This is a guest post by Zach Taylor, chair of Rainmakers Young Professionals
Last Wednesday’s monthly event at our new Morty’s Comedy Joint location marked the 7 month anniversary for Rainmakers Young Professionals (RYP)! While that is a feat in and of itself, as event chair, I feel the best is yet to come! Our new location is perfect for a Rainmakers event that is growing in popularity and its ability to inspire.
Before I turned the mic over to our guest speaker, I had introductions to make. Midway through the introduction of the RYP board, my conscience started yapping.
At first it was, “I sure hope I don’t start sweating profusely with these bright lights on me.” (like most performers do)
Then, “Wow, I bet there have been some big names in comedy on this same stage.” (As a big Bob and Tom listener, I noticed names such as Ms. Pat and the late Tim Wilson among the other pictures posted around the room.)
Finishing with, “Get it together, you fool, this is a big room filled with great young professionals who are not here to listen to you blab but to connect, grow, and learn from the speaker.” (Our speaker would eventually rock the crowd)
Back to reality, I instantly realized the introduction had to go on and even though I may have referenced a similarity of our speaker with a famous movie star, we finally got to the good part.
Denzil “Val” Crooke from Incentus Global was this month’s speaker and covered a topic that hit home with me especially. For those of you that don’t know Denzil, he is as much of a stand up guy as you can find. His values and character are what define him so what better topic for him to cover with the RYP group than What is Character?
You know what character and values are but do your values make up your character? Does your character define you? Denzil believes that a good strong character can develop a moral compass in the workplace, build relationships and influence others, and provide a foundation for success in ALL areas of life!
He told us about how staying true to his character led him away from a highly lucrative medical device sales position. Having known Denzil apart from our networking and business relationship, I already believed he was a man of character. His story solidified my belief. It takes a man to stand up for what he believes in and Denzil stood up for his word, which he had given to someone else. In business, we know you are only as good as your word.
The activity this month was to take a page out of Denzil’s book and come up with self-defining values. For example, one of Denzil’s values is forgiveness. He stated, “I’m a man that realizes he has shortcomings. Who am I not to accept the shortcomings of others? This is my definition of forgiveness for me.”
I chose three values to work for the remainder of Q1:
- Joyfulness- maintaining a good attitude, even when faced with unpleasant conditions. (I will keep a positive attitude no matter the circumstances)
- Dependability- fulfilling what I consented to do, even if it means unexpected sacrifice. (If I say it, I’m going to do it!)
- Flexibility- Willingness to change plans or ideas according to the direction of my authorities. (Understanding that my plan may not always work out the way I thought)
Feel free to check in with me and see how I am doing or tell me what you are working on so I can hold you accountable.
Does RYP sound like it is something for you? Are you interesting in what defines a “Young Professional?” Come to our March events. We have our quarterly social event on March 10th at 317 Burger from 5:30-7:00 pm and our monthly networking event on March 18th from 7:30-9:00 a.m. at Morty’s Comedy Joint on 96th Street. Think you’re too old? We do not ID at the door. Prove to us that you are still young at heart!
Until next time, MAKE IT RAIN!
Zach
Follow me on Twitter @taylorzacharya
