This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. For better or for worse, the things that we are driven to do every day are the things that
make us feel good. For instance, I spent most of my life overweight because food made
me feel good in a way that few other things did, and as such, I made sure that food was a
big part of every day of my life. If we can find a way to make the experience of leadership
into something that brings people positive feelings, I think more people will make it a
fundamental part of their everyday life. It will become something they do without thinking -
in other words, they’ll create a “culture of leadership” in their lives. As people begin to
change the culture of their personal lives, we’ll see a shift in the culture of our communities.
The challenge is, how do we do that? Most people see leadership as hard, intimidating
work. My approach was to turn the creation of leadership into a “game” that can be played
every day. A game where each one of us makes our own rules, and a clear path to what it
takes to “win” each day. And let’s face it: winning is fun! My presentation aims to help
people reimagine
what leadership means, and lay out a plan we can teach people of all
ages to make sure they create and celebrate leadership on a daily basis.
Drew Dudley is the former National Chair of Canada’s largest fundraiser for
postsecondary
students, Shinerama: Students Fighting Cystic Fibrosis. After serving as
the Director of one of Canada’s largest university leadership development programs, he
founded Nuance Leadership in 2010, and works with organizations around the world to
empower people to develop their leadership capacity. He has spoken to over 100,000
people on 5 continents, and appeared on The Huffington Post, Forbes.com, and the main
page of TED.com.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)