with the
tools of influence we use.” Being natural
is part of the equation, as is taking care of
yourself so the authenticity lasts long term.
STAYING
CONDITIONED
Lee tells a story about how Cavett Robert
wanted to be an Olympic athlete in high
school. He loved track and field, and his
mentor and coach would occasionally let
him train with the Olympians. He heard the
way they breathed, talked to them, kept
step with them, watched them sweat - all
of the things Cavett called “conditioning.”
He told Lee, “Conditioning is just as impor-
tant as learning and stays with us so much
longer. We cannot be exposed to the influ-
ence and love of each other and ever be
the same again.”
Lee still believes strongly that greatness
comes from the conditioning that can only
come from associating with skilled profes-
sionals at the top of their craft. “Unless we
can rub elbows with champions, we don’t
get the conditioning,” she says. “An organi-
zation like NSA gives us the information to
learn and the conditioning.”
AUTHENTICITY AND
ATTENTION
“Be natural. Be who you are on purpose.”
To this day, her dad’s words are music to
Lee’s ears. “If it’s natural for you to lay
on the floor and kick your legs,” she says
with a laugh, “then that’s what you need
to do.” For Lee, that means delivering a
blend of her musical talents as well as a
SOWING SEEDS OF
GREATNESS
Today, Lee Robert shares her message
through storytelling and folk music, and
is known for her own style and voice of
“Cowboy Jazz.” Her music has changed
over the years, but so has her business—
due in part to the fatherly wisdom she
still hears echoing in her head. Her legacy
hasn’t changed, but how she shares it has.
Her “seeds of greatness” haven’t changed,
but how she views them, as part of her
own message and mentorship of others,
has. She now focuses on making a differ-
ence in the lives of those with whom she
shares her message—ensuring they, too,
see their own seeds of greatness, live abun-
dantly, and sustain their own ability to
share their message.
Monica Wofford, MA, CSP, is chair of the Speaker editorial advisory board, a leadership development expert and the CEO of Contagious Companies. She develops leaders, who were often managers who got promoted, but are not prepared to deal with the issues of confidence in leadership. Her latest book, Make Difficult People Disappear, deals with the difficult voices and the people who share them.
Contact her at Monica@ContagiousCompanies.com or www.ContagiousCompanies.com.
