Dan Gheesling, Season 10 winner of the show Big Brother, paid a visit Thursday evening to Niagara College, presented by NC SAC and the Centre for Student Engagement and Leadership. Speaking to a packed auditorium of students staff and community leaders, Dan led a fascinating motivational speech that engaged the audience to the very end.
Before Big Brother, Dan was the youngest college football coach in American history at age 21. He used real-world experiences and humour to showcase 6 skills every leader has and outlined simple ways to utilize these skills in everyday experiences.
Takeaways from each point:
#1. Ask ten questions before talking about yourself. Avoid yes or no questions or inserting your own stories when he/she responds.
#2. Remember names. Ask follow up questions to people based on past conversations. Remember details people mention that may seem unimportant and bring them up later. Listen to their response and be genuine.
#3. Always be available, even in the middle of the night. You may only get a late-night call once a year, but when you do it’s because that person trusts you and may not have anyone else to talk to. Being available to help is what leaders do.
#4. Leaders must never gossip, even though followers will gossip to you. When this happens, compliment and redirect. Compliment the subject of the gossip, and redirect your attention to the gossiper. Ask how you can help them.
#5. Treat everyone the same whether they are the janitor or CEO. ‘Feeding’ everyone first may seem like a very small gesture, but allowing others to go ahead of you is something people will remember for a long time.
#6. He who says he can and he who says he can’t are both usually right.
Good News in Welland 