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motivational speaker

 

Change? Laugh or Cry; Your Choice.

 

Selected Posts from Brad’s Past

We found a few posts, videos and stories from Brad’s past, and thought it would be fun to re-publish them here.  So pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on some classic rock, and check out this classic blog post from a decade (ish) ago.  

It isn’t always this easy, but it is (nearly) always this simple.  When we as organizations or individuals deal with change there are two certainties.  First, it’s going to be something new.  Duh.  Second, it’s going to happen whether we want it to or not.

Got a new organizational structure?  Has has the shape, structure and content of your workforce changed?   Or your uncertain about exactly how YOU will fit in with all these changes?

I’ve got a couple of thoughts about it for you, but they both start with the concept that it’s time to stop complaining, stop worrying, and start doing something that can help you.  It’s time to start learning to laugh at change.

In my job as a motivational speaker I’m often asked to address the subject of change for my client’s audience.  And my theory can be summed up quickly:

“Change?  You might as well learn to laugh at it.  It’s one of the few choices you have.”  —   Brad Montgomery

There’s an age-old law of humor and comedy, which goes something like:

Tragedy + Time = Funny

And it doesn’t take much thought to realize it’s true.  That disaster family vacation in your teens?  Hilarious!   The time crazy Uncle Larry got his foot stuck in the chair and was howling in pain?   Ha ha ha!  The Thanksgiving dinner when the turkey was raw, the side dishes cold, and the in-laws psycho?   Ooh, my sides hurt from laughing.

They were all lousy times.   (Tragedy.)   They were all a long time ago.  (Time.)  But now they are funny.

My suggestion is that all of the lousy things you are dealing with now are probably going to be funny if you let enough time pass.   For some of you, that’s going to mean a LOT of time.

But my suggestion is simple:   if it’s going to be funny later, why not (at least try to) see the “funny” in it now.  See if you can shorten the “Time” variable in the equation from 20 years to 20 minutes.

Next time you are freaking out about something new at work, ask yourself if you’ll really care about this change in five years.  Now go one teensy little step further and ask yourself if you think this change might be funny in a month or a week or a decade.   If the answer is yes, you’re an idiot to dwell too hard on it.

It’s time to start laughing.   Now.

Yes, it’s a simple concept.  Which doesn’t mean it’s an easy concept.  That new software package you’re sorting through IS a pain in the neck.  The uncertainty of the merger IS a stress.  The recent layoffs (or rapid growth) are difficult.   But so what?  Are you really going to let these things ruin your day?  Your job?  Your life?

Again, if the answer is yes, you’re a fool.

As a change motivational speaker, I teach my audiences this wildly simple concept, and then give them some simple — but seriously effective — techniques and strategies that they can start to implement right away.

The best way to deliver these messages of levity, humor and hope?   Through generous doses of laughter.

If we make your group laugh — and laugh HARD — at some really funny and relevant discussions of change, they’ll listen.   And because it is so much fun, it will help it stick.  Making it funny helps with retention.

Looking for a change motivational speaker?   You’ve found him.   Contact us here and we’ll strategize the best way to get your folks laughing back their way to health.

Brad Montgomery
Change Motivational Speaker, Funny Guy, Humor Strategist

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Today I’m talking about something I call temporary incompetence. What’s that?  Well, stay with me and I’ll tell you. I’ll also tell you how it helps you in your work. But first I’ll tell you about my vacation.  (Trust me, it’ll all make sense in the end.)

A little while ago I went on a two week vacation with my family to Brazil. It was a great trip, and I had a phenomenal time. On our very first day, we went to a little cafe on the streets of Rio de Janeiro looking for some snacks and drinks. The process of ordering snacks and drinks turned into a small adventure of its own because we didn’t know a lot of things about ordering in a cafe in Rio de Janeiro.


What we didn’t know:
1   The language
2   The system
3   How to order
4   How to paybrazil

Because we didn’t know these things, my family and I were what I call temporarily incompetent. We were temporarily incompetent at ordering snacks.

Of course, it all turned out in the end. It ended up being an awesome adventure and one of my fondest memories from the trip.

The idea of temporary incompetence doesn’t only apply to situations in a cafe in Brazil, it also applies to your jobs at the office. A lot of things change at the office, whether it be a new system, new software, new regulations, or a different sales process.

Nobody wants change. If you have ever experienced any of these changes or other similar ones, and freaked out a little, you aren’t alone. We don’t want changes because we might be really good at the old system, we might be slow at learning things, and we don’t want to be temporarily incompetent. Nobody likes the feeling of incompetence, even temporarily.  I sure don’t.  But actually,

motivational speaker

Change Management Speaker

experiencing temporary incompetence can help us.

So what’s the difference with changes at the office and finding yourself in a sticky situation while you’re on vacation? The difference is only in our head.  Feeling incompetent shakes us up, stresses us out, blasts us out of our rut. And that’s good. Who wants unending sameness?  We all need shaking up on a temporary basis. It’s good for our psyche, it’s good for our brain, and it’s good for our self-confidence. Because it’s temporary. And then we become competent again. The only way we grow is through change. The only way we’re motivated to change is through temporary incompetence.

Here’s what we all need to do when we find ourselves freaking out over the changes at the office:
1.   Change our perspective
2.   Relish the challenge of change
3.  Embrace the change

Change is difficult. However, change is needed. It is how you stay ahead of the competition, it can bring advantages, flexibility and confidence. And, as I learned during my Brazilian cafe adventure, being temporarily incompetent can be kind of fun.

