Meet Our “Influencer of the Week,” James Brown!
| September 28, 2023
James Brown, Professional Speaker, Voice Over Actor and Public Speaking Coach
Nominated by: Jevon Wooden
James is a speaker, emcee, voice-over talent, and presentation coach for youth and adults; I guess you could say he’s a man who wears many hats (literally has more than 35 “B” caps!) James is known for his commanding voice and interactive approach, where he believes everybody is your customer. A former All-American track star and award-winning National Sales executive, James is no stranger to competing at the highest levels. He knows what it takes to prepare in advance, customize for each audience, and deliver when the lights come on (show time.) James’ unique expertise as a leader and teammate (on the track and in corporate America) has paved the way for him to be an asset to various organizations, challenging them to leverage the power of relationships in “The Xchange Zone.” Away from the mic and stage, James is a husband and father of two who enjoys cooking, golfing, fishing, and reading.
Connect with James on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, subscribe to his YouTube channel, or visit his website to learn more about his work.
James’ Insights
Leveraging the Power of Connecting in The Xchange Zone!
The Exchange Zone is the 30-meter area on the track where the baton is passed from the incoming teammate to the outgoing teammate in the 4×100-meter relay. If you miss the exchange in the zone or drop the baton, you are disqualified. In The Xchange Zone, we believe everybody is your customer, and we leverage the power of relationships by remaining connected to them. Remaining connected is the responsibility of everybody, and our goal is to make sure we do all we can to remain connected, avoiding disqualification. Since everybody is your customer, this philosophy applies to not only the external customers but the internal ones as well. Richard Branson says, “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”
With our customers, we understand there is a Rhythm and Rhyme to Rewarding Relationships. We first need to know that relationships are a key ingredient in remaining connected. A relationship is defined as “the state of being connected.” The reward is understanding what the win in the relationship is. What have we identified as our win: Understanding that on the track, winning is not always coming in first place. In our organizations, winning is not always getting the sale. Rhyming is all about communication. Bernard Shaw says, “The single biggest problem with communication is the allusion that it has occurred.” Are we committed to communicating with our customers most effectively for THEM to ensure what we are communicating is being understood? Just like each individual has their own unique DNA, each relationship has its unique cadence called the rhythm. When the rhythm changes in the relationships with our customers, we have to adjust to make sure we are on beat. When we incorporate the rhythm and rhyme for rewarding relationships, we maximize our chances of remaining connected, thus leveraging our power in The Xchange Zone.
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