🚧 Is this limiting belief blocking your TEDx talk idea?

‘Stay in your lane.’

That’s what conventional wisdom says when it comes to choosing a talk topic. It’s one of the biggest limiting beliefs holding founders back on their journey to thought leaders. What they need to remember is this…

When Dan Murray-Serter landed the headline slot at TEDxCamden, everyone expected him to speak about entrepreneurship.

At the time, he was the Founder of Grabble and writing a monthly column for Retail Week so speaking around this area is what everyone would have expected him to do.

It was also the easy thing to do.

So we played around with some talk ideas, but none of them ‘felt right.’ They just didn’t excite him.

So I asked him a question…

His answer?

‘It’s less a question of what, and more a question of who.’ In this unforgettable 83-second clip, you’ll see why… 🍿

There’s often a big difference between the talk you feel you should give and the talk you want to give. This was Dan’s entry point into the world of thought leadership. Since then, he has:

1. Turned Secret Leaders Podcast into one of the most successful business podcasts globally 🌍.

2. Grown his personal brand to 100,000 followers across his social platforms, which no doubt helped launch a crowdfunding campaign that broke the record for the fastest ever £1m raised 💰.

3. Founded braincare company Heights which he’s grown to £8m turnover business. I wonder how many prospective employees have watched this talk to get an insight into who they might end up working for? 📊

What I like most though is that 5 years later, that talk is still featured on his LinkedIn profile, right next to the interview with Steven Bartlett on Diary of a CEO.

It tells me he’s still proud of it.

And that puts him in the minority of TEDx speakers - so many look back at their talks wishing they’d done it differently. Or they get put off by ego-driven elements like aesthetics (let’s be honest, video quality isn’t great), and view count.

The single most important thing about a talk you give is how you feel about it.

Alex

P.s. Dan described the Thought Leadership Accelerator as ‘one of the most rewarding and valuable experiences’ he’s ever had professionally.

Want to follow in his footsteps?

I’m bringing together a small group of leaders who want to create a TED-style talk to deliver at conferences in 2024. Reply to this message with the word ‘visionary’ for more info.