I recently spoke to YPO Guatemala, in Guatemala City, which was a great experience. I shared with them a three hour interactive workshop on leadership succession planning.
What made it a great experience was their willingness to participate fully in the discussion and group exercises as well as their warm generosity in the way that they hosted me while in Guatemala City – my first time visiting Central America.
When I am speaking I often receive a gift at the end of my keynote or workshop from the meeting planner. These gifts vary from books to food and even a Bose portable speaker (a speaker for a speaker)! On this occasion the gift was truly unique, it was a small tray for a table, hand made in Guatemala. I particularly love gifts like this that reflect the feel of the local culture.
However, I would say the best gift I received on this trip was the feedback from my host, Daniel. Over a very nice dinner he shared that the workshop had been well received and I scored 9 out of 10 in the post event surveys, which was pleasing. He then went on to discuss how I could make the workshop even better for future audiences and we brainstormed our ideas over dinner.
I used to have a boss that liked to say, “feedback is the breakfast of champions.” Giving constructive feedback to help your team improve, even when they are already doing a good job, is perhaps the greatest gift you can give them. As a leader if you can create a culture where this feedback is not only accepted, but welcomed as an opportunity to grow, then your business will be stronger for the future.
