300 Words 1/3/2024 | Meet Your Heroes
One call might change the direction of your life.
It has been said, “You should never meet your heroes.”
That’s wrong.
You should always strive to meet your heroes. Let me tell you why.
When you meet them face to face. Close enough to look them in the eye. One of two things will happen. They will either disappoint you, or delight you.
Disappoint you because they aren’t who they appear to be from afar, or delight you because they are exactly who you thought they were to begin with.
I got the opportunity to meet one of my business heroes today, and let me tell you he was exactly who I expected him to be and then some.
This is a person that I have admired from afar for their personality, presence, and perspective on X. This is someone who willingly gives out valuable business advice time and time again.
They say game recognizes game and iron sharpens iron, but have you heard the phrase “real entrepreneurs know real entrepreneurs”? Of course you haven’t. I just made it up. It’s true though.
There is a rare breed of entrepreneur who excels at what they do, speaks from a place of authority and expertise, and actually cares about their clients. They have incredibly high standards for themselves and those around them, but the grace to meet people where they are. They are driven by a higher purpose. A passion beyond the bottom line. There is a force within them pushing them forward. A force driving them to create, to make, and to serve others. Don’t be mistaken they know their worth and charge accordingly. As they should. This is the type of person I got to speak with today. A true gem of a human being that is building something big in the coming months.
For a short 30 minutes I got the opportunity to speak with the one and only Torrey Dawley @torreydawley. The quick call was jam packed with empathy, perspective, laughter, and value. I felt like we could have talked for hours. He is just that good at what he does, and he is this public speakers dream to speak with.
What made this conversation so great?
- His presence.
Torrey has established a rock solid brand with a strong corporate client base. He’s kind of a big deal, and does intense high level work for large corporate clients. Given that context, it would be reasonable to expect him to be aloof or cold. To have a chip on his shoulder when speaking with me. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
He has a genuine smile and an easy going attitude that makes you feel right at home. He is warm and welcoming. Five seconds into the call and I felt like a close personal friend. He was present and attentive with his focus. He listened intently to the conversation, summarized key points, and weaved his own expertise into the conversation seamlessly.
This sense of presence and empathy is an incredibly valuable tool for communicators. Whether you are meeting someone for the first time, making a critical sales pitch, or presenting an end of quarter report to key stake holders. You should be able to set the mood of the room by your presence. It takes practice, genuine curiosity, and empathy to do it right.
2. His Expertise
Torrey knows his stuff. He’s been successful in business for over 15 years, and it shows in spades. I’m an expert at public speaking, and it is not often that I am speechless. This is one of those rare occasions where I am. I do not have words to express how incredibly exceptional Torrey is at what he does. It is pure magic to witness in person.
3. He cares
It’s easy to say that you care. It’s a whole lot harder to show it. Torrey showed it exceptionally well by his ability to reciprocate. He listened to a story intently, internalized the context, and then empathized and related to the situation from his own perspective. He didn’t make it about himself, but empathized to what was said. If you aren’t naturally gifted in empathy this is a hard thing to do well. So how do you make it look effortless?
You listen. You listen not to respond, not to start talking about yourself, but to truly understand what the person is saying and the messages that they are conveying subconsciously (body language and tone are important). You listen for their story, their emotion, their heartbreak, and their triumphs. Without full uninterrupted focus you will miss those tiny moments that matter. They are gone in a blink of an eye.
Full uninterrupted focus doesn’t mean that you start a starring competition. Gazing into the other persons eyes until you are both uncomfortable. Instead uninterrupted focus means you focus intently on them, have a relaxed and inviting posture, and listen to what the other person is saying. Really hear them. Not just the words that are coming out of their mouth, but their body language, their tone, their emotional arc. It’s all there if you have the skill and are willing to listen.
4. He speaks from a place of passion.
You can feel it when someone speaks from their fire within. When they are obsessed with the nuance and minutia of their craft. When they are electrified with energy and passion.
Everyone has it in them, but sadly it often only comes out in moments of anger or rage. When you can evoke the same emotion of a raging fire in a whisper of joy or a moment of wonder, awe, or bliss you have mastered one aspect of speaking from your fire within.
It is a beautiful sight to behold when done well. Sadly, few do it well.
To do it well you must have inflection. You must have changes in pitch, tone, and tempo. You must be speaking from a place of true passion, desire, and have a firm conviction in your message.
To borrow a line: “Lukewarm is death.”
If your conversation is as monotone as Ben Stein in ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ your message is already dead. You may as well pack it up and go home. You need spice, you need passion, you need vibrant highs and quiet lows. Torrey was able to convey all of this within a simple conversational tone.
There were many more insights I gained from this simple yet enthralling 30 minute conversation, but I’ll leave them for another day.
In short this was a phenomenal dare I say life changing call. You should be following Torrey and check out his work. He has something big in the works. It is carefully being crafted for just the right person.
They say you should “Never meet your heroes.”
They’re right.
Because once you do you just might want to become one yourself.
-Jeff The GOAT JOAT
P.S. Thank you, Torrey. Thank you for a wonderful conversation and your presence today.
About the Author:
Hello I’m Jeff an experienced orator and competitive public speaker with 6+ years competitive public speaking experience. I have personally overcome the fear of public speaking and have successfully helped my clients get over theirs as well.
I have 4 openings for public speaking clients for the month of January. Email me at [email protected] or send me a DM on X if you are:
-A business owner looking to upscale your employees confidence and communication skills. -An executive that needs a calm trusted presence that can handle pressure and help you prepare for your next big pitch.
Spots are limited and I will not be able to add to them once they are filled.
You can follow me here if you want to see more of my content.
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