TL;DR Because he saw something I hadn’t. On March 22, 2018, Richard Menneg booked me as the youngest speaker ever to keynote the ATI Super Conference. He asked me to bring my heavy backpack on stage. I thought it was just my bag. But he was showing the room what I carried before I said a word.
On March 22, 2018, a man named Richard Menneg hired me to keynote at the Automotive Training Institute Super Conference. I was the youngest speaker they’d ever had. He’d seen me at a showcase the year before and took a chance on me, which I will never forget.
Before the event he met me in person to talk through the talk, and he had one odd request. He wanted me to bring my heavy backpack up on stage with me. I thought it was just a bag. He saw so much more than that.
It was not just a bag. As I stood up on stage with that backpack on both shoulders, the audience saw the weight I carried before I opened my mouth. When I took it off and set it beside the podium, that weight turned into opportunity. When I walked off stage with one strap over my shoulder, everyone understood how much lighter it had become.
I’ve spent years since as a corporate keynote speaker, and I still marvel that Richard saw that staging before I did. That is what real backing looks like. Someone takes a chance on you, and then they hand you a way to be better.
That day taught me something I’ve never forgotten—that what we carry can either weigh us down or lift us up, depending on what we do with it.
— I’m Not Limping. That’s Swagger!, Chapter 5
Please welcome Kelsey Tainsh, and her backpack. He was right about the backpack.
When you’re the one betting on someone new
- Take the chance, then give them a way to shine.
- Show the room what they carry before they speak.
- Trust your read of a person over their resume.
The backpack is one of my favorite stories to bring to a room as a corporate keynote speaker, because everyone in it is carrying something. If you sponsor, mentor, or plan events and you want to talk about seeing potential in people, I’d love to. And the whole story is in my book if you’d like to read it.
Book: https://kelseytainsh.com/kelseys-book/ ·
Speaking: https://kelseytainsh.com/corporate-keynotes/
Recent Comments