Are you a Dr. No or a Dr. How Can We?

Toward the end of every presentation, I always ask for someone from the audience to stand up and share a new idea. Maybe something they got from the message or something that would move the group forward to a resolution. And one day, I was presenting for a group of CEOs and facilities managers. I asked that question toward the end, and there's a little bit of a pause.

Finally, this really strong guy raised his hand, he stood up, and he said, "You know, in my organization for the past 20 years, my nickname has been Dr. No, because I'm the guy who always says, No. No, we can't do that. No, we can't afford that. No, we don't have enough time. No, that's too much of a risk."

He said it's not working. He said morale is down, and revenues are down, and something needs to change.

He knew that as a leader, that needs to come from him.

So He said, "I'm saying this so everyone can be my witness. From this day forward, I am no longer Dr. No... I am. Dr. How Can We."

Well, there was an audible gasp in the audience because he got it, and it was so powerful. I ended up giving him my backup guitar to commemorate the moment, which I do now in every program.

I give away a guitar when someone shares an idea. Because it's so important to remember that, especially post COVID-19, we need not just leaders who are Dr.No. We need Dr. How Can We's!

We need entire organizations of Dr. How Can We's! It's my mission in life to create this.

So my question for you is, who have you been? Dr. No or Dr. How Can We?

And how could you become a Dr. How Can We?