Remember those Smoky the Bear commercials, where Smoky told us all that, “Only you can prevent forest fires…”?
Nevermind the fact that Smoky had apparently mauled a park ranger and stolen his uniform; it’s the message of accountability that we love so much. The idea is so basic: fires happen when we do (or neglect to do) something relatively trivial. Living unintentionally, failing to be personally accountable for results—these are the postures that lead to mediocrity and failure in wilderness preservation, presentations and life. Smoky is right with regard to all things: “Only you…”
One of the most difficult attitudes to work with in business is the excuse-driven mentality. “I could do ___ if only ____”, “They just don’t ____, so I can’t ____”…when we live and believe these excuses, we’re just focusing the creative energy that is ever-present in the human mind on problems rather than solutions.
While we’re not sure why, we sometimes hear even the most positive, usually ambitious achievers take the easy way out when it comes to rationalizing the quality of their presentations. “I just don’t have time,” is one of our personal favorites, because some of the greatest presentations of all time have consisted almost entirely of images and a few slides of profound words or text. That doesn’t take skill or time—just creativity and a plan for communicating a core message.
We all have pressure and demands on our shoulders, and time is the most valuable resource in the world. But it’s short-sighted to phone it in on presentations when the time you invest in hitting the proverbial homerun can elevate your career and maximize your influence and effectiveness for years to come—a powerful return on investment if you ask us.
Only you can prevent horrible presentations, and it starts with a simple and accountable attitude. Believe that you can, decide that you will, and you’ll be amazed as you discover in the internal creativity that comes from a positive and responsibility-driven mindset.
And your audience will be amazed at the quality and persuasive power of your presentations.
Question: How personally accountable have you been to ensuring that your presentations are elevating your brand and status?
