Saturday, January 31, 2015

Getting to Next Symposium-Home Run


Speaking softly but with a boatload of confidence, Carole Hyatt, the founder of the "Getting to Next" symposiums in New York, welcomed a uniquely eclectic high-octane crowd of women to her latest salon.  These women  generally think rather highly of themselves --with good reason, but they also know when and how to conceal that opinion!

This time, Hyatt  assembled an unlikely mix of  attendees, mentors and speakers; senior military officers and accomplished executives bound by one common denominator-a passion for new adventures. They  arrived at the symposium with big expectations and they left after sharing a dizzying number of  conundrums and opportunities that surround the career transition process.

The confab ended with  the women forming a friendship circle--not to make one last point of self-praise, but to reinforce others' contributions to the rich learning experience at this "Luxury Boot Camp." Hyatt's Getting to Next symposiums are organized with both repeat attendees  and new  blood among the participants. There is a regular changing of the guard among speakers.

This past week I was honored to participate as a speaker and as a "Master Mentor; I had my work cut out for me with this extraordinary crowd that routinely  thinks outside the box.  My topic: Define your Negotiating DNA to Optimize Negotiations at any Table."  I have spoken publicly about this subject matter for years; applying poker principles to negotiations across the board. Yet, this time I had more than the usual tinge of stage fright.

Fresh off an appearance on Poker Night In America (for CBS Sports Network), a week earlier, I had assessed my performance: I  held my own but fell far short of a scintillating end result. So my confidence was just a bit off-key.  I  got into the Getting to Next groove by attending the opening cocktail party. I read bios, chatted briefly with as many of the attendees, as I could,  and shook hands with more, before taking center stage in the intimate setting, of this super-charged interactive workshop.

Within seconds of  turning to the attentive audience, I was on! I moved from private pouting to a reinvigorated  commitment  to excellence, thanks to this fabulous group of women invested in our shared success, together. Facilitator extraordinaire Carole Hyatt works this magic in dulcet tones that resonate as a powerful voice.