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While he isn’t exploring the streets of Brazil, Brad Montgomery is a professional speaker that uses humor, story and passion to engage with his audiences. Call today to get a free consultation!

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Change Sucks.  Deal with it.

As a business speaker, one of the most frequent calls I get from perspective clients is, “Can you talk to us about change?  Our folks are having a tough time.”

So are we all.

Recently I was reminded how HARD change can be, and I gotta say it was a little humbling.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/Ge3lw4a4WCE”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I have ALWAYS had some sort of technology that I use to play music and sound effects during my speeches.  It’s super cool, it adds a lot to the presentation, and it’s really a pain in the butt to learn.  The first time I got a technology, about 25 years ago, it took me at least a year to learn.  And maybe 5 years to master.

It’s not that complicated, but because I’m doing other things when I run it, it’s more difficult than

motivational speaker

Change Management Speaker

you think.  It’s easy to program wrong.  It’s easy to use wrong.  And it’s easy to forget some simple but crucial detail, spiraling my whole program into a messy pile of goop.  It ain’t rocket science, but it’s harder than it first appears.

So what’s new?  I just bought myself a new and improved technology.  It does the same thing I’ve always done — play music at my command — but it’s better than my older thing.  The problem is that I’m not used to it.  I make mistakes.  I have to re-learn the commands as they are different from the old ones, and programming it is not that hard, but because I’m used to the old way it SEEMS pretty hard.  It’s a pain in the butt.

I was whining to my wife about my problems and frustrations learning the new technology and she hit hard with a simple question:  “Why don’t you use some of the wisdom you tell your audiences, Mr. Motivational Speaker?”    Crap.  She got me.

She was right:  I was totally wasting my energy griping about change management.  I should heed my own advice.  What is it, you ask?  Glad you asked. Here it is in a nutshell.

• Change happens.  We can whine or not, but it happens.  Might as well try to go with it.  Fighting makes it worse.

• Change is good for our business.  If we don’t keep up with new trends and technologies, we eventually put ourselves OUT of work.  Reminding ourselves that change is a positive for us helps us to take it in stride.

• Change is good for our happiness.  When we get too used to stuff, we tend to stagnate.  Seeking new activities that challenge us keeps us in good mental shape.  Yeah, it is frustrating and difficult sometimes.  But oddly, those challenges are good for our long-term well being.

What Does ThIs Mean for You?   The next time you find yourself whining at the new software, the new IOs on your phone, or some new process at work, you have a choice.  You can whine and complain, or you

Funny Change Speaker

Funny Change Speaker

can try deal with it in a more positive way.  Don’t be like me and my new music technology.  Be brave.  Be strong.  Be gracious.

Shout out to my wife Kim for being smarter than I am.

What do you think?  How do YOU deal with change?

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Brad Montgomery is a very funny motivational speaker on change.  Approximately 99% of his client are struggling with some aspect of change, and he has some pretty funny ways to help business people get through change management with grace, with skill, and with a sense of humor.  If you’d like to talk to us about how Brad can help your team get to where they need to be, give us a call or contact us immediately for a free consultation about how we can do just that.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Well, I’ve moved my family down to Mexico for a year.  A working sabbatical.   Only with more beer. Here’s the first of many videos about the journey. : )

We’ve been down here a month….not yet in a routine yet, but getting there.

Hey clients!  Don’t freak out… I’m still working!   I’ve already flown to the States twice (and am in fact writing this post from North Carolina.)  Oddly — and wonderfully — it’s as cheap or cheaper to fly from here as it is from Colorado.    So…don’t fret… I’ll be there. : )

Why the trip? Why Mexico? Why the whole family? I’m currently living in Mexico.

Mexican School Shoes

We brought our kids to Mexico for the school year.. We live in a Mexican town, and put the kids in a Mexican school. (Spanish speaking, of course.)

We’re in search of adventure, perspective, and language skills. I speak to my audiences so often as a motivational speaker I thought it was about time that I put myself through some drastic change myself. We found plenty: new culture, new language, new school, new house. New everything. Lot’s of change

We’re all learning Spanish. The kids are learning faster than we are, which is sort of funny.

Looking for a motivational speaker for your event? Contact me here.

For you non-video types, here is the transcript of the video:
Brad Montgomery from BradMontgomery.com with episode 1 of Brad and Kim take their family to Mexico.

So we’re on the way to Mexico and we’re at the coolest place, which I think, I hope, is a metaphor for the whole trip. So Kim and I were lost, we missed our exit, we were tense, and then suddenly we’re lost and we’re looking for a place to pee and guess what we found? We found this place out; we’re in a place called Santa Rosa. Since we’re studying Spanish, we call it Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and we found this cool little lake. So we jumped out, we all put our suits on, we jumped in the water, we’re swimming, we’re laughing, we’re playing, everyone feels good again. We got some exercise, it’s all happy.

What’s the point? I think that the point is is that by taking the risks and giving ourselves a chance to get lost we ended up finding something that we never would have expected to find. I doubt we could find it again. Yet, it’s totally, wildly cool.

So, that’s going to be, I hope, the metaphor for us. What other risks can we take? Getting lost probably will work out great. Good day, so it works out great.

What are you doing to get lost and take some risks on purpose? Take care, see you next time.

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