OPENING SESSION SPEAKER

What makes your heart sing?

Opening Session speaker Carmine Gallo kicked off Leadership Conference 2013 with an empowering message designed specifically for leaders. Gallo focused on passion, communicating a bold vision, connecting things, creating “insanely great” experiences, being a great communicator and being empowering and engaging.

The author and communications coach urged the audience to be innovators by sharing leadership skills and the success stories from inspiring visionaries such as Steve Jobs, Howard Schultz and Wendy Kopp.

“As leaders, we all have to be innovative,” he said. “Learn from people who are some of the most innovative people of our time. What can inspiring innovative leaders teach us?”

Gallo challenged the audience members to define their passion.

“Ask yourself, what am I passionate about and how am I going to express it?” he said. “What makes my heart sing? That should be what you express to your staff and department as much as you can on a daily basis, because passion is contagious.”

In fact, passion is everything, Gallo said – a necessary trait that every leader must possess. He identified ENA’s co-founder Judith Kelleher, MSN, RN, FAEN, as an inspiring leader who exuded passion about emergency nursing that is evident throughout her legacy.

“Judy left you a legacy that is worth preserving and growing,” Gallo said. “When you start with a vision enriching lives, magical things start to happen.”

Kendra Y. Mims