Since I’ve never been to a business seminar before, I didn’t quite know what to expect at the Get Motivated event at the Greensboro Coliseum. It was my first outing as a Leapfrog intern and I was hoping to leave as motivated as Tamara Lowe, emcee and co-founder of the world famous Get Motivated series, promised. I felt a little out of place in a sea of business suits, but as the event began, it seemed like I was at a rock show rather than a business convention.  Each speaker walked out to a different, upbeat theme song,  and upon entering the platform, an explosion of light and flames shot out of each corner of the stage while the emcee encouraged the crowd to give each guest a big welcome as loud as they could!

Rick Belluzzo, former COO of Microsoft, kicked off the morning with tips on how to advance in any career by being flexible, accepting bad news in a constructive manner, always being an active listener and learner and by staying humble.  Next, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani shared his experiences from the September 11th terrorist attacks, emphasizing the importance of being prepared for anything.  Later, several business gurus, including Zig Ziglar and Phil Town, shared their secrets to success, followed by the “Hero of the Hudson” pilot, Captain Chelsey Sullenberger, who gave the crowd goose bumps as he described the day he saved 155 people from a potentially fatal airline disaster, January 15th 2009.  General Colin Powell finished off the action-packed seminar with a personal speech reminiscing on his experience as former Secretary of State. 

So the question is, did I leave motivated? Absolutely - I had a great time and learned valuable information on how to stay motivated and become a successful leader. I look forward to attending more seminars like this one and using my new skills at Leapfrog.--Jessica Rak